Page 21 of Dead Girls Don’t Forget

“Not low enough,” I muttered.

That earned a quiet huff of laughter.

Halfway through the lecture, the professor paused. “Someone give me an example of a situational trigger that escalates a neutral subject into a reactive state.”

Jackson answered without hesitation. “A sudden violation of personal space. The nervous system treats it as a threat. You get a spike in vigilance, a shift in posture, defensive response before the mind even catches up.”

The professor nodded with clear approval.

Jackson glanced at me, looking for my reaction.

I rolled my eyes and looked back at my notebook. My cat kept nudging for attention like a traitor. I ignored her for the rest of the lecture.

Chapter 9: Attention I Can't Afford

By Wednesday it was clear Jackson had no intention of backing off. I liked my usual seat in Environmental Science, territorial seating, Professor Sterling had called it once, and when I walked in he was already there, leaning back with one arm stretched across the empty chair beside him. My chair. Waiting.

I dropped my bag into a new seat two rows over, harder than necessary. My cat flicked her tail, entertained. Three seconds later a chair scraped and Jackson abandoned his seat, dropping into the one beside me. He leaned in close enough for his warmth to brush my skin.

“You avoiding me?”

“I don’t even know you.”

“Not yet.”

My grip tightened on my pen. “Let's keep it that way.”

A faint pause. “We'll see about that.”

I ignored that and opened my notebook. Across the hall, quiet voices started up. I heard every word.

“He moved again.”

“Does he actually like her?”

My expression stayed flat while I pretended to organize my notes.

A moment later three wolves came down the row and stopped beside Jackson. I had seen them before, always orbiting him in the cafeteria, on the track, between classes. The usual circle that followed the alpha’s son wherever he went.

My cat went alert the second they got close. Finally, a normal reaction to wolves. At least she was not completely broken.

“Man, I still can’t believe you signed up for this class,” the shorter guy said, nudging him. “Since when do you care about soil composition?”

“I have varied interests,” Jackson said.

The other guy snorted. “You have one interest, and she’s sitting right next to you.”

Jackson did not react. He shifted just enough to pull me fully into their view. “Harper, this is Rick.” The shorter one grinned, easy and open. “Jason, you know from the track team.” The taller one nodded. “And Lia.”

I gave a small nod, trying to figure out why he was introducing them to me at all.

Lia smiled, but her gaze settled on Jackson. “Why do you sit over here? We’re on the other side.”

Jackson did not hesitate. “I like it here.”

As if it were the simplest answer in the world.

My cat purred, traitorous. But the worst part was not her. It was the small treacherous warmth that flashed through me first. I had a list. A purpose. No room for this.