HIS BOY

CHAPTER 17

RAIN'S POV
The stairwell confrontation with Phayu lingered in my mind like a half-forgotten dream—raw, intense, and strangely comforting. He didn't push for more details about Saifah, thank god.

I couldn't have handled it. Not when the memories were still clawing their way back, sharp and ugly.

By the time lunch rolled around, things felt... different. Not fixed, but patched.

Phayu walked beside me to the cafeteria without a word, his presence a silent shield. His scent—deep, stormy alpha—brushed against mine, calming the panic that Saifah's arrival had stirred.

We sat with the usual group: First, Ja, Pai, and Sky, who had appeared out of nowhere again, sliding into the seat right next to me before anyone else could.
Sky: "You okay? You looked rough in class."

I nodded, forcing a small smile. "Yeah, just... new student jitters."

Phayu shot Sky a quick glance—sharp, assessing—but said nothing. He just pushed his tray toward me slightly, like an unspoken offer to share.

It was nice. Friendly.

That's all it could be, right? I'd seen him with that girl at the party. Whatever spark I'd imagined between us was just that—imagination.

Phayu was cold, distant, the bad boy alpha everyone whispered about. And me? I was the broken omega with too much baggage.

Saifah's return proved that. Better to keep things simple. Friends. No expectations. No heartbreak.

Rain (to Phayu, casually): "Thanks for earlier. I appreciate it."

Phayu met my eyes, something unreadable flickering there. "Anytime."

Friends. Yeah, I could do that.

PHAYU'S POV

Friends.

The word tasted like ash in my mouth.
Rain smiled at me across the table—small, tentative, but real.

It was progress after days of avoidance. But it wasn't enough. Not when every instinct screamed to pull him closer, to scent him properly, to claim what my alpha side already knew was mine.

He'd given up. I could see it in his eyes—the way he kept things light, no lingering glances, no accidental touches. Like he'd locked away whatever hope he'd had.

A drugged, hazy blur. But explaining it now felt like risking everything.

I couldn't lose this. Not the fragile thread we'd rebuilt. So I swallowed the growl building in my throat and played along.
For now.

While the group chatted—First teasing Ja about something stupid, Pai cracking jokes—I tuned out. My mind was on the bathroom incident from weeks ago. Rain locked in, water dumped on him, left crying. He'd brushed it off, but I hadn't forgotten. Someone had targeted him. Bullied him. And with Saifah here now, stirring up old wounds, I needed answers.

After lunch, I slipped away from the group. Rain didn't notice—he was laughing at something Sky said, the other omega leaning in too close again.

My fists clenched, but I let it go. Focus.
I headed to the back of the school, where the troublemakers hung out. A group of alphas loitered near the fence, smoking and muttering.

Phayu: "You hear about the new kid getting messed with in the bathroom a while back?"

One of them—a skinny guy with a scar on his cheek—snorted. "Why? You his bodyguard now?"

I stepped closer, letting my alpha aura flare—cold, intimidating. "Answer the question."

He paled. "Dunno, man. Heard some guys bragging about it. Said it was easy—locked him in, dumped water. Laughed about how he cried like a pup."

My vision edged red. "Who?"

He shrugged. "Didn't catch names. But one of them mentioned it was for someone else. Like, paid gig or something."

Paid? My gut twisted. Saifah? Or someone closer?

I walked away without another word, mind racing. I'd dig deeper. Quietly. No one hurt Rain and got away with it.

FIRST'S POV

Lunch was weird today.
Rain seemed... okay? Better than this morning, at least. He and Phayu were talking again—not much, but no more icy silence. Good. But Sky? He was all over Rain. Leaning in every two seconds, touching his arm, whispering like they had secrets.

First (muttering to Ja): "What's with Sky? He's acting like Rain's shadow."

Ja frowned, eyes narrowing at the pair. "Yeah. Too clingy. Rain looks uncomfortable half the time."

Pai, sitting across from us, stabbed his fork into his food a little too hard. "It's pissing me off. He's always there—before class, after, now lunch. Like he owns him."

We watched as Sky draped an arm over Rain's shoulders casually, pulling him into a side-hug. Rain laughed it off, but his smile didn't reach his eyes.

Pai: "If he doesn't back off soon, I'm saying something."

Ja: "Count me in. Rain's got enough crap with that new guy Saifah staring him down from across the room. He doesn't need Sky smothering him too."

First: "Let's just keep an eye out. If it gets worse..."

We nodded in silent agreement. Rain was our friend. No one messed with that.

RAIN'S POV

The rest of the day blurred by. Saifah didn't say much more in class—just watched me with that smirk, like he was waiting for me to crack. Phayu stayed close, a quiet presence that kept the panic at bay.

Sky walked me to my locker after the last bell, like he had every day this week.
Sky: "Want me to walk you home? It's getting dark earlier now."

I shook my head, smiling politely. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks, though."

He lingered, eyes searching my face. "You sure? "
His concern felt heavy—too much, too insistent. But he was my friend, right? One of the first ones here.

Rain: "Really, Sky. I'll be fine."
He finally nodded, but his hand brushed my arm as he left—lingering just a second too long.

As I grabbed my bag, Phayu appeared around the corner, leaning against the wall casually.

Phayu: "Ready to go?"

I blinked. "You're... walking me?"

He shrugged. "Figured why not. Friends do that, right?"

Friends. The word stung a little, but I pushed it down.

Rain: "Yeah. Sure."

We walked in silence at first, his scent a comforting barrier against the world. For a moment, I let myself pretend it was more.

But it wasn't. And that was okay.

Wasn't it?

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