The cafeteria was bustling with students during lunch break. The smell of food filled the air, and various conversations overlapped.
Ethan Cole stood in the lunch queue, tray in hand, with Isabelle beside him.
She'd agreed to eat lunch with him again, out of pity after yesterday's disaster, but Ethan would take what he could get.
"So, about what Alyssa said yesterday—" Ethan started, trying to explain himself again.
"Ethan, it's fine. We spoke about this already," Isabelle said, though her tone was still somewhat distant.
As they moved forward in the queue, Tyler suddenly appeared behind Ethan, carrying his own tray.
"Excuse me, coming through—oh shit!"
Tyler stumbled forward dramatically, his shoulder slamming into Ethan's back with significant force.
Ethan moved forward slightly, his tray tilting dangerously. His plate slid, and his drink toppled over, spilling all over the front of his shirt.
"Ah, damn it!" Ethan cursed, looking down at the wet stain spreading across his uniform.
"Oh man, I'm so sorry!" Tyler said quickly, his expression apologetic. "I totally didn't see you there. My bad, dude."
Argh!! What is this guy's shoulder made of? Steel? Iron? What the hell! Although Tyler appeared normal outwardly, his shoulder was aching terribly.
Ethan gritted his teeth but took a breath. "It's... it's fine. Just watch where you're going."
"Are you okay?" Isabelle asked, concerned, grabbing some napkins from the dispenser.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ethan muttered, dabbing at his shirt.
Tyler moved past them quickly, disappearing into the crowd.
Ethan got a new tray and continued through the line, trying to ignore the irritation building in his chest. The student's eyes were on him, whispering various things.
Just an accident, don't overreact. I'm getting paranoid over the little stuff, that bastard Sebastian needs to be dealt with, as soon as possible. Ethan told himself.
They finally got their food and found a table near the windows. Ethan set down his tray carefully, and Isabelle sat across from him.
"So, as I was saying—" Ethan began again.
"Oh, excuse me! Sorry, sorry!"
Marcus appeared out of nowhere, walking past their table while looking down at his phone. His elbow "accidentally" clipped Ethan's glass of juice.
The glass tipped over, and the contents spilled directly across Ethan's lap and onto his food.
"What the—!" Ethan shot to his feet, juice dripping down his pants.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Marcus said, eyes wide with exaggerated shock. "I wasn't looking! Here, let me help—"
He grabbed some napkins and started dabbing at Ethan's pants, which only made it worse.
"Get off me!" Ethan snapped, pushing Marcus's hands away.
Isabelle stood up quickly. "Ethan, calm down—"
"Calm down?! This is the second time!" Ethan's voice was rising now, drawing attention from nearby tables.
Students were starting to stare even more than before.
"I said I was sorry, man, It was an accident. I wasn't paying attention." Marcus said, still looking apologetic.
"Like hell it was an accident! Seba-" Ethan's hands clenched into fists, before he could finish his words, Isabelle interrupted him.
"Ethan, please, It's okay. These things happen. Just calm down, okay?" Isabelle said softly, putting a hand on his arm.
Ethan looked at her, saw the concern in her eyes and the hint of wariness too. After yesterday's incident with Alyssa, he couldn't afford to look aggressive again.
He forced himself to take a deep breath. "Fine. Whatever."
"I'm sorry again" Marcus said earnestly. "Let me get you some new food, okay? It's the least I can do."
Marcus hurried off before Ethan could respond.
Ethan sat back down, his pants soaked, his shirt stained, his food ruined. He glared after Marcus, who was already at the food line.
A few minutes later, Marcus appeared, carrying a fresh tray.
"Hey man, really sorry about what happened. I feel terrible."" Marcus said with a friendly smile, setting the tray down in front of Ethan.
Ethan looked up at Marcus suspiciously. "Yeah. Sure."
Marcus's smile didn't waver. "Anyway, enjoy your meal!"
He turned to leave, then suddenly his foot "caught" on the leg of Ethan's chair.
Marcus stumbled forward, and as he did, his hand knocked into the new tray, sending it sliding across the table.
The plate of food flipped over, landing directly on Ethan's already-stained shirt and lap.
Hot pasta sauce splattered across his chest, making him wince slightly, but nothing serious as his body was strong.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Ethan exploded, jumping to his feet.
"Oh shit, I'm so sorry! My foot got caught on your chair! I didn't mean—"" Marcus said, backing up with his hands raised.
"Bullshit!" Ethan shouted. The entire cafeteria had gone quiet now, everyone watching. "This is on purpose! All of you—this is fucking on purpose!"
"Ethan!" Isabelle stood up, her voice sharp. "Stop it!"
"I'm really sorry, man. I know you're having a rough day, but there's no need to get violent," Marcus said, his expression hinting that he was afraid of Ethan.
"Violent?! You're the ones—"
"Dude, I just tripped," Marcus said, gesturing to the chair leg. "Look, everyone saw it. My foot literally caught on your chair."
Several nearby students nodded, murmuring in agreement.
"He did trip..."
"I saw it too..."
"Ethan's overreacting..."
Ethan's chest was heaving. He was covered in food, humiliated, and everyone was looking at him like he was crazy.
"Ethan, please sit down," Isabelle said quietly. "People are staring."
"Let them stare!" Ethan's voice cracked slightly. "Can't you see what's happening? They're doing this on purpose! Sebastian sent them!"
"Sebastian?" Isabelle frowned. "What does Sebastian have to do with this?"
"Everything! He's behind all of this!" Ethan gestured wildly at Marcus. "These must be his lackies! They're doing this because he told them to!"
Marcus expression remained innocently confused. "Sebastian? Dude, I don't even know what you're talking about. I just came to bring you food and accidentally tripped. Why would Sebastian care about any of this? Or even care about you?"
"Because he—" Ethan stopped, realizing how insecure he sounded.
"Ethan," Isabelle said softly, her expression now clearly worried. "Maybe you should go home. You're really stressed out, and after yesterday—"
"After yesterday?! You think I'm losing it?! Isabelle, please, you have to believe me—" Ethan turned to her, betrayal in his eyes.
"I think you need some rest," Isabelle said firmly. "Just... go home. Clean up. We can talk later."
Ethan stood there, dripping with food, surrounded by staring students, with Isabelle looking at him like he was unstable.
Marcus gave him one last apologetic smile. "Really sorry again, man. Hope your day gets better."
As Marcus turned to walk away, something in Ethan snapped.
All the humiliation, all the frustration, all the rage that had been building since yesterday—it exploded.
Ethan's hand shot out and grabbed Marcus's shoulder, spinning him around.
And then Ethan's palm connected with Marcus's face in a sharp, loud slap.
SLAP!!
The sound echoed through the now-silent cafeteria.
Marcus stumbled backward, his hand flying to his reddening cheek, his eyes wide with shock.
"Ethan!" Isabelle gasped, her hand over her mouth.
The entire cafeteria erupted.
"Shit, did he just—"
"He slapped him!"
"What the hell is wrong with him?! He's been so violent recently."
"Someone get a teacher!"
Ethan stood there, breathing hard, his hand still raised, staring at Marcus's shocked face.
And in that moment, he realized what he'd just done. He'd just assaulted someone in front of the entire school.