Chapter 6 Special Attention

As Liam settled into his seat, the familiar sound of a deep voice beside him made him turn his head slightly.

"Where the fuck were you?"

Dickson's voice was rough yet laced with concern, his eyes scanning Liam's face as if searching for answers that weren't being given freely. His best friend had been gone for an entire week, and the sudden reappearance without a proper explanation was more than just suspicious—it was downright weird.

Liam exhaled slowly, running a hand through his thick dark hair as he leaned slightly closer to Dickson before speaking in a low tone, making sure no one else could hear.

"How long has it really been?" he asked, his voice calm but filled with uncertainty.

Dickson raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting slightly, a deep furrow forming between his brows. There was something off about Liam's question.

"The hell are you talking about? It's been a week, man. Seven fucking days. Where did you even go? Were you out chasing bitches or what?"

"Tch."

Liam clicked his tongue in annoyance, his fingers tapping lightly against the edge of his desk.

Something wasn't adding up.

To him, it felt like only yesterday that he was running for his life, chased down by those four bastards across the school field, desperately trying to escape their grasp. It felt like only yesterday that he had seen the blinding headlights of that car before everything turned into an agonizing blur of pain and blood. But here he was, sitting in class as if none of that had ever happened, as if the pain, the broken bones, the near-death experience had been nothing more than an illusion.

Who had saved him?

How had he healed?

Why did it feel like reality itself had been altered?

Before he could drown too deeply in his thoughts, a sudden force against his shoulder snapped him back to the present.

"Hey, bro, we got a new student," Dickson said, his voice carrying an odd mix of excitement and curiosity.

Liam blinked, turning his head slightly. "Who?"

Dickson smirked and jerked his chin towards the back of the classroom. "Look behind you."

Liam shifted in his seat and turned his head, his gaze settling on the desk behind him, and for a brief moment, he felt a flicker of surprise.

Sitting there, calmly writing in her notebook, was a girl he had never seen before.

She was breathtaking.

Long, flowing blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing a delicate yet strikingly beautiful face, her fair skin flawless under the classroom's dim lighting. Her eyes, sharp and focused, were locked onto her notes, her long lashes casting shadows over her cheeks. But what caught Liam's attention the most was the undeniable presence she carried—graceful, poised, almost as if she didn't belong in this mundane school setting. Her body was voluptuous, curves accentuated perfectly beneath the tight-fitting school uniform, and yet there was something about her that felt distant, as if she wasn't completely present in this moment.

Liam hadn't even realized he had been staring until, as if sensing his gaze, the girl lifted her head.

Her eyes flickered upward, scanning the room, searching for whoever had been looking at her, but by the time her gaze reached Liam's seat, he had already turned back around, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Liam leaned in slightly toward Dickson, lowering his voice.

"Who is she?"

Dickson sighed, shaking his head. "Nobody really knows. She just transferred in, and she doesn't talk much. Keeps to herself."

Liam's brows knitted together in thought, curiosity creeping into his mind. A girl like that, in a school like this, sitting right behind him? Something about it didn't sit right with him. But before he could dwell on it any further, a voice from the front of the classroom interrupted his thoughts.

"Liam."

Miss Amanda's voice was firm yet calm, drawing his attention.

As he looked toward her, he noticed she was already packing up her things, preparing to leave the classroom for her next session. But before stepping out, she gave him a brief glance and spoke again.

"Come to my office after school. You need to rewrite the test you missed."

Liam nodded without much thought. "Alright."

It wasn't until he turned back around that he noticed the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

The air in the classroom had changed.

It was heavy, tense, almost suffocating.

And then he saw them.

The boys.

Their eyes were locked onto him, cold and unforgiving, their expressions twisted into something between rage and disbelief. It wasn't just because he had returned—it was who had just spoken to him.

Miss Amanda was one of the most desired women in the entire school. Every guy had fantasized about her at least once. The idea that Liam—**the class punching bag, the so-called coward—**had received special attention from her was infuriating to them.

Liam let out a slow breath before narrowing his eyes at them, his expression shifting into something new, something foreign even to himself.

His lips curled slightly, a smirk playing at the edge of his mouth as he leaned back into his chair. And then, without hesitation, he muttered under his breath.

"You assholes."

Dickson, who had been watching everything unfold beside him, nearly dropped his pen.

The Liam he knew—the old Liam—would have immediately shrunk into his seat, head down, avoiding the glares and scowls of the guys who had tormented him for years. The old Liam would have never dared to openly insult them, no matter how frustrated he was.

But this Liam?

He had just looked them in the eye and mocked them outright.

A slow grin crept onto Dickson's face as he leaned back into his chair, crossing his arms.

This was going to be interesting.