Silence hit the cafeteria like a wave.
Every head turned towards the doorway where Leo stood, his hands still in his pockets, expression unreadable.
The girls who had been circling Anya froze. One of them tried to smile, half-defensive. "We were just-"
"You were just what?" he asked.
The girl gave a nervous laugh, glancing around for backup. "We were just-just having fun, right Anya?"
Leo tilted his head slightly and scoffed. "That's your definition of fun?"
She faltered. "I-"
Leo's eyes lingered on the group. "How pathetic."
One of the girls shifted back, swallowing.
Anya's lip trembled. She muttered a barely audible "excuse me," grabbed her bag from the floor and hurried past them.
Her head was down, her movements small but hurried almost like she was trying to disappear.
Leo didn't move, he just watched her leave until the cafeteria doors swung shut behind her.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
One of the girls started to speak, her voice shaky. "We didn't-"
Leo's eyes flicked towards her. Just one look.
She stopped instantly, her throat working around a word she couldn't finish.
He turned away, scanning the room before heading for the exit.
***
The hallway outside was dim and quiet.
The air smelled faintly of rain through an open window.
He didn't see her at first. Not until he turned the corner toward the courtyard.
Anya sat on one of the stone benches by the fountain, the light from the lamps washing her face in pale gold.
Her bag sat beside her and she was staring at the water, not crying, not moving, just…still.
Leo hesitated for a moment. He could've kept walking. It wasn't his problem. It never had to be.
But his feet didn't listen.
He walked over and stopped a few feet away. "You planning to sit out here all night?"
Anya blinked, startled, her head turning towards his direction. "Why do you care anyways?"
"I don't," he said flatly. "But the temperature's dropping. You'll catch a cold."
That earned him a faint, humorless laugh. "Right, wouldn't want to get sick and embarrass the school name."
Leo tilted his head slightly. "You're getting better at sarcasm."
She looked down again, tracing a finger over the bench. "You shouldn't have said anything back there. Now they'll hate me even more."
"They already did, what does it matter?"
That made her glance up, her expression somewhere between confusion and disbelief.
Leo shrugged. "You didn't do anything wrong, that's probably why it bothers them."
Anya stared at him for a long while before shaking her head. "You talk like you actually understand."
"I don't have to," he said quietly. "It's not that complicated."
The silence stretched again.
Anya's voice was small when she eventually spoke. "Do you always have to sound like you're above it all"
Leo looked at her for a while. "Do I? I never noticed."
She gave a faint tired smile. "You're really bad at comfort, you know that?"
"I wasn't trying to."
"Could've fooled me."
Leo glanced towards the cafeteria doors in the distance, then back at her. "Go grab something to eat before the cafeteria closes," he said. "You'll feel worse if you don't."
Anya blinked, caught off guard by the subject change. "And you?"
"I'm done for the night."
He turned before she could say anything else, his hands sliding back into his pockets as he walked off.
By the time he got back to his dorm, it was already 8:00pm.
He loosened his tie, dropped it on his desk, and sank on the bed without bothering to change.
The exhaustion hit all at once. The day catching to him in one heavy blur.
Sleep came fast.
***
The next morning
The soft buzz of his phone on the nightstand pulled Leo out of sleep.
He groaned, reaching blindly for it, squinting at the screen – 8:57a.m.
For a moment, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling, the faint hum of the AC filling up the silence.
Then with a sigh, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and pushed himself up.
The floor was cold under his feet as he walked into the bathroom.
He stood under the shower, his eyes half-closed as the cold water hit his skin.
When he finally stepped out, he reached for a towel, running it over his hair before brushing his teeth and rinsing.
He stared at himself in the mirror for a second or two before leaving the bathroom.
He dried his face on the edge of his towel, then pulled on a loose T-shirt and a pair of dark shorts.
There weren't any classes today because of the game.
He tossed the towel aside, collapsed back onto the bed, and turned on the TV.
A random movie played on mute, the subtitles rolling as he half-watched, half-drifted in and out of sleep.
It was quiet -- perfectly, peacefully quiet.
Until the door shook.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Leo groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
He shoved a pillow over his head, but the knocking only got louder.
"Leo! Open up, man!"
He groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
He rolled out of bed and opened the door.
Felix stood there, looking way too awake for a Saturday morning. Coffee cup in one hand, phone in the other, his hoodie half unzipped over a black T-shirt.
"You alive?" Felix asked, stepping in like he owned the place.
"Barely," Leo muttered, dragging a hand through his hair.
"What do you want?"
Felix held up the coffee cup. "Moral support. And also you're coming to the game."
Leo stared at him flatly. "No I'm not."
Felix leaned against the wall, sipping his coffee like he had all day. "Come on, It's Halcyon Prep, It's gonna be good. Ethan's been stressing over this all week."
"I noticed." Leo said. "He told me yesterday."
"Then you have to show up. You can't give the guy advice and then ghost him when it counts."
Leo walked back into his bedroom, Felix trailing behind him as he dropped onto the bed. "I don't remember signing up for moral support duty."
Felix smirked. "Consider it community service. Also, Hayes said if I don't make an appearance, I'm off event coordination. So now you have to suffer with me."
Leo cracked one eye open. "That sounds like a you problem."
Felix grinned. "It is and I'm sharing it."
Leo stared at him form the bed, unimpressed. "How generous."
"Hey, I try." Felix took another sip of his coffee and looked around the room like he was judging it.
"You ever plan on unpacking properly, or is this minimalist thing a lifestyle choice?"
Leo tilted his head back on the pillow. "Less mess. Less work."
Felix snorted. "You sound like my therapist."
"Fire him. I'm cheaper."
Felix laughed under his breath. "Nah, you charge in sarcasm. I couldn't afford it."
Leo's phone buzzed from the nightstand, but he ignored it. He closed his eyes again, clearly done with the conversation.
"Don't even think about going back to sleep." Felix warned, setting his cup on Leo's desk.
"I already told Hayes I'd meet him in the gym before tipoff."
Leo's eyes stayed shut. "Good for you."
"Meaning you're coming."
"Meaning I'm not."
Felix groaned dramatically, dragging a hand down his face. "Leo, come on. It's not like I'm asking you to cheer. Just show up, sit there and look vaguely interested."
Leo finally opened his eyes. "Why?"
"Because the entire school's going, and if you don't, people are gonna think you're allergic to human interaction."
Leo smirked faintly. "Maybe I am."
Felix stared at him for a second, then sighed. "You're lucky you're rich enough to make antisocial look mysterious."
Leo finally sat up, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Ten out ten for effort, by the way. Still not going."
Felix grinned like he'd already won. "You'll be there. You hate losing bets."
Leo gave him a flat look. "What bet?"
"The one I just made in my head that says I can annoy you into coming."
Leo threw a pillow at him. Felix dodged, laughing.
"I'll go check on Hayes." Felix said pointing at him on his way out. "I'll be back in fifteen."
Leo watched him leave before flopping back onto the bed, his arms stretched above his head.
He finally got up sighing.
He pulled on a plain white shirt with joggers and slipped on a black baggy hoodie with white sneakers.
A second later, the door creaked open again and Felix peeked in. "You done?"
Leo glanced at him before sighing. "Look who's back."
"Well, obviously, do you seriously think I'm gonna walk all the way to the gym..ALONE"
Felix stepped inside fully, stretching his arms. "Come on Ashford let's go pretend we care about school spirit."