Chapter 162 Forced Into the Spotlight

Chapter 162 Forced Into the Spotlight
Kieran's POV

Katty walked straight toward our desks, her boots hitting the floor as she walked toward us. The principal's announcement about the Senior Superlative Nominations was still echoing through the classroom speakers, and the entire homeroom was buzzing with chatter.

Katty didn't look at anyone else. She stopped right at the edge of my desk, her face tight as she stared at Asher.

"Don't even think about filling out that digital ballot," Katty said, her voice low and sharp.

Asher didn't look up from his Yearbook Verification Sheet. He just capped his pen, keeping his deep voice flat. "I don't care about the ballot, Katty."

"Good," she snapped, turning her neck to look at me.

"Because we are locking in our names for Class Royalty and Perfect Match by lunch period. I already sent the link to the cheer line."

I didn't answer her. I just stared at the board until the teacher walked in to start the lesson, forcing Katty to walk back to her own row. She had been aggressively campaigning across every group chat all morning.

After our breakup over the holidays and her failed promposal in the lobby days ago, she is desperately trying to clean up her reputation and make everyone think we were still the school's golden couple.

But by the time lunch period arrived, it looked like her entire plan completely fell apart.

The yearbook committee taped the first-round nomination results at the cafeteria doors. The cafeteria grew quieter as students gathered around the list. Half the varsity hockey line scrambled toward the doors, pushing past the underclassmen to get a look at the printout. I stood at the back of the crowd, looking over Milo's shoulder.

From the comments around me, it was clear Katty's campaign wasn't going the way she wanted. The track team guys were already laughing at the list, pointing out how fake Katty and my relationship looked after what happened in the lobby.

Other students were openly talking about giving their votes to Reed and Daphne instead.

I looked further down the sheet, searching for the other categories. Katty’s name wasn't anywhere near the top spots. Instead, it looked like a group of students had organized a prank vote only for the senior class. Right under the category for Unstoppable Duo, the printed text read: Kieran Hampton and Asher Carter.

"Oh, look at this!" Milo yelled, letting out a laugh that echoed across the cafeteria. He slapped Landon hard on the back. "The first line takes the trophy! You guys got nominated for Unstoppable Duo!"

"Shut up, Milo," I muttered, my ears turning hot.
Before I could even pull him away from the glass, I heard a sharp gasp. Katty had pushed her way to the front of the doors. Her face went red as she stared at the printout.

She spun around, her eyes scanning the cafeteria until they locked straight onto Asher, who was still sitting quietly at a table around the corner.
Katty looked furious, but she caught herself for a split second, looking around to see that everyone was watching her. She marched straight, stopping right in front of Asher. She didn't scream, but her voice was shaking with anger as she leaned down.

"Are you happy now?" Katty whispered, her teeth gritted. "You are actively trying to destroy my social standing. As if sabotaging my relationship with Kieran wasn't enough, and now you have your little friends turning the whole yearbook into a joke."

Asher didn't flinch. He just leaned back in his chair, keeping his voice level as he looked up at her. "I didn't ask anyone to vote for me, Katty. I don't care about the yearbook."

"Don't lie to me," Katty said, pointing a finger at him. She looked like she wanted to drop her polite mask completely, but she forced herself to stand straight as everyone watched her. "You're always around him. You're ruining everything I worked for, Asher. Enjoy your little joke while it lasts."

Landon leaned over to make a loud joke about us sharing a page in the book. Milo started snickering along with him. I knew how much pressure Asher was under with the identity disguise, and watching her confront him made anger rise in me. I had to stop this before she caused a bigger scene.

I stepped in, blocking Katty from the table. I didn't let my voice rise, but I made it cold.

"Katty, that's enough," I said, looking straight down at her. "Asher had nothing to do with the vote. The whole school saw what happened in the lobby. If people don't want to vote for us, that's on us. Leave him alone and walk away."

Katty stared up at me, her mouth opening in shock. Her eyes filled with tears, and when she realized the whole cafeteria was staring at her, she quickly grabbed her bag off the table. She turned on her heel and walked out of the doors, trying to keep her head up as she left.

The room slowly filled with chatter again, but the guys didn't stop.

"Hey, captain," Milo grinned, leaning over his tray. "If you guys win Unstoppable Duo, do you get to hold hands for the official picture? Do you want to borrow my scarf?"

"I said drop it, Milo," I growled, sitting down next to Asher. My heart was thumping against my ribs. I had to protect her without giving the guys a reason to question me. If the guys noticed how desperate I was to shield Asher, they would start asking questions I couldn't answer.

Asher didn't look at me. He just kept his eyes fixed on his chocolate milk carton, his shoulders stiff beneath his varsity jersey.

Before another bell could ring, the head of the yearbook committee walked over to our table. She was holding a digital camera and a clipboard.

"Kieran, Asher, listen up," she said. "Because of the prank vote, you two were the only ones picked. The advisors want to get the layout done before the press date. You have a mandatory, stylized photo session together tomorrow morning at eight o'clock for the Senior Superlative page. Don't be late."

She walked away before either of us could say another word. I looked at Asher, but I couldn't tell if he approved from the way his fingers tightened; he didn't look happy about it.

Tomorrow morning, I would have to stand beside her for a picture and pretend she was nothing more than my teammate. I already knew that was going to be harder than it sounded.