Coach Lin Zhao's office was fuller than usual. Me, Tang Tang, Shen Que, and a very annoyed Lu Yanze all lined up like criminals. Coach Lin didn't sit. He paced, whistle tapping his palm.
"One practice match," he said. "One. And I have three forum threads, two complaints from Deqiu High, and a call from the principal about 'inappropriate public displays of hydration'." He stopped in front of me. "Shen Xingruo. Explain the water bottle."
"It was mine," I said quickly. "He was thirsty."
"He has his own water," Coach Lin said. "Provided by the school. With his name on it. In glitter letters, because Hao Zixuan thinks he's funny."
Tang Tang snorted. Coach Lin's eye twitched.
"Lu Yanze," he barked. "You're team captain when your brother's benched. Control him."
Yanze was calm, hands behind his back. "I did. We won."
"That's not—" Coach Lin rubbed his temples. "Fine. All of you. Detention. Library. One hour. Study. No phones. Tang Tang, if I see one livestream, I'm confiscating your entire fan account."
"Yes, Coach!" she said, already typing under the desk.
We filed out. Shen Que was muttering about "guilt by association" and "bad influence". Yanze walked ahead, silent.
Lu Jingchen was waiting outside the library, leaning against the doorframe. Still in his jersey, hair damp from a quick shower. His eyebrow cut had a fresh butterfly bandage. He saw us coming and pushed off the wall.
"Detention squad," he said, eyebrow raised. "Didn't expect you, Moon."
Lu Yanze didn't react to the nickname. "Coach's orders. All witnesses to the 'hydration incident'."
Jingchen's eyes slid to me. Then to my hair. Still up in a ponytail. His jaw did that tick thing.
"Library's closed for detention," Mrs. Zhou announced without looking up from her romance novel. "Back table. No talking. No food. No flirting." She looked directly at Lu Jingchen for that last one.
We sat. Me, Tang Tang, Shen Que, Lu Yanze, Lu Jingchen. Five people at a table meant for four. Jingchen and I were shoulder to shoulder. His arm brushed mine every time he moved.
"Algebra," Yanze said, opening his textbook like this was normal. "Chapter five. Coach wants proof we studied."
Shen Que groaned. "I'm fifteen. I don't even take algebra yet."
"Then learn," Yanze said, not unkindly. He slid a spare pencil to my brother.
Tang Tang pulled out her phone. I kicked her under the table. She yelped, then pulled out a notebook instead.
For ten minutes, it was quiet. Just pages turning and Hao Zixuan's texts blowing up Tang Tang's silenced phone. Then Lu Jingchen leaned back, chair creaking.
"Boring," he announced.
"Study," Yanze said without looking up.
"Make me."
Yanze finally looked up. Cold Moon vs Wild Wolf. The air went thick. Shen Que scooted his chair closer to me.
"Stop," I said before it could start. "Both of you. We're in detention. For you." I looked at Jingchen.
He blinked. Then, slow, he picked up his pencil. Started on problem one. His handwriting was still awful.
Tang Tang mouthed '_progress_' at me.
Twenty minutes. The door opened.
Gu Yanche walked in, violin case on his back. He stopped when he saw the table. All of us. Especially me next to Lu Jingchen.
"Mrs. Zhou said the library was closed," Gu Yanche said, voice soft.
"It is," Mrs. Zhou said, still not looking up. "For detention only."
Gu Yanche's eyes went to my ponytail. Then to Lu Jingchen's bandaged eyebrow. Then to the empty chair next to Lu Yanze.
"I'll study too," he said, and sat down.
Six people. At a four-person table.
Lu Jingchen went very still. Then he kicked the table leg. Hard. My water bottle, the one from the game, wobbled. He caught it before it fell.
"Careful, Top Student," he said. "Wouldn't want you to get hurt."
"Wouldn't want you to get benched," I shot back. "Again."
His eyes narrowed. But he went back to the math problem.
Gu Yanche opened his book. "Shen Xingruo, do you want help with number three? You always struggled with quadratics."
"I don't—"
"I got it," Lu Jingchen cut in. He grabbed my worksheet, scanned problem three, and started writing. Wrong. On purpose. I could tell.
"That's wrong," Gu Yanche said quietly. "The coefficient—"
"I know," Lu Jingchen said, not looking up. "I'm testing her."
"You're testing _me_?" I grabbed the paper. "You did the same thing yesterday!"
"Because you fall for it every time." He finally looked at me. Smirk back. "Cute."
Gu Yanche's pencil snapped.
Mrs. Zhou looked up. "Out. All of you. Detention over. You're giving me a migraine."
We stood. All six of us. The tension could've powered the school lights.
Outside, Shen Que grabbed my arm. "Home. Now. Mom made dumplings. No bad boys allowed."
"I have tutoring," I said, but even I heard how weak it sounded.
"No, you don't," Lu Jingchen said. "Coach cancelled it. Said you 'deserved a break after surviving me'."
He was standing too close. I could see the water still in his eyelashes from the shower.
"Your hair's still up," he said, voice low. Only for me.
Gu Yanche stepped forward. "Xingruo, I'll walk you home. Your mom texted me."
Lu Yanze watched all of us, then checked his watch. "Practice in twenty. Jingchen."
Jingchen didn't move. He reached up, and for one insane second I thought he was going to touch my face. Instead, he pulled the hair tie from my ponytail.
My hair fell down around my shoulders.
"There," he said, tucking the black hair tie into his pocket. "Debt paid."
He walked off with Yanze, not looking back.
Shen Que was gaping. "He— he—"
"He took your hair tie," Tang Tang whispered, horrified and delighted. "That's like, step four in the Bad Boy Handbook. Step five is jacket. Step six is motorcycle."
Gu Yanche was quiet. He looked at my hair, now loose, then at his hand. In it was a white hair tie. "I… brought this. In case you needed it. For violin practice."
My chest hurt.
"I should go," I said to no one. To everyone.
I walked home with Shen Que. Tang Tang live-streaming behind us: `BREAKING: Devil King claims hair. Music Boy defeated. Cold Moon watches. Send help.`
At home, Shen Meiling took one look at my hair, at my face, and put an extra dumpling on my plate. "He's trouble," she said.
"I know."
"But he passed you the water," she added, like that explained everything.
Later, my phone buzzed. Unknown number.
`You owe me a hair tie. – LJC`
I stared at it. Then at my reflection. Hair down. Face flushed.
How do you owe someone for stealing something you didn't know you wanted back?
Another text.
`And wear it down tomorrow. Or I'll do it again.`
Three dots appeared. Then disappeared. Then appeared again.
Lu Jingchen was typing.
My thumb hovered over my keyboard. Delete `Try it.` Delete it before he sees it. Too late.
`Read.`
One word back from him. That was worse than a paragraph.
Shen Que banged on my bedroom door. "Mom says eat before they get cold! And stop smiling at your phone like a villain in a drama!"
I wasn't smiling. I checked the mirror. I was.
Another buzz.
`Tomorrow. 7:40. School gate. Don't be late, Top Student.`
Not a question. Not a request. An order.
And the worst part?
I was already picking out which hair tie I wouldn't wear.