They walked in silence for a few more moments, the sound of the rain tap-dancing on the school's metal roof the only noise to fill the air. Alastair's mind raced with questions he didn't dare ask. Why had she chosen to stand up for him? What did she see in him that no one else did? And why did her touch feel so... right...? No wrong?
The door to the school swung open, the warmth of the hallway beckoning them inside. He stepped through it, the smell of stale coffee and waxed floors greeting him like an old friend. As they made their way to their lockers, the whispers started. He could feel the eyes of his classmates boring into his back, wondering why the girl who was usually lost in her books was holding hands with the school's punching bag.
Eren's footsteps grew louder as he approached, his heavy tread echoing through the hallway. The smug grin from earlier was gone, replaced by a snarl of pure anger. He shoved past a group of startled freshmen, his eyes locked on Alastair and Liana. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he spat, his fists clenched at his sides.
Liana didn't flinch, didn't even look surprised. She let go of Alastair's hand, but only so she could stand between him and Eren. "I told you to leave him alone," she said calmly, though her voice held a hint of steel. "And now I'm telling you to drop it. You know as well as I do that Alastair didn't do anything to deserve your crap."
Eren's eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring as he took in her challenge. "What's your problem, Castellanos? He's just a freak anyway."
Liana stepped closer, her voice low but clear. "You have no right to speak about him in that manner. You have no right to treat him that way."
Eren's face turned red, the veins in his neck bulging as he sneered down at her. "Or what? You're gonna fight me, nerd?"
Liana's voice remained steady, "Or I'll make sure everyone knows what kind of person you really are." Her words hung in the air like a dare, a challenge that Eren hadn't anticipated. The whispers grew louder, the curiosity of their classmates piqued.
Eren took a step back, his smirk faltering. No one had ever stood up to him like this, especially not a girl. And certainly not in defense of Alastair. He'd always been the one to dictate the social hierarchy, the one whose opinions shaped the school's social fabric. But here was Liana Castellanos, the quiet genius, the girl who had always been invisible to him, suddenly the center of attention.
Eren's smile grew wolfish, "Oh really? You think you're something special, don't you?" He stepped closer to Liana, invading her space. "You think you can just waltz in here and tell me what to do?"
But Liana didn't back down. She stared him down with a glare that could've cut glass. "Yes," she said firmly, "I do. And you have no right picking on someone else, especially when you're no better."
The words hung in the air like a slap, echoing through the hallway and leaving a stunned silence in their wake. Eren's face grew redder, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides as he searched for a comeback that would regain his lost ground. But before he could say another word, the bell rang, shattering the tension. The hallways filled with the sound of students rushing to class, the momentary battle of wills forgotten in the flurry of activity.