The Pumas had never ridden home in silence before. No laughter, no jeers, no replay of the chaos they usually thrived on. Just the low growl of exhaust pipes and the weight of a hundred staring eyes burned into their backs.
When they finally pulled into their lot, a half-abandoned strip of cracked pavement they called their kingdom, Zac killed his engine and swung off his bike. His smirk was gone, jaw locked tight, movements sharp with restless energy. He yanked his helmet off and hurled it onto the hood of his car with a metallic crack.
The crew lingered, exchanging uneasy glances. Rico lit a cigarette, but his hands shook as he brought it to his mouth. Miles leaned against his bike, chewing his toothpick to splinters. Evan stayed standing, arms crossed, gaze fixed on Zac.
No one spoke at first.
Finally, Rico cleared his throat. "Man… what the hell was that back there?"
Zac's head snapped toward him, eyes cold. "What?"
"That kiss, bro." Rico's laugh was hollow, forced. "That wasn't— I mean, that wasn't you."
Miles spat the mangled toothpick onto the ground. "It sure as hell wasn't smart. You saw the crowd, Zac. They weren't cheering. They were ready to tear you apart."
Zac scoffed, raking a hand through his hair. "They'll get over it. They always do."
But even as the words left his mouth, they felt thin.
Evan stepped forward, voice low but steady. "No, they won't. Not this time."
Zac turned, glare sharp as a blade. "You got something to say, Evan?"
"Yeah." Evan's jaw tightened. "We've all backed you for years. Every fight, every race, every stunt. We looked the other way when you broke bones and rules. Because you had a line. A code. You never hit girls. You never humiliate someone past the point of no return. That's why people feared you, but they also respected you."
He paused, letting the words sink. "But today? You crossed that line."
Zac's chest heaved. "She pushed me!"
"No." Evan cut him off. His voice sharpened, louder now. "She stood up to you. And you lost control. You think we didn't see it? You weren't proving you're untouchable, Zac. You were proving she got under your skin."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Rico exhaled smoke in a shaky plume. "People are saying you're done, man. Campus is turning against us. Against you."
"Against all of us," Miles added, his tone bitter. "They don't see Zac anymore. They see the Pumas as his pack of hyenas."
Zac clenched his fists, fury boiling in his veins. "You think I care what they say? I built this campus. They move when I move. They fear me. That doesn't change because some girl cried."
Evan's eyes hardened. "It does when you're the reason she cried."
The words hit like a punch to the ribs.
For the first time in years, no one laughed with him, no one echoed his bravado. The Pumas just stared back, uneasy, disappointed.
Loyalty had always been his crown. But now he could feel it slipping.
Zac grabbed his helmet off the hood and jammed it back on, teeth gritted. "You don't get it. None of you do. She's not some random girl. She's a problem. And problems don't walk away."
He revved the engine hard, like the sound alone could drown out the cracks in his control.