Please stop

After History class, Danielle couldn’t take her eyes off Derek. Her hand still throbbed, and the earlier incident played on repeat in her head like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

Ariana, seated beside her, kept discreetly blowing cool air over Danielle’s hand, careful not to attract the teacher’s attention.

“Did his freakin’ fingers really do this?” Ariana whispered, finally pulling Danielle’s hand from under the table. Her voice was tight with disbelief.

Danielle didn’t respond. She just kept staring, wide-eyed and pale at Derek.

The class expected Danielle to lash out, to throw a scene, something. But for the first time… she was silent. Frozen.

Meanwhile, across the room, Derek leaned closer to Ashley.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice soft.

Ashley raised her eyes to meet his. She gave a small nod.

“Yes, I’m fine. And you?”

Derek smiled faintly.

“Good.”

She studied him carefully, suspicion flickering behind her gaze. There was so much she wanted to ask, but how do you question someone who just defended you?

After a pause, she looked away.

“You shouldn't have done that,” she said quietly.

“I should’ve,” Derek replied without hesitation. “She needed to be taught a lesson.”

Ashley shook her head.

“You just got here. You don’t know how things work in this school. You’ve basically put yourself in the firing line.”

Derek glanced around and noticed the stares. They were cold and calculated, watching him closely.

“They’re not going to report you,” Ashley added, her voice almost a whisper now. “They don’t do that here. They handle things their own way... and it’s never pretty.”

“She’s right,” Maggie chimed in from behind, her tone tense. “It’s brutal. And it’s always personal.”

Derek leaned back in his chair, unfazed, his face unreadable.

“I like messes,” he said simply.

Ashley turned to look at him, brows furrowed.

“You’re weird,” Maggie muttered, eyes narrowed as she looked at Derek.

“I’m Derek,” he said simply, his gaze still on Ashley.

Maggie raised an eyebrow. “I thought you two already met. Why the formal introduction?”

Ashley felt lost in the conversation, trying to piece things together.

“Met? Have we met before?” she asked, looking between them. Derek nodded.

“Yeah. But I never properly introduced myself,” he replied with a casual smile.

Ashley blinked slowly, trying to recall.

“Really? I can’t remember...” She offered a faint smile. “I’m Ashley.”

“I know,” Derek said, his grin widening.

Before Ashley could respond, a loud voice broke through the air.

“Why did you hurt Danielle?” a deep, menacing voice bellowed.

Tommy, Danielle's boyfriend, stormed up to them. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and radiatedexuded an intimidating presence. Known as the most feared guy in school, he was a senior—someone you didn’t cross. He’d heard about what happened to Danielle and rushed straight to the class to confront Derek.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” Tommy yelled, grabbing Derek by the shirt and yanking him closer. Derek didn’t flinch. He stared into Tommy’s eyes, unyielding.

“Baby, thank God you’re here,” Danielle said, her voice weak with relief as she ran to Tommy. He held her close, still gripping Derek’s shirt with one hand.

“She was hurting her. She got what she deserved,” Derek said, his voice low and strained with anger.

Tommy scoffed.

“Wow. You really think you can talk back to me? You think this thing deserves any respect?”

At Tommy’s words, Derek’s patience snapped. In a flash, he yanked Tommy’s hand off him, grabbed him by the collar, and shoved him hard against the wall.

The class erupted into laughter, clearly entertained by the unfolding drama.

“You don’t ever call her a thing!” Derek snarled, his eyes shifting from brown to a glowing blue, his fingers elongating into sharp claws. He pulled Tommy off the wall and slammed him back against it, his voice menacing as he hissed, “Do you understand?”

Tommy struggled, trying to break free from Derek’s grip, but his fear was starting to show.

“Derek, please stop,” Ashley said softly, her voice calm yet pleading, but Derek didn’t respond.

“Do you understand?” he asked again, his tone low and dangerous. Tommy, still stubborn and defiant, refused to acknowledge him.

“Derek, please stop,” Ashley repeated, her voice trembling with emotion. She rushed over to him, gently gripping his hand.

“Please,” she whispered, her words like a balm to his fury. The moment she touched him, a wave of calm washed over Derek. His eyes shifted back to their natural brown, and his claws retracted to normal.

He released Tommy, who stumbled back, still seething with anger. Derek’s focus shifted to Ashley, who stood beside him, her face streaked with tears.

Ashley let out a shaky breath and, without another word, walked back to her seat. She was overwhelmed by everything, the emotions swirling inside her.

Danielle, standing in the background, was both embarrassed and ashamed of Tommy’s behavior. Her face flushed red in humiliation.

“Tommy, it’s over,” she said, her voice trembling with both anger and disappointment. She stormed out of the classroom, Ariana quickly chasing after her, calling her name.

Tommy, bleeding from his mouth, glared at Derek with pure hatred.

“This isn’t over,” he spat, before turning on his heel and storming out of the classroom as well.

The class was silent now, the atmosphere thick with tension. Derek returned to his chair and sat down as if nothing had happened. He noticed Ashley’s face—tears mingling with anger and confusion.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, genuinely concerned.

Ashley looked at him, frustration evident in her eyes. “Stop asking me that question. This isn’t about me, it’s about you,” she said, her voice low but firm. “You’re playing with fire, Derek. You should’ve just apologized, and it would have ended there. They took videos. Once the school sees those, they’ll punish you for it.”

Derek leaned back, unfazed by her words. “Ashley, I don’t care what they do to me. I can’t just sit back and watch them treat you like trash. You’re a queen, and you deserve to be treated like one.”

Ashley’s eyes widened in shock. She hadn’t expected such a declaration. “Those are the exact same words my mother says... How did you know? Who are you?”

Before Derek could answer, the loudspeaker interrupted their conversation.

“Derek Scott and Tommy Smith, I need you both in my office now!” The principal’s voice boomed over the PA system, and every student in the school heard it.

“I told you,” Ashley said, watching as Derek stood up.

“It’s fine, Ashley. Trust me,” Derek assured her, grabbing his bag and walking out of the classroom without looking back.

“Can you trust him?” Maggie asked softly as Ashley stood frozen in her spot, eyes following Derek’s retreating figure.

“No. I don’t even know him,” Ashley said, shaking her head, her voice full of uncertainty. “I need to stay away from him.”

“Why? He’s just trying to protect you,” Maggie stated, confused by Ashley’s reaction.

“Protecting me by making everything worse for both of us? He doesn’t even know me. Why is he so concerned?” Ashley asked, frustration creeping into her words.

Maggie sighed, staring at Ashley as if searching for an answer she didn’t have. “I don’t know.”

*

Derek entered the principal's office, the door creaking slightly behind him. Tommy was already sitting in front of Mrs. Claire The moment Derek stepped in, Tommy’s eyes flickered toward him with a look of pure disdain.

“Sit, Mister Derek,” Mrs. Claire said, her voice firm yet calm.

Derek sat in the chair opposite Tommy, facing the principal.

“So, who’s going to go first? I need an explanation from both of you,” Mrs. Claire stated, her gaze shifting between the two boys.

Neither Derek nor Tommy spoke for a moment. Mrs. Claire was well aware that neither of them would volunteer the truth, so she decided to prod.

“Derek. You go first,” she said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Derek nodded and began, his voice steady. “Thank you, Mrs. Claire. A girl was bullying Ashley, and I couldn’t just stand by and watch it happen. I don’t tolerate bullies. So, I stepped in to stop her. Tommy came in, trying to start a fight, so I... dealt with him.”

Mrs. Claire looked at Tommy for his side of the story. He remained silent, glaring at Derek.

“Tommy, keeping quiet means you’re confirming Derek’s version of events,” Mrs. Claire said, raising an eyebrow. Tommy didn’t respond, his jaw tight.

She turned back to Derek. “I understand you were trying to protect someone, but Derek, you’re new here. You don’t know the dynamics of this school. You can’t afford to be causing trouble on your first day. I’ll let you off this time, but next time, it won’t be so easy. You’ll be suspended.”

Derek stood up, his expression neutral. “Thank you, Mrs. Claire,” he said, heading toward the door.

“And Tommy,” Mrs. Claire added before Derek could leave. “Tell your mother I need to speak with her. If you don’t, I’ll call her myself.”

Derek shot a glance at Tommy, a small smirk curling on his lips as he turned to leave.

Tommy glared after him, but said nothing.