Strings of Fate: The First Loop

CHAPTER 4

There was a pause. Then a lower, colder voice, rougher around the edges.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” James snapped. “I’m not stupid.”

“No,” the dean said calmly, “but you’re about to lose your court privileges if you keep pretending you don’t need help. You’re one warning away from being benched, permanently.”

Another beat of silence.

My fingers curled around the strap of my bag. I hadn’t seen James up close yet, not really. I knew who he was, of course. Everyone did. He was the kind of boy who drew attention like gravity. Loud in the hallways, too cool to care, the kind of arrogance people mistook for confidence. But in that moment, hearing him behind the door, there was something else. Something defensive. Bruised.

Mrs. Pamela’s voice softened, just slightly.

“I’ve already assigned someone to help you. It’s not optional.”

Then, louder: “Betty, come in.”

I jumped slightly, startled, caught.

I pushed the door open slowly, stepping into the room like it might disappear beneath my feet. James was slouched in the chair across from the dean, legs sprawled out, arms crossed like he was trying to disappear into himself. His eyes flicked to me, dark, unreadable, slightly narrowed. I couldn’t tell if he recognized me from class, or if I was just another name in a file.

“Betty,” Mrs. Pamela said, folding her hands on her desk. “James here is struggling academically, and as part of your scholarship’s community service requirement, I’ve assigned you to be his tutor. You’ll meet twice a week. Library. Non-negotiable.”

I nodded before my brain even caught up. “Yes, ma’am.”

James let out a dry laugh. “Seriously?”

“You want to keep playing or not?” she shot back, raising an eyebrow.

He muttered something under his breath, then stood abruptly. The chair scraped loudly against the floor. I stepped back instinctively.

“I’ll show up,” he said, barely glancing at me as he stormed out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Mrs. Pamela looked at me for a long, steady second.

“I know this isn’t ideal,” she said. “But I’ve seen your work ethic. And he needs someone who won’t put up with his attitude.”

I swallowed the knot in my throat and nodded again. “I’ll do my best.”

As I walked out of the office, my heart was pounding louder than it should’ve been. I wasn’t sure if it was nerves, or something stranger. The dream still lingered at the edges of my thoughts.

And in that moment, I couldn’t tell if this was the beginning of something I should run from, or something I’d been walking toward all along.

The hallway outside the dean’s office was colder than I remembered. I stepped into it carefully, like the world had shifted an inch to the left while I was inside. My steps echoed, too loud in the quiet space between the bell and the next period.

I could still feel James’s presence, like a storm cloud retreating but leaving behind the electricity. I didn’t know why I followed him. It wasn’t duty. Not exactly. Maybe curiosity. Or something deeper I didn’t have a name for yet.

I turned the corner, and that’s when I bumped straight into Matt.

He caught me before I stumbled, his hands landing lightly on my shoulders. “Whoa, B. You okay?”