Chapter 57: Lines We Can't Cross
It was nearly midnight when Damian left the side alley behind the café and rounded the block to where Hana, Audrey, and Kenzo were waiting in the shadows. The moment Hana saw him, her arms folded tighter across her chest. Audrey stood nearby, her brow furrowed with worry rather than anger. Kenzo looked calm—but his jaw was clenched. That was never a good sign.
"Well," Damian began with a half-smirk, trying to lighten the mood. "Mission sort of accomplished."
Hana stepped forward, her voice ice-cold. "What did you do?"
Damian blinked. "Relax. I didn't punch anyone. I just... poked the bear a little."
"You talked to her," Kenzo said flatly. "Directly. In a way that could've blown your cover."
Damian raised both hands. "She didn't suspect anything. Not really."
"Not really isn't good enough," Hana snapped. "This isn't a playground, Damian. We're not dealing with street thugs or scared students. Angel is calculated. She's dangerous."
"And unstable," Kenzo added. "You're underestimating how quickly she could turn this on Alex—or you."
"God, can you both stop?" Damian snapped suddenly. "I'm not a kid. I know what I'm doing."
Hana narrowed her eyes. "You're acting like one."
"I'm acting like someone who gives a damn!" Damian shot back, voice rising. "You didn't see her face when she checked her phone. You didn't read those texts. I couldn't just stand there."
Audrey stepped in, her voice calm but with steel beneath it. "We get that you care. We all do. But caring isn't an excuse to be reckless. You're not the only one who's angry, Damian."
Damian turned away, pacing a few steps. "I'm just sick of watching people like her win because we're too polite to punch back."
"We're not being polite," Kenzo said evenly. "We're being strategic. There's a difference."
Damian stopped, running both hands through his hair in frustration. "You want control? Fine. But don't expect me to watch this unfold like I'm made of stone."
"No one expects that," Hana said, voice quieter now. "But this isn't about you. It's about Alex. And if your anger gets him hurt—"
Damian slumped against the wall, his voice hoarse. "I didn't mean to screw things up. I just... seeing her act like nothing's wrong while she's tearing him apart—It made my blood boil."
Audrey softened, stepping closer. "That rage—it's valid. But channel it. Don't let it rule you."
A long silence settled over them.
Damian finally nodded. "Okay. I'll back off. I'll play my role."
Hana let out a breath, the tension easing only slightly. "Good. Because if you mess this up, we don't get a second shot."
Kenzo pushed his glasses up. "We're not just fighting Angel. We're fighting years of internalized silence, social bias, and the weight of disbelief. This has to be perfect."
Audrey glanced toward the café. "And tomorrow, we start fresh—with precision. No more stunts."
Damian gave a two-finger salute, the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Scout's honor."
They turned away from the alley, the streetlamps casting long shadows behind them.
Meanwhile, just outside the back of the café, Alex waited nervously under the dull glow of a flickering streetlamp. His phone buzzed in his hand—a message from his group chat. One of his friends had written: "Let's hang out at my place today. You okay?" A rare warmth passed over his expression, just the faintest flicker of relief, as though a small part of him believed he wasn't completely alone. But the moment shattered before it could settle.
Angel appeared from the side door, her steps sharp and fast. "You're late," she snapped before he could speak.
"I'm sorry," Alex mumbled.
She crossed her arms. "Sorry? You didn't text me back. I've been calling for the last fifteen minutes. What were you doing?"
Alex hesitated, eyes flickering down to the screen still glowing in his hand.
Angel noticed.
Before he could lock the phone, her eyes landed on the notification banner still visible. Her face twisted. "Your friends? Again?"
Alex swallowed. "They're just checking in."
"I thought we talked about this," she said coldly, stepping closer. "Didn't I say no more hanging out with them? Didn't I say you don't need them?"
He looked down, trying to pocket the phone, but she reached out, yanked it from his grip—her nails digging into his wrist in the process. He winced.
"Angel—stop—"
"Shut up!" she hissed. "You're still texting them behind my back? After everything I've done for you?"
Her voice rose and fell like waves crashing, each word sharper than the last. The guilt, the pressure, the panic—it hit Alex all at once, but he stood frozen, unable to pull himself free.
Angel scrolled briefly through his messages, her lips curling in disgust. "Unbelievable. You're just like the rest of them. Ungrateful."
He didn't speak. Not because he didn't want to—but because he couldn't.
Her voice echoed in the alley as she flung the phone back at his chest. "Let's go. We're not done talking about this."
And with that, she turned and began walking off, expecting him to follow like always.
Alex held his phone to his chest, eyes wide and heart pounding.
The war wasn't over. But now, its casualties were starting to show.
—
Meanwhile, in a cozy living room not far away, four teenagers sat cross-legged on a plush rug, surrounded by opened soda cans, half-eaten chips, and the faint hum of a video game on pause. They weren't playing anymore.
"Still nothing?" asked Rina, her brows knitted. With her dyed magenta hair tied into a bun and a hoodie two sizes too big, she looked more like a sleepy cat than a worried friend—but her voice betrayed the concern.
"Not even a blue tick," said Theo, glasses perched low on his nose as he stared at his phone. "He read our invite earlier. That's it."
"I told you something's wrong," muttered Zara, arms crossed tightly. She'd been edgy all night, bouncing her knee restlessly. "The way he's been acting lately—it's not just being tired."
"Or busy," added Kenji, slumped on a bean bag. "He looked like a ghost at school today. He barely said two words."
Rina sighed, tossing her phone onto the couch. "I don't care if he's embarrassed or shy or whatever. I'm worried. He's our friend."
"Maybe he just needs space?" Theo offered.
"Or maybe he needs help and he doesn't know how to ask," Zara countered sharply. "God, I feel like we should've seen this earlier."
Kenji sat up slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I say we just go to him. Now. No more waiting."
"Yeah," Rina said. "Let's bring him here. If he's going through something, we face it with him. Like always."
"Agreed," Theo and Zara said together.
Kenji stood, brushing chip crumbs off his lap. "Okay, team. Let's go bring our boy home."
They grabbed their phones and jackets, determination set in their eyes.
And as they filed out into the night, not one of them knew just how much Alex needed that knock on his door.