Dare to Fall

Chapter XXI

"Woah, woah, woah," I said, my voice rising slightly as I tried to resist Cayden's pull. He had a grip on my arm, ready to drag me out of the school like I was some rebellious sidekick. "Okay, I appreciate the save back there, but I'm not ditching class as some kind of payment."

Cayden rolled his eyes at my protest. "And you thought I was going to pull you out of here just for kicks?" He raised an eyebrow, his expression daring me to guess his motives.

I met his gaze, confusion flooding my mind. "Wait, you weren't—"

"Finish your thought," he urged, an amused smirk creeping onto his face. The intensity of his stare made me feel a heat creeping up my neck, flushing my cheeks. Was I really reading too much into this? Maybe he did want to leave school. I quickly averted my gaze, feeling stupid for even considering it. "Look, thanks for the assist, but I'm going back to class now."

"Oh, and tell your little fangirls to back off!" I shot back, pivoting on my heel and striding away.

But before I could take two steps, he spun me around. His hands gripped my shoulders, and he leaned closer, concern etched on his face. "Did they do something to you?!"

I was taken aback, surprised by the urgency in his voice. "What the hell are you chuckling about? You think it's funny?"

"Not funny," I replied, shaking my head. "But it's nothing serious, just some threats here and there. No biggie."

"Threats?" His brow furrowed deeper. "Do you remember any of their faces?"

"Uh, no. It's a big school, and I don't usually pay attention to people," I said, my thoughts drifting back to those moments when the trio of Katie and her followers cornered me. I had noticed them, but not enough to recognize them. "Anyway, I'm heading to class." With that, I slipped away, leaving Cayden watching me with a mixture of concern and confusion.

***

As I slid into my Spanish class just before the bell rang, relief washed over me. I had barely made it, but my luck ran out when I got my results back from the pop quiz. A D stared back at me from the paper, and I groaned internally. How was I going to explain this to Amelia?

"You got a D? I thought you liked Spanish," she said, her voice a teasing lilt as we headed toward my locker to stash my notebook.

"Damn, do you need a tutor? I'm available," she offered, shooting me a conspiratorial grin.

Rolling my eyes, I sighed. "I do like Spanish class, but honestly, I've got a lot on my mind right now."

Amelia studied my face, her eyes narrowing in that way that said she wasn't buying it. Suddenly, she pinched my cheek.

"What are you doing?" I protested, slapping her hand away. "That hurt!"

"Did something happen earlier?" she pressed as I shut my locker, her curiosity piqued. We began walking toward the library, where I could finally focus. "I heard Katie and her little mean girl squad attacked you."

I stopped in my tracks, facing her. "How did you know?"

"It wasn't an attack in the physical sense—well, maybe it was." The memory of Katie's slap stung like a fresh bruise.

"What did she do to you?!" Amelia asked, her voice rising in a mix of fury and concern as she started shaking my shoulders. "Should I set her on fire or something? Your call."

"No, no!" I said, pushing her away gently. "She just slapped me because she told me to stay away from Cayden. It's not my fault I keep bumping into the Greek God himself," I said, rolling my eyes, but my cheeks warmed at the thought.