Chapter 42 The principal took his shirt off

Chapter 42 The principal took his shirt off
Evie’s POV
His gaze snapped up to my face. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his gown.
“I ain't.” His stomach betrayed him with a loud, hollow growl.

We both pretended it didn’t happen.

I walked over and placed the hot dog in his hand.
For a second, he just stared at it. Then at me.
“…Thanks,” he muttered. It was gone in under ten seconds.
 By the time I pulled the stool closer, he was licking grease off his fingers without shame, and looking significantly more alive than a man with a blood transfusion should.

“So,” I said, sitting. “What happened.”
He frowned. “Blackridge dckheads.”
“They ambushed you?”
“Yeah.”
“And you fought them.”
He grinned－wide and stupid, like a dog proud of chewing through dry wall. “Course I did.”
I stood.

He watched me, confused.
“What－”
I punched his arm lightly.
He stared at me like I’d just violated several medical ethics codes.
“The hell was that for?”
“I distinctly remember telling you,” I said evenly, “not to engage Blackridge students.”
“They engaged me,” he shot back. “Kinda rude not to respond”.
I punched him again.
Harder.

“Ow－ damn it, Evie!”
I folded my arms.
“Kael. If you see armed Blackridge students coming toward you, what do you do?”
He thought for a second. “Assess their weaknesses. Strike fast. Kill all of em. No witnesses”
I raised my fist again.

“OKAY－okay!” he said quickly. “I run! I run away! I live another day! Sht”
“You better.”

He rubbed his arm, then glanced down at the IV in his wrist, at the blood bag hanging beside him. His voice dropped. “There was a girl.”
I looked up.
“Ginger snap. Where the fck is she?”
I raised a brow. “Ginger…snap?”
“Yeah, small, annoying as fck, mouthy, limping”, he added, “She was hurt.”
“I’ll look into it.”

His things sat folded in a small cupboard; his bloodied uniform, his skateboard shoved awkwardly underneath. He followed my gaze. “Thrasher?”
“Still at school,” I said. “I’ll get it.” I turned to leave.
“What about Ilyas?” he asked quietly. “Did he－”
I paused, then glanced back. “He’s fine.” I said. “Don’t worry”.
It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was enough.

I left the room, heart pounding, already moving toward the exit.
Whatever happened at school… I needed to see it for myself. And I needed to know if Kai－ I quickly corrected myself, if Principal Dane was alright.
I ran all the way from the hospital back to school. By the time the gates came into view, my chest burned and my legs felt like they were about to give out.
I stopped, bent over, hands on my knees, sucking in air like I’d just outrun death itself.

After a few seconds, I straightened up and headed for Principal Dane’s office.
 I didn’t make it far before I passed a group of students huddled together, talking in urgent whispers. “Dane’s actually scary,” one of them said. “Did you see how he talked to Ilyas? No fear at all.”
“And he caught that girl,” another added. “From that height. Dude’s built different.”
“Ilyas is getting worse,” someone muttered. “He was smiling. Like actually smiling while trying to kill her.”
“That’s ‘cause he’s a psycho.”
They noticed me staring and immediately scattered, leaving the hallway silent.
…Okay.

I walked faster, then broke into a sprint and pushed open the door to Principal Dane’s office. “I－”
My brain shut off. Principal Dane was inside. One leg braced against his chair, shirt completely off. He was wrapping a bandage around his arm, holding the loose end between his teeth.
My nose started bleeding. I didn’t even realize it at first.

His build was solid and powerful, the kind you don’t get from gyms but from years of real strain. His dark skin was marked with tattoos that didn’t look decorative, they looked meaningful. Bold lines and geometric symbols wrapped around his shoulder and arm, layered carefully, like each one had been earned. Script curved along his ribs, faded but deliberate, as if it had been there long before he became principal.
His hair, usually tied back into a messy bun, was loose now. Thick, dark curls fell around his face and shoulders, damp with sweat. His skin was still warm-toned and flushed, veins standing out along his arms as he tightened the bandage.

I stood there frozen, hair messy, glasses crooked, face burning, breathing too hard from the run. Then I felt something warm drip onto my lip. Oh.
His eyes snapped up. “Evie…?” The bandage slipped from his teeth and hit the floor.
That broke whatever spell I was under. I quickly shut the door and turned my back to him. “I’m so sorry,” I said, mortified. “I should’ve knocked.”
He chuckled, low and tired, like the sound was dragging out of him. I heard clothes moving behind me and exhaled quietly, mostly in relief.
“You can turn around now."
I did. He was fully dressed again, composed like nothing unusual had happened. My face still felt hot, and I adjusted my glasses automatically. An awkward silence settled between us.

“You’ve got a nosebleed,” he said, handing me a napkin.
“Oh.” I wiped my nose quickly, embarrassed. “Thank you.”
My eyes drifted to the bandage on his arm. “What happened?”
He returned to his chair and sat down heavily. “A lot.”
Before he could explain, the door opened again. Ilyas walked in.

He was holding Kael’s shovel. As usual, a black scarf was wrapped high around his neck, covering part of his face. He stared straight at Principal Dane, as if I wasn’t there.
“I won’t kill her."

My heart skipped. Kill who?

Principal Dane studied him calmly. “Yeah? What changed your mind?”
Ilyas didn’t answer at first. Then, “None of ya business.”
He turned toward me. “Let’s go.”
I blinked. “Go where?”
He stared at me like I’d just asked the dumbest question known to man. “To see Kael. Where else”
“I don’t think he’d want to see you like this,” I said gently.

His body went rigid. His fingers tightened around the shovel.
“You tried to hurt someone again,” I said. “Who?”
He didn’t respond. Dane ran a hand through his hair, eyes closing briefly. “He tried to kill Hazel.”
My breath caught. “Hazel? Why?”
“He thinks she put Kael in that condition,” Dane said tiredly. “Don’t ask me how his brain got there.”
Dane looked back at Ilyas. “You’re taking the day off. And don’t bother coming back tomorrow. You hear me?”
Ilyas turned to leave without saying anything. I stepped in front of him. “…You need to respond,” I said quietly.

We stared at each other. Something sharp flickered in his eyes－then vanished. Finally, he muttered, “Yeah. I hear ya.”
He tried to walk past me. I blocked him again and held out my hand. “The shovel. I’ll take it to Kael.”
He hesitated, then let it drop into my hands and walked out. As soon as the door closed, Dane groaned and leaned back. “If he keeps this shit up, I’m gonna have to expel him.”