Chapter 43
A few students passed the mouth of the alley in the minutes after Luca was left there, bleeding and broken against the cold pavement. Two of them slowed, glancing in with wide, startled eyes before quickly looking away and hurrying on, pretending they had seen nothing at all. Another paused longer, phone half raised like they meant to call for help, before catching sight of Marcus and his friends still lingering near the far end of the courtyard, laughing among themselves, and thinking better of it.
Nobody wanted trouble with Marcus. Everyone on campus knew what happened to people who crossed him, and a beaten stranger lying in an alley wasn't worth the risk of becoming his next target.
So they walked on, one after another, leaving Luca alone in the gathering dusk, his breath
