CHAPTER FOUR CLASH OF SHADOWS.
1858 Words
Clerk’s POV
I watched him walk toward her, my suspicion already burning.
“I just wanted to give you this,” he said, handing her a book. “Seems like you forgot it with me.”
His voice was calm, his smile disarming.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
What?
Felicia glanced at me, but before she could say anything, I shot her a stare sharp enough to cut through glass. Something was off about this guy—no one’s that nice on their first days. He was pretending, I could feel it.
“I’m fine,” Felicia said, smiling at him. “Thanks for your concern.”
Yuck. That smile made me want to roll my eyes.
“Okay, see you around.” He smiled again, then walked off. I gave Felicia a look I couldn’t even explain myself, but I knew she understood. Before I turned to leave, I caught him winking at me—winking, with a smirk.
The hell?
He’d barely been here a day and was already acting like he owned the place. My fists clenched on reflex.
“Clerk!” someone called.
I turned, meeting a pair of hazel eyes framed by that same smug grin. “That’s your name, right?” he asked, smiling like a pageant queen.
“Yes. Why?”
“I’ve been hearing about you,” he said casually. “The school cutie and badass. Wanted to see what the hype was about.”
His words dripped arrogance.
“So?” I asked, my patience thinning.
“I’m seeing nothing.”
“Okay, what the hell?” I snapped. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
He just stood there, that irritating smirk glued to his lips. Before I knew it, my hand had his collar in a tight grip.
“Think you’re funny, huh?” I growled. His eyes glittered with amusement.
“Hey, Clerk, let him go!” Rae’s voice cut through the tension, but she sounded more entertained than concerned. “Not like you’re actually gonna hurt him.”
I glared at her. She shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
Josh—yeah, that was his name—met my eyes. “Actually,” he said calmly, “I’m just getting started.”
Rae snorted. “Oh, great. Another one.”
I let him go, disgust curling in my stomach. He straightened his shirt, smirk still intact. “Thanks for the drama. I’ll make sure to stick around for more.”
Rae raised an eyebrow. “Please do. You’re entertaining.”
I turned to her. “What do you want, Rae?”
She smiled sweetly. “Just wanted to see you make a fool of yourself. Mission accomplished.”
And just like that, she left me standing there, seething.
Josh chuckled softly. “Guess I’m not the only one with issues around here.”
“Shut up,” I snapped.
He tilted his head. “You can’t shut me up.”
“Shut your b***h ass up!” I barked.
He didn’t even flinch. “You should watch yourself, Clerk. I’m not here to play games with someone like you.”
“Oh yeah? Then what are you here for?”
“My education,” he said smoothly, stepping closer. “I came here for a reason. I won’t let anyone stand in my way.”
He smiled again before walking off, leaving me with a boiling chest and too many questions.
There was something about that guy—something calculated behind his charm. I could feel it. He was hiding something, and I’d make it my job to find out what.
But even as I thought that, my mind wandered back to her. Felicia.
Why did I care so damn much?
I told myself I didn’t. I didn’t give a damn then, and I wasn’t about to start now. The only reason I’d even bother was to unmask that snake, not to protect her. That’s what I kept telling myself.
Over and over.
And maybe, if I said it enough times, I’d start believing it.
---
Felicia’s POV
“Can you believe Clerk actually called me a slut?” I said, still half in disbelief.
Rae froze mid-movement, her backpack slipping from her hands. “Wait—what?”
“He almost fought Josh too,” she added, shaking her head.
I sighed. “He said I wasn’t the social type before, but the moment I start talking to a guy, suddenly I’m a slut—or a potential one.”
Rae just stared at me, speechless.
“And that’s the guy you’re crushing on?” she said finally, her tone dripping with irony. “How pathetic.”
I looked away. I couldn’t even deny it. I hadn’t crushed this hard on anyone before. Not since ninth grade—when a boy lent me his pen and I fell in love. Or in elementary school, when a boy slapped me and somehow that counted as affection. Silly, childish crushes.
But Clerk… he was different.
The way his lips moved when he spoke, the deep rumble of his voice—it did something to me. His black hair, that sharp jawline, those forest-green eyes—everything about him screamed danger and beauty at once.
When he looked at me, my heart raced. When he spoke, my skin tingled. I shouldn’t feel that way, but I did.
“I think I actually like him,” I admitted softly.
Rae groaned. “You think? Girl, you’re hopeless.”
Before I could respond, the classroom door opened.
Josh stepped in, all smiles.
“Josh,” I breathed.
“Hi,” he said, waving at me. His voice was smooth—too smooth.
“I heard about what happened with Clerk,” I said cautiously.
“Oh, that?” He chuckled lightly. “It’s nothing. People lose their tempers. No one’s perfect.”
“Wow,” I said, genuinely surprised. “You’re so sweet.”
He smiled, and I felt myself blushing despite everything.
“But is he always like that?” he asked, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
Rae scoffed. “He’s a dick.”
“Don’t say that,” I protested. “I think all that anger is just hiding something deeper. Maybe he’s… sweet underneath.”
Rae rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath. Josh looked thoughtful, his expression unreadable.
She had no idea, I thought. No idea what kind of effect she had when she said things like that.
Then I realized he’d gone silent.
“Josh?” I said. “You’re smiling pretty hard over there.”
He blinked, caught off guard.
“Were you thinking about your girl?” I teased, smiling.
“Nah,” he said quickly. “I’m single.”
I didn’t mean to smile that widely, but I couldn’t help it. Rae noticed, of course.
Josh excused himself soon after, muttering something about needing to take a call. As he left, I felt my pulse quicken. Something about him was… strange. But charming, too.
Maybe I was just imagining it.
---
Josh’s POV
So soon? She already likes me.
I couldn’t help the grin spreading across my face as I left the classroom. My phone buzzed, and I answered it before even checking the name.
“I think she likes me already,” I said into the receiver, my voice low.
“Good,” the voice on the other end replied. “Stick to the plan. Don’t get distracted.”
I laughed softly. “Relax. She’s practically walking into it.”
The call ended, but my mind lingered on Felicia’s face—those bright, innocent eyes, the nervous smiles. She was so easy to read, so eager to believe the best in people. It almost made me feel bad. Almost.
I washed my hands at the sink, looking up at my reflection. The grin on my face didn’t look kind anymore—it looked sharp, dangerous.
This place was going to be interesting.
---
Felicia’s POV
Rae was still ranting when I snapped out of my thoughts.
“You can’t just let him call you that,” she was saying. “You should’ve slapped him or something.”
I sighed. “You know Clerk. He says things he doesn’t mean.”
“Yeah, well, that didn’t sound like he didn’t mean it.”
Maybe she was right. But I knew Clerk. Beneath all that attitude, there was something raw—something real. I’d seen it once when he’d helped an injured cat outside the cafeteria, muttering curses under his breath the whole time. He pretended not to care, but he did.
That’s what drew me in.
And yet, there was Josh—polite, funny, charming. Everything Clerk wasn’t. But something about him felt rehearsed, too smooth to be real.
Two opposites. One fiery, one calm. Both dangerous in their own ways.
And me, stuck in between.
---
Clerk’s POV
The day dragged on, but my thoughts wouldn’t stop circling back. Josh’s words, his smirk, the way he looked at Felicia—it all gnawed at me.
He wasn’t just some transfer student. There was something deeper, something calculated.
I saw him later that afternoon by the bleachers, talking on the phone. His voice was low, serious. I couldn’t make out the words, but the tone said everything.
He hung up and caught me staring. For a second, neither of us moved. Then he smiled, slow and knowing.
“What’s your deal, man?” I called out.
He shrugged. “No deal. Just living.”
I stepped closer. “You better not do anything that will hurt someone."
He laughed softly. “Why?"
The silence that followed burned hotter than fire.
He took that as his answer. “Didn’t think so,” he said, brushing past me. “Then maybe you should worry less about me—and more about what she really wants.”
My fists tightened, but I didn’t move. I just watched him walk away, his voice echoing in my head.
---
Felicia’s POV
That night, I couldn’t sleep. Clerk’s words haunted me. Slut. Why would he even say that? And why did it hurt so much coming from him?
Maybe because part of me wanted his approval. Maybe because I cared.
I hated myself for it.
And yet, as I lay there staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t stop thinking about him—his voice, his anger, his eyes when they softened for just a moment before hardening again.
I wanted to hate him. But I didn’t.
And that terrified me more than anything.
---
Clerk’s POV
Sleep wouldn’t come. My mind replayed every moment—the smirk, the wink, the phone call I wasn’t supposed to overhear.
Josh was dangerous. I didn’t know what his game was yet, but I knew one thing for sure: he wasn’t here for just his education.
And Felicia? She was walking straight into whatever trap he was setting.
I clenched my fists, staring into the dark.
I told myself I didn’t care.
But deep down, I knew I did.
And that’s what scared me most.
- Writer
