SLASHER

◤ f i v e ◢

five: his eyes, his eyes

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Melanie stares down at her lap, her eyes roaming over every detail of her green cargo pants. The wrinkles, the texture, even the damp spot, where she accidentally spilled her water. She couldn't bring herself to look at her dean's face. Melanie couldn't even look at the man beside her. Marcus. The same man with the pretty eyes, smooth light brown skin, and thick, sharp eyebrows. The same man who made her smile and laugh when she was at her worst. The same man who gave her the help when she needed it. The same man she used to get so absorbed in.

Now, she couldn't even look at him.

When the dean sent her an email, Melanie reasonably assumed it was because she cut all her classes for the day before yesterday. That's obviously one of many reasons to call a uni. student to the dean's office. However, when she got to the administration building, she saw a very familiar car sitting in the parking lot in front of the building. Of course, it could've been anyone's car, so she didn't think anything of it. Not until she walked up the long stairs, and stepped into the large building.

Marcus was standing there, holding a beige colored folder and his coach standing beside him, talking to the man behind the front desk. The moment he turned his head, Melanie's body froze up. She hasn't heard from him since the incident—hell she hasn't seen him either. However, he was there, ten feet away from her. His face is purple and dark, bruised up everywhere, his hand was even wrapped up. That was not the face she remembered. The face she fell so hard for. His eyes weren't the same. The same eyes that used to be filled with light when she saw him were now dark and cold. If a stare could kill someone, Marcus' stare would definitely strike her down.

"Miss Kingston." The dean calls her name.

Melanie clears her throat and slightly nods her head. "Yes, sir?"

The dean sighs, folding his hands on his desk, sitting up straighter. He is staring her down, she knows it. Even if she is not looking at him, she could feel his pale brown eyes staring at the crown of her head.

"I don't know the context behind the video," The coach, who's standing behind Melanie and Marcus, says with annoyance gracing his tone. "But I do know my star player was hospitalized! Now he'll be out for half of the season! I demand she give up the culprit's name, now."

The dean sighs again. "Gomez, please."

"I'm sorry, but there's an elephant in the room and no one's talking to it." Coach Gomez implies, referring to her as the elephant.

"Gomez, please, step outside." The dean demands, giving Melanie the courage to actually look up from her lap this time.

"You can go coach," Marcus mumbles, his voice drowning with anger. "I'll come to the court tomorrow if anything changes."

Melanie could hear the door behind them open and them firmly close. She looks around the room, still avoiding the man beside her. Even hearing him speak has her on edge. It's like sitting beside a ghost that everyone can see but won't acknowledge.