No one said a word after the shocking announcement.Brian stared at the MC in disbelief. Did he misinterpret that? How was this possible?After some seconds of silence, the students screamed in jubilation. Raymond waved at everyone, grinning. Brian glared at him. He had been so sure he was going to win. Every student he eavesdropped on said they voted for him so how on earth did Raymond win this? "And taking the second position, with one hundred and nineteen votes is Brian Ashton." The MC said, but in all the jubilation, Brian wasn't sure if he was heard. Two seniors climbed the stage with a crown and sash bearing the words, "King of Ball." Brian clutched his fist. He now understood how Alexia must have felt when she lost the gown."Congratulations, Raymond." The MC said. "Come give a little speech to everyone."Raymond's shoulder slightly bumped into Brian as he walked past him. Raymond cleared his throat. "Oh my God. Thank you guys. Three times in a row? Gosh, y'all are amazin
Gabe screamed and staggered back. His friends held him from falling.Melanie's chest moved upward and downward repeatedly as she glared at Gabe. "How dare you?" she spat."You bitch. I'll get you for that." Gabe released himself from the hold of his friends and threw a punch at Melanie.Melanie was prepared to dodge but Brian caught Gabe's fist in a shift movement."You shouldn't hit a girl, jerk." He pushed him back.As angry as he was with Melanie, he couldn't stand and watch someone assault her. Especially Gabe. Gabe steadied himself. "Oh, the hero comes to save his girlfriend.""Exactly, now get out of here." "Not until she gets what she deserves and you give me my money back. Stand back." "I warned you before the game that you won't get a dime out of the money and I'm serious about it. So leave now, unless you want to start a fight you can't win." Brian said, his voice filled with so much coldness that it frightened Gabe for a minute. But he shook it off. He had bullied Bri
Standing with their body turned to the side, Raymond and Brian circled, their fist curled up. All the people in the parking lot, Melanie, Charlene, Gabe, and the others backed away and stood behind a car. Tension was in the air. The same question was on everyone's mind as they anticipated the start of the fight. Eventually, Raymond decided to take the first. move. He targeted a blow at Brian's gut. Brian lowered his arms and blocked it. He raised his legs at Raymond's ear. Raymond crouched down and tried to jab Brian as he stood up. Brian tilted his head backward and jumped back, creating some distance between them. Brian wriggled his fingers and curled them back. Brian realized Raymond seemed to possess some fighting skill, unlike Gabe. Raymond charged again and the fight intensified. It was like watching a Jackie Chan movie. Both threw different attacks but they just kept defending them. Just like in the arm wrestling, they were evenly matched. Studying his movement, Bria
Charlene had never seen Dalton look so angry before. His face, calm before, now looked fierce and cold. Dalton's eyes seemed to throw daggers as he breathed heavily with his fist tightened. Raymond stared at him from head to toe. Wasn't this the friendless dude from the Medicine department? "How dare you hit me, you scumbag?" Raymond yelled, his face contorted with fury. He got up and approached Dalton. "You'll pay for that. You little piece of...ah." Dalton hit his elbow hard on Raymond's nose while he was still speaking. Raymond screamed and staggered back. Blood oozed out of his nose. "You...you broke my nose," Raymond said in disbelief, covering his nose. "Yeah. Try anything else and I'll break more than your nose." Dalton threatened. His voice didn't have the calmness it had before. Dalton didn't look like the cute and calm guy Charlene once knew. She was taken aback by this new version of him. Even Raymond was surprised. His fierce look was enough to frighten him. Da
At the front porch, while Melanie and Brian argued, Charlene was cleaning Dalton's elbow which was grazed due to Raymond's teeth."Geez, harsh thing you did to Raymond." She commented."I could have done more," Dalton replied. The cut inflamed under the touch of the spirit but he didn't flinch at all."Hmm, who would have thought you knew how to fight? You look so...gentle." Charlene stared at his hazel eyes. She could still remember how fierce it looked when Dalton shrugged. "Never judge a book by its cover. How's your head?"Charlene rubbed the back of her head. "I came off with a little lump, but I'll be alright.""Let me see...if it's okay with you." Charlene turned around. Dalton pushed her orange hair away. Charlene loved the way his fingers touched her skin. "Oh," Dalton said, after sighting the lump. "Just apply some pressure and ice on it and it will be alright.""Sure," Charlene replied, almost dreamily. She wanted to press her head into his hands but he had removed hi
"So, you were working undercover?" asked Melanie.Dalton nodded again. "For Brian's safety, Edward appointed me to watch Brian in secret. I'm sure he has other Nightbirds watching Brian secretly too.""Sounds like something Edward would do," Melanie said."OK, can someone explain what a Nightbird is?" Brian interjected, getting confused with the Nightbjrd talk."Oh, you don't know yet. Well, your father has three categories of workers and men. The Nightbirds, Gray Guardians, and Butterfly. Dalton is a Nightbird, while Charlene and I are Butterflies." Melanie explained and pushed back some strands of her hair.Brian blinked. "And why am I just hearing this now?" They only shrugged. Brian shook his head. "So my father has...Nightbirds...watching me in secret?""He didn't tell me, but I'm sure he does. He can't assign just me." Dalton said.Brian hummed. He wondered who the other Nightbird might be. It could be anyone. People he knew, people he didn't know. Anyone."Well, this explains
Gabe and his friends froze as three men approached them. They were masked and dressed in all-black. "What...what...do you want from us?" Gabe stammered, trembling. "Who is Gabe Peterson?" The man in the middle asked. His voice was so deep that it sent shivers down their spine. Without hesitation, they all pointed at Gabe. "Take him." The man ordered. Gabe's heart skipped a beat. "What? What did I do?" The other two men drew closer to him and grabbed his shoulders. "Follow us if you don't want any problems." One of them said. Gabe gulped and glanced at his friends. Fright was evidently etched on their faces. They didn't make any move to come to his aid at all. Seeing there was no point fighting, Gabe reluctantly allowed himself to be pushed by the men. At the doorway, Gabe looked back at his friends. They still made no move. He sighed and walked out. It was almost midnight. Their house was located in a neighborhood secluded from the highway, so the area was quiet except fo
"Brian Ashton and Melanie Spears, the chancellor called for the both of you." An unknown student announced in Brian's Financial Accounting class. Brian sighed. He had been expecting the announcement since he came to school that day. After getting permission from the Financial Accounting lecturer, they left the class amidst the stares from the whole class. They walked in silence to the building where the office was located. They climbed the staircase to the office and entered when they arrived. Gabe, his friends, Charlene, Raymond, and Dalton were already in the office. Miss Claudine stood beside the chancellor who was seated on his swivel chair. The office was quiet except for the creaking of the ceiling fan and the vibrations from the water dispenser. Brian could see a view of the school from the window behind the chancellor. "So, can anyone tell me how the bloody fight started?" The chancellor joined his hands and interlocked his fingers immediately the door slammed shut. His