The second I walked back to the other side of the balcony, laughter followed me. Not hers, they were from my friends'.
"Man, that was brutal," one of them, Mckay, chuckled, still leaning over the balcony rail. "She really stood there and confessed like this was some kind of drama show."
Another slapped my shoulder. "What's the big deal, though? She's hot. If some girl said that to me in front of the whole school, I'd call it a win."
I didn't smile or even glance at them. She couldn't have picked a worse time or a worse place. In front of half the damn school. In front of me.
In front of my friends'...
Kai, of course, wasn't laughing. His arms were crossed, and his gaze locked on me with that hard, warning look. "You'd better shut this down, Hayden. Quickly. Before she starts thinking she has a chance."
"She doesn't," I said flatly, dropping into the chair by the corner.
Kai pushed off the wall. "Then act like it. Don't forget what she did to you. You can't afford to let her get away with that, let alone—" he gestured toward the balcony, toward where her voice had rung out clear just minutes ago, "that."
The others fell quiet at his tone.
I exhaled slowly, resting my elbows on my knees. My head tilted down so they couldn't read my face. "She's not important."
That was what I told them because it was what I wanted them to believe.
But even as I said it, her voice looped in my mind, stubborn and clinging.
"I think you're attractive. And I want you. I'm not apologizing for that."
The words pressed against my chest, heavier than I wanted to admit.
No matter how coldly I dismissed her, no matter how much I told myself she wasn't worth it, one thing was certain.
Stephanie Porter was going to be a problem.
A problem I couldn't ignore.
Porter.
Out of everyone, she had to be the one dragged into my mess. A summer-school reject who somehow managed to grab my father's attention, worm her way under my skin, and now? Announce to the whole school that she wanted me.
The humiliation burned hot; not because she wanted me. But because, for one reckless, fleeting second… I wanted to ignore her.
McKay stretched his arms overhead, yawning. "At least you won't have to see her again. Honestly, I've never even noticed her in our class."
"That's because she's not in our year and she's a low-rank," Kai muttered in his disdain edged voice. Then he glanced at me. "But thanks to Lee, Hayden's supposed to tutor her into Class Elite."
That got a round of laughter. "You know," one of the guys snorted. "You can just make her fail, right? That's the only way this doesn't turn into a job."
Make her fail?
I looked up, frowning. "What? No."
Kai tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at me like I'd just betrayed him. "Why not? She doesn't deserve Class Elite. Hell, she doesn't even deserve to be in this school."
I didn't know what the hell he meant by doesn't deserve to be in this school, but the words created uncertainty. I hated Porter's existence, yes. I hated the chaos she dragged with her. But even I wasn't that cruel.
I rubbed my knuckles against the cold. "If she can't pass, she can't pass," I said finally. "That's on her. Not me."
"But what if she passes?" Kai pushed.
I shrugged, "that's on her."
"You can't let her have a chance at passing. Not after what she did to you."
For a moment, I almost said no. Again.
But then I remembered the way she'd grabbed me earlier, and the way her words still rang in my head. I think you're attractive. I want you. I'm not apologizing for that.
Fuck it.
"Of course," I said flatly. "I'll make sure she fails."
That lit Kai up, smug satisfaction flashed across his face. The boys laughed, pounding the rail like it was all entertainment.
I made my way towards the spot we stood earlier, resting my hands on the balcony edge. Below, the courtyard was still filled with noise; some students were still clustered.
And at the center of it all… Porter. Battling alone with her things still scattered at her feet.
For someone who had more enemies than friends, she held her head higher than it should've been.
My voice came off easily when I called down.
"Porter."
My voice echoed through the courtyard and all eyes turned towards me. Even she froze before her gaze found mine.
"Meet me in the library tomorrow during prep."
For a short period, there was silence. But as soon as I turned towards my room, I heard the murmurs again.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Hayden." With a sigh, I shut my dorm room door behind me.