Chapter 4

　　"Alright, let's change tables. Give Hailey some room to breathe, she looks like she's still in shock," Liam said, being the first to stand up.

　　Brandon started to move, but then he suddenly leaned down slightly, cutting the distance between us. The corner of his mouth twitched, lifting into a devastatingly faint smile.

　　"Good to see you're still in one piece, Stranger," Brandon whispered. He said it just loud enough for a few girls at the neighboring table to drop their forks clattering to the floor.

　　Once his friends walked away, Brandon shifted his gaze back to me for a few silent seconds, as if making sure I was listening to every single word.

　　"Eat up. You look like you'd pass out the second a gust of Toronto wind hits you," he added, before finally turning on his heel and walking toward the hockey team's VIP table near the glass wall.

　　The moment his towering frame moved away, it felt like oxygen finally rushed back into my lungs. I quickly snatched my food tray and practically ran toward the most hidden corner of the cafeteria.

　　My heart was hammering violently against my ribs, not because I was starstruck, but out of pure, unadulterated fear.

　　Damn it. This cannot happen again, I thought in sheer frustration, gripping the edge of my oversized gray jacket.

　　The whole reason I packed my entire life into a suitcase and moved this far away from Vancouver was to escape the spotlight. Back home, I had always been "that girl." The girl whose face everyone looked for in the school hallways, whose appearance was picked apart and judged every single day, and whose life was constantly plagued by jealousy-induced drama because of how I looked.

　　Yet, my plan had shattered into a million pieces on day one.

　　"Oh my God, Hailey! What the hell just happened?!" Lily suddenly materialized out of nowhere and slammed herself into the chair right across from me. Her eyes were wide as saucers behind her round glasses. "You... you know Brandon Walker? Since when? How?!"

　　"I don't know him, Lily. I swear to God, I don't know him," I whispered frantically, trying to shield my face. Damn it. Starting tomorrow, I'm wearing a cap or pulling my hoodie all the way down on campus.

　　"You don't know him? He literally just paid for your food, called you Stranger, and smiled! Brandon Walker does not smile at girls, Hailey! Even his last girlfriend, who was a literal model a year ago, never got that kind of public treatment!" Lily muffled her own screech with both hands.

　　I let out a long, heavy sigh, staring down at the sandwich in front of me as my appetite evaporated completely. "He just helped me out last night when I got pickpocketed. That's it. It was just a coincidence."

　　Lily shook her head slowly, her expression instantly shifting from excited to deeply anxious. She scanned the surrounding cafeteria before locking her eyes back onto me. "Coincidence or not, Hailey... you are in deep trouble. Look at your two o'clock and ten o'clock right now. But don't make it obvious."

　　I peeked cautiously, following Lily's instructions. Over by the coffee counter, a group of girls in matching cheerleader uniforms were staring a hole straight through my table. Standing dead center was a girl with platinum blonde hair and sharp, heavily lined eyes.

　　Her name was Jessica. I had seen her face in the university brochure as the cheerleader captain. The look she was throwing my way was dripping with pure, unmitigated hatred.

　　Meanwhile, in another corner, a few upperclassmen girls were whispering furiously while aiming their phone cameras right at me. I could faintly catch snippets of "Who is she?" and "How dare she even go near Brandon?" floating through the air.

　　To make matters worse, even though I was wearing a baggy jacket to hide my body, several male students at other tables had started watching me intently, noticing the very beauty I had spent all morning trying to camouflage. The combination of my appearance turning heads and Brandon Walker's blatant interaction with me was an instant recipe for disaster.

　　"Brandon's fan club... they're not just going to let this slide, are they?" I asked Lily, feeling a cold dread creep up the back of my neck.

　　"Jessica has been pinning after Brandon since freshman year, and she has systematically ruined the reputation of every single girl who ever tried to get close to him," Lily said gravely, her voice dropping to a whisper. "My best advice right now? The second we finish eating, we get out of here, and you avoid Brandon Walker like the actual plague."

　　"That is exactly my plan," I said firmly.

　　We forced down our food as quickly as possible under the suffocating pressure of dozens of watching eyes. The moment we were done, Lily and I pushed out of our chairs, cleared our trays, and slipped out of the cafeteria through the side exit to avoid the hockey team's table entirely.

　　I exhaled a massive breath of relief the second the freezing outdoor air hit my face. At least my classes for the day were over. I could finally go back to the apartment and lock myself in.

　　"I need to swing by the library to grab a few journals," Lily said when we reached the campus crossroads. "Want to come along?"

　　"No, I think I'll head straight back. My body is still pretty sore from last night," I replied with a weak smile. "See you back at our apartment, Lily."

　　"Stay safe, Hailey. Call me if anything happens," she warned before turning down the path.

　　I walked alone down the campus walkway, which was lined with barren maple trees. The area was relatively quiet since most students were still stuck in their afternoon lectures. I shoved my earphones in, trying to drown out the anxiety that kept clawing at my thoughts.

　　But my footsteps ground to a sudden halt as I passed the secluded back area of the abandoned old theater building.

　　Three girls stepped out from behind a concrete pillar, cutting off my path. Right in the middle stood Jessica, the cheerleader captain. She had her arms crossed over her chest, looking down her nose at me while her two sidekicks locked down the path behind me.

　　I pulled my earphones out slowly, forcing myself to maintain my composure even though my heart began to race. "Excuse me. I need to get through."

　　Jessica took a step forward, a cruel smirk spreading across her flawless, arrogant face. "So, this is the new girl from Vancouver who immediately threw herself at our captain?" she asked, her voice sharp and laced with venom.

　　"Listen to me, you little bitch. I don't know what cheap trick you pulled last night to get Brandon to talk to you in the cafeteria. But let me make one thing crystal clear..."

　　The girl to Jessica's right lunged forward and roughly yanked my gray jacket open, causing my long brown hair to spill freely, whipping in the wind.

　　Jessica visibly caught her breath for a fraction of a second, seeing my face completely uncovered up close, a flash of pure, ugly jealousy flared in her eyes as she realized the rumors about my looks weren't an exaggeration.

　　But that realization only fueled her rage. Jessica grabbed the strap of my backpack in a vice grip, yanking me forward until our faces were barely inches apart.

　　"Brandon Walker belongs to me, and he belongs to this campus. Don't you dare even dream about being near him again," Jessica hissed, the threat heavy in her voice.

　　"If I catch you looking at him tomorrow, or if you accidentally cross his path... I will personally make sure your life at Toronto University becomes a living hell you'll never be able to forget."