Between Pages and Hallway Glances

Chapter 4: Voices in the Hall

The whole world seemed to freeze for a heartbeat. Kael stepped in front of me instantly, his shoulders tense, like he was ready to shield me from anything Lila might say.

"Put the phone away," he said, his voice low and sharp—nothing like the soft tone he’d used with me just moments before.

Lila laughed, though she lowered her hand slowly. "Relax, I didn't take a picture. Yet. But imagine how fast this would spread… the perfect top student sneaking around with the quiet, scarred new boy." She tilted her head, her eyes glinting. "Everyone’s been wondering why you two keep disappearing. Now I know."

"Then keep it to yourself," I said, surprising even myself. My voice shook a little, but I stepped out from behind Kael to stand beside him. "It doesn’t concern anyone else."

Lila’s smile faded. "Fine. For now. But secrets like this never stay hidden at Westbrook High." With one last lingering look, she turned and vanished back through the bushes.

The second she was gone, Kael ran a hand through his hair, frustration written all over his face. "I knew we should’ve been more careful. Now she’s going to tell everyone, and your parents—"

"Don’t," I interrupted, lacing my fingers through his. His hand was warm, a little shaky, but he held on tight. "I don’t care about rumors. And I’m tired of hiding anyway. You said you didn’t want to hide me anymore, remember?"

He looked down at our joined hands, then up at me, and slowly the worry in his eyes softened. "I remember."

By Tuesday morning, whispers had already spread through the whole school. When we walked into the hallway together, heads turned. Some students pointed, others smirked, and a few shot us confused or even disapproving looks. I felt my face get hot, but Kael squeezed my hand once, and I stood a little straighter.

During lunch, the murmurs followed us to the cafeteria table. Lila sat with her friends across the room, glancing over now and then and saying something that made them giggle. Then Jake—Lila’s boyfriend and the captain of the basketball team—stood up and strolled over, leaning against our table with a mocking grin.

"So it’s true?" he said loud enough for nearby tables to hear. "Elara Voss and the mysterious loner? What, did you run out of normal boys to chase?"

Before I could answer, Kael stood up. He was a little taller than Jake, and his voice was calm but unyielding. "Leave her alone. This has nothing to do with you."

"Everything has something to do with me when it’s this interesting," Jake scoffed. "Or maybe you’re just using her to make yourself fit in. Everyone knows you don’t belong here."

For a second I saw the hurt flash across Kael’s face—the old fear of being pushed away, of never being good enough—but he didn’t back down. Instead, he looked right at Jake and said clearly:

"I belong wherever Elara is. And unlike some people, I don’t need to put others down just to feel big."

The whole table went quiet. Jake’s face flushed red, and for a moment it looked like he might say more, but then he just muttered something under his breath and walked away.

When he was gone, Kael sat back down, looking a little shaken. "I’m sorry," he said quietly. "I didn’t mean to make a scene."

"You were amazing," I told him, and meant it completely. I reached over and brushed my thumb over the back of his hand. "Thank you for standing up for me."

He turned his hand to hold mine properly, a small, proud smile tugging at his lips. "We stand up for each other. That’s how this works, right?"

Just then, my phone buzzed. One new message from Mom: We need to talk about your grades when you get home. And don’t think we haven’t heard about that boy you’ve been spending time with.

My stomach dropped. The rumors had reached my parents already. And I had a feeling that facing the school was going to be the easy part.