Rhys took a cautious step back, keeping his eyes on her. "Okay… so, you're the one I'm supposed to… impress? Or survive?" he asked, a smirk tugging at his lips despite the situation.
The girl arched an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Survive? Cute. But no, you're supposed to listen… at least for now."
"Listen?" Rhys repeated, incredulous. "I haven't even had a chance to—"
"Save it," she interrupted, stepping closer. Her gaze locked onto his, sharp and calculating. "You've got the charm, I'll give you that. But let's see if you can keep up."
Rhys felt a thrill run through him. She's bold. I like that. "Keep up with… what exactly?"
She smirked, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "You'll find out soon enough. Don't embarrass yourself in the meantime."
Rhys chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Embarrass myself? Oh, don't worry—I've got plenty of practice dealing with people like you."
For the first time, the girl's smirk faltered, just slightly, and a flicker of something unreadable crossed her face.
Rhys realized, with a mix of excitement and caution, that this was going to be far from a normal first day at college.
"Date me," she said, her tone firm and unyielding.
That shook him. Rhys blinked, eyes wide in disbelief. "Excuse me? I know I'm good, but that doesn't mean everything goes according to you," he shot back. "Anyway, I'll just… leave now."
"Cute," she said coldly, a faint chuckle slipping through. "Who said you could leave? I haven't given permission yet."
This was getting interesting. And a little terrifying. Still, a part of him couldn't deny he was curious. But another part was busy worrying—what if those people following him earlier showed up now?
"What is this about?" he asked cautiously.
The girl straightened, her expression unreadable. "My name is Seraphine Calder. One hundred days. Date me for the next hundred days."
Rhys blinked again. One hundred days? Was she serious? He wanted to hear more—mostly to understand what kind of universe he'd accidentally walked into.
He took a careful step back, studying her. "Okay… so, you're the one I'm supposed to… impress? Or survive?" he said, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Seraphine arched an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Survive? Cute. But no, you're supposed to listen. At least for now."
"Listen?" Rhys echoed, incredulous. "I haven't even had a chance to—"
"Save it," she cut in, stepping closer. Her gaze locked onto his—sharp, focused, and almost predatory. "You've got the charm, I'll give you that. But let's see if you can keep up."
Rhys felt a chill crawl down his spine, followed by an unexpected thrill. She's bold. I like that.
"Keep up with what exactly?"
She smirked, a dangerous glint lighting her eyes. "You'll find out soon enough. Just don't embarrass yourself in the meantime."
He chuckled softly. "Embarrass myself? Oh, don't worry. I've had plenty of practice dealing with people like you."
For the first time, her smirk faltered—just slightly—and something unreadable crossed her face.
Then, without another word, she turned and stormed off, the sharp clack of her heels echoing behind her.
Rhys exhaled and scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "Wow… what did I get myself into now?"
Just then, the same girl who'd approached him at the gate appeared again, handing him a folded paper. Rhys unfolded it, scanning the words—then froze.
"A… contract?!" he muttered. "She could've just asked nicely! I wouldn't have minded helping…" He sighed, shoving the paper into his pocket. "Well then, let's see what you're up to next time, Miss Badditude."
As Rhys turned to leave, a sudden chill crawled up his spine.
Someone was there. Watching him.
He froze mid-step, scanning the empty hallway. Great. Because today wasn't weird enough already.
"Come out," he said firmly, his voice echoing just a bit. Inside, his thoughts were less confident. Or maybe I should just run. Running sounds good.
Footsteps echoed behind him—slow, deliberate, getting closer.
Rhys didn't move. His fingers twitched slightly, ready to react, though to what exactly, he wasn't sure.