Before I could react, her nails dug straight into my wrist.

Everything froze. My mind blanked. My limbs went numb. My heart slammed so hard it felt stuck in my throat.

Dying does that. It flips a switch.

I kicked.

My foot barely brushed her before she clutched her stomach and dropped backward like her bones dissolved.

"Ah! It hurts!"

"Juliet Bowen! Are you insane?" Hampton shoved me aside and scooped Lily up. "Bullying her in front of everyone?"

My back smashed against the metal edge of a chair. Pain detonated under my ribs. My vision went black. I couldn't breathe.

In his arms, Lily whimpered, "My ribs... I think they're broken. Does Juliet hate me? She didn't have to kick me that hard..."

Hampton turned and kicked my shin.

"Stop playing dead. Get up and apologize."

The crowd lost it.

"She seemed so gentle."

"Didn't know she was this vicious."

"Competing with a freshman like this? Trying to ruin her?"

"Lily's crying and she's pretending to faint?"

My heart still wouldn't steady.

After a few ragged breaths, I forced the words out.

"She... She dug her nails into my wrist..."

Lily's sobs shot louder, drowning me.

"I was just helping you relax! How can you accuse me? Did I upset you? I'll change, okay? I'll change!"

Hampton's face tightened. "Juliet, you've really disappointed me. I even adjusted the program schedule for you. And now you're strong enough to kick someone across the floor? You've been faking it this whole time."

One of his dorm bros piped up, "Mr. Thompson's here! Perfect. Kick her out—she's killing the mood."

The pacemaker shrieked again. Louder.

3 percent.

My eyes burned. I ignored everything and grabbed the nearest guy's pant leg with shaking fingers.

"Michael... my pacemaker's dying. Please... help me find a battery..."

Michael. Our class rep.

He yanked his leg away like I'd stained it.

"Stop acting, Juliet. Everyone saw you kick Lily so hard she can't stand. You don't get to play helpless now. Just admit you were wrong."

He shook his head. Disappointed.

My hand dropped to the cold floor.

A tear slid from the corner of my eye.

It's over.

"What's going on? Why's everyone crowded here?" The voice cut through the noise—Mr. Thompson, the student affairs advisor.

I jerked my head up, nails digging into my palm to stay awake. "Mr. Thompson... help me..."

He froze when he saw my face—white as paper, hair plastered to my forehead—then rushed over and caught me.

"What happened? Why are you this pale? Someone call 911!"

I opened my mouth. Nothing.

Breathing alone drained whatever I had left.

Through the chaos, one sharp, wounded voice rose above the rest.

"Don't crowd me... my ribs..."

Hampton stepped in front of Lily like her personal bodyguard, blocking everyone out. Then he looked at Mr. Thompson.

"Sir, don't worry about Juliet. She's faking it. Trying to scam Lily with this stunt."

Lily's eyes filled on cue. "Mr. Thompson, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I borrowed Juliet's battery to charge the music player. I didn't want to mess up the show. Maybe she's mad about that."

Right. Of course she is.

Mr. Thompson frowned at me. "Juliet, how can you be so petty? Lily was thinking about the group."

Lily turned saintly. "Please don't be upset. It's all my fault. Juliet, let's shake hands and forget it, okay?"

One hand on her ribs, the other grabbed my limp fingers before I could move.

Head down.

Smile sharp as a blade.

A rasp scraped out of my throat. I needed him to see her.

Then Lily shrieked and flung my hand away like I'd electrocuted her.

"Juliet! I already apologized and you're still pinching me!"

She held up her wrist. A bright red mark glared under the stage lights.

Before Mr. Thompson could blink, Hampton stormed over and slapped me.

Smack.

The whole room went quiet.

Half my face went numb. My ears rang. Still nothing compared to my chest.

Hampton pointed at me. "Juliet! Are you insane? You touch her in front of a teacher? Apologize. Now."

A guy nearby chucked his latte at me.

Cold coffee ran down my hair and face. Sticky. Gross. I couldn't even lift a hand to wipe it off.

"Stop faking it!" he yelled. "If you're that sick, how'd you pinch her hard enough to leave a mark?"

Mr. Thompson's face went ice-cold. "Juliet, you've disappointed me. Don't bother applying for this year's national scholarship."

He pointed backstage. "You two—take her back there. Let her calm down. I'm calling her parents tomorrow."

The noise blurred.

In my head, the 1 percent battery warning screamed.

I gripped the metal chair leg with everything I had.

"No... my dad's a general... I'm going to the base tomorrow... to lay flowers..."

They laughed.

"Did boot camp mess you up or something? A general? Lay flowers? That's for fallen soldiers' families. Who do you think you are?"

"Even a security guard wouldn't claim you."

Hampton sneered and fisted my hair, yanking me back. "Keep lying. You're spending the night in detention."

Beep—

One long, flat tone.

My heart jerked once. Then nothing.

Black swallowed everything. Warmth slid from the corner of my mouth. My head dropped.

The auditorium doors slammed open.

The music cut off mid-beat.

A roar shook the room.

"Let go of my daughter!"

Doctors in white coats rushed in with a stretcher, straight for me.

"Pacemaker failure. Cardiac arrest!"

"Start CPR. Prep defibrillation!"

"One milligram epinephrine. IV push!"

Sharp commands sliced through the dead-silent auditorium.

A jolt ripped through me. My eyes cracked open.

A tall figure in uniform strode in.

My dad.

Electrodes covered my chest. Blood stained my lip. His eyes went nuclear.

He scanned the room. "Who did this? Step forward."

No one moved. The same people who'd been yelling a minute ago suddenly found the floor fascinating.

Hampton stood frozen, hand still midair from yanking my hair. His face went chalk white.

Lily had retreated to a corner. The hand that had pressed into my wrist now shook like she was the victim. Please.

The dean rushed over. One glance at the star on my father's shoulder and his spine bent fast. "Sir, I'm Gerald Perry, Dean of Civil Engineering. Your daughter—this was... a sudden heart episode?"

My dad's voice turned to ice. "Someone deliberately pulled power from my daughter's pacemaker and blocked her from getting help. That's attempted murder."

Hampton's legs buckled. He barely stayed upright.

Dr. Perry sucked in a breath and forced a smile. "Let's not say that. They're kids. Maybe it's just... a misunderstanding."

He threw Mr. Thompson a desperate look. Too late. Mr. Thompson was already rattled by the four stone-faced guards behind my dad.

He pointed with a shaking hand. "Not me! It was Hampton Finch and Lily Rowe! They did it!"

Every eye swung their way.

Hampton couldn't look at my dad. He pasted on a smile that looked worse than crying. "Mr. Bowen, this is all a misunderstanding. I'm Juliet's boyfriend. She's mentioned me, right?"

"Don't know you."

Two words. Ice cold.

Hampton went ghost pale. He clenched his jaw. "You can't blame us completely. I gave her a power bank. She didn't use it. She was strong enough to kick and grab people. I thought she was fine. Right, Lily?"

Lily nodded fast and lifted her wrist like it was Exhibit A. "Yes, Mr. Bowen. My ribs still hurt. I wasn't even thinking about Juliet."

"Sir..." Dr. Perry tried, forcing a careful smile. "Maybe we can both take a step back here?"

My dad let out a cold laugh and glanced at the officer behind him. "Are the police here?"

"You're calling the police?" Dr. Perry's voice jumped. "This semester just started. If this gets out, the fallout will be terrible!"

The officer stood straight. "Report, General Bowen. Captain Larsen is personally leading the team. They're at the entrance."

"Let them in," my dad said, calm and final. "And find my daughter's emergency alarm."

The word alarm drained the last bit of color from Hampton and Lily.

After my surgery, Dad had arranged that device himself. Military-grade. The second it activated, it recorded everything and sent my location in real time.

He looked at Dr. Perry, each word heavy. "My daughter doesn't cause trouble. And if you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to fear. The only people scared of police are the ones hiding something."

His gaze sliced past Lily and Hampton.

"Search."