All Chapters of The Guy Who Lives Next Door : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

72 Chapters

Ch. 11 — Small Revenge

Ruby didn’t mean to embarrass Kai.Not at first.She only wanted space — a little distance to breathe, to stop feeling like she was constantly pressed against a live wire whenever he looked at her. After seeing him in the hall, watching her and Lila like he had some unspoken claim, something stubborn rose in her chest.A quiet, shaky thought:He doesn’t get to look at me like that.So when she walked into Biology and saw Kai already sitting in his usual seat — back row, slouched, pretending he didn’t care — she went straight to the front.She didn’t even glance at him.That alone was new.Mr. Teller stepped inside, dropping a stack of papers on his desk. “Partner lab day. You’ll be with the same partner from last week.”Kai’s chair scraped lightly. Ruby kept her eyes on her textbook.“Ruby,” Mr. Teller added, “you’re still partnered with Kai.”Of course she was.Of course.Ruby’s stomach twisted as Kai rose from his seat and walked toward her. Slow. Casual. Like he owned every step. S

Ch. 12 — New Friends, New Strength

Ruby didn’t calm down until lunchtime.Her heart had been beating unevenly since Biology, since Kai’s eyes had turned sharp and cold, since he’d said we’re not done in that low voice that felt like a warning.She hated that he could shake her so easily.Hated it.But she wasn’t going to think about him anymore. Not today.She just wanted one peaceful lunch.She stood in the cafeteria doorway, tray in hand, scanning for an empty table. The room buzzed with chatter, laughter, gossip. She tried not to make eye contact with anyone. Not after the humiliation yesterday. Not after Kai practically turned her into a public joke.Her chest tightened.Please… not today.“Ruby!”Her head snapped up.Zara — the girl who had warned her about Brielle earlier — waved her over enthusiastically from a table in the corner. She sat with two others: a shy-looking boy with glasses, and a tall girl with curly hair and a warm smile.Ruby blinked, confused, then glanced behind her.Zara rolled her eyes and la

Ch. 13 — Kai’s Curiosity Begins

Kai hadn’t meant to stop walking.He didn’t even realize his feet weren’t moving until his friends nearly collided with him in the cafeteria. By then it was too late — half the room had noticed, whispers spreading like wildfire.He hated that.He hated a lot of things today.But mostly?He hated the sound he kept hearing.Ruby laughing.She was still sitting with those three — Zara, Max, and Tessa — tucked into a corner table like she had belonged there for years instead of days. Her smile was too bright, too effortless. Her shoulders relaxed. Her eyes warmed. She looked…Happy.Kai hated how that bothered him.Why do I care?He shouldn’t.Ruby wasn’t important. She was just the new girl who kept yelling at him from her balcony and calling him spoiled. A girl who had made him look stupid in front of the entire Biology class yesterday.He should ignore her.He tried to.But then—She laughed again.Something in Kai’s chest tightened, sharp and unwelcome, like a string pulled too hard.

Ch. 14 — Class Trouble

Ruby should have known today would be bad the moment she walked into math class and saw Kai already sitting in the back row — tilted in his chair like he owned the place, long legs stretched out, eyes half-lidded with that lazy arrogance that made half the school worship him.And made her want to turn around and run.But running wasn’t an option. Not after everything she’d been trying so hard to rebuild.So she inhaled, kept her head down, and walked toward her usual seat in the third row.Kai didn’t move.Didn’t look away.Didn’t blink.It was the kind of stare that felt like fingers sliding under your skin.Ruby tried to ignore it. She opened her notebook. Pulled out her pen. Told herself she would focus today, that she’d stop falling behind.The bell rang.The room quieted.And then—A chair scraped behind her, loud, abrupt.Ruby’s heart jumped as she twisted around.Kai had moved.He was now sitting directly behind her. Their desks were touching. His knee bumped her chair casually

Ch. 15 — Theo Helps Her

Ruby had never hated a seating chart more in her life. She sat stiffly at her desk, eyes glued to her notebook, pretending to copy notes while her brain replayed one sentence over and over: You’re paired with Kai Kingston. Behind her, she could feel him. Not his breath. Not his voice. Just the presence of him—too close, too aware, like static in the air. Every time he shifted in his seat, her shoulders tensed. Every time his pen tapped the desk, her jaw tightened. She refused to turn around. “Miss Hale.” Ruby flinched. “Yes?” she said quickly. “Are you following?” the teacher asked. “Yes,” she lied. A quiet chuckle came from behind her. Kai’s. She gripped her pen harder. The class dragged. Numbers blurred. Equations twisted into nonsense. She’d always been decent at this subject, but today her thoughts kept tripping over humiliation, rumors, and the echo of that lipstick message in the bathroom mirror. Princesses don’t survive here. When the bell finally rang, Ruby shov

Ch. 16 — Kai Sees Theo With Ruby

Ruby felt Kai before he spoke.It was like a pressure shift in the air—subtle but undeniable. She turned slowly, already bracing herself.Kai stood a few feet away, hands shoved into his pockets, posture casual in the way that meant he was anything but. His gaze flicked once more down the hallway where Theo had disappeared, then settled back on her.“Didn’t take you long,” Kai said lightly.Ruby frowned. “For what?”“To replace me.”She stared at him. “You were never—”“Relax,” he cut in. “I’m kidding.”But his jaw was tight.And his eyes weren’t smiling.Ruby crossed her arms. “If you’re here to start something, don’t.”Kai tilted his head. “You’re walking around with Alvarez now?”She stiffened. “His name is Theo.”Kai’s mouth twitched. “I know.”That shouldn’t have bothered her.But it did.“So?” Ruby said. “Is that a problem?”Kai’s gaze dropped briefly to her shoes, then lifted again. “Just surprised.”“Why?”He shrugged. “Didn’t think you’d go for the quiet hero type.”“I’m not

Ch. 17 — New Rivalry Spark

The shift was quiet.No shouting. No dramatic confrontation. No slammed lockers or raised fists.Just tension—thick, watchful, coiled.Ruby felt it the moment she stepped into school the next morning.Kai Kingston didn’t look at her.That was new.Usually, even when he pretended she didn’t exist, she could feel his awareness like a shadow following her through the halls. Today, his attention was elsewhere.On Theo.Kai leaned against the lockers with his friends, posture loose, expression bored. But his gaze tracked Theo’s movement with precision—measuring, calculating.Predatory.Ruby’s stomach tightened.Theo noticed too.He didn’t flinch. Didn’t slow. Just adjusted his backpack strap and kept walking, calm as ever.That scared her more than if he’d reacted.“Is it just me,” Lila whispered beside Ruby, “or does it feel like someone’s about to get murdered?”Ruby swallowed. “It’s not just you.”By second period, the air felt electric.Kai slid into his seat late, chair scraping loudl

Ch. 18 — Lines Are Drawn

By Monday morning, St. Celeste High had chosen sides.Ruby felt it the second she walked through the front gates—the way conversations dipped when she passed, the way eyes tracked her like she was a headline waiting to happen. The school had always been loud, but now it buzzed with something sharper. Suspicion. Curiosity. Loyalty.Team Kai didn’t wear jerseys or badges. They didn’t need to. They moved with confidence, laughter ringing too loud in hallways, shoulders brushing past people who didn’t matter. Teachers smiled at them longer. Doors opened quicker.The others—the curious outsiders—kept their heads down.Ruby tried to do the same.It didn’t work.First period was English. Ruby slid into her seat, heart thudding, and pulled out her notebook. When the bell rang, Mr. Halvorsen cleared his throat and announced a surprise quiz.Ruby blinked. Surprise quizzes weren’t in the syllabus.She answered carefully, confident enough. When papers were returned twenty minutes later, her stoma

Ch. 19 — Rumors Have Teeth

Rumors didn’t spread at St. Celeste High.They hunted.By Tuesday morning, Ruby could feel it before she saw it—the way people glanced at her, then quickly away, the way whispers followed half a step behind her down the hallway like something breathing at her back.She didn’t need to check the gossip app.She already knew.Theo walked beside her, hands tucked into his hoodie pockets, expression neutral in that careful way he wore when he was bracing for impact. His calm only made the knot in Ruby’s chest tighten harder.“They’re saying things,” she said quietly.“I know.”“About me.”“I know.”She stopped walking and faced him. “Why aren’t you mad?”Theo hesitated, then shrugged. “Because being mad won’t stop it.”“That’s not an answer.”“It’s the truth.”Ruby exhaled sharply through her nose and continued toward class, anger buzzing under her skin like static. She was mad—furious, actually—but beneath that was something worse.Humiliation.First period passed in a blur of half-heard

Ch. 20 — The Kingston Name

The library was supposed to be neutral ground.That was what Ruby told herself as she slipped through the tall glass doors after school, backpack heavy on her shoulders, thoughts heavier still. Libraries didn’t take sides. Books didn’t whisper. Facts didn’t care who your parents were.She needed that illusion.“Group project,” Lila had announced earlier, dropping into the seat beside Ruby in history class. “Local power structures and modern influence. Partners assigned by last name.”Ruby hadn’t laughed at the irony. She’d barely heard the rest.Now she sat at a long wooden table beneath soft yellow lamps, the scent of paper and polish filling her lungs. Theo sat across from her, already pulling books from his bag.“You don’t have to stay,” Ruby said quietly.Theo looked up. “I want to.”She nodded, grateful and guilty all at once.They divided the work easily—too easily. Theo took notes with calm efficiency. Ruby opened her laptop, typed in the project keywords, and let the search re

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