The hallway felt different after what happened.
Not quieter—just… charged, like everyone was waiting for me to explode or cry or collapse so they could add it to today's gossip cycle.
But Kai didn't seem bothered at all.
He walked beside me with that slow, predatory calmness that made teachers nervous and students part like the Red Sea. His hoodie sleeves were pushed up just enough to show the ink on his forearm. His hands were in his pockets. His expression unreadable.
I, on the other hand, was one shaky breath away from hyperventilating.
"You didn't have to…" I started.
He stopped walking.
I was forced to stop too.
Kai turned to me fully, eyes dark but steady. "Yeah. I did."
My heartbeat thudded in my ears. "Why? You don't even know me."
A slow smirk tugged at his mouth. "I know enough."
"That doesn't make sense."
"It doesn't have to." He shrugged like the universe made perfect sense to him and only him. "But Hale's been treating you like a doormat for years. Someone should've knocked him off his throne a long time ago."
Heat stung behind my eyes.
I hated that he noticed.
I hated even more that he cared.
Kai studied my face for a second, jaw tightening like he was trying to hold back something sharp. "Elara."
His voice dropped, deeper, gentler.
"Don't cry because of him."
That did it—my throat closed entirely.
"I'm not crying," I lied.
"Mhm." Kai leaned closer, his breath brushing my cheek. "You're definitely crying."
I shoved at his shoulder. "Shut up."
He laughed—actually laughed. And it wasn't mocking. It was… warm. Rough. Real.
"Good," he said. "There she is."
---
Adrian Arrives
Before I could ask what that meant, voices spilled into the hallway behind us.
Adrian.
Of course.
He strode toward us, anger twisting his usually perfect features. Luna trailed behind him like she wasn't sure if she should be involved or run.
"Elara," Adrian said sharply, ignoring Kai entirely. "We need to talk."
Kai stepped in front of me.
Just stepped in front of me like it was instinct.
"Nah," he said lazily. "She's good."
Adrian's jaw clenched. "This isn't your business."
"Funny," Kai said, tilting his head, "because you made it everyone's business when you humiliated her in class."
"I wasn't humiliating her," Adrian snapped. "I was being fair."
"Fair?" Kai echoed. "You want the scholarship? Earn it."
His tone sharpened, slicing.
"Don't steal it."
Adrian bristled, eyes narrowing. "Stay out of this, Mercer."
"Make me."
The words were soft, deadly.
A crowd began forming—of course. Ridgeview students smelled drama like sharks smelled blood.
Adrian looked at me then, not Kai.
And his expression changed.
Softened.
"I was trying to help Luna," he said. "You know I… I care about you, Elara. But she needed it more."
The old Elara—the one shaped by years of loyalty and quiet suffering—almost stepped forward.
Almost offered to talk it out.
Almost forgave him again.
But then I remembered the laughter.
The stares.
The way he dismissed me like my hard work was a donation box he could empty whenever he wanted.
So I straightened my shoulders.
"You don't get to decide my sacrifices for me," I said quietly.
Adrian froze.
And for the first time since freshman year…
I watched him realize he might lose me.
---
Kai Seals It
Kai slipped an arm around my waist—gentle, warm, protective.
The crowd inhaled sharply.
Adrian's eyes darkened. "What are you doing?"
Kai answered without looking at him.
"Claiming what you threw away."
My breath hitched.
He didn't say it possessively—not like I belonged to him.
It sounded like he was claiming responsibility.
Claiming to stand beside me.
Claiming to protect me when the one person who should've failed.
Adrian stepped forward, furious. "Elara—"
"Don't," I said softly. "Not today."
It was the first boundary I'd drawn with him in years.
And it hurt him.
I saw it.
But I didn't take it back.
Kai tugged me lightly. "Come on, belle. Let's get you out of here."
Belle.
The word that used to feel like a cage suddenly felt like something else—like a reminder that I wasn't invisible. Not to him.
We walked away.
And the school watched.
And whispered.
And stared.
But for the first time…
I didn't care.
---
Outside
Once we were out of the building, I finally breathed. The air felt cooler, lighter, almost like I'd stepped into a different world.
Kai leaned against the railing by the stairs, arms folded. "So."
"So," I echoed, unsure.
"You okay?"
I laughed weakly. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? You basically started a war."
He shrugged. "I like winning."
I rolled my eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"
He looked at me then—really looked—like he was peeling away every layer I didn't even know I had.
"You deserve someone who gives a damn," he said quietly. "Not someone who only cares when he's losing you."
My breath caught again.
How does he see me this clearly?
How does he read emotions I didn't voice?
"I don't understand you," I whispered.
Kai smiled—slow, dangerous, devastating.
"You will."
And before I could reply, he took a step closer.
"By the way," he murmured, eyes flicking to my lips for half a second—just enough to set my heart on fire—
"If anyone asks…"
He brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"Yeah. You're with me now."
The world tilted.
My pulse didn't just race—it sprinted.
I swallowed. "Why?"
Kai's smirk softened into something real.
"Because unlike him," he said,
"I know your worth the second I see it."