She stood there, laughter echoing around her like shards of glass, each one cutting deeper. Her friends leaned in, their voices too sweet, too sharp, their words laced with poison.
She smiled. She laughed. She did what she always did.
But then the air shifted.
The chatter of the hallway dulled, like sound itself had bent around the boy standing only a few steps away. Kai.
He pushed off the wall, his footsteps deliberate, steady, echoing against the lockers. Every eye turned to him, whispers swelling as he stopped directly in front of her.
Her fake friends fell silent, their smirks faltering.
Kai's dark eyes scanned the group, unreadable but sharp enough to cut through their thin smiles. "Funny," he said calmly, his voice low but carrying, "I thought friends were supposed to have your back, not tear you down."
The words landed like a strike. The group shifted uncomfortably, glancing at each other, their practiced masks cracking under the weight of his gaze.
She froze, her breath caught in her throat. Why is he doing this? In front of everyone?
One of the girls scoffed, trying to recover. "We were just joking."
Kai's eyes narrowed, a flicker of something dangerous passing through them. "Yeah?" He leaned in just slightly, his voice steady, almost too calm. "Then why doesn't she look like she's laughing?"
The hallway was silent. Even the background chatter of passing students had died, all eyes fixed on the confrontation unfolding.
Her chest tightened, panic rising. This wasn't supposed to happen. Nobody ever said anything. Nobody ever defended her. She didn't know what to do with it.
Kai finally turned to her, and the calm edge in his expression softened just a fraction. "You don't have to smile for them," he said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear.
Her mask slipped—just for a second. She saw the shock ripple across her so-called friends' faces. She felt the weight of dozens of eyes burning into her.
And for the first time, the mask didn't matter.
Because he saw her. And he wasn't afraid to show it.