It was a Thursday morning, the kind where the quad buzzed with half-awake chatter, coffee cups clutched like lifelines, students dragging themselves to class. Leona had her laptop bag slung over one shoulder, her flyers for the rally tucked under her arm. She was exhausted, but determined. The rally was tomorrow, and she needed every hand she could find to spread the word.
She was halfway to the student union when the sound hit.
Engines. Loud, snarling, predatory.
Her stomach dropped.
The Pumas roared into the quad like a pack of wolves, tires screeching as students scattered out of the way. Zac was at the front, helmet tucked under his arm, dark hair tousled, smirk sharp enough to cut glass. His eyes locked onto her instantly, and her chest seized.
Leona forced herself to keep walking. Head high. Eyes forward. Don't give him the satisfaction.
But he wasn't letting her pass this time.
Zac swung off his bike and cut across the quad, the Pumas falling into step behind him. The crowd hushed as if the air itself held its breath. Phones lifted, already recording.
"Princess," Zac's voice rang out, loud and mocking, "long time no see."
Leona's pulse hammered. She quickened her pace, but Zac matched her stride, circling, taunting.
"You miss me?" His voice dripped amusement. "I know you did. Don't lie. You've been waiting for me."
"Leave me alone," she muttered, her throat tight.
He tilted his head, feigning offense. "That's it? No hello? No smile? After everything we've shared?"
The crowd tittered nervously.
Leona clenched her fists. "We shared nothing."
Zac's smirk sharpened. He stepped closer, his voice carrying across the quad. "Oh, come on. Don't be shy. Tell them about us. How do you like it when I call you princess? How you—"
"Stop." Her voice cracked, trembling, "We never do anything!"
But he didn't.
He reached out suddenly, plucking one of the flyers from her arms. He unfolded it, reading the bold text aloud. "'Rally for Safer Campus Communities.'" He let out a low laugh, shaking his head. "You really think anyone cares what you say? You think you matter here?"
Her breath hitched. Heat burned her face, her chest. She snatched for the paper, but he held it out of reach, dangling it like a prize.
The Pumas laughed. The crowd murmured, restless.
"Look at her," Zac jeered, his eyes glittering. "She acts all tough, all righteous, but underneath? She's just another scared little girl playing hero. Can't even protect her own brother without hiding behind a cause."
Leona's throat closed.
He knew exactly where to hit.
Her hands shook as she tried to grab the paper again, but he shoved it into her chest, hard enough that she stumbled back.
Gasps rippled through the quad.
"Don't," her voice broke, raw. "Don't you dare talk about Alex."
"Oh, I'll talk about him," Zac snarled, stepping forward, crowding her back against the library wall. His smirk slipped into something darker, sharper. "You think you saved him? You didn't save anybody. You made it worse. You put a target on him, and you can't do a damn thing to stop me."
Her chest heaved. Her hands trembled so violently the flyers slipped, scattering across the pavement.
"Just leave me alone, please," she whispered before she could stop herself.
The word was a knife to her pride.
"Princess," he said, voice dripping with mockery, though his gaze burned sharper than usual, "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't tell me what to do?"
She straightened, forcing her voice to stay steady. "You think sending threats makes you strong? It just proves how weak you really are. You're not untouchable, Zac. You're just a spoiled brat playing gangster because no one at home ever taught you what real strength looks like."
The crowd collectively inhaled. Everyone knew Zac had money, power, and influence, but no one ever dared to say it to his face.
For a flicker of a moment, his smirk faltered. His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. Something raw and unguarded flashed across his face, a bruise beneath the armor.
Then his rage snapped.
Zac grabbed her wrist, yanking her toward him so fast. His hand clamped against the back of her neck, forcing her against his chest.
And before she could scream, his mouth crashed onto hers.
It wasn't a kiss. It was an invasion. Rough, punishing, meant to dominate. Leona froze in shock before shoving at his chest with both hands, her fists pounding uselessly against his jacket. His grip only tightened, holding her still while the crowd erupted in horrified gasps.
When he finally tore himself away, her lips trembled, her whole body shaking.
"You—" Her voice cracked, raw and breaking. "You disgust me."
Her eyes filled with tears, spilling down her cheeks as the entire quad came alive with fury.
"What the hell, Zac?!"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" someone shouted too at the same time.
"Too far, man!"
"Leave her alone!"
"You're sick!"
"She's crying, Moreno. Back off!"
"You're pathetic!"
The anger spread like wildfire. Students who once cheered his antics now stared in disgust, their phones recording every second. A bottle smashed near his boots. The tide was turning against him, and fast.
Alex ran from the crowd, shoved him hard in the chest, fury shaking his voice. "Touch her again and I swear I'll end you!"
Zac barely moved, but he didn't retaliate. His chest heaved, his jaw locked, and for the first time, the golden boy of the campus stood in the center of a storm he couldn't control.
Leona was shaking, but she was still standing.
And he knew he had crossed a line that no swagger or smirk could ever erase.
He wanted to smirk, to brush it off, but the words wouldn't come. All he could do was sneer, brittle and empty. "Guess the princess doesn't like a kiss after all."
"Yo, man…" Rico muttered, uneasy. "Maybe that's enough."
The crowd booed. Someone shouted, "You're done, Moreno!"
And for once, it rang true.
Leona wiped her tears with trembling hands. Her voice shook, but her words cut sharper than anything he'd ever heard.
"You don't scare me anymore. You just make me sick."
She grabbed Alex's hand and pushed through the students. This time, they parted for her, not out of fear, but solidarity. Phones turned on Zac instead of her.
Zac stood frozen, fury and shame twisting inside him. He wanted to say he didn't care. That he'd meant to shut her up. That he was still untouchable.
But the truth screamed louder in his chest.
He hadn't silenced her. He'd given her power.
And he hated her for it.
Security started pushing through the crowd. Even the Pumas looked uneasy, their loyalty wavering under the fury of hundreds of students. Evan shot him a nervous glance, but Zac ignored it. His eyes were still locked on her retreating form, on the strength in her trembling shoulders.
For the first time, the tide wasn't on his side.
And he felt it.
Leona pressed her back against the cold brick, her breath shallow and uneven. The crowd blocked him from her view, but his presence still pressed in like smoke.
Her hands trembled as she gathered the torn flyers from the ground, her tears falling hot and fast.
This wasn't a strength. This wasn't resistance.
This was her broken. And the entire campus had witnessed it.
Zac's jaw tightened. His smirk was gone. His crew hovered, waiting for his cue.
But for the first time in years, Zac Moreno didn't know what to do.
He turned on his heel, shoving his helmet on, swinging onto his bike in one sharp motion.
The engines roared again, but this time it wasn't triumphant. It was a retreat.
The Pumas followed, uneasy, silent.
The quad erupted, not in fear, but fury. Students shouted after them, voices rising in waves. Some hurled curses, others boos.
For the first time, Zac wasn't the predator. He was the villain, and everyone knew it.