He Wrapped Me Up for His Crush. Now I Live in His Head. Chapter 07

He Wrapped Me Up for His Crush. Now I Live in His Head. Chapter 07

By the time we reached Briarwood, it was dark.

I stayed quiet the whole three-hour drive.

Aunt Claire didn’t press me, just glanced over occasionally.

Her eyes were full of concern.

Her house was a ten-minute walk from Briarwood Prep.

“Stay with me for now. Once you settle in, we can think about dorms.”

“Thanks, Aunt Claire.”

“No need to thank me.”

She gently ruffled my hair, careful like she was afraid of hurting me.

“That awful boy went too far. If you hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve gone to the Hayes family myself.”

When she mentioned Logan, anger flashed in her eyes.

She’d seen the videos.

She was ready to confront his family on the spot.

I stopped her. I didn’t want to make it bigger. I just wanted to leave quietly.

I forced a smile.

“It’s over.”

“Over?”

Aunt Claire’s emotions flared.

“Do you know how I felt watching those videos?”

“How could they be so awful?”

Her eyes reddened.

I comforted her instead.

“I’m okay, Aunt Claire.”

“Things will be better from now on.”

That night, I turned off my phone.

I didn’t want to see any messages.

I didn’t want to know if Logan had looked for me.

I didn’t want to know if the school had noticed I transferred.

I didn’t want to know anything.

I just wanted a good night’s sleep.

It was the most peaceful sleep I’d had in a long time.

No nightmares. No waking up in fear.

No laughter. No cruel stares.

Just the soft sound of Aunt Claire’s snoring from her room.

It felt safe.

The next morning, Aunt Claire took me to register at school.

Briarwood Prep was much bigger than my old school.

Lots of trees, great sunlight.

The hallways were clean.

No messy cliques.

No cruel jokes.

“This is your homeroom teacher, Ms. Reynolds.”

Ms. Reynolds was in her thirties, wore glasses, and looked kind.

“You’re Avery Collins?”

“Nice to meet you.”

Her smile was genuine.

Not like the dismissive ones at my old school.

“We’re short an academic rep in our class.”

“Would you like to try?”

“I’ve seen your grades. They’re excellent.”

I paused.

At Lakeview High, class positions mostly went to Harper’s crowd.

My grades were good, but no one ever considered me.

Because I wasn’t pretty enough. Not rich enough. Not likable enough.

“Can I?”

I sounded unsure.

“Of course.”

Ms. Reynolds smiled.

“Your grades are proof enough. I believe the students will like you too.”

I walked into the new classroom.

Forty pairs of eyes looked over. No mockery. No malice. Just curiosity.

“Hi everyone, I’m Avery Collins.”

“Nice to meet you all.”

My voice shook a little, but I tried to stay steady.

Applause broke out. Warm and sincere.

Someone whispered, “The new girl is really pretty.”

Pretty?

Me?

“Her grades are great too. She seems quiet.”

No one called me ordinary.

No one said I was the annoying little dog following Logan, or looked at me strangely.

My seat was third row by the window. Sunlight fell perfectly on the corner of the desk.

The girl next to me was lively.

“I’m Zoe Miller. Call me Zoe.”

She had two cute dimples when she smiled.

“Avery. Wow, your name sounds like a movie character.”

She was talkative.

As soon as class ended, she pulled me around, telling me which teachers were strict, which classmates were fun, which lunch line was best, and where to study.

“Our school doesn’t have that Queen Harper type of clique. Everyone’s pretty nice. Was your old school super strict? You seem nervous.”

I shook my head.

“It’s fine.”

I didn’t want to talk about the bad stuff.

“No worries. I’ve got your back from now on.”

Zoe patted her chest.

“Anyone messes with you, I’ll handle it.”

I listened carefully, feeling warmth spread inside. So this was what being treated kindly felt like.

No need to walk on eggshells. No need to watch moods. No fear of being disliked.

Just simple human kindness.