The Breaking Point
544 Words
Ava should have known the humiliation wouldn’t end with dodgeball.
By lunchtime, the cafeteria buzzed with whispers.
She didn’t have to guess what they were talking about.
She could feel their eyes on her, watching, waiting for her next moment of embarrassment.
Not today.
Clutching her tray, she kept her head down and moved quickly toward her usual seat—the farthest corner of the room.
She had almost made it. Almost.
Until she passed Damian’s table.
A foot shot out in front of her.
Too late.
Her tray tilted—food spilled—and the next thing she knew, she was on the cold cafeteria floor, her hands stinging from the impact.
Laughter erupted all around her.
“Oops,” Lucas said, smirking as he leaned back in his chair. “Didn’t see you there, Carter.”
Ava bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood.
Her face burned, but she forced herself to stay still, her hands clenching into tight fists on the floor.
Jace chuckled. “Guess she’s used to being on the ground.”
More laughter.
Ava shut her eyes for half a second, just long enough to push back the rage clawing at her chest.
Then she looked up.
Straight at Damian.
He wasn’t laughing.
For the first time, he looked unsure—like he wanted to say something. Do something.
Her heart pounded.
Was he actually—?
Lucas clapped him on the back, grinning. “That was a good one, huh, Damian?”
The hesitation in Damian’s face vanished instantly. His jaw clenched, his expression smoothing back into that same cold mask he always wore.
And he said nothing.
Ava’s stomach twisted. Of course.
What had she expected? That he’d suddenly grow a conscience?
Her hands trembled as she pushed herself up. No more.
“Touch me again, and you’ll regret it,” she said, voice steady, despite the fire blazing in her chest.
Lucas raised an eyebrow, amused. “Oh? What are you gonna do, Carter?”
She didn’t think. She acted.
Her tray—**still in her hand—**tilted forward.
Milk splashed straight onto his expensive designer shirt.
Gasps rippled through the cafeteria.
Lucas shot up from his seat, furious. “You little—”
But before he could take a step toward her, a hand grabbed his arm.
Damian.
His grip was tight, unyielding.
“Enough,” he said, voice sharp.
Lucas froze.
The cafeteria fell dead silent.
Ava’s heart hammered in her chest as she watched Damian, his fingers still curled around Lucas’s arm.
Why was he stopping him? Why did he look so tense?
Her breath caught as Damian finally looked at her.
There was something different in his gaze.
But before she could make sense of it, his expression hardened again.
“You should go,” he muttered.
Ava held his gaze. Waiting. Hoping.
But he didn’t say anything else.
Didn’t stand up for her.
Didn’t do a damn thing.
Her chest tightened.
She turned on her heel and stormed out, leaving the whispers, the laughter, and Damian Lancaster behind her.
But even as she walked away, she could feel his gaze on her back.
Like he wanted to stop her.
And for some reason, that made it even worse.
- Writer
