CHAPTER 166: STANDING GROUND...

Charis

I followed the boys out of our dorm room and into the hallway. They moved quickly, like they had a clear plan, but with each step I took, something inside me grew stronger. It wasn’t fear anymore. It was anger.

Suddenly, I stopped walking.

The boys kept going for a few steps before they realised I wasn’t behind them anymore. It was when they reached the corner and turned around that they realised I wasn’t with them. All three of them turned around, looking at me with worried faces.

"Charis," Kael said, frowning. "What are you doing?"

Slater rushed back to my side, his eyes scanning my face. "Charis, what’s wrong? Why did you stop? Are you hurt?"

I shook my head and scoffed. "Why on earth am I running?" I said, more to myself than to them. "I did nothing wrong."

Slater blew out an exasperated sigh, staring at me as if I’d developed a second head. "What?"

"Charis," Rhett started, his voice gentle but urgent. "You saw what happened in the cafeteria. Marcus completely lost control when he realised who you were."

"And that’s my fault?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"No," Kael said quickly. "But it’s not safe for you here right now."

I folded my arms and leaned back against the wall. "Think about it. I didn’t lie about being hurt. I didn’t lie about how I ended up here. Everything they’re saying in court and everything in those stupid headlines doesn’t capture the truth about this situation. So, why am I running like a fugitive?"

"Are you seriously asking that?" Kael scoffed and walked back to where I was standing. "Wasn’t what happened with Marcus enough indication of the kind of situation you’re in. Stop acting dense, Charis, and let’s go."

"I am not acting dense," I shot back, "and why should I trust you after you sold me out in the name of trying to protect me?"

"Charis," Rhett called out in a warning tone, but I was too pissed now to care.

"Didn’t we put that behind us?" Kael said through gritted teeth. "You said you’ve forgiven me. Why are you bringing it up again?"

"Why not? Especially as you’ve moved on and gotten yourself a new girl. What was her name, Sandra, right? All that girl has done to me is to bully me in every fucking way possible when I did absolutely nothing to her, and it’s all because of you."

Kael took a deep breath and tried to reach for me, but I swatted his hand away. "Calm down, Charis. I’m sorry I was supposed to tell you about her but we’ve been super busy and..."

"She kissed you right in front of me, Kael, and I don’t recall you doing anything about it. You just stood there..."

"Charis, please, this isn’t the time," Rhett interrupted me, coming closer. "Your life is literally at risk. Every moment you spend here, things get more complicated. Let’s get you out of the campus while we can, then we can worry about anything else."

"He’s correct, Charis," Slater sighed. "You saw what happened in the cafeteria. Marcus grabbed you, Charis. He nearly broke your wrist in front of the entire student plus half the room had their cameras pointed at you. Do you think they would wait for a judge before they do what’s on their mind?"

"I did nothing to provoke, Marcus and he has no right to act the way he did."

"Think about it," Slater added, moving closer to me. "Marcus was your friend as Eamon. He thought you were dead for months. Now he finds out you’re alive and you’ve been lying to him this whole time. He’s not thinking clearly."

"So what?" I shot back. "I should run away because Marcus can’t handle the truth?"

"It’s not just Marcus," Rhett said, running his hand through his hair. "Did you see how the other students were looking at you? They were recording everything. Those videos are probably already online. People don’t care about the details. They care about the story, and right now, the story is that Alpha Silas’s daughter lied her way into Ravenshore disguised as Eamon Riggs."

"And when their parents see them," Slater continued, "they’re going to start asking questions. Why was their children’s classmate living under a false identity? What else has the school been hiding?"

Kael stepped forward, his dark eyes serious. "By tomorrow, there will be angry parents demanding answers. They’ll want to know if their own children are safe. Some might even pull their kids out of school."

"The school board will panic," Rhett added. "They’ll want someone to blame for the bad publicity. And right now, you’re the easiest target."

"Plus," Slater said quietly, "what if some of those parents decide to take matters into their own hands? What if they think you’re dangerous because you fooled everyone for so long?"

I felt my resolve wavering as I listened to them. I hadn’t thought about how my exposure would affect other people, other families.

"And Marcus," Kael continued, "he knows where our room is. He knows your class schedule. If he’s as unstable as he seemed in the cafeteria, he might try to corner you again when we’re not around."

I looked at their faces and saw genuine worry there. They weren’t trying to control me or make decisions for me. They were trying to protect me from consequences I hadn’t fully considered.

But still, something inside me rebelled against the idea of running.

"I won’t leave," I said firmly. "I did nothing wrong. I never hurt anyone. I just tried to survive and escape my father."

"Charis," Rhett said, his voice pleading.

"No," I interrupted. "I’m tired of running. I’m tired of hiding. I’m tired of letting other people make me feel ashamed for existing."

Slater looked frustrated. "Who cares about shame? We just want you to be safe."

"My safety, or everyone else’s comfort?" I asked.

The boys exchanged looks. I could see they were running out of patience with my stubbornness.

"Charis," Slater said, his voice getting firmer. "You’re not thinking clearly right now. You’re upset and angry, and that’s making you want to fight instead of being smart about this."

"Don’t tell me how I’m thinking," I snapped.