Chapter 5

I had no intention of telling Eve the secret that bound me to Felix. It belonged to a past that should remain buried—just between him and me. Probably no one at school knew that the boy most girls now swooned over, the star of the hallways, had once been an overweight kid in elementary school. Back then, he wore comically large glasses, was mocked relentlessly by classmates, and couldn't muster the courage to defend himself.

But Felix had undergone a stunning transformation. By the time we reached high school, he had become someone entirely different—confident, admired, the kind of person others instinctively gravitated toward. He wasn't just physically changed; he had reshaped his entire persona, working quietly but relentlessly on who he wanted to become.

I knew better than to share this with Eve. Within an hour, the entire school would be buzzing with gossip. Her tongue was so dangerously loose that even she sometimes startled herself with the things she let slip.

No—Felix's past would remain locked away, untouched and unspoken.

As I passed him in the corridor, he cast a furtive glance in my direction, the corners of his mouth curling up ever so slightly. A silent signal, unmistakable in its intent—he was letting me know that something between us was about to change.

Part of me fluttered with excitement; after all, he had been my crush for as long as I could remember. But another part of me was overwhelmed with unease. The whole thing felt surreal, as if I had stumbled into the plotline of one of my own fanfics. These kinds of things didn't happen in real life. Not really.

"Is your head all right, best friend?" Eve's voice burst through my thoughts as she slung an arm around my shoulder with all her usual flamboyance.

I hadn't returned to class the day before. They'd let me go home early after I claimed I wasn't feeling well, and I hadn't answered a single one of Eve's increasingly frantic messages since.

"Pray your own head stays intact, or I'm going to wring it myself," I muttered under my breath, still nursing irritation.

"Oh, come on! You're sulking like a little kid," she teased. "But admit it—it's thanks to me that things between you and Felix are finally heating up. He's seriously into you. I just… gave it a little nudge."

"Worry about your own love life," I shot back. "Unless you want me to butt in and stir the pot there too."

Eve let out a snort, clearly unfazed. "Please. What could you possibly do? I'm the queen of matchmaking. A natural-born Cupid."

I smirked, my eyes drifting past her to a familiar figure crossing the street. Sebastian. My attention immediately shifted.

"Oh, look what the wind blew in." I stepped out of Eve's embrace, calling after him. "Hey! You—wait up!"

Eve narrowed her eyes, instantly suspicious.

I caught Sebastian by the arm, stopping him in his tracks. He looked confused, maybe a little alarmed. From behind me, I heard Eve burst out laughing, already guessing what I was up to.

"Come on, Selena! Show us what you've got! Snag that sweet amante!"

Sebastian looked at me with wide, panicked eyes as I guided him toward the wall, making sure he couldn't escape.

"What's going on?" he asked, clearly unsettled.

"I've got some amazing news," I began, lowering my voice like I was about to share classified information. "You've got an admirer. Right behind you."

His eyes shifted cautiously to Eve, who stood there looking way too smug, her fingers crossed and a wicked gleam in her eye.

"She's been going on all those dates to try and forget you," I continued smoothly. "Because she thinks you're out of her league. Apparently, you gave her the cold shoulder at some point, and she took it hard."

The expression on his face was priceless. It took everything in me not to burst out laughing.

"Are you messing with me?" he asked, flushing bright red.

"Nope. Believe it or not, I've got better things to do. Eve may be bold, but she asked for my help because, deep down, she knows you intimidate her."

Sebastian blinked, looking helpless and overwhelmed.

"Eve, he's all yours!" I called over my shoulder. "He knows everything now!"

I started to walk away, expecting Eve to stride past him with some sarcastic one-liner. But to my surprise, she did something far bolder.

She stopped right in front of him, flashing that devil-may-care grin.

"What are you doing?" I hissed in disbelief.

Eve ignored me. She planted one hand against the wall beside his head, leaning in until their faces were far too close for comfort. All around them, curious eyes began to gather.

"From now on," she declared loudly, "you're mine."

The hallway erupted. Cheers, whistles, shocked laughter.

Sebastian's face turned scarlet. He looked as though he might pass out on the spot.

"What—what are you doing?" he stammered.

"I'm appointing you my boyfriend, urchin," she said breezily.

And then, without warning, she kissed him.

For a moment, he stood frozen, too stunned to react. Meanwhile, the surrounding crowd exploded with even louder cheers.

I could only shake my head in disbelief.

She really was crazy.

"Your friend's busy. Come with me," a voice said behind me, right before someone grabbed my hand and pulled me along. I turned around, startled, only to realize it was Mike.

"And what exactly do you want from me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Oh, so many things," he replied with a smirk that spelled nothing but trouble.

Honestly, this school was a madhouse. Then again, maybe I belonged in it too.

"Be more specific."

"I want you to write a story about us—with us as the main characters." The glint in his eyes made it clear he wasn't joking.

A deviant, I thought bitterly.

"I don't have any fantasies involving you," I shot back sharply, which only made him laugh harder.

"Ouch. You just broke my heart, Selena Wasley." He clutched his chest in mock agony, still dragging me through the hallway.

"Classes are about to start. Where are we even going?"

"On a date," he declared without hesitation. "You've got class with Kulfon next, but rumor has it she's home sick."

"Did you print out my schedule or something? Are you a school weasel now, that you know everyone's business?"

"Not just the school's—weasel of the entire estate," he said with a grin. "Also, I happen to be your and Felix's bodyguard."

"Do you at least get paid for that?"

"In Felix's love."

He really was impossible. A walking, talking ten-year-old in a high school uniform.

"The moment you bumped into me, your destiny was set into motion," he said with a mysterious tone.

"Oh no, not this again. We don't have any destiny."

"And that's a tragedy." He glanced at me with exaggerated sadness before diving back into his monologue. "Thanks to me, Felix noticed you. I heard you two go way back. That's adorable. He recognized you right away, that's why he was so eager to know your name. And me? I was just doing the dirty work. That's all."

"So you weren't bullying me out of personal joy?" I asked, my voice laced with sarcasm.

"Had no choice," he said with a shrug. "Besides, you have to understand Felix, too. He only hired me because he was jealous. I am a notorious heartbreaker, after all."

His ego was astronomical. Truly.

"Even if you stood on your eyelashes, you wouldn't seduce me."

"That would be a problem, considering mine are short and sparse."

There was no doubt—he was still mentally ten years old.

"Beast, I brought you your Snow White!" Mike declared suddenly.

Only then did I realize where we were. He'd led me straight into the room—the private lounge for the school's most popular students. A plush couch, soft rug, polished table… They even had tea and snacks. It was their personal oasis.

"I think you've got your fairy tales mixed up, woodpecker," Felix corrected him coolly. "If anything, this is Beauty and the Beast."

"Or Snow White and the Dwarf," Mike added with a grin, referring to his own shorter height.

"Get out of here before I kick your ass," Felix warned without real heat.

Mike winked at me as he walked off. "You'll forgive him. He's like this every day. Maybe one day he'll grow up."

"I guess I'll get used to it eventually," I said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You're sure I don't have class right now?"

"No worries. Mike's like a human radar. He knows everything."

His words were confirmed a moment later when my phone buzzed with a message from a friend asking where I was, saying class wouldn't start for another hour.

I quickly replied: Take care of Sebastian. I'm currently unavailable.

"Sit," Felix said gently.

I slid my phone into my uniform pocket and took a seat across from him. He poured hot green tea into a porcelain cup and nudged it toward me.

"Thanks," I murmured, wrapping my fingers around the warm porcelain.

I felt awkward and a bit out of place, yet oddly comforted. There was a strange warmth spreading through me just from sitting here with him.

I took a careful sip, then set the cup back down on its saucer.

"All these years, I've been truly grateful for what you did back then," I said softly.

"Come on, it was ages ago. I just did what I had to do. Honestly, I wanted to beat those guys up half the time."

He laughed at the memory, and I smiled faintly.

"It's because of you that I became who I am now." I raised my gaze, locking eyes with him. "You gave me the motivation to change. I trained for years. By the time I entered high school, I was a different person—inside and out. I always hoped we'd meet again. It's wild that we were in the same school for a year and didn't cross paths."

"Maybe basketball was your only focus then?" he asked, voice quieter now.

"Not anymore," he added quickly, his tone shifting. I swallowed hard.

"That was before you showed up again."

A gentle, almost shy smile tugged at his lips, and I didn't know how to respond.

"Why did you disappear back in elementary school?" he asked.

A painful tightness settled in my chest. I didn't want to talk about it—not now.

"Something happened in my family," I replied after a pause. "I had to switch schools."

He didn't press, and I was grateful. I didn't want old wounds reopened.

Sensing my discomfort, he moved to sit beside me and gently wrapped his hand around mine.

"If you ever need help now, you can come to me. It's my turn to look after you."

I met his eyes, startled by the closeness of his face to mine.

Slowly, I nodded.

At that moment, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

No clue that this man—who now looked at me with such tenderness—would soon turn my world upside down… and pull me into a love that would burn like fire and hurt like hell.