真実性-6

Phoenix

As soon as I ran out of the building, I caught the bus just in time. It wasn't too crowded, which was a miracle considering how late I was. I leaned against the window, catching my breath, and watched the city blur past. My mind kept wandering back to yesterday — the exorcism, Ace handling that spirit like it was nothing, and me almost getting possessed. I shook my head, trying to push the thought away. I didn't want to look like a complete idiot in front of Ace again.

The bus ride wasn't too long, and soon enough, I reached the school gate. The old guard was sitting in his usual spot, nodding off a bit. I gave him a quick wave as I walked past. He's been around since I was a kid, and I guess I got used to seeing him every morning. He smiled back at me, tipping his cap, and I hurried inside.

I made my way through the hallway, dodging a few students rushing past, and finally got to my classroom. I headed straight to my seat — back row, right next to the window. Best spot in the room, in my opinion. You could stare out at the courtyard when things got boring, and it was far enough away that the teachers didn't bother much.

Just as I settled in, Finn plopped down next to me, grinning like he always did. "Yo! You're alive!" he teased, giving me a light punch on the shoulder.

I snorted. "Barely. Got dragged out of bed by Ace, as usual."

Finn laughed. "Figures. You skipped yesterday, right? Miss Amy totally roasted you for missing another assignment."

I groaned, slumping in my seat. "Great. I'll have to catch up on that. Anything else I missed?"

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper like he was about to spill some big secret. "Dude, you won't believe it. That new transfer student? The one everyone's been talking about? Turns out he's loaded. Showed up in a black sports car, and half the class swears he's some rich heir or something."

"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow. "Why would someone like that bother coming here?"

Finn shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe his parents wanted to humble him or something. He's in Class A, though, so I doubt we'll ever see him. Just thought you'd wanna know since everyone's losing their minds over it."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Typical. Guess I missed all the drama yesterday, huh?"

Finn nodded. "Pretty much. But don't worry, you're still the talk of the class for sleeping through last week's history exam. Miss Luna nearly had a meltdown."

I winced. "Yeah... Ace chewed me out for that one. Still trying to make up for it."

We both laughed, and I leaned back, glancing out the window as the bell rang. The morning sun was already up high, warming up the courtyard. It was almost peaceful, and for a moment, I let myself forget about yesterday's craziness. Just another day at school... though I couldn't help but wonder what kind of job Ace would pick up next.

Finn just wouldn't stop talking about the new guy. Even during lunch break, he was still going on and on about him while I dug into the pasta Ace made for me. It was pretty good — creamy with just the right amount of seasoning. Leave it to Ace to nail it every time.

"Dude, I'm telling you," Finn said, waving his fork around animatedly. "He's like a freakin' model. And rumor has it he's from some super-rich family. Everyone's losing it over him. I bet he's gonna be the new student council president or something."

I raised an eyebrow, taking another bite. "You're way too invested in this guy's life already."

He scoffed. "Come on, it's not every day we get someone like that here. Plus, apparently, he's two years older than us. They say he transferred in as a senior for some weird reason."

"Two years older, huh?" I mumbled. "Sounds like he's got some issues if he's still stuck here at our school."

Finn just shrugged, not really paying attention to my comment as he continued to gush over how "cool" and "mysterious" Atlas was. I was just about to tune him out when suddenly, the entire cafeteria erupted into loud cheers.

People were practically screaming his name. "Atlas!!"

I glanced over to see what the commotion was all about, and sure enough, there he was — the guy of the hour. Atlas strolled into the cafeteria with this unbothered, almost bored look on his face, his deep blue eyes scanning the room as if he owned the place. His curtain-mullet black hair fell perfectly into place, not a strand out of order. The guy definitely had a presence, I'd give him that.

But something about him just screamed arrogant. The way he walked, how he didn't even acknowledge the people practically drooling over him — it was like he didn't care about anyone else.

Finn was practically bouncing in his seat. "See?! Told you he's got that rich-guy vibe! Man, how cool would it be to hang out with him?"

I just scoffed, stabbing at my pasta. "Cool? He looks like a stuck-up jerk to me."

Finn gave me a look. "You're just saying that because you're jealous."

"What would I even be jealous of?" I muttered, but Finn wasn't listening. He was too busy gawking along with everyone else.

Atlas didn't even sit down to eat. He just walked through the cafeteria like he was too good to stick around, heading straight for the exit without giving anyone a second glance. Typical.

Once he was gone, the excitement slowly died down, and everyone went back to their food, still gossiping about the new "prince" of the school. I just shook my head and focused back on my lunch, trying to ignore the weird feeling that settled in my gut. I couldn't explain it, but something about Atlas just felt... off.

The surprise of the day came when Atlas walked back into the cafeteria. Finn was the first to notice, of course. He nudged me hard enough to almost make me drop my fork.

"Dude! He's back!" Finn whisper-shouted, his eyes wide with excitement.

I barely glanced up, still focused on finishing my pasta. "Yeah? Good for him."

"No, no, you don't get it!" Finn insisted, practically vibrating in his seat. "He's looking around. Like, scanning the room. Think he's looking for someone?"

I didn't bother looking. "Why would I care?"

But Finn wasn't having it. "Bro, he's coming this way!"

That made me pause. I glanced up just in time to see Atlas making his way straight towards us, his long strides confident and purposeful. His playful smile didn't go unnoticed, either — half the cafeteria looked ready to faint. I could hear people whispering and squealing over his grin, but I wasn't exactly interested in joining the fan club. I was more focused on figuring out why he was heading straight toward me.

Before I could process it, Atlas leaned down, his face way too close for comfort. He mumbled something low, but the cafeteria noise drowned it out completely.

"Can't hear you," I muttered, trying to lean back without being obvious.

Instead of repeating himself, he did something that threw me completely off guard — he gently grabbed my wrist and pulled me up from my seat. I almost tripped, barely managing to grab my bag before he dragged me away.

"Finn, take my lunch box back later!" I called out over my shoulder. Finn just gave me a thumbs-up, his eyes wide and a ridiculous grin plastered on his face.

Atlas didn't say anything, just kept walking with me in tow. I didn't bother resisting since his grip was firm but not rough, and honestly, I was too stunned to think straight. Why was he of all people dragging me out of the cafeteria?

Once we were out in the hallway and away from the chaos, he finally let go of my wrist and turned to face me, his expression back to that calm and composed look. I rubbed my wrist absentmindedly, trying to figure out what just happened.

"What's your deal?" I blurted out, more confused than annoyed.

He didn't answer right away, just studied me with those piercing blue eyes like he was analyzing something. For a moment, I thought he might say something snarky or annoying, but his next words caught me off guard.

"You're Ace Anderson's brother, right?"

That made me freeze. How did he know that? And why did he look like he was trying to confirm something important?

I raised an eyebrow, still rubbing my wrist where he'd grabbed me. "Your point?" I asked, confirming that I was indeed Ace Anderson's brother.

Atlas didn't respond immediately. Instead, his lips curled into a smirk, and he leaned casually against the wall, folding his arms over his chest. "Didn't expect Ace's little brother to be this cute," he said smoothly, his voice dropping a little lower.

I blinked, completely caught off guard. "H-Huh?"

He chuckled, clearly enjoying my confused reaction. "You're different from what I imagined. Thought you'd be more... intimidating, considering how your brother acts."

I frowned, trying to process what he was saying while ignoring the sudden heat creeping up my face. "Sorry to disappoint," I muttered sarcastically, trying to cover my embarrassment.

He just laughed lightly, the sound annoyingly pleasant. "Not disappointed at all," he replied with a wink.

I looked away, trying to gather my thoughts and not let him see how flustered I was. "If you're done messing around, can you just get to the point?" I snapped, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

Atlas seemed to finally take me seriously, his smirk softening. "Alright, alright. No need to get defensive." He pushed off the wall and looked at me more intently. "I just wanted to confirm something. Your brother — he's helping Xavier with a 'problem' this weekend, right?"

My eyes widened a bit. So he was talking about that job. "Yeah... Why do you care?"

He sighed, running a hand through his black hair. "Because I'm gonna be tagging along. Xavier's business partner and all that. Plus, someone needs to keep that guy in check," he muttered the last part under his breath.

"So... you're coming with us?" I asked, still processing the whole thing.

He nodded. "Yeah. I figured I'd scope you out first. See what kind of guy Ace's brother is. Gotta admit, didn't expect someone so... soft-looking." He flashed me another playful grin.

"Hey!" I shot back, feeling weirdly offended. "I'm not soft-looking!"

He just shrugged with a lazy smile. "Whatever you say, Nixy."

I glared at him. "Don't call me that."

Atlas just gave a dramatic sigh and placed his hand on his chest. "Man, you're even more fun than I thought. This weekend's gonna be interesting."

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just gave him a look that hopefully screamed 'get lost'. He seemed to take the hint, because he straightened up and started walking away, throwing one last glance over his shoulder.

"See you around, Nixy."

I grumbled under my breath as he disappeared down the hall. What the heck was that all about? And how did he know so much about me and Ace already? This guy was definitely going to be a problem.

"Hold up," I called out before he could get too far. Atlas stopped and turned around, one eyebrow raised with that same cocky smirk.

"At least give me your number," I said, trying to sound casual. I wasn't about to admit that I was just a little bit curious about this guy — especially after he made such a scene in the cafeteria.

He shrugged and walked back over, pulling out his phone. "Sure thing, Nixy." He rattled off his number, and I quickly saved it.

"What should I save your name as?" I asked, glancing up at him.

Atlas leaned in close again, his face way too close for comfort. "How about 'Handsome Devil'?" he whispered in a teasing tone, his lips dangerously close to my ear.

I shot him a glare. "How about I just put 'Annoying Flirt' instead?" I shot back, trying not to sound as flustered as I felt.

He just laughed and gave me a lopsided grin. "I'll take it," he replied. "But for real, just put Atlas. You'll be calling me that soon enough anyway."

I rolled my eyes but typed his name in and hit save. He glanced at my screen to make sure I didn't actually put something embarrassing, then gave me a playful wink.

"Try not to miss me too much," he said, backing away with his hands shoved casually into his pockets.

"Yeah, right," I muttered, watching him saunter off like he owned the place. I couldn't help but feel a weird mix of annoyance and... something else. This guy was definitely trouble, and I wasn't sure how to handle it.

I stared down at my phone for a second, debating whether or not I should just delete his number. But something made me keep it. Maybe it was curiosity... or maybe just the fact that he somehow managed to make my heart race a little without even trying.

With a sigh, I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and headed back to the cafeteria to get my lunchbox from Finn. I already knew I'd be getting teased for the rest of the day.