5
The group was still buzzing about the announcement, their voices overlapping in
excitement.
་་
“My uncle’s in the military,” one guy said, leaning forward as if sharing a secret. “He just told me–Michael’s gone rogue. He’s taken government officials hostage!”
“What?! Just to find that guy in black?” another chimed in, his eyes wide. “Man, they’re offering a huge reward for any leads. Like seriously, huge. You know what that means, right? Whoever finds him is set for life.”
“Yeah,” a third one said, puffing out his chest. “That’s gonna be me. I’ve been playing this game forever. Tracking someone down? Piece of cake.”
“Please.” The first guy rolled his eyes. “It’s obvious who Michael’s after. It’s gotta
be Daniel. Who else could it be?”
That finally did it. I couldn’t hold back a laugh.
They all turned to stare at me, their conversation grinding to a halt.
John, the ringleader of the group, narrowed his eyes. “What’s so funny?”
“When he realized it was me, his lips twisted into a sneer. “Oh, look who decided to crawl
out of her little hole. The dorm mouse herself.”
His cronies burst into laughter, feeding off his energy.
“What’s wrong, mouse?” John taunted. “You hear about the reward and suddenly think you’ve got a shot? You, of all people?”
The laughter cut deeper than I’d expected. It wasn’t the first time they’d mocked me, and it wouldn’t be the last. They never hit or shoved or did anything physical–they were too smart for that. But their words? They were like tiny needles, sharp and relentless, leaving
bruises no one else could see.
If I complained, they’d shrug it off as a joke. You’re too sensitive, they’d say. We’re just messing around.
21:03 Wed, Dec 11
K
99%1
♡ A
But there was nothing funny about how cold their words made me feel like they were stripping away every layer of protection I had.
My hands started trembling, and Coco, who was holding onto me, noticed immediately. Her grip tightened, and for a brief moment, I saw something dark flash in her eyes.
She tried to pull away, instinctively stepping toward them, but I quickly held her back,
shielding her behind me.
“Hey,” I said softly, crouching down to her level. “Be good, okay? Don’t get into trouble. These people aren’t worth it.”
Standing back up, I forced myself to meet John’s smug gaze.
“I’m laughing,” I said, keeping my voice calm, “because you’re clearly clueless. Daniel? He wears white. Always. Everyone knows he hates black clothes.”
I crossed my arms, tilting my head like I was sizing him up.
game
for how long, and you don’t even know that? What‘ “You’ve been playing this
“You’ve been playing this you been doing all this time?
Oh, wait–I know. You’ve been too busy following Sarah around, acting like her little lapdog.”
The smirk vanished from his face. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, and his glare
could’ve set something on fire.
“Shut up!” he snapped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Oh, don’t I?” I shot back, my voice dripping with mockery. “Then let me remind you. February 1st–you took Sarah to Whitewater. You bought her three outfits and handed her five hundred bucks. She said thank you, sure, but the second you left, she put on one of those outfits, gave another to her real crush, and spent the rest of the day shooting fireworks with him. Wearing matching clothes. All on your dime.”
His face turned bright red, his jaw tightening as if he were about to snap.
Before he could even come up with a response, Coco couldn’t help herself anymore. She peeked out from behind me, grinning like she was about to deal the final blow.
“Oh, and don’t forget January 29th!” she chirped. “Or Christmas! Should I keep going?”
03 Wed, Dec 11
993
♡ fo Q
“ENOUGH!” John roared, his voice echoing down the hallway. He took a step forward, pointing a shaking finger at Coco. “Shut your mouth, you little brat!”
He lunged toward her, but I quickly stepped in front of him, spreading my arms wide.
“What the hell are you doing?” I snapped, my voice sharp and steady. “You’re really going to go after a kid now? Seriously?”
John’s eyes blazed with fury as he turned his attention back to me.
“Betty,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you? You bring this little rat here to make me look bad, huh?”
He sneered, gesturing toward Coco. “Look at her–dressed in rags, just like you. A big rat
and a little rat. What a perfect pair.”
“Don’t you dare talk about Ms. Handsome like that!”
“Yeah, don’t you dare insult Coco!”
Coco and I shouted at the same time, our voices overlapping in perfect sync.
For a split second, John looked startled. Then he laughed–a cruel, mocking sound that made my skin crawl.
“Wow,” he said, shaking his head. “A rat protecting a rat. What’re you gonna do, huh? You think you can stop me?”
He looked around at the other students lingering nearby, all of them pretending not to
notice what was happening.
“Look around,” he said, his voice rising. “Do you see anyone here who cares about you? Anyone who’s gonna stand up for you?”
He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low growl. “Face it. Even if I beat the crap out of both of you right now, no one’s going to stop me.”
Then, as if to prove his point, he pulled a thick iron rod out of his bag. The sight of it made my stomach drop.
21 03 Wed, Dec 11
| 98%
Then, as if to prove his point, he pulled a thick iron rod out of his bag. The sight of it
made my stomach drop.
♡ fo
“Let’s see your so–called friends now,” he sneered, gripping the rod tightly. “Go ahead.
Call those stupid NPCs you’re always talking about. Let’s see if they come to save you.”
With that, he swung the rod, putting his whole body into it. The air whistled as it sliced through the space between us.
I didn’t even think. I grabbed Coco, pulling her into my arms as I crouched down, covering her with my body. My hands flew to the back of my head, bracing for the impact.
But the blow never came.
6
