The hallway was crowded, buzzing with students swapping notes and chatting.
Liora tried to keep her head down, moving toward the art room as fast as she could. She wasn't in the mood for confrontation, and yet, she knew it was coming.
Because Adrian Knight was already there.
He leaned casually against the lockers, arms crossed, eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on her. That smirk — the one that always made her pulse quicken — was back, sharper than ever.
"Going somewhere, Liora?" he called, voice carrying just enough to turn heads.
She froze. Her stomach twisted. "Just… class."
"Class?" His eyebrows lifted. "Or running away from me?"
Before she could answer, Ethan appeared beside her, bag slung over his shoulder. His expression was tense, guarded. "You're making it sound like she owes you something, Knight."
Adrian's gaze flicked to him, amused, but there was an edge underneath. "Oh, I'm not. Just curious who's protecting her today."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "That would be me. And you better stay out of it."
Adrian's smirk deepened. "Or what? You'll fight me?"
"You know I would," Ethan said quietly, dangerous.
Liora's heart hammered. She didn't want this fight — between the two most infuriatingly magnetic people she knew.
"Stop it," she said sharply, stepping between them. "Both of you."
Adrian's eyes softened, but the intensity didn't leave them. "Stop what? Protecting you from idiots?"
"I can handle myself!" she snapped.
Ethan stepped back slightly, frustration evident. "Liora—"
"I said stop!" Her voice shook, but she didn't back down.
For a moment, the hallway felt like it had shrunk. Everyone else faded into the background. Just her… Adrian… Ethan.
Adrian's smirk faded, replaced with something else — something protective, possessive, almost dangerous. "You don't understand," he murmured, stepping closer.
Liora's chest tightened. "I don't want to understand."
"You're not walking away," he said softly, a warning in his tone. "Not from me."
Her knees went weak. She wanted to turn, to run, to deny the storm building inside her, but her feet wouldn't move.
Ethan noticed. He stepped closer, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. "You don't have to. But you also don't belong to him."
Adrian's gaze snapped to Ethan, sharp and sudden. "I never said she belonged to me."
"Doesn't have to," Ethan shot back. "Just seems like you think you do."
The tension hung, thick and suffocating. Liora felt it pressing down on her chest — the pull of two impossible choices, two men she couldn't ignore, and feelings she wasn't ready to name.
"Enough!" she finally yelled, pushing both of them back with her hands. Her voice trembled, but she forced herself to keep it steady. "I'm not yours. I'm not anyone's. And I will decide for myself!"
Both boys froze. Adrian's chest rose and fell, and his eyes flickered with something unreadable — frustration, desire, regret. Ethan's jaw clenched, and his hands flexed at his sides, clearly worried but trying to remain composed.
For a heartbeat, the hallway was silent, the air electric.
Then Liora turned sharply, storming down the hallway before either of them could respond. Her heart was racing, mind spinning.
She didn't know if she was angry, terrified, or… something else entirely. Something that scared her more than she'd admit.
And as she walked away, she realized — the lines between rival, protector, and something deeper were blurring faster than she ever imagined.
Adrian and Ethan watched her go, both aware that the war for her attention — and her heart — was only just beginning.