Falling For Xavier Reyes, My Bully

Shark Tank

BEATRICE

I keep my head down as I walk through the school's front entrance, earpiece in, music off. It helps. Like maybe, if I pretend hard enough, no one would see me. No such luck. "Hey, new girl! You lost or just slow?" The voice comes from across the hallway. It's Shayla flanked by Shannon and Jade. They glare at me with dead eyes and expensive lip gloss. They always travel in threes, like vultures.

I don't stop walking. I have learnt by now: pausing meant reacting. And reacting gave them something to chew on. "Guess she's mute today," Jade mutters, loud enough to be heard. "She's probably still full from breakfast," Shayla adds with a snicker. "That poor cereal box didn't stand a chance." Laughter echoes behind me, but I push forward, jaw tight, throat burning. I can feel it all happening again, the slow crumbling of my world.

I turn the corner into first period and practically collide with someone. My shoulder hits something solid, and my books tumble to the floor. "Watch it," I mutter, dropping to her knees to gather them. "Damn, Mystery. Rough morning?" My stomach sinks. Of course, it's him. Xavier crouches down beside me, not bothering to hide the smirk on his face. "You always charge into class like a linebacker?"

I snatch my notebook from under his hand. "You always stalk the halls like a stray dog?" He laughs, a mind-blowing Xavier Reyes laugh. Like I actually said something funny. "You've got bite," he says, rising smoothly to his feet. "Didn't peg you for the feisty type." "Maybe you should stop pegging people," I snap.

For a split second, his grin falters. Then comes the smirk again, sharper now, intrigued. He leans in close, voice low. "Careful, Bea. I might start to like you." Xavier using my pet name does something funny to me. I stare at him, heart thudding, unsure if I want to slap him or disappear into the wall. Probably both.

"Don't," I say. "Too late." And then, as casually as breathing, he slips a folded note into my hand and walks away, whistling. I stare at the paper, throat dry. I should throw it out. Rip it in half. Pretend it doesn't exist. But my fingers curl around it anyway. I slip into my seat at the back of the class before unfolding the note under the desk. Xavier's handwriting is annoyingly neat, like he's too good at everything, including making people feel unsteady.

"Smile if you secretly want to punch everyone in here. If you're not smiling… blink twice."

--X

A small, involuntary laugh escapes my lips before I can stop it. I immediately smother it with a cough, cheeks burning. He is messing with me. Or maybe he isn't.

Either way, I hate that it worked, that my chest feels just a little lighter now, that someone has noticed I exist. The moment passes too quickly. By lunch, the cafeteria is packed, the air buzzes with gossip, cheap perfume, and the faint scent of stale fries. I carry my tray like a shield, eyes scanning for a corner to disappear into. No such luck.

Shayla catches me like a shark spotting blood in the water. "Well, if it isn't Big B,” she says loudly, blocking my path. “New York's finest trash panda."

I don't stop. "Move." "Someone's brave today,” Shayla says, stepping in front of me again. "Did you finally get laid? Or just found a doughnut on the sidewalk?” Gasps and snickers erupt around us. My hands shake, but I hold onto the tray.

Then another voice cut in.

"Leave her alone." The air shifts. I freeze. So does Shayla. Xavier stands a few feet away, one hand casually tucked into the front pocket of his jeans, the other holding his drink. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. Shayla blinks, stunned. “Excuse me?”

"You heard me," he says, stepping closer. "Pick on someone your own size. Or, I don't know, someone with an actual personality." Laughter ripples through the nearby tables. Shayla's face turns red, her glare flicking from Xavier to me and back.

"Whatever," she mutters, backing off with her entourage in tow. Xavier walked past me without another word, his shoulder brushing lightly against mine. Everyone stares. I want to sink through the floor. Eyes follow me like spotlights as I find an empty table near the far wall and sit down, heart pounding. My appetite vanished.

I don't know what bugged me more, Shayla’s bullying or Xavier swooping in like some kind of knight. Because now, the whispers would follow me for the rest of the day. And the worst part? A tiny, shameful part of me liked the way he looked at me. Like maybe I wasn't all that ugly.

The ride home felt longer than usual. When I leave the bus, my backpack drags on my shoulders like a weight I can't shrug off. Every step echoes with the memory of Shayla’s voice. Xavier’s voice. The whispers.

The note. I pull it from my pocket and look at it again, fingers brushing the edge. It was stupid. Flirty. Infuriating. And it makes me feel seen. I hate that. By the time I reach the apartment building, the sun is already slipping behind the rooftops, leaving the sky streaked with purples and greys. The cracked stairwell smells like cigarettes and old paint. I climb slowly, dreading what might be behind the front door.

Inside, the place is quiet. Too quiet. "Mom?" I call. No one answers. I glance toward the couch. It is empty. The kitchen too is dark. Then I hear it. A muffled sound. A door creaking open. Teddy's bedroom. My stomach drops. I move toward the hallway, every step heavier than the last.

"Bea?" Teddy’s voice comes from his room, quiet and shaky. I push the door open. Teddy is on the edge of his bed, his panda in his lap. His eyes are wide and wet. "He came in here," Teddy whispers. "Pete. He said he was just checking the window. But… I don't think that's why."

My breath catches. Something in me snaps quietly, like a thread fraying. My fists clench at my sides. My mind buzzes with noise and silence all at once. And for the first time in a long time, I don't feel afraid. I feel angry.