"Enemies don't always strike with knives.
Sometimes, they just watch you fall."
It started with a whisper.
"Bro, that girl Ryu? Some guy dropped her off this morning."
Reyan didn't react, but his jaw stiffened.
"Looked older. Probably her boyfriend," the boy continued with a smirk. "So much for the quiet type."
Reyan still said nothing.
But something in his eyes—sharp, cold, unreadable—turned darker.
Later, behind the school's back wall, Reyan made a phone call.
No one saw him.
No one heard what he said.
But whoever was on the other end answered quickly.
And something unspoken passed through the line.
Ryu was in the library when a peon came to her table.
"Mr. Avi wants to see you in the Art Department."
She stood, confused but calm.
Inside the room, the teacher handed her a file and a stack of colored paper.
"We need someone to decorate the main board. Theme's sportsmanship."
She blinked. "I told my cousin I'd go home with him—"
"He said it's fine. You're the best in art. It won't take long."
She hesitated... then nodded.
Ryu worked alone in the hallway.
The scissors clipped rhythmically, the pins clicked softly, the smell of glue sharp in the air.
She didn't notice time slipping by — or the silence getting heavier.
She finished the board with a quote:
"True strength is calm in the storm."
But something inside her didn't feel calm.
It felt watched.
The sun had dipped low by the time she walked across the school ground to exit.
Only a few boys were still there — kicking a football lazily near the far goalpost.
Section C boys.
None of them were Kabir or Avi.
And none were her friends.
She walked quickly.
Head down.
Until—
Thud.
A football slammed into her side.
She stumbled, turning in shock. "What the hell?!"
The boys laughed.
"Oops, didn't see you there!"
"You joining the team now, princess?"
She turned to leave—
Another ball hit her leg.
Harder.
She froze.
Eyes wide.
And that's when she saw him.
Reyan Kashyap.
Standing near the goalpost.
Still.
Silent.
Watching.
Not helping.
Not stopping.
Just... watching.
A third ball came flying.
She raised her hands instinctively, but this one came fast.
Too fast.
It smashed straight into her temple.
And then—
Everything faded.
She dropped to the ground like paper crumpling mid-air.
No scream.
No sound.
Just impact.
The laughter vanished.
All the boys who had thrown the ball stood frozen in horror.
Someone cursed.
Another whispered, "She's bleeding—!"
And then — panic.
They ran.
Cowards.
Shoes pounding across the field, leaving only the fallen girl and one boy behind.
Reyan.
He didn't run.
He didn't blink.
He didn't even breathe.
He stared at her motionless body, fists clenched, guilt and rage crashing silently inside him.
"Ryu!!"
Kabir's voice shattered the air.
He and Avi came running from the corridor, sprinting across the field.
The second Kabir saw her lying on the grass, something in him broke.
He collapsed to his knees beside her. "Ryu—hey—hey—open your eyes!"
Avi checked her pulse, lifting her wrist gently. "She's alive. She's just... unconscious."
Blood trickled from the side of her forehead into the soil.
Kabir's hands were shaking.
Then Kabir looked up—eyes flaming.
Reyan stood across the field like a statue.
Still.
Alone.
Guilty.
Kabir's voice cracked. "You stood there and watched?!"
No answer.
Just silence.
Reyan didn't move.
Didn't explain.
Avi swallowed hard. "Let's take her. Now."
Together, Kabir lifted Ryu in his arms, her head resting weakly against his chest.
Avi steadied her legs, his face pale.
As they began walking, Kabir muttered one sentence loud enough for Reyan to hear:
"You're a coward."
Reyan didn't flinch.
But behind his eyes, a storm raged louder than ever.
His hand shook as he gripped his own wrist tightly — as if stopping himself from shattering.
"I didn't touch her,"
he told himself.
"But I didn't stop it either."
And maybe that was worse.
Sometimes the cruelest enemies are the ones who pretend they don't care.
But still stand there... watching you bleed.