Lucas POV:
Just as I thought I might suffocate under the weight of their gaze, one of the students bumped into me, snapping me out of the trance. I stumbled back, heart hammering, blood rushing to my face in a rush of cold shame.
I looked up again—just in time to see them turn and disappear into the crowd, vanishing as if they were never there.
I didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified.
I had almost been caught. Again.
The crowd continued to bustle around me—laughing, chatting, moving in their own little worlds. The world seemed to keep turning, as if nothing had just happened, as if I hadn't nearly been dragged into the very pit of my worst nightmare.
I swallowed hard, my mouth dry, feeling the weight of it all pressing down on me. The feeling of being exposed, vulnerable. The way they'd looked at me like I was nothing more than a piece of meat to them.
