Sigh! Alright, before the beating starts, I might as well explain to you guys who these fuckers are.
You see the big one blocking me? Yeah, that's Ren. He's the muscle and the brain of this circus. The one behind him with that ugly smirk? That's Luca. Then we've got Kerr, the lanky one who looks like a starving chicken but somehow thinks he's handsome. And finally, Bren, the quiet one who doesn't talk much but swings his fists like he's allergic to peace.
Yeah, those four. My old roommates. My "brothers." My daily pain in the ass.
When I first got admitted into the academy, I thought they were decent. We laughed, drank, shared food, and bitched about teachers together. I even called them my friends once. That was before I found out what kind of monsters they really were.
You know the type. The ones who think rules don't apply to them. They bullied weaker students, stole pills from the supply store, and once beat up an old janitor just because he spilled water on Ren's boots.
At first, I tried to ignore it. I mean, I was just trying to survive, not become the academy's justice warrior. But after seeing them nearly kill a kitchen boy, I lost it. I reported them. Yeah, I snitched. I thought I did the right thing.
Big mistake.
They got punished, sure, but when they got out, I couldn't resist mocking them. Every day. Every damn day. I'd grin at them and say things like, "How's cleaning toilets, boys? Bet the shit smell suits you."
Hah. Oh, karma really doesn't forget.
Because here I am now. The same bastard who laughed at them is now a cleaner too. Life is funny like that.
Since the day I picked up that broom, they've been on my neck. Every chance they got, they'd find me, corner me, and beat me like it was some kind of tradition. The only reason I'm still alive is because of one rule in this academy, no killing. Otherwise, they'd have buried me behind the latrine months ago.
And today, it looks like the tradition continues.
Ren's eyes were locked on Cassian, sharp and dangerous. His body blocked the door, and the other three boys spread out around him like wolves circling prey. Cassian sighed and tightened his grip on his broom and mop.
"These fuckers again," he muttered under his breath. "What the hell do they want this time,
"Don't," Ren growled. "If you call her pretty one more time, I'll gorge your eyes out."
Cassian frowned deeper. What the hell was wrong with these psychos?
Ren smirked and tilted his head. "You remember Damon, right?"
The second he said that name, Cassian's stomach dropped. Damon. Oh shit.
Everyone in the academy knew that name. Damon, the number one outer disciple. The guy who could snap his fingers and make anyone disappear. Rumor had it he was already stronger than some of the inner students, but he refused to move up because he liked being king of the outer sect.
Cassian's mouth went dry. "What does Damon have to do with me?"
Luca chuckled from behind him, his voice dripping with mockery. "You must not know this, but Damon has a huge crush on Harley. Been chasing her for months. The poor guy's obsessed. But she keeps rejecting him."
He leaned closer, smiling like a devil. "And this morning, news reached him that Harley went as far as hugging a cleaner. She even gave him food."
Cassian's mind froze. Hugging? Gave food?
Wait a damn minute.
He did fall on her when he fainted earlier, but that was an accident! She caught him so he wouldn't crack his skull open. How the hell did that turn into a 'hug' story?
He stared at them blankly, the situation clicking together in his head. Damon's goons weren't here to scare him. They were here to beat him for touching their boss's so-called "goddess."
Cassian let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "So… this is about that? Huh. Wow. Big misunderstanding, guys. I didn't hug anyone. I just fainted and…."
Ren cracked his neck, stepping closer until his shadow covered Cassian completely.
Yeah. They weren't here for explanations.
They were here to rearrange his bones.