Page 22 of Ghost Ribbon

But he would.

Soon.

Chapter 4 - Marco

It had been a long, anxious day of classes. My mind refused to settle, replaying the cafeteria incident on an endless loop. Rei had stood up to Dimitri, and worry gnawed at me constantly.

Dimitri wasn’t Alexei, but he was still terrifying and viciously proud. I didn’t know if I could even help if things escalated. Useless as I was, that didn’t matter. I wanted to stay glued to Rei’s side all day, like a pathetic shadow that needed protecting instead of the other way around. The thought made my stomach twist with familiar self-loathing.

Rei deserved better than a friend who dragged danger into his life just by existing. He was the only thing that made Bloodburn bearable, and I repaid him by being the weak little magnet for monsters.

Unfortunately, today our schedules didn’t line up. Different classes meant I had to endure the last lecture alone, fidgeting in my seat as I chewed on the end of my pen until the plastic cracked. The professor’s voice droned on about some ancient treaty I couldn’t care less about. Every few seconds my eyes flicked to the clock.

A new notebook sat open in front of me, but the pages were mostly filled with frantic sketches instead of notes. I kept doodling Alexei’s face without meaning to.

The memory of his thumb pressing over my pulse made my stomach twist in a way I didn’t understand. Fear, but something else too. Something shameful that made my cheeks burn and my thighs press together under the desk. I hated it. I hated myself for it. What kind of broken person felt anything but pure terror when the devil touched them?

When the bell finally rang, I was a bit late packing up because my fingers wouldn’t stop trembling. I shoved my things into my bag and hurried out into the hallway, my heart already picking up speed. I just wanted to find Rei. He was probably waiting at the outside entrance like usual, probably with a strawberry candy already in his pocket for me. The thought alone helped me breathe a little easier, even though I knew I didn’t deserve his kindness. I was a burden. One day he would see it and leave.

I was speed-walking past the rows of lockers, head down, when a familiar bubbly voice called out behind me.

“Marco! Hey, wait up!”

I turned and there she was. Sasha. Jogging the last few steps to catch me. Her light brown hair was pulled into a messy half-ponytail with little daisy clips, and she was wearing that oversized pastel sweater she always stole from her older sister. She looked genuinely happy to see me, cheeks pink from the quick jog.

She stopped in front of me, a little out of breath, and giggled. “You walk so fast when you are in a hurry! I almost missed you. How was the last lecture? Professor Hale was on another planet today, right? I swear he spent twenty minutes talking about one single date in 1427. I started counting the ceiling tiles.”

I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. “It was… long. I didn’t really pay attention. My notes are probably useless.”

Sasha waved a hand and giggled again. “Useless? Please. You are the one who carried our whole project last month. Remember?”

My cheeks warmed. I clutched my notebook tighter against my chest. “You helped a lot too.”

She leaned in a little, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper even though the hallway was mostly empty now. “Working with you was the best part of that whole assignment.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a little pack of gummies, offering them with another giggle. They were lemon-flavored and I didn’t like lemons at all, but I’d be rude not to take them. “I saved these for you. Figured you might need a sugar boost after that snooze-fest of a class.”

I took them carefully, my fingers brushing hers for a second. “Thanks, Sasha. That is really sweet of you.”

She beamed, rocking on her heels. “Of course! You are my favorite project partner. And friend. Even if your other favorite friend gives me the evil eye every time he sees us talking.” She said it lightly, but I could hear the tiny bit of nervousness underneath. We both knew exactly who she meant.

Internally, I felt a small pang. Rei would probably be glaring right now if he saw us. I had told him once that if Sasha ever pissed him off too much, I could just stop being friends with her, because he was my priority. He had just shrugged and said it was okay, that I could hang out with whoever I wanted. He just didn’t like her vibe. I understood. So we only really hung out when he wasn’t around. It was easier that way. I didn’t want to cause problems between us.

“Yeah… he is protective.”

“Well, he is lucky to have someone as sweet as you to protect.”

We kept walking slowly together down the hallway while she chattered.

I laughed and shook my head. “Can we talk later? I just need to find Rei. He is probably waiting at the entrance already. I don’t want to make him worry.”

Sasha nodded, understanding completely. “Sure, no worries! Go!”

I watched her bounce off down the hallway, humming something cheerful under her breath, before I turned and kept walking toward the outside entrance.

I pushed through the big double doors and spotted Rei standing near the stone steps. My stomach dropped all over again.

He was there.

And he wasn’t alone.