Chapter 114 Only Malcolm

Chapter 114 Only Malcolm

Malcolm’s POV

I STOOD near the corner of the building with my arms crossed over my chest, watching Aleli make her way toward the main gate. Her head was lowered, her umbrella hanging loosely from one hand, and her shoulders shook with quiet sobs.

She looked completely broken, as if something inside her had shattered and she no longer had the strength to put the pieces back together.

It made my blood boil.

I had watched them all day. I saw Kristoff ignore her during class. I saw him walk away from her at lunch and leave her sitting alone while students whispered around her. I had just witnessed the cold, heartless way he spoke to her beneath the covered walkway.

None of it made sense.

Yesterday, Kristoff had looked like a man who would burn the entire world down to keep Aleli safe. He had looked at her with a kind of devotion I had never seen from him before.

Now, less than twenty-four hours later, he was treating her like she meant nothing.

I pushed away from the wall and headed toward the student council office.

I didn't bother knocking. I grabbed the handle, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

Kristoff sat behind his desk, the room dim except for the glow of his laptop. He was staring at a blank document with both hands resting against the polished wood. He didn't look up when the door struck the wall behind me.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

He slowly raised his head.

His expression was blank, but his eyes told a different story. They were dark and exhausted, with shadows beneath them that made him look like he hadn't slept in days.

“You should be on your way home, Malcolm,” he said quietly. “It's pouring outside.”

“Don't give me that neutral tone.” I crossed the room and slammed both hands against his desk. “What is wrong with you? What are you doing to Aleli?”

Kristoff glanced at my hands before meeting my eyes again. “It's none of your business.”

“None of my business?” I let out a bitter laugh. “She's crying her eyes out in the rain right now. She's shaking so badly she can barely walk, and she thinks she did something wrong. She thinks she ruined whatever happened between you two.”

A faint twitch moved across his jaw.

He closed his eyes for a moment before answering.

“She'll get over it.”

Something inside me snapped.

I reached across the desk, grabbed the lapels of his blazer, and pulled him to his feet, but he didn't resist. He simply stared at me.

“You arrogant bastard,” I growled. “You stood in front of me weeks ago and told me to stay away from her. You said you would take care of everything. You promised you would protect her.”

Kristoff's expression remained controlled, but the pain in his eyes was impossible to miss.

“I still am,” he replied quietly.

I froze.

Those three words carried none of the arrogance I expected. They sounded like a confession from someone who had already accepted that he was going to lose something precious.

My grip loosened.

“What does that mean?” I asked, my anger giving way to suspicion. “If you're protecting her, why are you hurting her? Why would you say those things to her?”

“Because she needs to stay away from me.” His voice dropped lower. “She needs to hate me. She needs to walk away before this gets worse.”

“Why?” I demanded. “Is it your father? Is it Uncle Jerry's case? Did someone threaten her?”

Kristoff pulled himself free and straightened his blazer. He carefully smoothed the wrinkles from the fabric before walking toward the window.

“I have nothing else to say.”

“Kristoff—”

“If you care about Aleli,” he interrupted, “go after her. She needs someone right now.”

I stared at his back.

“You're telling me to take care of her?”

“Yes.”

The answer was almost inaudible.

I didn't know what to say.

Kristoff kept his eyes on the rain outside. “Then leave, Malcolm. I have work to finish.”

I stood there for several seconds, studying him.

I wanted to hit him. I wanted to force the truth out of him, because whatever was happening was clearly bigger than a sudden change of heart.

But then I noticed the way his shoulders remained tense even when he was standing completely still. I noticed how tightly his hands were clenched at his sides.

He wasn't angry.

He was suffering.

And suddenly, the pieces began falling into place.

Kristoff wasn't pushing Aleli away because he had stopped caring about her.

He was pushing her away because he cared too much.

Something had happened after yesterday. Something serious enough that he had decided the only way to keep her safe was to make her believe he no longer wanted her.

He was deliberately making himself the villain in her story.

I slowly released the breath I had been holding.

“You're a fool,” I said quietly.

Kristoff didn't turn around.

I grabbed my bag from the floor and headed for the door. Before leaving, I looked back at him one last time.

“You don't get to decide that she has to suffer alone just because you're suffering too.”

His shoulders tightened.

Still, he didn't answer.

I walked out and shut the door behind me.

The hallway felt colder than before.

I ran toward the main entrance, pushing through the heavy glass doors and into the rain. Within seconds, my shirt was soaked through, but I barely noticed.

I searched the courtyard until I saw her.

Aleli stood near the school gates with her bag pressed against her chest. Her umbrella had slipped slightly to one side, leaving half of her shoulder exposed to the rain. She looked lost, exhausted, and completely alone.

I ran toward her.

When I reached her, I opened my umbrella and held it over both of us.

She slowly turned her head.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and when she recognized me, her lower lip trembled.

“Malcolm?” she whispered.

I softened my expression.

“Come on,” I said gently. “Let's get you somewhere dry. I'll walk with you.”

She looked past me toward the school building.

I knew who she was looking for.

“He's not coming,” I said carefully.

Her eyes dropped. “Why?”

I didn't know how to answer without betraying Kristoff.

So I simply held the umbrella higher and said, “You don't have to figure everything out tonight.”

She swallowed hard. “Did he tell you anything?”

I hesitated. “He told me you shouldn't be alone.”

Her eyes lifted toward mine. “And that's why you're here?”

I nodded. “That's why I'm here.”

For a moment, she simply stared at me.

Then she nodded and stepped closer beneath the umbrella.

We started walking through the rain together.

Kristoff had pushed her away because he believed distance was the only protection he could offer her.

But whatever reason stood behind his decision, there was one thing I couldn't ignore.

He had left her with no one else to hold onto.

So until he found the courage to come back, I would stay.

For now, there was only Malcolm.