—The Punch Heard 'Round Campus—
The classroom fell into stunned silence. The sound of Pho's fist connecting with Kayden's jaw echoed through the sudden stillness. The students' stunned murmurs were the only sound.
"He just took it?" Levi whispered, his head shaking in disbelief.
"From a girl, no less," Nigel added, a serious look rare on his face.
Felix shrugged. "He's been different since Brazil. He kinda had it coming anyway."
Vernon shot him a confused look. "What do you mean?"
"He brought up her dad, in an argument." Levi explained. "That's low. You don't do that. I'm gonna go find him."
Meanwhile, Aira's friends were in shock of their own.
"Did that just happen?" Nelly asked, staring at the spot where the punch was thrown.
"Aira Yanta just punched Kayden," Iris said matter-of-factly.
"I know," Nelly replied. "I just needed to make sure."
Aira, her face a mask of angry calm, turned and walked out of the classroom, leaving a trail of stunned students in her wake.
~—Rivalries and Secrets—~
In a far corner of the campus, Quinn fumed, her phone smashed on a wall. Her brother Kelly glared at her with a chilling gaze. He walked towards her, grabbed her neck, and slammed her against the wall.
Kayden does not even know who you are, and you broke my phone for him?" he spat, his voice low but lethal. Quinn gasped for air, her face turning red as he choked her. "Get me a new phone, and transfer everything." He let go of her, and she dropped to the floor, coughing violently.
"Psychopath," she muttered, rubbing her sore neck as he walked away. She picked up the pieces of her phone, a casualty to her own brother's twisted rage.
~—The Video—~
A video of the punch had gone viral on the school blog within the hour. The video was short and edited, showing only the moment Aira's fist made contact with Kayden's face. The comments were ruthless.
How does it feel to lose face in front of everybody who idolized you suddenly?" Mabel scoffed, blocking the path of Aira and her friends.
"Who let the idiots out?" Nelly shot back.
"If you think I care, you're wrong," Aira said flatly.
Iris shoved Mabel aside, and they passed through. "Did you guys find out who posted the video?" Mabel asked her friends. They hadn't.
Unbeknownst to them, Berry, one of Mabel's friends, had just received a message from Nigel. She left, the clandestine meeting taking precedence over the school drama. She found Nigel in the boys' restroom, their conversation a thinly veiled dialogue of desire and compensation. She left, dissatisfied but with tomorrow's promise. A figure stood in the distance, watching her, shock etched on their face.
~—Confrontations—~
Kayden's bedroom was littered with energy drink cans. He had been hunched over his laptop for hours, a simmering anger barely contained. He had at last found what he had been looking for. His eyes widened in shock.
"Found you," he growled. He clicked on the user's profile, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Wait. what?" His indignation doubled. The betrayal cut sharply.
He shut his laptop and strode out of the room. He bumped into Noah in the doorway, his father's personal assistant.
"Youngmaster," Noah began.
"Noah, what are you doing here?" Kayden demanded, voice expressionless.
His friends stared. "Did he just say 'youngmaster'?" Felix whispered.
"It's nothing," Kayden said, voice a clear warning to his friends. "I'll talk to you guys later." He pushed past Noah, pulling him out into the hallway.
The video's going viral," Noah said. "I can get her expelled."
"No," Kayden said. "I'll handle it."
"Why'd you take a punch from her?" Vernon asked, having followed them outside.
"The Kayden I know doesn't take a punch for nothing," he pressed.
Kayden laughed, a dark, threatening sound. He licked his lip, his eyes distant. "I needed someone to unleash every emotion in me on," he confessed, the words a terrifying admission. "I've been watching her since our first year. I wanted to stop, but she walked back into it herself. I have no choice now."
Vernon looked at him, wordless.
~—Showdown—~
Aira was fuming. Her social circle was disintegrating, and she was aware that it was all because of the stupid video. She marched up to the Kings' flat, anger coursing through her veins. She saw Kayden and his friends outside and her anger doubled.
She arrived at his side, the atmosphere thick with tension. Students were gathering around, sensing a new altercation. The atmosphere was charged between them.
"Why did you do that?" she demanded, her voice low in warning. "What was that crap you pulled?"
He didn't say a word, just looked at her with impenetrable eyes.
"What do you hope to achieve?" she barked. "Why do you need my attention so much?"
A slow, knowing smile crept onto his lips. "What makes you think I need your attention?"
"I know you've been watching me," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "What else could it be?"
"That's for me to know," he said, taking a step closer so they were inches apart.
"I don't care about that," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Just tell everyone I didn't punch you for no reason. They need to know you deserved it."
He smirked. "Why should I?"
It's because my friends are fighting over this," she said, the quiet admission a sign of her vulnerability.
"Friends? You call them friends?" he taunted, his eyes flicking to her group. "Wanna know who uploaded the video?"
Her temper flared. "It was anonymous."
"I'm fucking Kayden," he told her. "I hunted them down. It was one of your friends."
Her legs froze. "You're crazy. This is a setup."
Anything you want," she said, a promise she would come to regret.
He grinned, a dark, predatory grin spreading across his face. "Oh, you're in for it." He leaned in close, their bodies pressing against each other. "I'll kill you. and bury your body in my bedroom," she whispered, her threat a promise.
He smirked, the idea not a threat but a promise of something he wanted more than anything.
"Who was it?" she demanded.
He raised his hand slowly, stretching out one finger into the throng. Aira's eyes followed his lead,