Surviving The Night

I knew I had already messed with both Dante and Zaden. That was mistake number one. Now, mistake number two would be letting them get their revenge without a fight.

So, what should I do? What tricks could I play to survive the night?

I took a deep breath, pushing down my nerves as I made my way toward my room. My hand hovered over the doorknob for a moment.

Gulp. Maybe I should run. No, no. That would just make things worse.

Sucking it up, I carefully turned the knob and cracked the door open just enough to peek inside.

Oh.

Oh no.

All four of them—Dante, Zaden, Ashton, and Nantos—were already inside, lounging on their beds, staring directly at me as if they had been waiting.

Dante leaned against the headboard, arms crossed, his sharp blue eyes gleaming with amusement. Zaden sat up, an infuriating smirk on his face. Ashton just raised a brow, while Nantos looked like he wanted to disappear.

I forced an awkward smile, my fingers tightening on the doorknob. Maybe if I just slowly walked to my bed and said nothing, I could avoid a beating tonight.

I stepped inside carefully. Don't speak. Don't look at them. Just move.

One step. Two steps. Three—

I made it to my bed and immediately turned my back to them, pulling the blanket over me like it was some kind of pathetic shield.

Maybe—just maybe—if I pretended to be asleep, they would let me live.

But of course, Zaden had to open his mouth.

"I heard you punched Dante just because he helped you." he drawled lazily. "Oh yeah, and then you also headbutted him and showed him a damn middle finger."

I clenched my jaw and ignored him.

Silence.

Maybe he would get bored and—

"Are you ignoring me now?!" Zaden snapped.

I squeezed my eyes shut, still refusing to react. Maybe if I stayed quiet—

Footsteps.

I stiffened.

The next second, a sharp smack landed on the back of my head.

Pain shot through my skull. That hurt!

But I gritted my teeth, still not turning around.

A mistake.

Because then, Zaden grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked.

A sharp scream tore out of my throat as my head snapped backward. Bastard!

The pain was instant and blinding, but before I even realized what I was doing—

My fist slammed into his face.

Hard.

His head snapped to the side.

The entire room fell silent.

Dante and Ashton froze. Nantos gasped.

Zaden's head snapped slightly to the side from the impact, but he barely flinched. Instead, a slow smirk stretched across his face, his silver eyes gleaming with something that sent a chill down my spine.

"Oh? So you do fight back." he mused, rubbing his jaw where my fist had landed.

Shit.

I just did exactly what he wanted.

Dante, lounging on his bed with an ice pack on his mouth thanks to my earlier headbutt, chuckled darkly. "Guess he's got more guts than I thought."

I was not about to entertain their little game.

I quickly stepped back, putting distance between us, but before I could move further, Zaden lunged. He grabbed my collar, yanking me forward so abruptly that my feet left the ground for a split second.

"You've got a habit of making enemies fast, huh?" he whispered, his grip tightening.

I forced out a laugh, raising my hands in mock surrender. "What can I say? It's a talent."

Ashton, the third roommate, whistled from his bed. "I'd bet on Zaden, but honestly, Elias is unpredictable. He might bite someone."

Dante scoffed. "Bite? He already headbutted me like a rabid animal."

They were enjoying this. Too much.

I needed to get out of this right now.

"Alright, alright, let's all calm down." I said, my voice light but calculated. "I punched you, yeah, but you did pull my hair first. So let's call it even and move on."

Zaden yanked me closer, our noses nearly touching. "And what if I don't want to call it even?"

I grinned. "Then I suppose I'll have to make you."

And before he could react—

I stomped hard on his foot.

Zaden let out a sharp curse, his grip loosening just enough for me to twist free. I bolted toward the door, but—

A hand snatched the back of my shirt.

Oh, come on!

With a sharp tug, I was pulled back into the room. This time, it was Nantos who had grabbed me—our quietest roommate, the one I thought would stay out of this.

He gave me a deadpan look. "And where exactly do you think you're running off to?"

Okay. New plan.

Survive.