Chapter 67: Hint
Walking into class, you’d think the novelty would have worn off by now, but the way everyone’s head snapped in our direction told me I was still the main exhibit at the zoo, and I was getting really tired of being on display.
I was just trying to get to my desk, to sink into the comfortable anonymity of being a guy with a book, when a shoulder slammed into mine, hard enough to make me stumble.
It was Ronnie, of course, because my life couldn’t just be normal for five consecutive minutes. He stood there with his chest puffed out and that classic, generic bully smirk on his face, clearly expecting me to flinch or apologize.
A week ago, I would have. I would have mumbled a sorry and scurried away, my face burning.
But today, I just felt this profound wave of exhaustion wash over me. I was so incredibly done with this guy’s entire act. I didn’t say anything, I just straightened up and looked at him, really looked at him, and I let my expression go completely blank.
’Seriously? This is what you do for fun? Pathetic.’
He must have seen something in my eyes he wasn’t expecting, because his smirk faltered for a fraction of a second.
"Watch where you’re going, loser," he said, trying to recover his tough-guy momentum.
I just held his gaze, not moving, not blinking. I let the silence stretch out, making it uncomfortable for him instead of me. I didn’t feel angry or scared, just a deep, immovable sense of being unimpressed.
"You’re in my way," I said finally, my voice quiet but completely flat.
He blinked, clearly thrown off. He was used to people reacting, to getting a rise out of them. My total lack of a response seemed to confuse him more than anything else. He looked from me to Nina, who was standing a few feet away with her arms crossed, watching the whole thing with a dangerously sharp look in her eyes.