Echoes of deceit

𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 2

𝘼𝙑𝘼 𝙋𝙊𝙑

As I walked towards the library, the chatter and laughter of students faded away. The soft rustle of leaves outside and the creaking of the old building replaced the noise. I felt a sense of calm wash over me, the familiar sounds and smells of the library beckoning me like a sanctuary.

I pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped across the threshold, leaving the chatter of the hallway behind. The musty silence of the library enveloped me, a familiar comfort. I breathed in deeply, feeling the scent of old books and stale air fill my lungs.I made my way to the shelf, my eyes scanning the titles. My fingers trailed over the spines, feeling the raised letters and embossed covers.

"The Psychopath..." I muttered, my voice barely audible. I could've sworn I saw it just yesterday.

"Ah, found it!" I whispered excitedly, my heart racing with anticipation.

As I reached for the book, a hand brushed against mine, reaching for a book next to mine. I jerked back, my skin prickling with unease, like ants crawling under my skin. My heart racing, I quickly grabbed the book and turned to face the person who had touched me.I turned to face the person who had touched me, my eyes locking onto a pair of piercing brown orbs.His chiseled features and strong jawline made him look like a marble statue come to life. His dark hair was messy, with a few strands falling across his forehead, adding to his rugged charm.

"Sorry," he said, his low voice sending a ripple through my chest. "I didn't mean to startle you."

I shook my head, trying to clear the haze. "It's okay," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. I took a step back, trying to create some distance between us.

He smiled his eyes crinkling at the corners and deep dimples appearing on either side of his cheeks . "I'm Cole, by the way. Just transferred here."

I hesitated for a moment before responding, "Ava." My tone was cautious, my wariness still simmering just below the surface.

As we stood there, the air seemed to thicken, like the moments before a storm. I felt a spark of electricity run through my veins, and my heart began to beat faster. But I pushed the feeling aside, focusing on my wariness instead.

Cole's gaze drifted to the book in my hand, his eyes narrowing slightly. "So, you're a fan of psychology?"

I nodded, my eyes falling on the book in his hand. I raised an eyebrow, my expression incredulous.

Cole chuckled, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. "You're not a fan of romance, I take it?" he teased, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

I felt my face heat up as I realized he had seen right through me. "Uh, no... I mean, I can appreciate a good romance novel," I stuttered, trying to regain control of the conversation.

Cole's grin widened, his dimples deepening. "I'm sure you can, Ava. But I think you're more interesting than you let on."

With that enigmatic comment, Cole turned and walked away, leaving me feeling both relieved and puzzled. As I watched him disappear into the crowd, I couldn't help but wonder: What did Cole mean by that?As I watched Cole walk away, I felt a mix of emotions. I was relieved that the awkward encounter was over, but I was also puzzled by Cole's enigmatic comment.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I shook off the feeling that had been lingering, recalling Ms. Hailey's words:𝐸𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝐴𝑣𝑎. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑔𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚, 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢.

The morning lecture had dragged on, leaving me feeling sleepy. Mrs. Kate, our lecturer, had delved into the world of psychological profiling, exploring the minds of criminals. While I was fascinated by human nature, today's lesson had been a struggle to stay focused.

As the bell rang, the class erupted into chaos. Students rushed to leave, but I lingered, waiting for the crowd to dissipate. That's when I heard Alice's voice behind me.

"Hey Ava, yesterday you left without saying goodbye. Today, I'm not going to let you get away that easily." Alice's playful tone was accompanied by her signature naughty grin. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back, and her piercing ocean-blue eyes sparkled with amusement.

I stood up, and Alice continued, "I know you had a family emergency yesterday... or so you said." She raised an eyebrow, her expression skeptical. "But today, I don't think you have anywhere to be, right?"

I nodded reluctantly, knowing where this was headed. "Then you have to join us for lunch," Alice said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Us?" I repeated, my eyebrows rising in question.

Alice chuckled. "Yes, me and the girls." I wasn't thrilled about the prospect of lunching with Alice's friends, who weren't exactly my cup of tea. As I hesitated, Alice grabbed my arm, her grip firm but friendly.

"Come on, Ava, it'll be fun! You can't avoid us forever." I sighed inwardly, knowing I'd have to come up with a convincing excuse or face the music. But before I could respond, Alice's friends appeared, a chorus of giggles and chatter filling the air.

There was Emma, the self-proclaimed queen bee, with her perfectly coiffed hair and designer clothes. Next to her stood Olivia, the resident drama queen, whose flair for theatrics often left me rolling my eyes.

"Hey, Ava!" Emma chimed, her voice dripping with sweetness.

"We've missed you! Join us for lunch, and we'll fill you in on all the juicy gossip." I forced a smile, feeling like a trapped animal.

"Sure, sounds like fun," I lied, knowing I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than endure an hour of their catty chatter.

As we walked to the cafeteria, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was in for a long and painful lunch. As we entered the cafeteria, the noise level escalated, and the smell of greasy food wafted through the air. We joined the end of the line, and I reluctantly began to load my tray with a salad and a sandwich.

Emma dominated the conversation, regaling us with stories of her latest weekend getaway and her plans for the upcoming semester. Olivia chimed in, sharing her own drama-filled tales, while Alice listened intently, her eyes sparkling with interest. I zoned out, pretending to listen while my mind wandered to more interesting topics – like the psychology lecture from earlier.

Mrs. Kate's words echoed in my mind: "𝑇ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑥 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦..."

Suddenly, Emma's voice cut through my reverie. "Ava, didn't you hear me? I asked you if you're going to the party at Alex's place this coming weekend."

I hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

"No, I have things to do," I said, chewing the last bits of my bread.

Emma raised an eyebrow, her expression skeptical.

"Things to do? What things?" she pressed, her voice dripping with curiosity.

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Just stuff, Emma. Don't worry about it."

Emma's eyes narrowed, but she let the subject drop. "Fine, be that way. But you're missing out on a lot of fun."

As I gazed across the cafeteria, my eyes inadvertently drifted towards the entrance, where a group of students had just walked in, their laughter and chatter filling the air. Cole was among them, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he laughed along with the others.

As our eyes met, Cole's gaze held mine for a brief, heart-stopping moment. A soft, gentle smile played on his lips, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. It was as if time had slowed down, and all that existed was the two of us, locked in a silent understanding.I felt a sudden surge of discomfort, my skin prickling with unease. Why was he looking at me like that? I quickly looked away, focusing on the conversation around me.

"Look, who just walked in," Emma breathed, her voice dripping with excitement. I glared at her, rolling my eyes good-naturedly.

Emma's voice was a distant hum, a buzzing in my ears as she gushed about Cole's chiseled features and piercing gaze. I rolled my eyes, a wry smile twisting my lips.
𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠? 𝐷𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑛𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑓𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚?I thought to myself, chuckling internally at Emma's antics.

But as I glanced at Cole, I felt a shiver run down my spine. His eyes seemed to be watching me, waiting for me, and I felt a flutter in my chest. But it wasn't excitement or attraction - it was unease.

I stood up, my movements jerky and awkward as I gathered my things. "I have to go," I muttered, trying to sound casual despite the turmoil brewing inside me.

As I walked past Cole's table, our eyes met, and I felt like I was drowning in their depths. But it wasn't a pleasant feeling - it was suffocating.I quickly looked away, my face burning with a mixture of embarrassment and discomfort. I just wanted to get away from him, to escape his intense gaze and his unsettling presence.The next day, I avoided him like the plague, skipping breakfast and lunch, and sneaking out of class early. It was a pathetic avoidance tactic, but I just wasn't ready to face him again.Yet, even as I hid from him, I couldn't shake off the feeling that Cole was watching me, waiting for me, his eyes burning with an intensity that left me unsettled.