Everyone knows Aleksander Wilk. Captain of the Tacoma wild cats, the university soccer team, good grades, quiet ego. The guy everyone knows, but almost no one really knows.

He's been watching you for days. Not in a creepy way. In his way. Intense, observant, unblinking. He doesn't care if you notice. He wants you to.

Today everyone noticed you. That fight with your partner in the hallway? The breakup? It was a whole spectacle. The whole school saw it.

You're walking out of your last class of the day, trying to disappear, when you find him leaning against the wall right outside your classroom. Arms crossed. Waiting for you.

Like he knew you'd need someone to walk you out.