Chapter 22
1974 Words
Bella walked back to the dorm with a small, cautious smile on her face. For the first time since she arrived at Lycaon, she felt a tiny bit of hope. Reyes had promised to talk to Ethan, and something about the way he said it made her believe he could actually make it happen.
The moment she opened the door, Molly jumped up from her bed, eyes wide with worry.
“Where have you been? I was so worried!” Molly exclaimed, rushing over to her.
“I’m fine,” Bella said, closing the door behind her. “I just… encountered some pigs.”
“Really? Who?” Molly asked, frowning.
Bella hesitated. She almost told her about Amelia and the slap fight, but then remembered Reyes’ calm promise. If he said he would handle Ethan, maybe she didn’t need to drag Molly into more drama right now.
“Don’t worry about it,” Bella replied instead. “I talked to Reyes.”
Molly’s face instantly lit up. “Really? What did he say? Did he agree to help you?”
Bella nodded, unable to hide her relieved smile. “Yes. He said Ethan owes him a favor, and he’ll talk to him about leaving me alone.”
Molly squealed and pulled Bella into a tight hug. They both jumped up and down together in the middle of the room like excited kids.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so happy!” Molly laughed. “Once Reyes says he’ll fix something, he actually does it. You’re going to be okay, Bella. For real this time.”
Bella hugged her back, feeling some of the heavy weight on her chest finally lift. “I really hope so.”
—
Meanwhile, in the senior lounge, Ethan was sprawled on the couch, looking bored as his friends tormented a trembling sophomore. One of them stuck gum in the boy’s hair while another poured milk over his head, laughing loudly.
The boy whimpered, trying to crawl toward Ethan. “Please, Master Ethan… I’m sorry—”
Before he could touch him, one of Ethan’s friends kicked the boy away hard. “How dare you try to come close to him!”
They started beating the student again while Ethan simply twisted his keychain around his finger, completely unamused.
A firm knock echoed through the room.
Everyone froze.
The door opened and Reyes stepped in, his tall frame filling the doorway. The air instantly grew heavier.
Reyes didn’t waste time with greetings. His voice was calm but carried clear authority.
“One word.”
Ethan’s friends stepped back immediately. The beaten sophomore took the chance to scramble away, grateful for the interruption.
Ethan met Reyes’ eyes for a long moment, then slowly sat up straighter. “Make it quick.”
Reyes closed the door behind him and leaned against it, arms crossed. “The new girl. Bella. Leave her alone.”
Ethan let out a short, humorless laugh. “That’s it? You came all the way here for her?”
“She’s under my protection now,” Reyes said flatly. “You and your crew stop messing with her. No more hallway ambushes, no more threats, no more sending your little girlfriend to do your dirty work. Call it off.”
Ethan’s smirk faded. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You’re really using that favor on some random freshman? She embarrassed me in front of the whole cafeteria, Reyes. You expect me to just let that slide?”
“I don’t care what she did,” Reyes replied, his tone unchanging. “You owe me. I’m calling it in. Back off.”
Ethan stared at him for several seconds, jaw tight. The room was dead silent.
“You know what she is?” Ethan asked quietly. “She’s weak. She walked in here thinking she could play hero. If I don’t put her in her place, others will think they can do the same.”
Reyes didn’t blink. “That’s not your concern anymore. You touch her again — directly or through your little followers — and we’re going to have a much bigger problem than a favor. Understood?”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You’re threatening me now?”
“I’m reminding you,” Reyes corrected. “You owe me. Pay up. Leave the girl alone.”
The tension in the room thickened. Ethan’s friends shifted uncomfortably, but none of them dared speak.
Finally, Ethan leaned back against the couch and gave a single, reluctant nod.
“Fine,” he muttered. “Consider it done. For now.”
Reyes studied him for a moment longer, making sure the message had landed. “Good. Don’t make me come back here.”
Without another word, Reyes turned and walked out, closing the door firmly behind him.
The second he was gone, Ethan’s expression darkened. He slammed his fist against the arm of the couch.
One of his friends cleared his throat. “You’re really backing off from the new girl?”
Ethan’s lips curled into a cold, dangerous smirk.
“Yea,” he said quietly. “Reyes called for his favor and I can’t say no to that”
—
Amelia stormed across the senior quad, her blood still boiling from the earlier slap fight. She spotted Scott leaning against the old oak tree, cigarette dangling from his lips. A pretty dark-haired girl was standing far too close, laughing at whatever he was saying.
Without hesitation, Amelia marched over, grabbed the girl by her hair, and delivered a sharp slap across her face.
“Get lost, you cheap w***e!” Amelia snarled.
The girl yelped and stumbled away, clutching her reddened cheek. Scott didn’t even flinch. He simply took a slow drag from his cigarette, watching the scene with lazy amusement.
“Why so angry, little bird?” he asked, exhaling smoke through his nose.
Amelia whirled on him, eyes flashing with fury. “Are you cheating on me again?!”
Scott shrugged, completely unbothered. “It’s not cheating if you’re not exclusive, baby.”
Amelia’s hands balled into fists. “You know what? I’m done with this. I’m breaking up with you!”
She turned on her heel to storm off, but her friends — Lila and Sophia — quickly caught up and pulled her aside. They whispered frantically in her ear. Amelia’s expression shifted from rage to cold calculation as they mentioned Bella.
She stopped, turned back around, and glared at Scott.
Scott noticed the change. He flicked ash from his cigarette and smiled slowly.
“I knew you couldn’t just break up with me,” he said smoothly. “You know I love you, little bird.”
Amelia rolled her eyes but stayed put. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m only staying because that new b***h Bella just humiliated all three of us in front of half the school.”
Scott’s smirk faded slightly. He took another drag, studying her face.
“What happened?” he asked, voice still casual but with a hint of interest.
Amelia crossed her arms, cheeks flushing with fresh anger as she recounted it.
“I was just putting her in her place after she embarrassed you and Ethan in the cafeteria. I told her to apologize on her knees. Instead, she slapped me. Then she slapped Lila and Sophia too. Right in front of everyone! People were filming it. They were laughing at us!”
Scott’s eyebrows rose. He let out a low whistle.
“She slapped all three of you?” He sounded almost impressed. “The little freshman has claws.”
“It’s not funny!” Amelia snapped. “She made me look weak. She made us all look weak. I want her to pay for it. I want her to suffer.”
Scott was quiet for a moment, smoking thoughtfully. His expression had shifted from amusement to something darker.
“So the new girl is causing real trouble,” he murmured. “First she runs her mouth at both me and Ethan, now she’s slapping my girlfriend in public. Interesting.”
He flicked the cigarette butt away and pulled Amelia closer by the waist.
“What do you want me to do about it, little bird?” he asked, voice low. “You want me to scare her? Break her? Or should I make her regret ever stepping foot in this academy?”
Amelia looked up at him, eyes gleaming with vicious satisfaction.
“I want her destroyed,” she said softly. “Make sure she knows her place. Make sure everyone knows what happens when they mess with us.”
Scott’s lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile.
“Consider it done,” he said. “But you owe me for this one.”
Amelia rolled her eyes again, but she didn’t pull away. “Fine. Just make it hurt.”
Scott leaned down and kissed her roughly, then pulled back with a smirk.
“Don’t worry. By the time I’m finished with Bella… she’ll wish she never opened her mouth.”
—
Molly and Bella finally stopped jumping around the room, both of them laughing and slightly out of breath. The relief in the air felt almost tangible after the stressful day.
“Okay, okay,” Molly said, still grinning. “We need to celebrate properly! Snacks, drinks, and a movie. No more drama tonight.”
Bella’s eyes lit up. “Yes! That sounds perfect.” She tilted her head, thinking. “What should we watch?”
Both girls looked at each other for half a second before they shouted at the same time:
“XO Kitty!”
They burst into laughter again, jumping up and down once more like excited kids.
Molly wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. “I’ll go get the snacks from the vending machine and the mini-fridge. Chips, chocolate, soda — the works.”
“I’ll turn on the TV and get the show ready,” Bella replied, already moving toward the small TV on the desk.
Molly grabbed her purse and headed for the door. “Don’t start without me! I’ll be back in five minutes.”
As soon as Molly left, Bella turned on the TV and scrolled through the streaming apps until she found XO Kitty. She queued up the first episode, a soft smile on her face. For the first time all day, the heavy weight on her chest had lightened. Reyes was going to talk to Ethan, Molly was on her side, and tonight they could just be normal girls watching a fun show.
She flopped onto her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest while she waited.
A few minutes later, the door opened and Molly returned with her arms full — two bags of chips, a pack of chocolate bars, two cans of soda, and even a small pack of cookies.
“Feast has arrived!” Molly announced dramatically, dumping everything onto Bella’s bed.
Bella laughed and immediately reached for the chocolate. “You’re the best roommate ever.”
They arranged the snacks between them, dimmed the lights, and pressed play. The opening music of XO Kitty filled the room, and for a while, the academy, Ethan, Amelia, and all the bullying felt very far away.
Halfway through the first episode, Molly nudged Bella with her elbow.
“See? This is what we needed. Just us, junk food, and zero drama.”
Bella smiled, popping a chip into her mouth. “Yeah… thank you, Molly. For everything today.”
Molly waved it off. “That’s what friends are for. Now shh — Kitty is about to make another bad decision.”
They both giggled and settled in, the stress of the day slowly melting away with every laugh and every bite of chocolate.
For tonight, at least, Bella felt safe.
- Writer
