DARK CHEMISTRY
Lizzie sat at her dorm desk, staring at the small bouquet of flowers her classmate had left on her pillow. Each bloom seemed carefully chosen, each petal a hint, a clue. A tiny note was tucked between the stems:
"Follow the path."
Curiosity and a hint of nervousness made her follow the trail of petals across campus. They led her through hallways, past the cafeteria, down the quiet stone steps behind the library… until she stopped at the courtyard.
And there he was.
The college's infamous bad boy. Leather jacket, dangerous glare, that cocky grin that made everyone whisper when he walked by. The same guy every student secretly shipped her with. The one everyone assumed she'd fall for.
Her heart hammered in a mix of fear and confusion.
That evening, Lizzie found herself pacing in her room. She couldn't focus on homework, on dinner, on anything. The flowers, the tough guy, the whispers in the halls… it was all a storm.
She picked up her phone and called Daniel.
"Hello?" His voice came through, calm, a faint smile in his tone she could hear.
"Daniel… please…" she began, voice trembling. "Can… can you come over?"
There was a pause.
"I can't," he said softly, almost reluctantly.
"Please! I need you…" she begged, tears pricking at her eyes.
A long sigh. "I'll come."
And then the door clicked.
Daniel appeared, his presence instantly filling the room. But his eyes were softer, sadder than usual. He didn't smile. He didn't tease. He just looked at her.
Lizzie couldn't hold it in. She spilled everything: the flowers, the messages, the stares, the rumors, the pressure, the whispers… everything about the tough guy she didn't want to be with, but couldn't escape.
Daniel listened in silence, letting her pour out her fears and confusion.
When she finished, broken and trembling, he stepped closer. His voice was quiet, almost too gentle:
"Be with him," he said.
Lizzie froze. "What? No! Daniel, I don't—"
"I can't," he interrupted, voice steady but heavy. "I love you, Lizzie… but I won't be able to give you a good life. Not like I should. Not like you deserve."
Tears streamed down her face. "No! Please! I don't care about anything else, I just want you!"
Daniel's expression softened, a flicker of pain flashing in his eyes. "I can't… I'm your teacher. And I love you, but our secret… it can't be hidden forever. So I have to step back."
Lizzie shook her head violently. "No! I can't… I won't… Please, Daniel!"
He stepped closer and kissed her.
Not a soft kiss, not a teasing kiss… but one heavy with all the things he couldn't say. One that stole her breath, her heart, her reason.
When he pulled away, his hands lingered on her shoulders for a moment.
Then, with a faint, sorrowful smile, he whispered:
"Now… leave."
Lizzie's legs gave out. She stumbled toward the door, crying silently. She wanted to beg him to change his mind, to stay, to fight… but she obeyed.
She stepped into the night, into the world outside Daniel's arms.
And there he was, waiting. The tough guy from her class. The one everyone thought she'd fall for. The one Daniel didn't know about.
Her chest tightened.
Her stomach churned.
Her heart shattered.
She was stuck.
Trapped in a living hell where the man she loved had let her go…
and another, dangerous, tempting presence was waiting for her.
Lizzie sank against a wall, tears spilling freely, whispering to herself:
"What do I do now…?"
The night was suffocating. Lizzie sat on the edge of the tough guy's bed, shoulders tense, stomach tight, as he lounged across the room like he owned every second of her misery.
"You're lucky I'm even letting you stay here," he sneered, voice low and dangerous.
He didn't touch her.
He didn't smile.
He just made her feel… small.
Lizzie tried to speak, tried to defend herself, tried to explain… but every word got swallowed by the weight of his glare.
Hours felt like days.
She counted the ceiling tiles.
Her fingers ached from gripping the bedsheets.
Her soul felt bruised.
Finally, she managed to leave when he dozed off on the couch, muttering some warning about "not getting comfortable."
Her dorm room door clicked shut behind her.
Her knees buckled. She sank to the floor, hugging herself, trembling.
Her phone—her only connection to the one person who truly cared—felt heavy in her hand.
She dialed Daniel's number… and it rang and rang.
"The number you have dialed is no longer in service."
Her heart cracked into a thousand pieces.
She curled into herself on the floor, tears streaming freely.
She whispered brokenly to the empty room, "Daniel… please…"
The next day in chemistry class, Lizzie tried desperately to catch his attention.
She raised her hand.
She solved problems faster than usual.
She even hummed lightly, hoping he'd notice.
But Daniel remained distant, his gaze fixed on the lab table, his expressions unreadable.
Her chest tightened with panic.
"Why isn't he looking at me?" she thought.
"I need him… I need him to see me…"
She felt invisible.
Ignored.
Like the warmth and safety she'd always found in his presence had been replaced by an icy void.
What Lizzie didn't see—what no one could see—was that somewhere, far away, Daniel's heart was breaking as well.
He sat in his apartment, phone in hand, staring at her last message from weeks ago.
He had wanted to check in, to reassure her, to hear her voice—but every attempt ended in guilt, fear, and the knowledge that he couldn't interfere.
Every time he thought of her with that other guy, a sharp ache pierced him—anger, jealousy, sorrow, and love all mixed together.
He hated himself for not being able to protect her.
He hated himself for stepping back.
And yet… he loved her too much to destroy the fragile balance of their secret.
Meanwhile, Lizzie felt abandoned.
Lost.
And trapped in a nightmare she couldn't escape.
Her tears fell silently over her chemistry notes, her mind screaming, her heart longing…
And Daniel, somewhere miles away, was feeling the same sharp pain, silent, invisible, equally shattered.