Liam’s pov: Dangers lurking

Botox was still staring at me. His eyes felt like they were burning through me, and I could feel my heart race with every second. Jayden had already started packing up his bag, ready to go to his house, but I needed to take care of something first.

"Jayden, wait here," I told him, my voice low but firm. I had to deal with Botox before anything else happened. I walked quickly, ignoring Jayden's confused look, and turned down a quieter hallway.

When I reached the corner, I grabbed Botox by the arm and yanked him towards the wall. "What the heck are you doing?" I hissed. He looked up at me, trying to act cool, but his eyes were shifting nervously. I snatched his phone from his hand before he could hide it.

"What did you do, Botox?!" I yelled, staring at the pictures on his phone. There I was, laughing with Jayden in class. Our smiles were clear, and it looked so simple. But I knew what was coming. Botox wasn't just snapping pictures for fun. He was planning something.

Botox's smirk faltered. "We were friends," he said, his voice shaky now. "But then you went and brought him into our group. You didn’t even think about it. You’re just going to let some random kid in?”

I felt a flash of anger. "What’s your problem? Jayden is my friend! He’s not some random kid. And you—" I stopped, trying to calm myself, but it wasn’t working. "What is your problem with him?.”

Botox sneered. "He doesn’t belong with us. He’s from a poor family. What are you doing? You’re supposed to be one of us, Liam, and now you're hanging out with him?"

I gritted my teeth. My heart pounded. How could he be saying this? "You don't get to decide who my friends are," I said, my voice cold. "I don’t care what you think. Jayden is my friend, and nothing you say is going to change that."

But Botox wasn’t done. He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "You’ve changed, Liam," he said, his voice low and full of disgust. "And because of that, you’re not fit to lead this group anymore. I’m going to make sure everyone knows."

I felt the weight of his words hit me, harder than I wanted to admit. It was like the floor had dropped out from under me. "What did you do?" I demanded, grabbing his collar. "Tell me! What are you doing with those pictures? Who are you sending them to?"

Botox didn’t flinch. He pulled back slightly, smirking like he was proud of himself. "I’ve been sending them to your dad. He asked me to keep an eye on you. Every time you’re with that guy, I send him a picture." He laughed darkly. "He told me to watch you and make sure you don’t get too close to people like him. He said if you’re acting like this, he’s going to put a stop to it."

I felt my blood run cold. "You’re kidding, right? You’ve been spying on me? Sending pictures to my dad?" I couldn’t believe it. My own so-called friend was betraying me.

His grip on his phone tightened. "I’m just doing what I was told. Your dad wants me to keep you in line. He said if I see you with him again, I should send more pictures. I’m just following orders."

I couldn’t stop myself. I was done hearing his excuses. My fist clenched, and I was ready to hit him, but something stopped me. Botox was stronger than I thought. His hand shot out and grabbed mine, holding it firmly. I tried to pull away, but his grip was unbreakable. "Let go of me!" I shouted, struggling against him.

He didn’t let go, his face now filled with frustration. "Stop it, Liam. Just stop. You don’t get it. This isn’t your fight. You can’t change anything by getting angry."

But I wasn’t listening. I couldn’t just stand there and let him walk all over me. I was going to make him regret this.

"You think you can control me? You think you can just do whatever your dad says and I’ll follow along?" I growled. "No. Not anymore."

He finally released my wrist, but his words hung in the air, heavy and dangerous. "If you keep this up, you won’t just lose me. You’ll lose everyone else, too."

I shoved him back, my chest heaving. "You’re out," I said, the words feeling final, like a weight lifting off me. "From the group. You’re done."

Botox’s eyes narrowed, and for the first time, I saw real anger in them. "You can’t just kick me out," he spat, his voice shaking with fury. "You’re not the boss of me, Liam. You’re nothing without us."

"You’re right about one thing," I said, stepping back. "I don’t need you. And I don’t need anyone who thinks they can control me. You’re out. Don’t come near me again."

I turned, walking away without looking back. The air felt thick, like everything was about to explode. But Botox’s words were stuck in my head, echoing over and over: Just watch your back. This won’t be easy. You’ll regret this.

The weight of his threat stayed with me as I walked back toward Jayden. I could hear the faint sound of footsteps behind me, but I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t let Botox see how much he’d shaken me.

Jayden looked up when I reached him, his face filled with concern. "What happened? Are you okay?"

I forced a smile, trying to hide everything I was feeling. "Yeah," I said, but my voice wasn’t steady. "Let’s just go to your house. We need to focus on the project."

As we walked out of the school, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The air felt thick with tension, and I knew Botox wasn’t going to let this go easily. I had made a powerful enemy. And now, there was no turning back.