Odessa’s POV
My alarm went off at exactly seven.
I stared at the ceiling for a full minute before remembering what today was.
First day of school.
For one sleepy second, I expected to hear Mom humming downstairs while the housekeepers prepared breakfast.
Instead, the delicious smell of pancakes drifted up the staircase.
A smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it.
“Havana,” I mumbled.
I dragged myself out of bed, walked over to the mirror, and stared at my pink hair.
Yes, pink.
My mom had dyed it when I was little, so I grew into it, and now it was my favorite thing about myself.
It was slightly messy, and I had dark circles beneath my eyes.
Apparently, sneaking into illegal underground fighting rings wasn’t exactly great for sleep.
The thought made me laugh.
After getting dressed, I grabbed my backpack and headed downstairs.
The moment I stepped into the kitchen, Havana turned around with a spatula in one hand.
“Good morning!”
She beamed like she’d been awake for hours which, judging by the spread on the table, she probably had.
“Havana…” I blinked.
“Are we feeding the entire neighborhood?”
She looked genuinely confused.
“No.”
“Then why is there enough food for twenty people?”
Dean chuckled from behind his newspaper.
“She panic-cooks.”
“I do not.”
I simply nodded and quietly began eating.
The pancakes were amazing.
“I think these are the best pancakes I’ve ever had.”
Havana gasped.
“Dean!”
“What?”
“She likes my cooking!”
Dean pretended to wipe away a tear.
“It’s a miracle.”
“Oh, hush.”
I chuckled, and Dean turned to me.
“So.”
I looked up.
“Ready?”
I knew exactly what he meant.
Blackridge University.
The words alone made my stomach twist.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said.
He folded his newspaper, reached across the table, and squeezed my hand.
“You don’t owe anyone an explanation.”
A lump formed in my throat.
“I’ll remember that.”
Havana nodded in agreement.
“And if anyone gives you trouble,” she casually flipped another pancake, “tell me.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What are you going to do?”
She smiled sweetly.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
Dean laughed.
“Don’t let the smile fool you.”
“I’m perfectly harmless,” she said.
By eight-thirty, we were pulling into the university parking lot.
The campus was larger than I’d expected.
Red brick buildings stretched across the green lawns.
Students hurried along tree-lined pathways with coffee cups in hand.
Some sat beneath the shade of giant oak trees reading.
Others laughed loudly outside the student center.
It felt nice and warm.
Nothing like the tense silence and gossiping that had surrounded my old school after my parents’ arrest.
I climbed out of the car and adjusted the strap of my backpack.
Dean came around to my side.
“You’ll do great.”
“I haven’t even gone inside yet.”
“Exactly.”
He smiled.
“You still have time to make a perfect first impression.”
“I’m trying to avoid those.”
“Good luck.”
I shoved his shoulder lightly, and he grinned.
“Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
“And Odessa?”
I looked back.
“No matter what happens today,” his smile became softer, “remember that one bad chapter doesn’t decide the whole story.”
I blinked.
“It’s just school, Dean.”
With one last wave, I turned toward the university gates and walked inside.
The campus buzzed with life.
Clusters of students filled every corner, chatting excitedly as they hurried from one building to another.
Some sat beneath the trees with laptops balanced on their knees.
Others lounged on the grass, completely unbothered by the fact that classes would begin in less than thirty minutes.
It was normal.
I pulled the map Dean had printed for me from my backpack.
“Business Administration Building…”
I looked left, then right.
“You look lost,” someone said.
I turned to find a girl about my age smiling at me.
She had shoulder-length dark hair tied into a messy ponytail and carried three textbooks against her chest.
“Is it that obvious?”
She laughed.
“Only a little.”
I held up the map.
“I’m looking for the Business Administration Building.”
“Oh!”
She pointed toward a cream-colored building across the courtyard.
“That’s Hall B.”
I let out an exaggerated sigh of relief.
“You have no idea how happy you’ve just made me.”
“I remember my first day.”
She smiled knowingly.
“I ended up in the engineering department.”
“Ouch.”
“They made me sit through twenty minutes of Calculus before someone realized I wasn’t supposed to be there.”
I laughed.
“I’m Odessa.”
“Maya.”
She offered her hand, and I shook it.
“You new?”
“Very new.”
“Transfer?”
I hesitated for the briefest second.
“Something like that.”
Thankfully, she didn’t press.
Instead, she hooked her thumb toward the building.
“I’m heading that way too,” she said.
“Mind if I join you?”
“I was hoping you’d ask.”
Together, we crossed the courtyard; students brushed past us from every direction.
A boy carrying three cups of coffee tripped over a backpack, somehow managing not to spill a single drop.
The entire campus felt wonderfully chaotic.
“I like it here,” I admitted.
Maya smiled.
“It grows on you.”
Before we reached the building, a loud squeal echoed across the courtyard.
“Maya!”
A petite girl came running toward us, nearly colliding with another student in the process.
“I overslept!” she shrieked.
“I can see that.”
Maya laughed.
The newcomer finally noticed me.
“Oh, I love your hair!” she said.
“Thank you,” I said awkwardly.
“Maya, introductions?”
“Right.”
She pointed toward the energetic girl.
“This is Naomi.”
Naomi waved enthusiastically.
“I’m usually less chaotic than this.”
Maya snorted.
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m Odessa,” I said.
“It’s nice to meet you!”
She linked her arm through mine as though we’d known each other for years.
“You can sit with us!”
I blinked.
“You don’t even know me.”
“So?”
She shrugged.
“You look nice.”
I couldn’t help smiling.
“That’s your entire reason?”
“It hasn’t failed me yet.”
Maya rolled her eyes affectionately.
“Don’t question her logic.”
The three of us entered Hall B together.
Students streamed into different classrooms while lecturers hurried through the corridors carrying stacks of papers.
Room 204, our classroom.
Rows of seats were arranged gently toward the back.
Maya immediately claimed the seats halfway up.
“Best spot.”
“Why?”
“Far enough from the lecturer that you don’t get picked first.”
Naomi nodded seriously.
“Years of research.”
“I trust your scientific findings,” Maya said.
“You should.”
We settled into our seats, and I glanced around the room.
The students were already forming little groups.
It reminded me that everyone else already seemed to know someone.
Everyone except me.
A boy slid into the seat in front of us and turned around.
“Morning,” he said.
“Mason,” Maya greeted.
“Still alive?”
“Barely.”
He yawned dramatically.
“I studied until three.”
Naomi frowned.
“For today’s lecture?”
“No.”
He looked offended.
“For a video game tournament.”
I burst out laughing.
“Respect,” I said.
“See?” He pointed at me.
“The new girl understands.”
“The new girl has questionable judgment,” Maya said.
“I prefer ‘excellent taste,'” I told her.
The classroom filled up quickly.
The classroom door suddenly slammed open, and all the chatter stopped.
Every single head turned toward the entrance; even Maya sighed.
“Right on time.”
I frowned.
“What?”
She leaned closer.
“Watch.”
Heavy footsteps echoed through the silent classroom.
Someone walked in with both hands tucked into the pockets of a black hoodie.
Messy ginger-orange hair reflected the morning sunlight streaming through the windows.
His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, revealing tattooed forearms marked with what looked like fading bruises.
A small cut was just beneath his lower lip; his expression was unreadable.
Instead, he strolled casually toward the back row, his headphones hanging loosely around his neck.
The lecturer pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Mr.
Harlway.”
The boy didn’t answer.
He simply dropped into the last seat by the window and stretched his legs beneath the desk.
The room remained eerily quiet.
I stared at him, and my heart skipped.
No… It couldn’t be.
The orange hair and the tattoos.
My breath hitched.
Rune.
The mysterious fighter from the underground arena was sitting in my classroom.
And he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen.