CHAPTER 8

Moments later, Noah came to unlock the door, grinning like an idiot. As soon as we stepped out, Mia rushed over, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

"So, when should we expect the baby?" she asked, looking between Xavier and me with a mischievous smile.

"Gross!" I shrieked, throwing my hands up in disbelief. "You people are disgusting!" I stormed off, leaving them to their ridiculous jokes.

As I made my way down the stairs to grab my water bottle from Xan, I spotted Britney bullying some girl near the east wing. Typical Britney.

"This bitch," I muttered under my breath, heading straight for her.

"You little thief!" Britney screamed, pulling at the girl's hair. "How dare you steal my Xavier!"

I quickly dialed Noah. "I need you to send Xavier to the east wing stairs, now."

Without waiting for a response, I rushed over to Britney and yanked her hand away from the girl's hair, twisting it behind her back. She let out a screech that echoed through the hallway.

"Let go of me, you psycho!" Britney shrieked, thrashing in my grip.

Ignoring her tantrum, I glanced at the girl, who seemed oddly familiar. I'd seen her somewhere before, but I couldn't quite place her.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently.

The girl nodded, her face wet with tears. She was drenched, and her clothes were soaked.

A boy handed me my water bottle, and without hesitation, I emptied its contents over Britney's head. She gasped, her hair sticking to her face like a wet mop.

"I hate bullies like you, Britney," I said coldly. "You think you're powerful, but the truth is, you're the helpless one."

Just then, Xavier arrived. His eyes widened when he saw the girl, and a flash of pain and regret crossed his face.

I led the girl away from the crowd and toward my locker, with Xavier trailing behind us.

"Here, take this," I offered, handing her one of my blue T-shirts. "I hope it fits you."

"Lia?" Noah's voice called out as he approached us.

"Hi, Noah," the girl said softly.

I froze. Lia?

When she returned after changing, I turned to Xavier, who had remained unusually silent.

"You should take better care of your girlfriend, Xavier," I muttered, glaring at him. "At the very least, warn your fangirls to stay away from her."

The girl smiled at me. "You must be Ava," she said, her voice kind.

I blinked in confusion. "Wait...you're his sister?" I asked, my brain struggling to catch up.

"Nice to meet you again, Ava. I'm Amelia Knight," she said with a smile. "You don't remember me, do you? You helped me once when Tristan—"

"Amelia!" I interrupted, finally remembering her. "I'll never forget you again, I promise."

"You're such a sweetheart," Mia chimed in. "I still can't believe you're Xavier's sister!"

Noah and I chuckled, but Xavier remained quiet, his expression unreadable. He walked over to Lia and hugged her tightly, apologizing for being a bad brother.

To my surprise, he then turned toward me and, before I could react, hugged me too.

"Thank you, Ava, for protecting my sister."

I smirked. "I'll accept your thanks after you buy me a burger from McDonald's and start being polite to me."

He smiled, and for the first time, I realized something: this moment, this incident, had changed something between us. Something I wasn't quite ready to admit.