Chapter 15 Protect

Chapter 15 Protect
"Nothing."

Delivered in the tone of a child who'd just thought about stealing candy on Christmas Eve—a suppressed smile, eyes that wouldn't quite meet mine. It was obvious he was hiding something, something sneaky dressed up in another one of his stupid whims.

"I'm not going to put any real effort into helping you if you can't be bothered to communicate properly," I said, letting every bit of exasperation show on purpose.

"Tsk, girls are such annoying creatures," Chris protested, his frustration written plainly across his face.

"This is about competition. We don't need to go at them head-on like last time—all we need to do is outshine them. Prestige, image, the whole thing."

I genuinely wondered whether this brat had never been taught to speak plainly—or whether something had gone wrong with his prefrontal cortex somewhere along the way, leaving him permanently incapable of saying what he actually meant to other people.

"So?"

I almost laughed—the only thing stopping me was the need to keep a straight face. His annoyed expression was genuinely entertaining. He looked so thoroughly frustrated every time I played dumb about what he was trying to say.

This brat was clearly targeting someone—his personal archenemies, Shane and Emma.

"The point is—you and I already have the kind of chemistry that can go up against that duo, Shane and Emma. We just need to use it properly. Beat them at their own game, but do it cleanly."

I raised one eyebrow, a laugh bursting out of me before I could stop it. Chris looked exactly like a kid who'd just hatched a plan to raid his mum's purse for toy money.

"Chris, have you forgotten who you're talking to? I can't compete with Emma's social status."

The irony of saying that out loud wasn't lost on me. But I didn't need to sit with that feeling, and I didn't want to—I wasn't planning on staying in Chris's world long enough for it to matter anyway.

Although—something strange had been creeping into my feelings lately. Something that kept quietly insisting that this world wasn't so bad—that being with Chris, with all the noise and chaos of it, was actually kind of fun.

No. I couldn't keep letting myself get swept up like this.

"Status? Status is irrelevant. I'll show you that people won't care about it—what matters is that we keep our image tight."

A small smile tugged at my mouth. Keeping this kid entertained and out of trouble every now and then wasn't the worst idea. At least this way, he'd be too busy with his little scheme to cause any other kind of trouble.

"Okay, so... I need a clear blueprint. Not some vague outline you're going to half-commit to."



"Stop!"

"Wow... look who's talking. You think you're in charge here, huh?"

A girl with thick-framed glasses, a notebook clutched in her hand, and a getup that screamed honour student was slumped on the floor. Her hair was already matted with what smelled like lemon water and raw egg—both of which someone had clearly poured over her head on purpose.

The ones responsible had now turned their attention to me. Stepping in meant becoming the next target—everyone knew that. But I couldn't just walk past and leave her there.

"Word gets out you're officially Chris's girlfriend and it's already gone to your head, has it? Don't think for a second that gives you the right to tell people what to do around here."

This boy—the same one who'd laughed at me that time Chris and I ended up alone in the sports equipment room. He and a few of the others had run with Chris's crowd at some point, but for one reason or another—Chris's schedule on the grid taking up most of it—things had drifted apart between them.

Not only that—their character felt genuinely different from Chris's. As much of a brat as Chris was, and as capable of joining in as he could be, he always struck me as someone who just went along with things rather than driving them.

Then again—maybe my opinion had been coloured by how much time I'd spent around him. It had left me with a tendency to find reasons to excuse him, whether that was fair or not.

Now, I was being hemmed in by several of them now, surrounding me like the columns of some towering castle. I swallowed, kept my breathing calm, and tried to look unafraid.

"Ouch! that hurts!"

"Now say it again. Go on."

My hair was grabbed and yanked back hard enough to force my chin up. Every single one of them grinning down at me. Pathetic, honestly—intimidating, maybe, but never actually frightening.

Once they unhanded my hair, I was shoved hard into the nearest wall. One of them pressed up against me from behind almost instantly, whispering in a voice that was all performance.

His breath was right there—too close, practically at my ear, his lips nearly brushing my neck. My breath caught and I nearly screamed, every instinct telling me to run. But I held my ground. I wasn't going to let my principles crack that easily.

"Stop it! you shameless, gutless lot! Have you no shame, ganging up on a girl like this? This kind of bullying is exactly how criminals are made!"

"Oh yeah? Tell me—if we could offer you the same as Chris, or better, wouldn't you consider leaving him? He's boring anyway—too wrapped up in his career to pay attention to anyone. And everyone knows you're only in it for the money and the status—"

I spun around, twisted his arm, slapped him clean across the face, and spat on him. Let them know right then that women weren't subjects who chased after men and begged for what they had. We had far more pride than that.

"Damn it! So that's how you want to play it? Need a different kind of lesson? Fine!"

The brat got up and came at me fast, his hand already raised and coming straight for me.

BUGH.

BUGH.

BUGH.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact. But when I slowly opened them and checked myself over—nothing had happened. And when I looked up, every single one of those brats was sprawled across the hallway floor.

Bruised faces, split lips, groans of pain, the hallway in complete disarray—and one figure still standing in the middle of it all. The visual of a hero's entrance. So absurdly cool that I almost felt something stir despite myself.

"Don't go playing hero when you can't even handle the danger yourself, fat girl. I can't have my schedule thrown off because my chaperone keeps putting herself in harm's way."