By the time lunch rolled around, Lila was already regretting showing up to school. Every hallway she walked down hummed with whispers, every corner she turned carried stares.
"She totally shut Ethan down this morning.""Yeah, but did you see the way he looked at her? Dude's obsessed.""Tyler's gonna bury him alive."
Lila shoved her tray onto the counter, grabbed an apple, and tried to drown it all out. Harper stuck close, muttering under her breath.
"Honestly, I don't know what's worse—the fact that Ethan Cole is acting like some alpha-wolf stalker, or that half the girls in this place are jealous of you for it."
"I'm not jealous," Lila muttered. "I'm annoyed. And done. With all of it."
But the second she stepped into the cafeteria, her stomach sank.
Ethan Cole. Center table. His friends sprawled around him like kings of the court. And he was watching her like he'd been waiting all day.
Zane spotted her first, elbowing him. "Incoming."
Lukas smirked. "Showtime."
Ethan didn't even bother to hide his grin. He stood, loud enough to draw attention, and called out—"Lila. Over here."
The cafeteria went quiet.
Every pair of eyes turned.
Lila froze mid-step, Harper cursing under her breath. "Oh, hell no."
Tyler appeared out of nowhere, already at her side. "Keep walking. You're not going anywhere near him."
But Ethan was already striding across the room, ignoring the noise, ignoring the stares. He stopped right in front of her, towering, smirk locked in place.
"Sit with me."
It wasn't a question.
Lila glared up at him, tray balanced in her hands. "No."
His grin widened. "That wasn't really optional."
Tyler stepped between them, chest to chest with Ethan. "Back off."
The cafeteria buzzed like static, half the school holding its breath.
And then—like fate had a sense of humor—her friends arrived.
Jace, the sarcastic one, whistled low. "Well, well. Free entertainment."Maya crossed her arms. "Do we need to start placing bets?"Ryan leaned against the nearest table, smirking. "I've got twenty bucks on Tyler knocking him out."Harper groaned. "Can we not?"And Olivia, the quieter one, just gave Lila a look that said you're in deep trouble, aren't you?
At the same time, Ethan's crew drifted closer. Lukas, Zane, Marco, Alex, and Chris—all smirking, all waiting.
Two groups. Two tables. One boiling cafeteria.
Ethan's eyes never left Lila. "Come sit with me. My table. My people."
Tyler's voice was sharp. "She's not yours to order around."
Lila had enough. She shoved her tray into Ethan's chest—not hard, but enough to make him stumble a step. Apples rolled onto the floor, fries scattered.
The cafeteria gasped.
"Try listening for once," she snapped. Her voice was ice. "I said no. And if you don't back off, I'll make you regret it."
For the first time, Ethan's smirk faltered—just slightly.
Then it came back, sharper. Darker. "Careful, sunshine. I like it when you fight me."
Tyler lunged, but Harper grabbed his arm before he could start a full-on brawl. "Not in the cafeteria, genius!"
Teachers started shouting from across the room. "Break it up! Now!"
Lila turned on her heel and stalked away, her friends following like a shield. She didn't look back.
But Ethan's voice carried across the room, low and dangerous, meant for her and her alone.
"You can run all you want, Lila Hart. But you'll end up right where you belong—beside me."
And though she refused to turn around, the heat in her chest betrayed her.