The Monday morning sun was bright, but the atmosphere in the school hallway felt heavy. As Lucifer walked toward his locker, he noticed a group of boys huddled near the bulletin board, whispering and glancing his way.
In the center of the group stood Aryan, a top-ranker who had always resented Lucifer's mysterious arrival and his sudden closeness with Nancy.
"Hey, New York!" Aryan called out, his voice dripping with fake friendliness. "I was doing some 'research' on our star transfer student last night. Found some interesting articles from a Queens prep school."
Lucifer stopped, his back stiffening. He didn't turn around.
Nancy, who was just coming around the corner, froze. She saw the smirk on Aryan's face and the way Lucifer's fists were slowly clenching at his sides.
"Turns out," Aryan continued, stepping closer so the surrounding students could hear, "our quiet, brooding 'Chief Builder' was kicked out of his last school for a violent streak. Something about a hospital visit for another student? Guess the 'Ice King' has some blood on his hands."
A collective gasp went through the hallway. The whispers turned into sharp stabs of judgment. Nancy looked at Lucifer, waiting for him to snap, to deny it, to say something. But he remained silent, his head bowed, the shadows under his eyes darkening.
"Is it true, Lucifer?" Aryan pushed, sensing victory. "Are you just a thug hiding behind a scholarship?"
Lucifer finally turned. His face wasn't angry; it was weary. "I did what I had to do," he said, his voice flat. "But I don't owe you an explanation."
He walked away, leaving the crowd buzzing with rumors. Nancy started to follow him, but Aryan blocked her path. "Careful, Nancy. You don't know who you're playing with. People like him don't change; they just find new targets."
Nancy looked at the direction Lucifer had vanished in, then back at Aryan. She remembered the boy who cried over a broken sandcastle and the man who held her hand by the fire.
"You're right, Aryan," Nancy said, her voice cold and sharp. "I don't know everything about his past. But I know your future—and it involves staying out of our way."
She brushed past him, her heart racing. She didn't care about the rumors, but she knew Lucifer. If he was hiding a "dark" side, it wasn't because he was a monster—it was because he was still trying to protect the boy who had once promised to come back.