Days went by. Skylar didn't see Kayla again, not in the hallways, not even in the cafeteria.
The bullying stopped too—at least in public. People still whispered, Sophie's crew still gave Kayla dirty looks. But they didn't cause a scene anymore.
That was until Sophie heard of what happened in the cafeteria between Skylar and Kayla.
She was furious. She stormed through the hallways like a Queen betrayed, her minions following behind her, whispering and plotting.
One afternoon, just as Kayla was packing up to leave, Sophie walked into her classroom. She stood in the doorway, arms crossed, with that fake smile on her face.
"Hey, scholarship girl." she said sweetly.
Before Kayla could respond move, Sophie's friends grabbed her by the arms and dragged her out the back door.
One of the students who witnessed this whispered to his friends after Sophie and her friends left. "What do you think she did?"
The friend replied with a shrug, the first student sighed. "There's no Skylar to save her this time."
His friend nudged his arm and signaled him to shut up.
_________________________
They took Kayla behind the school building far from any teachers or cameras.
Sophie stepped forward. Her eyes narrowed. "Let me make something clear," she said, her voice full of hatred. "I know what you're doing."
Kayla didn't answer and that added to her anger.
"You think you're special just because Skylar looked your way? You think a guy like him would ever want someone like you?" Sophie scoffed. "You're nothing, Kayla. You're poor, you're pathetic, and you're only here because of a charity case scholarship."
Kayla stayed quiet, her jaw clenched.
Sophie stepped closer. "Skylar is going to be mine, so stop trying to throw yourself at him. Because when he's mine, girls like you will wish they never looked at him."
She tossed a few insults and then turned away like she had just delivered a royal command.
Kayla stood there, breathing hard, refusing to cry. When she was sure they were gone, she walked back into class, picked up her backpack, and left without a word.
On her way out, she ran into Dan and Skylar in the hallway. Dan saw her first and smiled.
"Hey, Kayla."
She didn't respond. She just kept walking.
Dan looked confused. "Did she hear me?"
Skylar watched her go, her brows furrowed. Something didn't feel right.
Dan was already jogging after. "Hey, wait!" he said, gently tapping her shoulder.
Kayla stopped but didn't turn around.
Dan stood beside her. "Just wanted to say hi," he said with a soft smile.
She stayed silent and tried to walk past but Skylar had already caught up to her. He gently reached out and grabbed her hand.
She turned sharply, startled. Skylar let go immediately.
"Sorry," he said quietly, "I just... wanted to ask if you were okay."
"I'm fine," she said quickly. She tried to walk again, but he stepped in her way.
"Kayla--"
That was it. Something her snapped.
"Stop," she said, her voice rising. "Just stop."
Skylar froze.
"I don't want your attention. I don't like it. Do you know what you've done?" her voice cracked with anger. "Because of you, Sophie's coming after me. Again."
She looked up at him, eyes burning. "Why did you even help me? Was it just for fun? Rich boy saves the poor girl and becomes the hero?"
Skylar opened his mouth, but she didn't let him speak.
"I'm tired of people like you thinking my life is some joke. Just leave me alone." With that she turned and stormed off.
Skylar stood there, completely still.
Dan walked up beside him, quiet for a second, "Man, that was rough. Sophie is such a b*tch."
Skylar didn't say a word. He clenched his jaw and turned around, walking quickly in the other direction.
Dam followed silently.
___________________________
Skylar found Sophie and her girls near the courtyard. They were laughing like nothing had happened.
When Sophie saw him, her face lit up. "Skylar! I was just thinking about you--"
She reached out to hug him, but he grabbed her wrist. Hard.
"Ow--Skylar, what are you--"
His eyes burned with anger. "What did you do to Kayla."
Sophie blinked, playing dumb. "What are you talking about?"
But the look on his face made her stomach drop. He wasn't playing.
Her smile faded. The courtyard went quiet. Even her minions slowly backed away.
Sophie tried to laugh it off. "It was just a joke..."
Skylar's glare didn't move.
And for the first time, Sophie looked genuinely scared.
Skylar's eyes locked onto Sophie's. This time, his voice was low but deadly serious.
"I just warned that lowly trash to stay away from you. I did it for you, Skylar. For us. If I didn't, that girl would keep throwing herself at you. And we both know she's not like us. She'd just get in the way—"
That was it. Every word that came out of her mouth made Skylar's skin crawl.
His grip on her skin tightened, his jaw clenched. Red marks were forming in her skin, and she squirmed, nearly in tears."
"Then shut up," he snapped. "Don't say her name. Don't even breathe in her direction."
He shoved her away and turned around, his anger almost too much to handle.
Dan, standing nearby, shook his head in disbelief and gave Sophie a very clear middle finger before walking off with Skylar.
Sophie stood frozen. Her lips trembled, and her heart raced with rage. He touched me like that? For her? She clenched her fists and whispered to herself, "She's going to regret ever messing with me."
Meanwhile, Kayla was on her way home, still fuming.
Why did he follow me? Why did even care enough to snap like that?
When she got home, the apartment was quiet. Her dad wasn't back from work. She sighed, dropped her bag by the door, and went straight to her room to get ready for her shift. from work.
She glanced at the clock. 4:00PM. Her shift started at five. Enough time to clean up and go.
Just as she was brushing her hair, her little brother knocked softly and stepped in.
"Um… Kayla?"
She turned. "Yeah?"
He looked nervous. "There's a school trip. They said we have to pay before next week. I know it's a lot—"
Kayla stood and gave him a small smile. "Don't act like that. You're my little brother. Of course you can ask me for things."
"But we're not—"
"I know," she interrupted, "We're not rich. But I'll figure it out. I promise, okay?"
His eyes lit up, and he ran into her arms. "Thanks, Kay!"
She ruffled his hair, smiled again, and after he left, her face fell back into a tired expression.
She picked up her bag and walked out the door.
____________________________
The coffee shop was only a few blocks away. It was quiet when she arrived. She clocked in, tied her apron, and jumped behind the counter.
She had just finished taking an order when the door chimed. Two boys walked in- one looking Like he wanted to destroy the world, the other trying to calm him down.
Kayla kept her eyes on the screen, clicking buttons for the next order.
The calmer boy walked up to the counter. "Hey, can I get an iced cof-" He stopped mid-sentence.
Kayla, still not looking up, asked, "what size?"
Then she heard it, softly, "Kayla?"
Her head shot up. "Dan?"
He blinked. "You work here?"
She looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah… I do. One iced coffee, right?"
She grabbed a cup and got to work.
Dan tried to say something more, but she cut in. "Sorry, there are other customers waiting."
He sighed, took the drink, and went back to his table.
Kayla dared a glance at the table, his hands clenched.
Dan slid the iced coffee over to him. "Drink. You look like you're about to explode."
Skylar took a sip and leaned back in the chair, the coldness helping him calm the heat in his chest.
Dan leaned closer. "Okay seriously. What was that outburst earlier? You've never snapped like that."
Skylar didn't answer.
Dan continued, "Was it Sophie? or… was it Kayla?"
Skylar blinked. He hated how heating her name made something flutter in his chest. "It's nothing. I'm just… tired."
Dan gave him a look. "Oh please. You've got it bad."
Skylar frowned. "I don't."
"First stage: Denial." Dan said with a grin.
Skylar rolled his eyes. "You're being annoying."
"Second stage: Anger." Dan teased.
Skylar have up arguing and just muttered. "Whatever."
Dan leaned in, lowering his voice. "By the way, you might wanna look behind the counter."
Skylar looked. Kayla was helping a customer, carefully pouring a drink. Their eyes met- just for a second.
Then she looked away.
Skylar felt something strange inside—like his anger, confusion, and frustration melted into something soft and unexplainable.
He didn't know what it was.
But he knew one thing.
He had to figure it out.