Chapter 3

Riley walked down the corridor when she suddenly crossed paths with Sienna. Sienna paused, studying Riley intently, but Riley merely brushed past her, her eyes empty of any emotion. Confused, Sienna found herself following Riley with her gaze. This was the first time Riley hadn't bothered her, and Sienna just shrugged it off, deciding to take it as a rare opportunity for some peace.

Class had ended, leaving only one subject left on Sienna's schedule—the one she shared with Mia and, of course, her nemesis, Riley.

"Come to think of it, why did she walk past me when we should be going in the same direction?" Sienna tilted her head, pen resting on her chin, pondering why Riley had veered off.

"Who are you talking to?" Mia's voice came from beside her. Sienna cleared her throat and sat up straight.

"Nothing," she replied, glancing around for anyone else but finding the area empty. She furrowed her brows. "It's a miracle there's no one following you. Where's your pet, Riley?"

Mia scoffed. "Isn't she here yet?"

Sienna shrugged. "Probably causing trouble outside."

Mia sighed and leaned back in her chair. "She's a bit grumpy. I'm not sure if she's okay, but this morning when I visited her unit, it seemed like she had a fever."

Sienna stopped scrolling on her phone and glanced at Mia. "I told her to go to the clinic for some medicine, but that dumbass was insistent." Mia rubbed her temple in frustration.

Glancing at her wristwatch, Sienna stood up. "Save us a seat, alright?" she said before heading for the door.

"Hey! Where are you—" Mia couldn't finish her question as Sienna suddenly jolted and ran out of the room. Mia shrugged and placed her belongings on the other two seats.

Sienna stopped midway down the corridor, realization hitting her. "What the hell am I doing? Why did I leave the room?" she muttered as if scolding herself.

Hesitant to return, she continued walking down the corridor where she last saw Riley. "Where did that idiotic creature go?" she mumbled.

"What the hell!" Sienna gasped, jolting at the sound of a voice. She cautiously approached the source and found... Riley?

"What the hell is wrong with you?" a girl shouted, pushing Riley against the wall.

"I already told you, I'm not doing any of that shit," Riley replied coolly, unfazed by the girl's anger.

"And here I am thinking you liked me!" the girl shouted, slapping Riley before storming off. Riley appeared completely indifferent to the encounter.

"Wow, she's such a player," Sienna murmured to herself as she ducked behind a corner to hide.

"You know, minding your own business won't hurt," Riley's voice suddenly cut through Sienna's thoughts.

Startled, Sienna faked a laugh and turned to leave, but Riley grasped her arm lightly. Sienna noticed the warmth in Riley's grip.

"That was just the acting class; they asked for my assistance. Ah, maybe I'm destined to be an actress," Riley explained casually, arms crossed.

Sienna glanced over Riley's shoulder and saw a group of people with cameras and lighting equipment. Why didn't she even notice it? "But why the hell are you explaining this to me?" Sienna asked, feigning indifference.

Riley shrugged and sighed. Sienna studied Riley intently, then reached out to check her forehead. With Riley standing at 5'10" and Sienna at 5'5", the height difference was minimal, making it easy for her to reach.

After checking Riley's forehead, Sienna moved her hand to Riley's neck and then did the same for herself.

"This stupidity of yours will surely kill you," Sienna said as she realized Riley's temperature was higher than hers. Riley gulped at Sienna's action, feeling an unfamiliar warmth inside her, a flicker of happiness that she couldn't quite understand.

Sienna scratched her head, staring at the coughing Riley in front of her. She couldn't comprehend how things had ended up like this. It should have been Mia staying with this creature, but now Sienna found herself stuck with her, despite her unit being just across the hall.

She crossed her arms and regarded Riley. "You know you could go back to your unit if you wanted to," she said, her voice slightly hoarse.

Sienna glanced up at her and sighed. "Yeah, right." Rolling her eyes upward, Sienna added, "And if something happens to you—"

"I'm not your responsibility, so you can leave," Riley shot back, swinging her feet off the bed and slowly rising. Her fever had worsened, and she was now coughing non-stop.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sienna rushed over to Riley. "Will you please stop being childish?"

Riley glared at Sienna. "I'm not—" but she was interrupted as she covered her mouth and turned away to cough.

Sienna worriedly rubbed Riley's back. "See? Your condition is getting worse."

"It'll be better once I get some proper rest, so just leave," Riley said, waving her hands to usher Sienna away.

"Riley Pierce, will you please stop being stubborn? I'm just trying to help you!" Sienna exclaimed, lightly hitting Riley on the shoulder.

Riley straightened up and turned to meet Sienna's gaze. The dim light in the room made it clear that Sienna was already irritated. Riley bit her lower lip and averted her eyes. "You might get sick too, so it's better if you leave."

Sienna blinked twice, taken aback. "And?"

"And?" Riley repeated, frowning. "Of course, I don't want your parents blaming me—besides, you're not supposed to be with the enemy," she explained.

Sienna sighed, swallowing the lump in her throat. If her parents found out she was at Riley's place, they would definitely be furious. "How would they even know?" she asked.

Riley shrugged as she walked past Sienna, leaving her room. "Just where the hell are you going?" Sienna called after her.

"I want to get a drink," Riley replied, almost choking as she tried not to cough too much.

Sienna sighed heavily and followed Riley into the kitchen. She grabbed Riley's arm, their skin brushing together. Feeling the heat radiating from Riley, she realized her temperature was higher than the previous one.

"Take a seat," Sienna instructed, pulling out a chair for Riley. As she prepared to protest, Riley was taken aback, captivated by the sight of Sienna caring for her.

Riley smiled but quickly shook her head to dispel any romantic thoughts—this isn't right. Sienna grabbed a mug and filled it with warm water. Spotting a whole lemon in the fridge, she picked it up and sliced it thinly, submerging the pieces in the warm water.

"Here," Sienna said, handing the mug filled with warm lemon water to Riley.

"Thanks," Riley murmured softly.

Sienna scoffed playfully, "You're so soft-spoken when you're sick."

Riley shrugged and took a sip of the warm water. Sienna tilted her head, realizing how innocent Riley looked in that moment.

"Why do I feel like you're planning to kill me with that look?" Riley broke the silence.

Sienna suddenly became aware that she had been staring for too long. She quickly shrugged it off and cleared her throat. "Yeah, I'm plotting the perfect plan to do it," she replied flatly, rolling her eyes upward.

"You've been with me since we left the campus. Aren't you hungry?" Riley changed the topic, setting down the mug.

Sienna paused, suddenly realizing she hadn't eaten anything since lunch. "Now that you mention it, I'm starving," she admitted, hastily scrolling through her phone for food delivery options.

"You can use my phone to order. Just get whatever you want; my card's already linked to the app," Riley said, causing Sienna to stop scrolling.

"Excuse me? Do you think I don't have enough money to cover up my own expenses?" Sienna crossed her arms, trying to hide her amusement.

Riley turned to face her, a smile playing on her lips. "That's not it! I just want to treat you to something nice—consider it a little thank you for staying..."

Sienna dramatically covered her mouth, staring at Riley in disbelief. "Good God, you're not dying yet, are you?"

Riley clicked her tongue. "I'm like a bad weed; I'm not going to die that fast."

Sienna snapped her fingers dramatically. "Oh, snap," she said, feigning disappointment that Riley wasn't on her deathbed.

Riley leaned back in her chair, hiding a small smile. This was the first time in a while they'd talked without immediately getting under each other's skin.

"Oh," Sienna said, glancing at her ringing phone. "It's Ethan. I need to take this," she added, excusing herself.

Riley scoffed, rolling her eyes before letting out a harsh sigh. "Great timing, Ethan, as always," she muttered bitterly to herself.