{C2:Juice}

{Roxellena POV}

“It looks like your crush got himself in trouble,” John said, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips.

He was right. I had no idea how he always knew when I was crushing on someone, but he was annoyingly good at it.

My stomach twisted. How did he always see right through me? I hadn’t even realized I was staring until John pointed it out. The new guy sat in Jason’s usual seat like he owned it, completely unaware of the storm heading his way.

I pushed back from the table, the plastic chair scraping loudly against the tiled floor, and hurried across the crowded cafeteria.

I was only a few steps away when I froze

Jason and his entourage had already walked in.

“No, no, no. This is not good.”

In seconds, they surrounded the stranger like sharks circling blood in the water. Jason clamped a hand on the new guy’s shoulder, leaning in to whisper something. Whatever it was, it made his crew smirk with cruel amusement, their eyes gleaming.

Heart hammering, I forced myself forward

“Perhaps you can sit over there instead,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. I pointed to the empty chair I had just left.

The stranger looked up. For a brief second, our eyes met,his gaze sharp, intense, and strangely calm. He stood without a word and followed me.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Jason snarled, loud enough for half the cafeteria to hear. “Go on. Follow the fat bitch. That’s the only kind of company your kind deserves.”

The words sliced into me like claws, but I kept my chin up and pretended not to hear. Jason was an arrogant prick who thrived on breaking people down. He threw his weight around because his father was the richest man in the pack and the Beta to the Alpha. That kind of power made him untouchable.

“You can have my seat,” I told the stranger softly, gesturing toward it. My cheeks still burned from Jason’s insult, but I pushed the pain aside. “Never mind him. That’s just how Jason is. Stay out of his way and you’ll be fine. I promise.”

“Jason… so his name is Jason,” the stranger murmured. His voice was low and smooth, like velvet sliding over gravel. It sent an unexpected flutter through my chest, warm and electric.

“I’m Roxellena Charming. You can call me Rox,” I said, offering a small smile.

He didn’t smile back, but something in his expression softened. I watched as he tore a sticky note from a small pad, scribbled “Jason” on it with quick, precise strokes, and tucked it into his pocket.

“These are my friends,” I continued. “This is Jessica.”

“Hi!” Jess waved, her bright smile cutting through the tension like sunshine.

“John and James.”

“What’s up, man? Welcome to Prestige College,” John said, clapping the stranger on the back. “A place where you meet the good, the bad, and the…”

He never finished. The new guy suddenly stood, his movements fluid and decisive, and began walking away without another word.

“Hey! You never told us your name!” I called after him.

No reply. My stomach sank as I realized why he’d spotted Jason and his gang cutting through the crowd straight toward us.

“Where did he go? Where the hell is he?” Jason snarled, his voice dripping with menace. His crew closed in, forming a tight circle around my friends and me.

“I can see the tub of lard found a boyfriend,” Jason sneered. He lowered his head until his breath ghosted hot against my ear.

My friends went deathly quiet. No one dared speak. James and John, the guys I’d always counted on to have my back, stood frozen like statues, eyes fixed on the floor. Shame burned in my throat.

“Where did you hide him?” Jason circled us slowly, his footsteps deliberate. “Under the table?” He crouched dramatically and peered beneath. “Or inside your stomach?” His gang erupted in loud, mocking laughter.

I felt something cold and a sticky splash over my head. Strawberry juice trickled down my hair, my face, soaking into my shirt in slow, humiliating rivulets., Jason had emptied the rest of his strawberry juice on me.

“What do you gain from all this, Jason?” Jessica asked. Her voice was firm, but I caught the tremor beneath it.

I reached out quickly, squeezing her arm in warning, but it was too late. Jason stalked toward her, eyes narrowed.

“And what about y…”He couldn’t finish his sentence before the emergency alarm suddenly blared through the cafeteria, loud enough to nearly burst our eardrums.

Chairs scraped back. Students panicked. Jason, my friends, and I all scrambled toward the exit doors in a chaotic rush