The Ascendant Shadow

Chapter 18: Silent Storm

Jason's POV:

"Friends? What the fuck does 'friends' even mean?" Ron's voice cut through the tension like a whip. He paced the room, his usual humor replaced by frustration. "Did you just friendzone her or—"

"Calm down," I snapped, feeling my own irritation flare. "It's not like that, Ron. You think having her with all four of us is realistic? Think about it."

Ron let out a bitter laugh, but there was no humor in it. "Realistic? None of this has been realistic since the moment we met her. But now you and her are pulling the plug because what? It's complicated?"

Chris leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, glaring at the floor. "Yeah, we're all in deep shit that could get us killed at any second, including her," he said sharply, his voice edged with bitterness. "None of this is normal but who fucking cares."

I shot a look at Chris, my patience wearing thin. "What the fuck are you talking about? You're the one still fucking other girls—"

"Shut the fuck up!" Chris roared, his face twisting in anger as he pushed off the wall, his body tensing as if ready for a fight.

"Enough!" Xander's voice thundered through the room, cutting through the chaos like a blade. The room fell silent instantly, the force of his tone commanding it. "This isn't going to solve anything."

We all stood there, tension buzzing in the air, the weight of Xander's presence settling over us. He was calm, but it was that dangerous kind of calm that told you he wasn't in the mood to deal with any bullshit.

"Let's just go to the academy," Xander said after a long pause, his voice cool and authoritative. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, not waiting for a response.

Ron muttered under his breath as he brushed past me. "Next time, I'm dropping her off, genius," he grumbled, his usual sarcastic tone falling flat, replaced by a quiet frustration that made me wince.

"I didn't say shit," I shot back, though my words lacked the usual bite. The weight of everything was getting to me too.

Chris, always quick to escalate, glared at me. "Yes, you did. She fell asleep with the four of us, Jason. What do you think that means?" His voice was low, cold, and full of unspoken accusations.

The elevator ride was painfully quiet. The only sound was the low hum of the building, but the silence between us was deafening.

"Just because she fell asleep with us doesn't mean she's willing to be with the four of us," I finally said, my voice quieter, trying to inject some reason into the situation.

"So what?" Ron said, his voice sharp with disappointment. "We let this whole thing go? After everything?"

Xander glanced at us, his eyes cold but focused. "Yeah, we let it go," he said, his voice final, as if he had already made the decision for all of us. The weight of his words hit harder than any argument.

Ron stopped pacing, his face falling for just a second, a flash of hurt crossing his eyes before he masked it with his usual bravado. "Fine. Whatever you say, boss."

I looked at Chris, whose expression was hard, but there was something else there too—regret, maybe? It was hard to tell with him. He always kept everything locked down tight, but I knew he felt it just as much as the rest of us.

Xander didn't say another word as he led the way to the car. The ride to the academy was thick with unspoken tension, the weight of what we were letting go hanging in the air. None of us said it, but we all felt the same thing—we were losing something before we even had the chance to figure out what it was.