CHAPTER 76
**WINTER**
Fueled by anger, I march straight up to them without thinking. “Zion, you bastard! Let her go!”
The girl gasps, her eyes widening in alarm as she peers at me over Zion’s broad shoulder. I try to ignore the fact that she looks more terrified now than relieved by my intervention.
A tense silence falls over us, the kind that makes my skin crawl.
Zion doesn’t move, doesn’t say a word.
His shoulders are rigid, and the quietness around him feels suffocating. It’s the kind of silence that precedes something awful, the eerie calm before a predator strikes. And in that moment, I realize—I’ve screwed up.
Again.
Why can’t I ever just mind my own business?
Slowly, Zion releases the girl and turns his full attention to me. A cold shiver runs down my spine as I meet his icy gaze. His eyes are like smoke and blue flame, burning hotter than any normal fire, and the way he looks at me makes me feel like he’s setting my soul ablaze.
Despite the fear clawing at me, I force myself to stand tall, chin up, refusing to let him see how scared I am. I know better than to show weakness—guys like him feed on fear, on submission, and I’m not giving him either.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, Snowflake?” he finally says, his voice dangerously soft, each word a blade cutting into me.
“Stay out of this—it’s none of your business.”
“Oh, forgive me if I don’t sit idly by while some privileged jerk picks on a girl just because she doesn’t have money,” I retort sharply, my tone dripping with sarcasm.
“What’s the matter, Zion? Is picking on girls the only way you can feel like a big man? How pathetic.”
He tilts his head slightly, and for a moment, he looks unhinged—a little wild, a little dangerous. Completely unpredictable.
You think I’m messing with her because she’s poor?” Zion’s grin sharpens, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Money has nothing to do with it. And the fact that she’s a girl is irrelevant.”
“Then why are you harassing her?” I fire back, narrowing my eyes.
“What, did she bruise your precious ego?” I make a show of holding my thumb and forefinger just an inch apart, my gaze deliberately dropping to his crotch. His eyes darken, and he steps closer, his movements slow and deliberate.
Every instinct screams at me to back away, but I stand my ground. Zion’s face is suddenly inches from mine, so close I can feel the warmth of his breath mixing with mine.
“Because she’s a fucking liar, just like you, and I can’t stand liars,” he snarls. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the girl dart away, slipping into the dining hall without a second glance. Great. Now I’m stuck with this psychopath, all alone.
“Well, whatever you think she lied about, she didn’t deserve your shit. And neither do I,” I snap, my voice laced with defiance. His eyes blaze with anger like he imagines ripping me apart piece by piece, and I know I need to get out of here.
With the girl gone, there’s no reason for me to stick around either. I turn sharply on my heel and head toward the library.
“You’re not getting away that easily,” Zion growls, his footsteps heavy behind me. I keep walking, trying to ignore the heat of his breath on the back of my neck.
"Is this your thing now, Snowflake? Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, just like before?” His voice drips with a taunting edge, a quiet menace that follows me as he steps through the doors right behind me.
Students start to notice us, their curious gazes snapping in our direction, whispers spreading like wildfire. I catch glimpses of shock and fear on their faces, and I silently curse myself for provoking him in the first place. Why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut?
Zion doesn’t let up, closing the gap between us until there’s barely an inch of space.
“You’re just like her, aren’t you? A liar” he sneers.
“Can’t mind your own damn business because all you trailer park trash have to stick together?”
His words sting, but I turn away, determined not to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. I pick up my pace, hoping to put some distance between us, but he keeps up effortlessly.
“You can ignore me all you want,” he calls after me, his voice dripping with malice.
“But it won’t save you. Nothing will save you now, Snowflake.” The venom in his words twists my stomach, filling me with a burning rage. I want to hurt him, to make him feel as worthless as he’s trying to make me feel. People like him, who think they can get away with anything, make me sick.
“You'd better watch your back from now on, Snowflake,” he spits, turning away as if dismissing me completely. For a second, I consider letting him go, just letting him walk away and end this here. But I can’t. I just can’t.
Something inside me refuses to back down, refuses to let him think he’s won.
*He better watch his back*
I quickly reach into my bag, grab my uneaten apple, and without thinking twice, spin around and hurl it at the back of Zion’s head. The apple strikes him with a dull thud, sending him stumbling forward a step. It drops to the tile floor with a bruising sound, and the entire hallway falls into a stunned silence. Every eye is on us, darting between Zion and me as if waiting for the explosion.
It was then that I realised where Zion was heading when he threw that verbal middle finger my way.
Clark and Ronald.
They’re both glaring at me now, their eyes wide with disbelief and something more dangerous—anger. My heart races as the gravity of what I’ve just done sinks in. Dread coils in my stomach as the pieces start to click into place. I’ve just made a colossal mistake, one I might not be able to claw my way out of.
Zion slowly turns around, his expression darkening with a mix of fury and shock. Clark and Ronald flank him, their focus locking onto me with a menacing intensity. It’s clear they’re ready to unleash hell, and I’m the target.