A Tutor For My Bully

Chapter 21: The Warning

Akira's POV

The note refused to leave my mind, I had read the same sentence so many times that the ink was beginning to blur before my eyes.

Stay away from Kael... or next time, it won't just be your locker.

I folded the paper with trembling fingers and tucked it into my Mathematics textbook, who would write something like that?

Linda? No... Linda wasn't exactly the type to hide behind anonymous notes. She preferred saying hurtful things to my face. Camila?

No. Never. She had become one of the only people who had ever treated me kindly. Then who?

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself it was just a prank, my chest refused to calm down.nThe person who wrote that note knew about my locker. They had been watching me.

….

The next morning, I found myself glancing over my shoulder every few minutes while walking to school. Every laugh behind me sounded suspicious, every whisper felt like it was about me. Maybe I was overthinking, maybe...

"Akira!"

I turned. Camila jogged toward me with two sandwiches in her hands. "I've been calling you for almost a minute."

"Oh..."

"You okay?" I forced a smile. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I didn't sleep well." She studied me for a moment before handing me one of the sandwiches.

"My mom packed too much food again."

"You don't have to—" "I wasn't asking."

I smiled. "Thank you."

"You finally smiled." I bit into the sandwich, It was warm. For a second, everything felt normal again.

….

The hallway buzzed with students changing classes. As Camila left for Literature, I headed toward Mathematics, I had barely taken five steps when I felt someone brush past my shoulder.

Hard. My books slipped from my arms.

"Oops." A girl laughed.

I looked up, Jenny.

Three girls stood behind her, giggling.

"Watch where you're going, four-eyes."

"I..." Before I could kneel to pick up my books, someone stepped between us. A tall figure, broad shoulders, messy black hair.

Kael.

He bent down, picked up my notebook, and dusted it with his hand, Jenny immediately smiled. "Kael." He ignored her completely.

Instead, he handed me the notebook. "You're becoming clumsier every day, Milky."

I blinked, He wasn't really insulting me, He was giving me an excuse not to feel embarrassed.

"I... sorry." "There you go again." He sighed dramatically. "You'd apologize to a wall if you bumped into it." Some students laughed. They thought he was bullying me,only I noticed something else. He never once looked at Jenny.

He only looked at me, then he leaned closer.

So close only I could hear him. "...Are you okay?"

My eyes widened. Was… Was he worried?

Before I could answer, he stepped back. "Don't waste my tutoring time by getting injured." He walked away as if nothing had happened.

Jenny frowned.

"What was that?" One of her friends shrugged.

"I thought he hated her."

"So did I." I stared at Kael's back until he disappeared around the corner.

….

Lunch came faster than I expected. I sat beneath the old maple tree outside with Camila, She talked excitedly about an upcoming English project. I nodded every now and then, but my attention wandered. The note, The hallway, Jenny, Kael. Everything felt strange.

"You've zoned out five times already." "Huh?"

Camila laughed. "I counted."

"Sorry." She tilted her head. "Did something happen?" My fingers tightened around my juice box. Should I tell her? No, If I did, she'd worry. And what if the person who wrote the note decided to target her too?

"I'm okay."

She didn't look convinced. Before she could ask another question, someone called her name from across the courtyard. "I'll be back,” She hurried away. I sat alone, The breeze gently pushed my hair across my face. Then… A shadow fell over me. I looked up.

Justin.

One of the Coronels players, the same guy who had played rough against Kael during the hockey match. He smiled, not the friendly kind but the calculated kind.

"You're Akira, right?"

"...Yes."

"I've been looking for you." My heartbeat quickened. "For... me?" He nodded.

"I've wanted to talk to you for a while."

"We've... never met."

"I know." He smiled again.

"But I'd like us to."

Something about his eyes made me uncomfortable, the way his eyes gazed at me from head to toe, I could tell he had a lot of thoughts up there. "I should probably—"

"You don't have to be scared."

"I'm not scared."

"Good." He slipped a small chocolate bar onto the bench beside me. "A little gift."

"I can't accept this."

"You can."

"I really can't." He chuckled. "You're interesting."

"I should go." I stood immediately.

Just as I took a step— Someone grabbed my wrist, not painfully but firmly. I turned.

Kael. His expression was unreadable. "What are you doing?" His voice was calm, too calm.

Justin smiled.

"Relax."

"We're just talking." Kael's grip tightened slightly.

"I wasn't talking to you." Justin folded his arms.

"I don't remember asking for your permission." The atmosphere changed instantly, students nearby slowed down. Some even stopped walking. It was the first time Kael and Justin had stood face-to-face since the hockey game.

Neither of them looked willing to back down.

Kael glanced at the chocolate on the bench, then back at Justin. His jaw clenched. Without taking his eyes off him, he spoke quietly.

"Milky."

"...Yes?"

"Go to class."

"But—" "I said..."

His icy blue eyes never left Justin. "...go."

I hesitated, something told me if I stayed...

Something terrible was about to happen.

I slowly picked up my bag.

As I walked away, I couldn't stop myself from looking back.

Kael and Justin were still staring at each other, neither of them moved, neither of them spoke.

But somehow… It felt like a fight had already begun.

As Akira walks away, she doesn't see Justin lean closer to Kael and whisper with a smug smile:

"You should keep a closer eye on your little tutor... before someone else steals her first."

Kael's eyes darken. For the first time in a long while… He looks genuinely furious.