The smoke thickened.
Alarms wailed.
Students scattered through the ballroom like panicked birds.
Ella tried to yank her arm free.
"Diego, what are you—"
He didn't answer.
He just kept dragging her—out the back hallway, through the exit door, into the cold night behind the academy's east wing.
The fire wasn't near them.
Which made this even more terrifying.
"Let me go!" she cried.
He spun on her, eyes flashing. "You think you can humiliate me? Walk around here like you're untouchable?"
Her heart slammed into her ribs.
"Diego… you need help."
He leaned in. "What I need is you to remember who you were before that rich boy put stars in your eyes."
Then—
He kissed her.
Forceful. Ugly. Unwanted.
She shoved him with everything she had.
"Don't touch me!"
His hand flew back—
Slap.
Her face stung.
Her breath hitched.
She stumbled.
That's when she heard it.
A voice like thunder through the smoke.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!"
Ryan.
Charging toward them like something snapped inside him.
Diego barely turned before Ryan tackled him to the ground, fists flying.
One punch. Two. Three.
"You think you can put your hands on her?" Ryan roared, blood on his knuckles.
Ella screamed, "Ryan—stop!"
But he couldn't.
Diego was coughing, face busted, begging now.
Ryan grabbed his shirt, pulled him up to eye level. "You touch her again, and I'll bury you myself."
He shoved him back into the grass.
Diego didn't move.
Ryan turned to Ella.
Chest heaving.
Eyes wild.
Hands shaking.
"Are you okay?" His voice cracked.
She nodded, tears falling freely now.
Without thinking, she threw herself into his arms.
And for the first time, she didn't care about pride.
Or pain.
Or the past.
She just needed to feel safe.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her like she was breakable.
Like she mattered.
Like he'd never let go again.
"I was so scared," she whispered against his chest.
"I'm here," he murmured. "I've got you."
And for the first time in weeks, she believed him.
---
That night, the school issued a formal report: the fire had been set deliberately.
The target? Unclear.
The suspect? Unknown.
But Ella knew.
Deep down… she knew Diego wasn't done.
And now?
She wasn't just dealing with a broken heart.
She was dealing with a boy who had nothing to lose.
****
Later, in Ryan's car parked in the school lot, silence sat between them.
He turned to her.
"I meant what I said," he told her. "It stopped being a game the day you looked at me like I wasn't just the guy everyone wanted—but the one who could be better."
She stared at him.
And in the moonlight, she whispered:
"Then prove it."
He leaned in.
Kissed her.
Slow. Deep. Full of regret and desperation.
And she kissed him back like she was drowning and he was air.
Until her phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
She pulled away, frowning.
Ryan looked over her shoulder as she opened it.
It was a photo.
Of the two of them.
Kissing in the car.
And below it, a message:
"Everyone will know what you are, Ella. You'll regret loving him."
****