The hallway was still buzzing after Lia passed through it, even though she and Kairav had already turned the corner. Students whispered like they'd just seen a ghost slip through the school.
Kiara stayed frozen in the same spot, her face tight with humiliation. Her friends hovered around her, waiting for her to explode.
But Kiara didn't explode.
She cracked.
"Did you see that?" she whispered. "She— she threatened me without even— saying it."
Her hands shook. One of the girls touched her shoulder, but Kiara shrugged it off harshly.
"No. No. I'm not scared of her," Kiara said, but her voice quivered. "I'm not…"
She didn't even convince herself.
Her eyes turned red with frustration.
"Let's go," she muttered, storming off toward her class.
But as she left, she noticed something that made her stomach twist — the other students weren't looking at Lia and Kairav anymore.
They were looking at her.
Like she was the problem.
Like she had picked the wrong enemy.
For the first time, Kiara felt something she never expected.
Regret.
Lia and Kairav stepped outside near the covered courtyard. The air was cooler here, and for once, it matched Lia's expression — cold, controlled, but not unreadable to someone who knew her well.
Kairav didn't speak. He waited, as he always did, for Lia to talk first.
She didn't.
She just stood there, staring at the little cracks in the ground, her hands in her pockets. The breeze moved her hair slightly, and she let out a long breath she'd been holding in for hours.
"That bad?" Kairav asked finally.
Lia didn't look at him, but her shoulders dropped.
"They all knew," she said. "Everyone except you."
Kairav stayed quiet.
"It felt like I was yelling into a room full of people pretending they can't hear me."
She shook her head. "I hate that feeling."
Kairav stepped closer, enough that she could feel his presence next to her.
"You handled it," he said. "You always do."
"That's the problem," Lia whispered. "I shouldn't have to."
Kairav studied her expression. He rarely saw her like this — not angry, not icy, not amused, not annoyed.
Just tired.
But before he could say anything else, someone suddenly burst through the courtyard doors.
It was Angelo.
He was panting, eyes wide like he had sprinted across the entire school.
"Lia!" he called out.
Kairav's posture changed instantly — from relaxed to protective, stepping half a step in front of her without thinking.
Angelo stopped when he noticed it.
Then he forced himself to speak anyway.
"Lia… I— I need to talk to you. Alone."
Kairav raised an eyebrow, but Lia touched his sleeve, signaling him to stay calm.
She faced Angelo directly.
"What is it?" she asked.
Angelo swallowed hard.
His mouth opened—
closed—
opened again.
And then—
"I didn't tell you the truth yesterday," he said, struggling to keep his voice steady.
Lia didn't blink.
"I know," she said simply.
Angelo flinched at how easily she said it.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't want to lie. I just… I didn't know how to say it."
"Say it now," Lia said.
Kairav watched closely. He could tell whatever was coming wasn't small. Angelo looked like he was about to collapse.
Angelo finally took a sharp breath.
"It wasn't just Kiara who spread the rumor."
Lia's eyes sharpened instantly.
Angelo continued, voice breaking.
"It was her… but she didn't come up with it alone. Someone helped her. Someone from—" He clenched his fists. "—from Section E."
Silence dropped over them like a heavy curtain.
Lia's expression did not change at all.
But Kairav felt the air shift around her — like the pressure of a storm closing in.
"Who," she said, her voice low and flat.
Angelo looked sick.
"I— I didn't want to believe it, but— it was…"
He looked down, ashamed.
"…it was Kit."
Lia didn't breathe.
Kairav didn't move.
Angelo kept talking, the words tumbling out now.
"He didn't spread everything, but he told Kiara just enough so she could twist it. I tried to stop him but he said—" Angelo's voice cracked. "—he said he was tired of everyone always choosing you first. Even me."
Lia's eyes slowly lifted from the ground to Angelo.
There was no anger in them yet.
No explosion.
No yelling.
Just a quiet, terrifying calm.
"Thank you," she said.
Angelo looked confused. "For… telling you?"
"No," Lia said softly.
"For finally telling me the truth."
Angelo felt his chest drop with relief. He nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve, and walked away slowly.
When he was gone, Kairav turned to her.
"You good?" he asked, trying to keep it light.
Lia didn't answer right away.
"Kit," she whispered. "Of all people."
Kairav nodded slowly.
"You're going to confront him?" he asked.
Lia shook her head.
"No," she said. "If he wants a war, he'll make the first move himself. People like him always do."
Kairav exhaled.
"And when he does?"
Lia's eyes darkened, but her voice stayed eerily calm.
"When he does," she said, "I won't hold back."