Provoked

After lectures, Ashley and Maggie strolled down the hallway, just like they always did.

Unbeknownst to them, Derek trailed behind silently, his footsteps barely making a sound as he kept his presence hidden.

Ashley and Maggie began to notice the stares. Students were looking at them differently today — whispering, nudging, casting side-eyes. They exchanged confused glances, trying to figure out what was going on.

The murmurs around them grew, and curiosity got the best of them. They turned around — and there he was. Derek. Walking right behind them, eyes locked on Ashley.

“Ohhh,” Maggie muttered under her breath. “Now I get it.”

Derek closed the distance with a smile. “Why’d you stop?” he asked, his gaze still fixed on Ashley.

“We were getting all these weird stares,” Ashley replied, her voice calm but her eyes darting. “Thought something was up… then we saw you.”

His stare was intense, like always — the kind that made her feel like she was drowning in those dark eyes of his.

“So… they’re watching you because of me?” Derek asked, his grin widening.

“We don’t know what they’re thinking,” Maggie answered as they resumed walking.

Suddenly, two soccer players stepped in front of them — one from the senior year, the other in Ashley’s class — blocking their path. The three had to come to a sudden stop.

Ashley’s heart skipped a beat. A knot formed in her stomach — she thought they were about to cause trouble. Derek sensed her tension and instinctively stepped closer, his hand brushing against hers.

A jolt of something — a connection — ran through her. She turned and looked at him, her heartbeat calming just a little.

“You’re the new guy,” one of the players said, eyeing Derek.

“The one who took Tommy down,” the other added, barely suppressing a laugh.

Ashley opened her mouth, trying to defuse things. “We don’t want—”

But Derek cut her off, voice firm and cool. “Yeah. That was me.”

There was heat in his tone, confidence and the hint of something darker.

“Whoa. You’ve got skills,” the senior said, grinning. “You should totally join the football team.”

“Yeah, man, you’d love it,” the other agreed, both of them beaming.

Ashley turned to Maggie, her eyes wide with surprise.

Ashley tensed up, her instincts on high alert. She thought the boys had stopped them to cause trouble. Derek, meanwhile, said nothing — his eyes locked on the two soccer players, sizing them up, trying to decide how to respond.

“This could be a trap,” Ashley whispered, just loud enough for Derek to hear.

He smirked. “I’d love to,” he replied coolly.

The boys grinned.

“Great! We’re heading to the field now — there’s a game starting soon,” the second guy said. “You know how to play, yeah?”

“I do,” Derek said confidently, glancing at Ashley. “I played for my old school.”

He hoped to impress her, but all he saw in her eyes was fear.

“Awesome! I’m Sam, and this is Tim,” the guy added, clearly excited. Derek gave a nod.

“I’m Derek. And these are Ashley and Maggie.”

The two boys glanced at the girls.

“Yeah… we know who they are,” one of them said with a faint, unreadable smile.

“They’re my friends,” Derek said firmly, the words sharp, deliberate — daring them to say something. His jaw was tight, voice strained just enough to make his point clear.

“Really?” they asked in unison, their tone laced with irritation.

“Yes. Really. Accepting me means accepting them too — because wherever I am, they’ll be.”

Sam blinked, then nodded slowly. “Got it.”

“So, we heading to the field now? Let’s see what you’ve got,” Tim said.

Derek gave one final look at Ashley before walking with them. She leaned toward him slightly, her voice low.

“I still don’t trust them. What if this is a setup?”

Derek smirked again. “I like setups.” Then, with a wink: “Won’t you come watch me play?”

Maggie lit up and turned to Ashley, her eyes wide with excitement. “We’re not doing anything at home. You can spare a little time, right? You know how much I love football,” she said, pouting playfully.

Ashley sighed, then nodded. “Fine. But we’re not staying long.”

Maggie squealed with joy. Derek grinned, and together they headed toward the field.

When they arrived at the field, several players were already gearing up for the next match. They were dressed in full kits, stretching and warming up, the energy buzzing with anticipation.

“Let’s see what you’ve got before the next game!” Sam shouted from across the field, tossing the ball toward Derek and instantly drawing the attention of the entire team.

Derek caught it effortlessly.

Across the field, Tommy — bruised ego and all — looked up and scowled. The moment he recognized Derek, his expression twisted with rage.

“What the hell?! What the f**k is he doing here?” Tommy barked, charging toward him. A few teammates grabbed his arms, holding him back before he could get too far.

Coach Benson, noticing the commotion, strode over. “What’s going on here?”

Meanwhile, Derek stepped confidently onto the field, bouncing the ball with measured precision.

“That bastard doesn’t belong here!” Tommy shouted.

Coach Benson glanced at Derek, watching how naturally he controlled the ball. “Why not? Looks like he’s got some skills.”

“I don’t care!” Tommy spat. “We don’t play with losers. And you know what really pisses me off? He brought those trash girls with him.”

The moment those words hit Derek’s ears, something snapped. His grip on the ball tightened — his eyes glinted an eerie shade of blue, almost inhuman — and the ball popped slightly under the force of his nails.

His jaw clenched as he stared Tommy down from across the field… then, without warning, he launched the ball.

It shot through the air like a missile and smacked Tommy square in the head.

Thwack!

Tommy dropped instantly.

“Whoa,” Sam muttered, stunned. The throw had come from an incredible distance — and yet it had hit perfectly.

Ashley gasped, covering her mouth in shock. “Oh my God…”

Maggie stood frozen, her mouth hanging open.

The players rushed toward Derek, fury in their eyes, ready to retaliate — but Coach Benson held up a hand, stopping them.

“Enough! I’ll handle this.”

The rest of the team backed off, hurrying to help Tommy, who was now unconscious and bleeding from the nose.

“He knocked him out, Coach!” someone shouted.

Coach Benson turned back toward Derek — but by the time he reached him, Derek’s expression had softened. His eyes were back to normal. Calm. Composed. Like nothing had happened.

“What was that for?” Coach Benson demanded, pointing toward where Tommy now lay unconscious, being carried off the field.

“He provoked me,” Derek replied flatly, not an ounce of remorse on his face.

“Provoked you?” the coach repeated in disbelief. “He didn’t even touch you. Hell, he didn’t even reach you!”

“He was going to,” Derek said, eyes unwavering. “If you hadn’t stepped in, he would’ve hit me. You saw it.”

Coach Benson let out a frustrated breath, shaking his head. “You better hope — pray — he doesn’t have a serious injury. Because I won’t be the one explaining this to his parents. And as for you…” He jabbed a finger toward Derek, “I’ll deal with you later.”

With that, the coach turned and ran off to check on Tommy, leaving the field with the rest of the team.

Only Sam, Ashley, and Maggie remained behind.

“Oh man… that was insane,” Sam said, chuckling under his breath — until Ashley shot him a glare sharp enough to shut him up.

“Derek, seriously,” Ashley snapped, stepping forward. “What the hell was that? He didn’t even lay a hand on you!”

Derek shrugged, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “He deserved it.”

“I never liked Tommy anyway,” Sam added with a grin. “I’m not complaining.”

Both girls rolled their eyes in unison.

Ashley folded her arms, clearly fuming. “You can’t just go around knocking people out like you’re some kind of superhero.”

“Yes, I can,” Derek said without missing a beat, his smirk deepening.

Ashley narrowed her eyes. “You’re so full of yourself,” she muttered, then turned sharply and stormed off the field.

Maggie lingered for a beat, glancing between them.

“I… I should go after her,” she said quietly before jogging off after Ashley.

Derek stood in silence.

“Well…” Sam cleared his throat awkwardly. “I guess it’s just the two of us now.”

Derek turned to look at him — cold, unreadable.

Sam immediately regretted saying anything. He swallowed and scratched the back of his head before slowly trailing behind as Derek walked off the field in silence.