kiss you // S.S.

Chapter thirty-five: temper tantrums 101

Mr. Harris's voice droned through the classroom like a mosquito caught behind glass, thin, persistent, impossible to ignore. The chalk scraped jagged lines across the board as he drew out an equation no one was paying attention to.

Leo sat at the back table, fingers tapping a rhythm into the scarred surface while his mind wandered. On his left, Scott was tense. The kind of tense Leo knew too well. Upright spine, tilted head, eyes narrowed like he was listening for something no one else could hear.

To Leo's right, Isaac sat stiff and unreadable. His jaw was tight. One leg bounced in restless, uneven spurts under the table, and he hadn't stopped clenching his pen like it was a knife he might use at any moment.

"All right," Harris sighed with venomous boredom. "Since inertia is clearly a subject you all know plenty about, let's move on to something just as mindless. Momentum."

A few students chuckled. Leo didn't. His gaze flicked briefly to Isaac, who hadn't moved at all.

Scott leaned forward, speaking just under the hum of the lights. "Isaac," he said carefully, "they're here for a reason. Give me a chance to figure out what it is. Before you do something stupid."

Isaac didn't answer but Leo could see the rapid aggression growing in him. He leaned over slightly. "Alright, you have to chill out," Leo said flatly, eyes narrowing at him. "You're acting like you're about to throw yourself at the first Alpha you see, and I'm telling you right now, that's not how we handle this."

"Mr. Harris," Isaac said suddenly, his voice loud enough to make a few heads turn. "Can I use the bathroom?"

Scott stiffened. His eyes widened, ears twitching like radar. "Mr. Harris," Scott said next, sharper this time. "I need to go too."

Harris sighed without lifting his gaze. "One at a time."

Isaac got up from his seat, stalking out the classroom.

"But I really need to go."

Leo turned to Scott, catching the change in his posture. Scott stood taller, urgency blooming in his expression. He looked more alert now. His senses were picking something up. Leo could see it. The way Scott's nostrils flared. The way his head tilted, like he was listening to something only he could hear..

"Like, medical emergency need to go," Scott added.

That got Harris's attention. The man turned, sneering. "Mr. McCall, if your bladder suddenly exploded and you were reduced to a pathetic puddle on my classroom floor, I would still respond. One. At. A. Time."

Scott stood up.

Leo turned fully now, whispering, "What do you hear?"

But Scott was already walking toward the door, ignoring Harris's protests and the wave of snickering behind him.

Leo sat back in his chair, uneasy. Something had to be happening. He sat frozen for a beat, torn between going after them and staying in his seat.

The moment Scott stepped into the hallway, the sound hit him like a punch to the ribs. The sound of someone getting punched and a low growl that didn't sound human. Ethan was slammed up against a locker, blood running down his face from a split in his brow. His arm hung limp. Aiden, towering over, drove a final fist into Ethan's face and held it there. Just beside them, Isaac stood frozen. His eyes were wide, uncertain. He wasn't part of it, just standing there clueless at what was actually happening before him.

Scott stepped forward fast. "Hey!"

Aiden straightened instantly, slow and deliberate, a smirk curling the corner of his mouth. His hand slipped away from Ethan's shirt like he hadn't just been slamming his brother into lockers hard enough to dent them. Ethan slumped down the wall, dazed. Blood smeared the side of his cheek and soaked the collar of his shirt. He didn't look angry. He looked satisfied. And then Aiden turned and calmly walked down the hall, disappearing around the corner just as the bell rang.