There was also the fact that he had already been expecting the attack.
From the moment Lloyd's fingers curled and the chant began to roll off his tongue, Noah had known something was coming.
Lloyd was not the type to let someone turn their back on him without retaliation. His pride was too fragile for that.
So when the stone had formed, when it had hardened and begun spinning faster and faster, Noah's muscles had already tensed beneath his uniform.
He had been ready.
That readiness had made all the difference.
Even still…
Noah's gaze flickered briefly to the side as the murmurs grew louder around them.
'Even still… I can't afford to fight with Lloyd right now.' he thought.
It wasn't fear.
It was calculation.
His eyes shifted slightly, glancing past Lloyd to the other two boys standing behind him. They hadn't moved yet. But they were watching closely.
Noah frowned faintly.
They weren't as loud as Lloyd, but that didn't mean they were harmless.
