Raine POV
Laughter rippled through the table, but I barely heard it over the rushing in my ears.
I turned, slowly, locking eyes with Ronan. He was smirking, as if expecting me to crumble. As if I hadn't already endured years of his torment.
But today was different.
Today, I was done.
I took a step forward, my tray of food clutched so tightly in my hands that my knuckles turned white. The cafeteria noise dulled, students catching onto the tension, eyes flickering between me and Ronan like they were waiting for a show.
Ava perfectly manicured fingers traced circles on the table as she leaned closer to Ronan, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "Ugh. Why does she even bother showing up?"
I ignored her. Or, at least, I tried to.
But then Ronan's voice cut through the air—low, lazy, and laced with amusement.
"Maybe she likes being a charity case."
Lena sucked in a sharp breath beside me.
Something cold and sharp curled inside me, a thread snapping too tight, too fast.
"Well, isn't this pathetic?" I said, my voice calm—too calm.
Ronan's smirk faltered just a fraction, but he quickly masked it with feigned boredom. "What is?"
"You," I said, letting the word hang in the air, sharp as a blade.
Silence stretched across the cafeteria.
Ava scoffed, flipping her hair. "Oh, please—"
"Shut up, Ava," I snapped, turning my glare onto her. "Your voice is as grating as your desperate little attempts to get Ronan's attention."
Ava's mouth fell open, her face burning red. "You—"
"Wow, Ava. Still obsessing over me? Should I be flattered?"
The smirk on her face faltered for half a second before she recovered, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Obsessed? Hardly. I just think it's sad that you keep showing up when no one wants you here."
Her friends giggled again, the sound grating.
I arched my brow. "No one? That's funny, considering you're the one who keeps calling attention to me. It's almost like you want me here."
Lena snorted beside me, and I caught the slight curve of Kai's lips, like he was actually impressed.
Ava, however, was not.
Her expression twisted, but before she could respond, Ronan spoke.
"Are you always this mouthy, Raine?"
His voice was low, lazy. The kind of voice that could make anyone shiver—whether from intimidation or something else entirely.
I turned toward him slowly, my heart pounding. Not from fear. From frustration.
Because it wasn't just Ava. It was him. It was always him.
He sat there, arms folded, acting like this didn't affect him. Like I wasn't standing here, tired and fed up, because of everything he had done.
Something dark and bitter burned in my chest.
"Only when I'm surrounded by people who can't mind their own business," I shot back.
Jaxon let out a low whistle, and Zane grinned, clearly enjoying this.
Ronan tilted his head slightly, studying me, but his smirk didn't falter. "That so?"
I folded my arms, mirroring him. "Yeah. That so."
Something in his expression flickered, something I couldn't read, but I refused to back down.
Ava, sensing she was losing control of the situation, scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Please, Raine. Don't act tough. Everyone knows you're just a scared little nobody, desperate for attention."
I inhaled slowly, forcing the anger down. Don't let her get to you.
But then she added, "Honestly, I don't know why you even bother coming to school. It's not like you'll ever be anything more than what you are now—pathetic and useless."
Something inside me cracked.
I stepped forward before I could stop myself, closing the distance between us. Ava tensed, clearly not expecting it.
I smiled, but it wasn't friendly. "Funny how you keep calling me pathetic when you're the one who can't go a single day without trying to put me down. Do you feel better about yourself after this? Does it make you feel powerful?"
Her lips parted, but I wasn't done.
"Because if you need to insult me to feel important, then I have bad news for you, Ava—you're the pathetic one. Not me."
A few students gasped. Someone at another table snickered.
Ava looked like she might explode, but for once, she was speechless.
I turned my attention back to Ronan, meeting his cold, unreadable stare. "And you," I said, my voice cutting. "You think I'm a charity case?"
He didn't respond. His jaw tensed slightly, his fingers flexing against the table.
"You, Ronan, are nothing but a spoiled, miserable little boy," I continued, my tone unwavering. "You hide behind your strength, your status, but deep down, you're just weak."
Something flashed in his eyes—something dangerous.
I took a step closer, lowering my voice so only he could hear.
"And the saddest part?" I whispered. "You have everything. Power. Friends. This entire damn school wrapped around your finger. And yet, you still feel the need to pick on me."
The silence in the cafeteria was deafening.
Jaxon looked amused. Zane was smirking behind his drink. And Kai—Kai was watching me with something unreadable in his eyes.
Ronan, however, just sat there, his expression blank.
But I knew better.
I saw the way my words cut him. The way his fingers twitched. The way his mask—his carefully crafted indifference—cracked.
And for the first time in years, I didn't feel powerless.
I felt free.
So I turned on my heel, grabbed Lena's wrist, and walked away—leaving Ronan sitting in the wreckage of my words.