The hallway buzzed with noise until Kai moved.
He cut through the crowd like a storm, his black eyes sharp, dangerous. The laughter of her so-called friends died the second he stopped in front of them.
Everyone went silent.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Kai's voice was low but venomous, cutting through the air like a blade.
The girls blinked, startled. "Excuse me—"
"No, shut the fuck up." His tone was ice. His jaw was tight, his hands clenched at his sides. "I've been watching you—every stupid little smirk, every fake-ass laugh, every time you rip her apart just so you can feel better about yourselves."
Gasps rippled through the hall. The girls' faces went pale.
"You think you're funny? You're not. You're a bunch of pathetic, insecure bitches who can't stand that she's stronger than you'll ever fucking be."
The leader of the group tried to scoff, her voice cracking. "You don't even know her—"
Kai stepped closer, his glare burning into her. "I know enough to see through your bullshit. I know enough to know she doesn't deserve one ounce of the shit you throw at her. And I sure as hell know that you're cowards hiding behind fake smiles."
Whispers swelled around them, students wide-eyed, eating up every word.
Kai's voice dropped, darker, dead serious. "So let me make this real fucking clear. If I hear you say one more word about her—if I even see you look at her wrong—you'll regret it. I don't give a fuck who's watching."
The hall was dead silent. The girls stood frozen, their masks shattered.
And then—he turned.
His eyes found her, softening instantly, like the fire in him melted the second he looked at her. "C'mon," he said, his voice steady but gentler now, extending his hand.
The world was still watching, buzzing with shock and disbelief.
But for once, she didn't care.
Because in that moment, Kai wasn't the boy everyone whispered about. He was the boy who finally made the voices in her head go quiet.