Chapter 3: Echoes and Impact

“My head feels like a rock when I think about this,” Devin muttered under his breath, his long strides taking him aimlessly across the sunlit courtyard. “Is it just me, or does Cassie really... no, no. Nah. You can't do this, Dex. Stay out of it. What if it's the other way around? What if I'm just—”
“Are you talking to yourself?”
The sharp, amused voice cut through his spiral. Devin blinked, snapping out of his thoughts just a second before he stumbled right into Eva. He took a half-step back, his heart doing a small flip from the sudden interruption. The polished "Dex" mask rushed back to his face, though a trace of genuine shock lingered in his eyes.
“Woah! Is that Eva Stones?” Devin asked, adjusting his posture.
Eva raised an eyebrow, looking entirely surprised. “You know me?!”
“I do,” Devin replied, a gentle, easy smile returning to his lips. “Maybe you don't know, but Mrs. Smith loves talking about you. I've seen a lot of your project works. Trust me, you're more than just a student around here.”
Eva shrugged, leaning her weight onto one foot with a casual confidence. “Maybe I am. I don't force it, Dex. It just comes out of me naturally. Well, I don't quite understand the thing with a Starboy walking around the campus talking to himself. Must be another heavy workload.”
Devin’s smile hesitated. For a split second, the exhaustion from earlier threatened to bleed through. “I... I... Okay, look. Just don't tell anyone, alright? Most people around here are really good at making a big deal out of nothing.”
Eva let out a light laugh, waving her hand defensively. “Chill out! I was just kidding.”
Devin let out a quiet sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “You got me there. Well, it was nice to meet you, Eva.”
Before Eva could respond, a familiar voice called out from across the lawn.
“Hey, Eva!”
Cassie was jogging toward them, her eyes darting between the two of them with a mixture of relief and curiosity. As she reached the pair, she completely ignored the ambient noise of the courtyard, her focus locking entirely onto Devin.
“Devin!” Cassie exhaled, catching her breath. She looked frantic, her protective instincts visibly flaring. “You don't have an idea what happened. You should thank—”
Eva’s eyes widened slightly. Realizing exactly what Cassie was about to say—and wanting to keep Devin from finding out that she was the one who had effortlessly stepped in to fix Marcus's presentation in his absence—Eva sharply cut her off.
“Cassie, we can talk about it later!” Eva interrupted smoothly, grabbing Cassie’s wrist. “I completely forgot to return this book to Mrs. Watson. We should hurry before the staff room closes.”
“Wait, but Eva, I was just—” Cassie stammered, but Eva was already pulling her away by the hand, throwing a quick, unbothered wave over her shoulder at Devin.
Devin stood frozen in place, watching the two girls disappear around the corner of the brick building. He rubbed the back of his neck, thoroughly bewildered.
“These girls are so goddamn hard to understand sometimes,” he whispered to himself, shaking his head. “Whatever...”
Meanwhile, inside the campus cafeteria, the atmosphere was a stark contrast to the quiet courtyard.
A freshman named Ned sat alone at a corner table, staring blankly at a cold cup of coffee. He was trembling slightly, his fingers twisting around a napkin as he muttered frantically to himself.
“Why... why would you do that, Karen? I can't stop thinking about this,” Ned whispered, his voice cracking with anxiety. “Am I doing it the wrong way by trusting Molly? Goddammit, my head feels like mud. It’s so heavy...”
Suddenly, a heavy, calloused hand clamped down on Ned’s shoulder from behind, gripping the fabric of his shirt.
Ned froze. He didn't even need to look up to know who it was. Tyler Avon. The campus’s most notorious bully, legendary for tracking down the submissive students and tearing them apart for his own amusement.
“Hi, Fembot,” Tyler’s voice sneered right next to Ned’s ear, dripping with mock friendliness. “It’s been a while, right? Ned?”
Ned’s heart hammered against his ribs. He forced himself to take a shallow breath, trying desperately to keep his voice steady. “I-I gotta go, Tyler. Can we talk later?”
Tyler’s smirk vanished, replaced by an expression of pure malice. “You don't get to choose, Mr. Fembot.”
In one swift, violent motion, Tyler grabbed Ned by the back of his neck and slammed his face hard into the wooden table. The loud crack echoed across the immediate section of the cafeteria, drawing horrified looks from nearby students, though nobody dared to move.
Back near the main hall, Aby was sprinting toward the staff room, her sketchbook nearly slipping from her arms. The moment she spotted Devin walking down the corridor, she slid to a halt, chest heaving as she struggled for air.
“Dex!” Aby gasped out, her eyes wide with fear and anger. “He... he’s doing it again. I felt like such a coward just standing there, watching Ned getting his head smashed into the table.”
The casual, tired demeanor Devin had been carrying instantly vanished. His jaw tightened, his eyes darkening as the heavy, protective aura took over.
“Call Marcus, ASAP,” Devin ordered, his voice dangerously low and steady. “I’ll be right back.”
Without waiting for her reply, Devin turned and began to run toward the cafeteria, aggressively folding up his sleeves as his strides broke into a sprint.