She wasn't late for class.
But she walked like she was running from something.
Her feet moved fast, eyes darting across faces, reflections, shadows. Her chest tightened with every turn. Her scarf didn't sit right. Her bra felt too tight. Her heart… didn't settle.
Every man she passed wore Roman's eyes.
Every child's giggle echoed like Lelo's.
---
By the time she reached campus, her palms were damp.
She hadn't bled.
Not since that night.
And now… her stomach burned with one thought over and over:
> What if they test me? What if he wants to check if I'm carrying his obsession?
---
There were pharmacies on every block.
She walked past three on the way to class.
Each time she slowed.
Each time her legs wanted to walk in.
Each time her spine screamed: You are being watched.
She saw no cameras. No guards. No threats.
But she felt them.
Behind her eyes. Beneath her skin.
Roman's voice like a noose:
> "Don't be long."
"You're mine."
"Say it."
She didn't go in.
---
By the second lecture, she was trembling.
Not from cold.
From time.
> What if it's already too late?
She couldn't focus. Couldn't write. Couldn't breathe through the memory of his body over hers. Inside hers. Whispering forever with his mouth and thrusts.
Her roommate plopped beside her with a loud sigh.
> "Girl, I need a detox," she said, rummaging through her bag. "Too many parties. Too many mistakes."
She pulled out a makeup pouch. It jangled.
Serene saw the flash of white and pink — a familiar bottle half-spilled with round pills inside.
> Birth control.
---
Serene's heart stopped.
She turned toward her with careful calm.
> "Hey, do you still have extras? Of those?"
The roommate raised a brow.
> "I thought you weren't… you know."
"I'm not," Serene said too quickly. "I just… need them."
> "How many?"
Serene hesitated.
Then whispered, "All of them."
The roommate blinked.
> "Sure… but you okay?"
Serene smiled. It looked wrong even to her.
> "I'm just trying not to be someone's mistake."
---
The bottle hit her palm five minutes later.
Still warm.
Still full.
She slid it into her jacket.
And whispered in her head — not to God, but to herself:
> Hide them well. Swallow them fast. Don't give them what they want.
---