Xander's POV
"I saw the video."
I froze, cotton ball still pressed to my busted lip. My eyes snapped to Bryan, who looked way too calm for someone who just dropped an emotional grenade into the room.
"You saw it?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yeah. Everyone has."
I clenched my jaw, tossing the bloodied cotton into the bin. Just thinking about it made my blood boil again.
"She didn't deserve that," I muttered, grabbing another swab.
Bryan raised an eyebrow. "No, she didn't. But since when do you care about Alana Anderson?"
I stayed silent.
He smirked. "Wait... don't tell me—are you catching feelings?"
I scoffed. "What? No. Absolutely not."
"Uh-huh," he said, clearly not buying it. "So you just beat the living crap out of Derrick because you're, what—the new school superhero?"
I glared at him. "He humiliated her."
"Exactly," Bryan said, tilting his head. "And you're acting like someone who's emotionally invested."
I looked away. "It was just... she was crying, Bryan. Right there in front of everyone. She looked... broken."
He gave me this look—like are you kidding me right now?
"It's no secret in this house that you've obviously got a thing for her," he said.
"I do not," I snapped. "We don't even like each other. There's no way I like her like that."
"Oooh," he drawled, grinning. "I see you're still in the denial stage."
I narrowed my eyes. "What makes you say that?"
He shrugged. "It shows. The way your eyes light up when you talk about her—even when it's just about the pranks you pull. You're always talking about her."
I glared at him again, but his words... stuck.
I didn't want to admit it—not even to myself—but maybe… just maybe, there was some truth in it.
Then he snapped his fingers in front of my face, interrupting the spiral I was slipping into.
"What now, dumbhead?" I asked, already annoyed.
"Mum's back," he said with a smirk. "And she's asking for you."
With that, he walked out of the room, leaving me alone—with a lip that still hurt and thoughts I didn't want to face.
But no matter how hard I tried to shove the idea away, one truth buzzed in the back of my mind louder than ever.
I didn't hate Alana Anderson anymore.
And I had no idea what to do about it.