CHAPTER 96
**WINTER**
Claire slid into the seat beside me, her expression clouded with concern. She leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"Winter, I just heard what happened yesterday... I’m so sorry I had to leave you alone at the gym. As head of the college newspaper, I had a meeting with the principal that I couldn’t skip. But after, I heard about what went down with Cindy and her group..." She trailed off, her forehead creased in worry.
"They practically attacked you. Are you okay?"
I forced a small smile, trying to ease the weight of her concern. "I’m fine. But you can probably guess who was pulling the strings behind all that."
"This is getting out of hand. Why is he being such an asshole? The way everyone’s been treating you because of him today... I can’t even imagine how he must treat you at home."
I didn’t bother mentioning that it was just as bad at home. His home, anyway.
Claire sighed heavily, her frustration evident. "I've already given my brother a mouthful about it. And Zion? He's next on my list." She was gearing up for battle.
But I shook my head. "I'll handle Zion myself, don't worry."
Her eyes softened in understanding, but then her expression grew more curious.
"Did you find out why Zion has it out for you?"
I exhaled, feeling the weight of the question settle in my chest. "No," I admitted, my fingers fiddling with the edge of my tray.
"I asked him directly, but he didn't reply. It’s like he’s guarding a state secret or something."
Before Claire could respond, a group of girls suddenly stepped up to our table, all smiles and fake politeness.
"Hey, Winter!" one of them chirped as they sat down uninvited, crowding the space. Their eyes flicked over me like I was some kind of exotic creature, curiosity and nosiness barely concealed.
"Hi," I responded stiffly, already feeling the walls go up around me. Their sudden friendliness was too much, too fast, and I could sense their real intention-to pry. To figure out why Zion hated me so much. Their stares said it all.
Claire caught my eye, rolling hers slightly as if to say,
*Great, now we've got company.*
I tried to focus on Claire's not-so-friendly way of telling them to get lost, but they didn't seem to get the message.
They glanced at me, but didn’t say a word. It was clear they were curious about why Zion seemed to hate me. They just kept staring and murmuring to each other.
Claire leaned in close to me, lowering her voice.
"If we ignore them long enough, they'll hopefully get bored and leave."
There was a hint of irritation in her tone, and it made me smile a little.
My attention was drawn to the cafeteria door as three large guys walked in, flanked by two girls. As they neared, I spotted Ethan. It had been a while since that fight with Zion in the ring.
When our eyes met, something about Ethan’s gaze made my stomach twist. It wasn’t the usual friendly look he’d give, but something deeper, more intense—and unsettling. His stare lingered on me, as if he was trying to figure something out. Or maybe he was just annoyed that I hadn’t checked on him after the fight.
I forced myself to look away, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that his eyes were still on me, piercing through the air between us. It made me uncomfortable, like I was under a microscope.
When I dared glance back, sure enough, his gaze hadn’t moved—it was still locked on mine. I didn’t like it.
Before I could process what it meant, his tattooed friend tapped him on the shoulder, breaking the tension, and Ethan reluctantly turned to follow the others. But the weight of his stare lingered long after he looked away.
A strange urge hit me-to go after him, to apologize for not checking on him after the fight. But it had been too many days, and approaching him now would just seem weird. Besides, where had he been all this time? I hadn't seen him around since that night.
Shaking off the thoughts, I turned to Claire and tapped her on the shoulder to pull myself back into the conversation.
**ETHAN**
Winter Johnson was a very beautiful girl. The girl seemed fragile, broken even. But what I couldn't figure out was Zion's angle with her. He acted like a jealous, possessive asshole whenever I so much as glanced in her direction. During that fight, every little jab I made at her, sent him over the edge. It was like just mentioning her name was some kind of blasphemy in his twisted world.
So why the hell had he declared open season on her?
What was his endgame?
Thanks to Zion, I'd spent that week in the hospital, and my dad had grounded me for illegal fighting. The old man's idea of punishment was keeping me under lock and key, but now that I was back, I was angrier than ever. Zion would pay for what he did to me-one way or another.
Yesterday in the locker room, I had deliberately provoked him by bringing up Winter's name—and it had hit the mark.
He was clearly obsessed with her.
Interesting.
The real question now was how I could use Winter to get back at Zion.
As soon as we stepped into the cafeteria, my eyes locked onto Winter. I didn't mean for it to happen, but how could I not look? She was absolutely stunning, even sitting there all quiet, as if she wasn't aware of the attention she drew. No wonder Zion was tied up in knots over her.
If Dad hadn’t already told me to stay away from Winter because she was Zion’s stepsister, she'd already be on her knees in one of the janitor's closet by now, looking up at me with those wide, vulnerable eyes.
But following orders has never been my thing.
I had to think beyond my base instincts. I couldn't just treat her like any other girl I wanted to mess with.
No, she was more than that. She was Zion's weakness, his Achilles' heel. And that meant she was valuable to me in ways she couldn't even begin to understand.
The urge to grab her by the hair, drag her out of that cafeteria, and shove her head into the nearest toilet surged through me like wildfire. But I couldn't afford to make a scene. Not yet. I had to be smart about this. Patience was key. Zion was expecting me to strike out, to act impulsively. I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.
No, I would bide my time. Winter was the perfect tool to use against Zion, and when the moment was right, I'd make sure she was a part of his downfall. The thought of it brought a twisted smile to my face as I watched her from across the room. She had no idea what was coming her way.
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