Chapter 4 – Shifts and Shadows
If Keifer had been annoying before, today he was…
Well, still annoying — just with a dangerous new energy.
"You look good today," he said as I walked into the classroom, voice dripping with that lazy confidence I hated. "Did you do something different with your hair, Mariano Or is it just glowing because I'm here?"
I froze mid-step, blinking at him. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. Just appreciating my view." His smirk was pure trouble.
I narrowed my eyes. "You've never appreciated anything in your life."
"Not true," he said, leaning back in his chair like a king in his throne. "I appreciate good coffee, fast wins… and apparently, you."
Heat crawled up my neck before I could stop it.
Nope. Not letting him see that.
"I'm not impressed," I muttered, sliding into my seat.
"Sure," he said easily, tapping his pen. "Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart."
Sweetheart?
Okay. Something was definitely wrong with him.
Meanwhile, across the room, Alys was dealing with her own set of problems. Two guys from another section had cornered her near the lockers before class.
"Come on, just one date," one of them pressed, leaning a little too close.
"I said no." Alys' tone was firm, but they didn't move.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Drake watching the scene. He didn't move at first, expression unreadable except for the slight tightening of his jaw.
Finally, he stood, strolling over with all the casual menace of a storm cloud.
"Is there a reason you're breathing my air?" he asked the guys, voice low but cutting.
They blinked. "We were just talking—"
"You were bothering her." His gaze was sharp enough to slice through steel. "Leave."
They didn't argue. They just… left.
Alys frowned at him. "I could've handled it."
"I didn't say you couldn't," he replied, already walking away. "I just got tired of looking at their faces."
Which, in Drake-speak, was probably the closest thing to I was concerned she was ever going to get.
I glanced between them and then back at Keifer, who was now spinning his pen and watching me like I was the punchline to his favorite joke.
Yeah. Something was definitely shifting — and I wasn't sure I liked it.