In the eyes of those bullies, Maria's usual attitude was, in fact, a green light. When walking, she always kept her head down and avoided eye contact, as if she were convinced she deserved to be ignored. This stance of extreme shyness only aroused the worst malice in the group.
No one on that bus, however, expected Leif to defend her.
A fleeting wave of emotion, as if a warm sunbeam broke through the darkness, ran through Maria. But the joy was short-lived.
Instantly, worry drowned it out: she knew Leif's intervention would only make things worse for her later.
Meanwhile, Leif was unfazed. The seriousness of his face was absolute. He slowly rose from his seat and advanced with deliberate steps toward Mark.
He kept his gaze fixed on him, without blinking.
Challenged by the intensity of Leif's look, an uncomfortable shiver ran through Mark.
Under the suffocating atmosphere, Mark forced himself to gather courage, but his voice betrayed him, sounding notably weaker than he intended.
"W-what? Are you going to fight!?" he asked, raising his tone at the end in a failed attempt to hide his nervousness.
Leif's overwhelming presence infuriated him. Filled with shame and contained rage, he stood up abruptly, like a cornered bull.
Although his height was visibly less than Leif's, his stubbornness would not allow him to back down. He tensed his neck and fixed his gaze on Leif, with the clear intention of resisting and fighting to the end if necessary.
However, to Leif, the boy standing in front of him, showing his teeth and making empty threats, was nothing more than a braggart.
Wanting to end this, Leif moved like a lurking predator.
His hand was a blur. Quick and precise, it closed around Mark's throat.
A second later, the muscles in Leif's arm tensed. With no apparent effort, he lifted him.
With a single hand... he held Mark in the air.
"..."
The rest of the bullies were totally petrified. Their mouths dropped open, dumbfounded.
It was no wonder: Mark weighed at least 70 kilograms (154 pounds), in addition to the resistance and struggling he was exerting.
Any normal person, even using both arms, would have struggled to lift him with that ease.
In the carriage, time seemed to stop. The silence became so absolute that a pin dropping to the floor would have broken the spell.
Only the sound of Mark, struggling and gasping with ragged breath, resonated in the deadly quiet.
As he struggled, Leif acted without blinking.
CRACK CRACK
A pair of dry slaps echoed in the silence. Leif held his hair firmly, with a cold expression and an authority that needed no shouting.
"Listen to me carefully, you piece of garbage," he snapped, keeping his voice low so only Mark could hear him, "If I ever see you bullying anyone again, I will do this to you every single time.... Did you understand the lesson?"
"Y-yes... yes..." Mark, pale and trembling with fear and humiliation, nodded frantically.
With a harsh shove, Leif released him, throwing him back into his seat. Then, he turned around with the same calmness with which he had risen and returned to his own seat by the window.
His face was serene, as if he had just swatted a fly. With that kind of bully, he never wasted patience.
As he focused on the moving landscape outside the glass, a soft, cautious voice spoke beside him.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing," Leif replied without turning his head.
"Mmm... can I sit here?" Maria's voice trembled with a cautious note of hope.
Leif turned his head, and his eyes met Maria's delicate face.
"Sure."
In that instant, Maria's beauty came alive. A radiant smile lit up her face. It was not simply an expression of gratitude; it was a release.
It was as if the sun, after days of rain, had broken through the fog, transforming her shyness into a sudden luminosity that made the air around her vibrate.
It was such an unexpected sight that it immediately erased the fear and hostility that still lingered on the bus.
...
The bus stopped inside the campus. Leif followed the flow of students and headed immediately to the teachers' office.
Upon arrival, he found the guidance counselor. He concisely explained Carrie's serious personal situation and requested a medical leave of absence. The teacher, after hearing the story, showed genuine concern and nodded, indicating she would handle the paperwork.
Leaving the office, he returned to the classroom, Leif went back to his seat to pass the time.
Just in that moment of tense waiting, a presence burst into the quiet flow of the classroom.
It was Jennifer.
Her petite silhouette advanced with a sway. Dressed in a pink hoodie with hearts and tight jeans that accentuated every curve, she didn't walk: she strutted.
Her long dark hair swished with her every confident step.
Her sky-blue, curious eyes fixed on Leif.
She stopped in front of him, slightly tilting her head, a gesture that showed the delicate line of her neck.
"Leif, all set for tonight?" She asked with playful expectation.
?
Leif was momentarily confused.
"Tonight? For what exactly?"
Jennifer laughed, a light, musical sound that drew more glances.
She extended a hand and slowly slid it over Leif's forearm, brushing just below the sleeve of his shirt.
"Oh, silly. The performance tomorrow? Don't tell me you forgot," she murmured, making a cute pout.
Leif tried to hide his confusion, forcing an awkward smile.
"Of course, I didn't forget. Impossible."
Jennifer's next action was a predatory move. With feline grace, she quickly pivoted and sat down, without asking permission, astride Leif's thighs.
The closeness was immediate, overwhelming. Her knees fit perfectly on either side of his hips, and he felt the light weight of her body pressing against the fabric of his pants.
Jennifer leaned in until her lips were millimeters from Leif's earlobe, whispering, "You know... I bought some new lingerie sets," she whispered, modulating every syllable.
She paused dramatically, letting the meaning sink into his ear, "Lace. Just for you to see them."
When she pulled back, instead of getting up, she did one more thing: she deliberately blew a slow puff of warm air onto the sensitive skin behind Leif's ear before straightening up.
Leif's earlobe instantly flushed, and an unnatural blush rose to his face. He unconsciously shifted his body, trying uselessly to create distance and dissipate the wave of heat that had overcome him.
"..."
Classmates watched the scene with gazes loaded with malice and gossip. Some smirked, others widened their eyes in fascination at Jennifer's cheekiness and the obvious discomfort of the usually unshakeable Leif.
Jennifer showed no hint of remorse or awareness of the stir. She kept smiling slightly, her eyes distilling a malicious cunning.
"Why are you getting so red?" she asked, finally sliding off his legs, but stopping very close. She put her hands behind her back, tilting her head as if she were a curious child, "I'm just sharing my plans with you. Am I making you very excited?"
RIIING
The class start bell abruptly interrupted. The clear sound of the bell acted as a providential lifeline, breaking the erotic tension in the air.
Students, relieved to have an excuse to look away, hurriedly returned to their desks.
The classroom, noisy with gossip a moment ago, fell silent instantly, only the echo of the bell vibrated slightly.
Leif clenched his jaw. Beneath the embarrassment, a dark promise formed in his mind.
'Tomorrow night... Jennifer, you are going to pay for this, and then some. Just wait.'
________
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