CHAPTER 140: STALES LOST HIS MEMORY?

"Don’t tell me you slept in Hiro’s room?" Stales asked, his eyes wide with disbelief. They were already

dressed, ready for the combined class of racing and long jump, though none of them were sure it would even hold.

"Nothing happened, Stales," Angela rolled her eyes, regretting the words the moment they left her mouth. Now he would never let it go. She knew he would keep teasing her. It would not have been wrong if something happened between her and Hiro since he was her mate, but nothing did, and Stales would never accept that. "I slept on the bed, he used the couch."

"Really?" Stales laughed so hard that his voice echoed across the room. "Can you believe this, Alex? She wants us to buy that story."

Alex didn’t respond. He seemed far away, lost in thoughts that weighed him down. Angela had noticed since morning that something wasn’t right with him. She asked, but all he ever said was that nothing was wrong. She knew he was lying.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, placing her hand on his arm. He startled as if she had woken him from a dream. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you."

"Are you alright, buddy?" Stales stepped closer, worry written on his face. "You’ve been like this all morning."

"I’m fine, you don’t have to worry." Alex tried to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Still, it was better than nothing. "So tell me, have you chosen your race partner?"

"Yes, I have. You and Angela are on my team," Stales replied. He turned, scanning the group to see who else he might want to add. With Alex by his side, many would fight for a spot, but he wanted to be careful with his last choice.

That was when his eyes landed on Xavier, standing quietly in the corner with his arms wrapped around himself. Stales frowned, wondering what had happened to him or if he had still not recovered from what took place.

"Why don’t we add him?" Stales pointed in Xavier’s direction. Angela and Alex both followed his gaze, their surprise clear.

"No way," Alex said at once, his voice sharp with rejection. "We don’t need a bully in our midst."

"He’s been quiet for days now. Maybe he has changed," Angela replied, though even she wasn’t sure why she was defending him.

"I think you did something to him," Stales teased. "Maybe he’s scared of you. Let’s go ask him."

"I did nothing except a little threatening," Angela shrugged, refusing to carry the blame for Xavier’s strange behavior.

"If you’re so sure, then let’s call him over and see," Stales said, and before she could stop him, he waved at Xavier. "Though honestly, I doubt he’ll come."

"You know that, yet you’re still doing it?" Alex shook his head, watching Xavier closely. His former seat mate would normally have glared at them or even growled by now. But instead, Xavier actually started walking towards them, and the whole room fell into silence. "W-wait, what is going on?"

"He’s really coming," Angela whispered, her heart pounding faster with every step Xavier took. She couldn’t believe it. By the time he reached them, her chest was so tight she could hardly breathe. Xavier kept his head down, his eyes avoiding hers, as though even looking at her was too heavy to bear.

"Are you alright, Xavier?" Stales asked, his eyes shifting from him to his friends, worried by the silence. Xavier only gave a small nod, and Stales went on. "You don’t have to be so tense. Angel didn’t mean it in that way, isn’t that right?" He glanced at Angela, and she nodded quickly.

"Who is Angel?" Xavier asked, his brows drawn tight as he finally looked up. His voice carried confusion, not anger. The question stunned them. For a moment, none of them spoke, thinking he was pretending.

"Are you serious?" Angela asked, blinking as though she had not heard him right.

"Don’t play games," Alex said, his voice calm but firm as he stepped closer, resting a hand on Xavier’s shoulder. He could feel the boy’s heart racing beneath his touch. "We are sorry for the way we treated you, even though you brought some of it on yourself. What happened the other day was a mistake."

"What day?" Xavier asked again, his eyes filled with honest confusion.

"The day you threatened Angel with a knife," Stales reminded him, his tone sharp.

Xavier shook his head slowly. "I honestly don’t remember anything like that. Maybe it wasn’t me. Please, just let me be."

Stales studied his eyes carefully. There was no mockery there, no arrogance, only raw sincerity. If he hadn’t been the one to stab Xavier that day, he would have sworn Xavier was telling the truth. His stomach twisted. Something wasn’t right.

"I think he lost his memory," Alex said at last, pulling his hand back. Xavier stepped away at once, eager to escape, and walked off without another word. "He’s still scared of us, but he doesn’t even know why."

"What could have happened to him?" Angela asked as she rubbed the side of her neck. A knot of guilt sat in her chest even though she didn’t want them to put the blame on her. She had done nothing except exchange a few words with Xavier that day when her shift had begun.

When she lifted her gaze, she found both of her friends staring at her in a way that made her feel accused. Her chest tightened. "N-no, don’t even start. I only told him a few words to scare him off. Yes, he saw me when I started to transform, but he is a wolf. It wasn’t his first time seeing such a thing."

"Maybe you did something to him without knowing it," Stales said firmly, his eyes locked with hers. "Come on, threaten me the way you threatened him. Let’s test it and see if I’ll act the same way he did."

"I don’t think anything will happen," she refused, shaking her head. Even if it did, she couldn’t risk having Stales end up like Xavier. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him or anyone she cared about.

"You should try," Alex said quietly, though his curiosity was plain in his tone. He wanted to know the truth just as much as Stales did.

Angela’s heart pounded. A voice in her head told her it was foolish, but she gave in anyway. She stepped closer, lowered her voice, and whispered fiercely, "If you dare say a word about what you saw, I swear I’ll rip your heart out. You won’t try me, will you?"

She pulled back, a nervous smile tugging at her lips. "That’s exactly what I told him," she said, relieved when Stales stood there unharmed. Nothing happened. She exhaled shakily, ready to laugh at herself for even believing it could—

Then she froze.

Stales’ eyes had gone glassy. He wasn’t blinking, wasn’t moving, only staring straight ahead as if he had fallen into the same strange trance Xavier had been in.

"Stales?" her voice cracked as she touched his arm. "Are you okay?"

Her heart jumped to her throat when he didn’t answer. Alex rushed forward, shaking him, calling his name, but Stales didn’t move. His expression stayed fixed and empty, his gaze lost.

"No... no... no," Angela whispered in horror, stumbling back. Her hands flew up to her mouth as tears blurred her vision. Her whole body trembled as if she had been struck. "What have I done?" Her voice broke into a cry, fear and regret crashing over her. "Oh God... what the fuck have I done?"