chapter 2

Finn’s Pov

ONE WEEK LATER.

My locker was gone.

Not vandalised. Gone. As if it had vanished into thin air.

In the empty space, was a note stapled to the wall.

“You shouldn’t exist. Charity isn’t welcomed here.”

No name.

No signature.

It wasn’t needed.

The words were meant to hurt. But they didn’t, I grew up in a dark world, the kind that forces you to have a thick skin just before you learn how to speak. This was nothing, but it was still enough to rattle me.

I found my books, dumped right in front of the janitor’s closet. I knew what they were trying to say. But jokes on them, the janitor still earned more than what my mother made in a month.

I almost laughed at the thought. The janitor was the least person here and yet he was still living a life that most of us wished we had.

Laughter echoed around me, and cameras flicked as I picked up the scattered books, this was the ninth assault in one week. They knew how to work in the shadows, no loud attack, nothing that would cause a smear to their perfect little names.

Knox barely acknowledged me, that was something I didn’t expect.  I had expected him to go out of his way, be the ring leader, and show me what it means to challenge him. But he didn’t, and that caused fear to surge through me.

He didn’t have to, Apex-crest bent to his will, and people moved at his snap.

And I had challenged him.

Now, they are against me.

“Maybe you should apologise,” Zale whispered beside me, his fingers red and throbbing from the attack he refused to say why.

I glowered, my hand tightening on the books as I thought about what I was going to do. I could walk around with them, but I wasn’t in the best shape to have this heavy weight dragging me along. “Why?”

He huffed, his eyes looking around with a cautious look in them, “This isn’t a fight you can win,” he said, his tone fearful.

I didn’t say anything, my mind was still scrambling to sort through the fear I was feeling in my chest. Nine attacks in seven days. And I had three months to go before the break.

Gosh.

Zale grabbed my hand, tugging me towards his locker, “Look, Knox isn’t just a legacy name here. His family….” He paused, looking around as he pulled his locker open. “his family is terrifying, and when they feel violated, they break… ruin everything that is on their path,” he said.

That wasn’t scary at all, was it?

He shoved my books into his locker, “I didn’t do anything wrong!” I whined, sounding like a child who couldn’t understand why they weren’t about to receive any ice cream.

“That isn’t how things work here,”

I was seeing it now.

Students literally run out of the school’s gate wailing and no one bats an eye. They don’t care. It is cutthroat here.

But I was stubborn, too damn stubborn to admit that I was swimming in waters bigger than me.

“You have to…”

“I won’t, I have survived worse than this, this is child’s play,” I huffed.

Zale shook his head; I could see that pity in his eyes. Why did they all look at me as though I was a lamb walking to the slaughter?

“Think about it. They will stop, all you have to do is say you are sorry,”

He didn’t wait to hear what I had to say, he was already gone, the crowded hallway swallowing him up.

A shoulder slammed into mine, the pain shooting through me as I stumbled back. “Watch it!” the voice sneered. “Ruining this bag would cost your life grant boy,” she sneered.

The crowd chuckled, cameras out, ready to witness the shame that was about to unfold.

Pissing off Knox Cole was one thing, but ruining Calista’s bag, the one girl who has held his attention for far too long. That would be damnation.

Daughter of the dean. Entitled and rich.

“Sorry,” I bit out the words, hoping it was enough to tame her anger.

She scoffed, walking away as if I were a plague, dirt not worthy to be in her presence.

I let out the breath I was holding, which would have gone a thousand ways. But she had walked away. I guess since Knox wasn’t here, she didn’t have to perform.

“Tell me, how did a trailer park kid get in?” I knew the voice; I had seen the face a few times. I turned, my eyes meeting the one person I knew I shouldn’t.

Ace, Knox’s friend, runs in his circle, a lap dog. But the thing that stood out was the fact that he was a senator’s son, yet, Knox ruled him.

“What?” I asked, fighting back the tremble in my tone.

He smirked, “How did you get in here? Trailer kids aren’t….” he dragged the words, his finger tapping his chin as if he was thinking about what to say.

My heart dropped.

No one was meant to know that. No one was meant to know more than my name.

“I don’t know what you are…”

“Don’t worry,” he smiled. “Your secret is safe with me, no one is going to know that you are a trailer kid,” he laughed, walking away with a bounce in his step.

My palms felt sweaty, but I knew better than to break down in the hallway, I knew eyes lurked, just to see what I did when eyes weren’t on me.

Ace knew a part of me that they shouldn’t. an identity that I hoped wouldn’t be heard. It was one thing to be a scholarship kid. And a completely different thing to be from the part of the city that is known for drugs and gangs.

If they knew…

If the word spread…. They would crush me, my life... the name that I am trying to build….

I wouldn’t save my mother; I wouldn’t be able to change our lives… my siblings…. They all…

Everything would be ruined.

Everything would be taken from me.