Chapter 4

Rainey's POV

The bell rang.

Amy was still at her desk, slowly packing up her calculator and materials. She kept glancing toward the front of the classroom where Sarah was taking her sweet time organizing her designer bag.

"Sorry, Rainey," Amy whispered, her voice heavy with guilt. "I wanted to give you a tissue earlier when your forehead was bleeding, but Sarah's family... they have too much power around here."

She shot another nervous look toward Sarah, who was now applying lipgloss with practiced precision. "None of us can afford to cross her."

I stuffed my calculus textbook into my battered backpack. "It's fine. Really. You cna stay away from me and stay out of this."

Amy bit her lip, looking like she wanted to say more, but then started talking quickly, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Look, maybe if you just... kept some distance from Benjamin in study group? I mean, all the girls Sarah's targeted before were ones who got too close to him. She and Benjamin have been family friends since they were kids, and—"

"Rainey."

Benjamin's voice cut through Amy's nervous rambling, and I looked up to see him approaching from the front of the classroom. "Rainey? Mrs. Smith wants to see you during lunch."

Sarah went up before Benjamin could come to me. "I was thinking we could study SAT math together at the library tonight? Just the two of us?"

Benjamin's expression softened as he looked down at her perfectly styled blonde hair. "Sure, that sounds good. Actually..." He glanced back at me through the window. "Rainey should join us. She's incredible at math, and we could all help each other prep."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

Sarah's sweet smile faltered for just a second.

The bell rang again, its shrill tone cutting through the tension.

"I've got AP Chemistry next period." Benjamin said, checking his watch before he left.

Amy and I were gathering our things to next class when Sarah and her entourage stopped us in the classroom doorway, effectively blocking our exit. Brad and Devon flanked her like personal bodyguards, their bulky frames filling the narrow space.

"Going somewhere, ladies?" Sarah asked sweetly, tilting her head with false innocence.

Amy clutched her backpack tighter.

Sarah's smile widened, but it never reached her eyes. "Amy, I need to have a private chat with Rainey."

Amy looked between Sarah and me, clearly torn. "But we were..."

When Sarah spoke again, her voice had lost all pretense of sweetness.

"Since when are you two such close friends? If you want to stick around and defend her, maybe we should have a conversation with all three of us."

Amy's face went pale. She shot me an apologetic look before hurrying past Brad and Devon out of the classroom.

Actually, I didn't blame her.

Now it was just me, Sarah, and her two goons.

And apparently, one other person.

In the back corner of the classroom, Sunny was still slumped over his desk.

Sarah followed my gaze and smirked. "Don't worry about sleeping beauty back there. This is between you and me."

Brad deliberately bumped into my shoulder as he moved to block the door completely, making me stumble backward into the classroom.

"So, Rainey," Sarah said, her voice dripping with false concern. "Benjamin invited you. You must be thrilled."

I gripped the straps of my backpack, trying to keep my voice steady. "I wasn't planning to say yes."

"Bullshit." Sarah stepped closer, invading my personal space. "I saw that pathetic little look in your eyes. You were practically drooling over him."

My heart was hammering against my ribs, but I forced myself to stay calm. "I really wasn't—"

"Don't fucking lie to me!" Sarah's voice cracked like a whip, echoing off the empty classroom walls. "I know exactly what game you're playing. Acting all innocent, trying to make him notice you."

She grabbed the front of my sweater.

"Listen carefully, you little bitch," she hissed, her face inches from mine. "Think about what happened to Jessica."

My blood turned to ice as I remembered Jessica from last semester—the girl who'd gotten too friendly with Benjamin during chemistry lab. She'd mysteriously "fallen down some stairs" and ended up with a concussion that forced her to transfer schools.

That's when we heard a loud scraping sound.

Sarah spun around to see Sunny pushing back his chair and slowly standing up. He pulled off one side of his headphones, looking absolutely irritated as he surveyed the scene.

"Could you fucking keep it down?" he drawled, his voice carrying that same dangerous edge I remembered from yesterday. "Some people are trying to sleep."

Sarah turned to face him fully, looking him up and down with contempt. "Oh look, the mysterious transfer student thinks he's a hero again."

She sauntered over toward his desk, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor. "I tried to be nice yesterday, but clearly you don't understand how things work around here." She leaned against a nearby desk, crossing her arms. "You want to graduate without problems? Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"I don't understand," he said simply.

The atmosphere in the room shifted, like the moment before a thunderstorm hits. Even Brad and Devon seemed to sense something was off.

Sarah's confidence faltered for just a moment, but then her anger flared back up. "Brad, Devon—I think our new friend needs a lesson in respect."

Brad stepped forward, already raising his fist.

What happened next was so fast I could barely follow it.

Sunny didn't even move from where he was leaning against the wall. He just reached out casually and caught Brad's fist mid-swing, then twisted his wrist with what looked like zero effort. Brad immediately started howling in pain, his tough-guy act crumbling instantly.

Devon tried to grab Sunny from behind, but Sunny seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Still holding Brad's wrist, he used the bigger guy's momentum to send him crashing into Devon. Both of them went down in a tangle of limbs and overturned desks.

Devon scrambled back up and charged again, but this time Sunny did move. In one fluid motion, he stepped protectively in front of me.

Before I knew what was happening, Sunny had Devon pinned against the desk. Devon's face was white with terror.

"Please," Devon whispered, "don't—"

Without thinking, I reached out and put my hand on Sunny's wrist.

"Stop," I said firmly.

Sunny's glowing eyes snapped to mine, and for a second, I thought he might turn that deadly focus on me. "You're going to stop me?"

My voice was shaking, but I didn't back down. "You will get expelled." I tightened my grip on his burning wrist. "It's not worth it. Not for them."

"Not your business," he growled, and the golden glow in his eyes intensified. "Let go."

Instead of letting go, I put my other hand on his wrist too. "You let him go first. Then I'll let go."