Chapter 5 Confrontations..

Rowena's POV. 5.

A sharp shake jolted me awake. My body ached, my head felt heavy, but Cindy's panicked voice shattered the fog in my mind.

"Rowena, wake up! You need to see this!"

I groaned, barely lifting my head, but Cindy shoved her phone in my face. The bright screen blurred before my tired eyes. I squinted, trying to focus-and then my stomach dropped.

A video.

A girl on her knees.

The face wasn't blurred out, the body, the hair, the clothes-

My heart stopped.

It was me.

I shot upright, my pulse hammering. The room spun for a second, but I forced myself to focus. My fingers shook as I grabbed Cindy's phone and scrolled. It was everywhere. Every social media platform, every chat, every gossip forum. The angles, the lighting-this wasn't some random leak. It was deliberate. Someone wanted to humiliate me. Someone wanted to destroy me.

My blood ran ice cold.

"Rowena... who were you with last night?" Cindy's voice was cautious, filled with concern.

I couldn't answer. My throat tightened, my breath coming in shallow gasps. I tried to swallow, but it felt like I was choking.

Cindy pressed on, hesitant. "Did you-was it-"

"I don't know!" I cut her off, my voice shaking. "Stop asking, Cindy."

She flinched, but I couldn't deal with that right now. My hands trembled as I grabbed a hoodie, yanked it over my head, and bolted out the door.

Who did this?

Who the hell recorded this?

One name burned in my mind. Jason.

He was the only person I had been with last night. Did he record it? That bastard. And he only showed my face-conveniently leaving himself out of it.

Fury burned through me like fire.

I stormed through the halls, scanning every classroom. Each time I didn't see him, I slammed the door shut and moved on. My heart pounded so hard it hurt.

"Hey....uh...," I called out to a student in the hallway.

"Yeah?" The girl answered, but the way she covered her mouth, the knowing smirk on her lips-it made my stomach twist.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" I snapped.

She just giggled and turned away, whispering to her friends.

I clenched my fists, rage bubbling under my skin. Fuck. Where the fuck was Jason?

The murmurs followed me wherever I went. Some students stared, some looked disgusted. Others laughed outright. It felt like I was suffocating in their judgment, in their whispers, in the weight of their eyes on me.

And then I heard it-the rhythmic bounce of a basketball.

I knew exactly where he might be.

I stormed toward the basketball court, my hands trembling with anger. The court was packed, students gathered in clusters, watching the players. And there he was. Jason, standing in the center, spinning a basketball lazily in one hand, his boys surrounding him, laughing, talking. Completely at ease.

The moment he saw me, his lips curled into a smirk-like he'd been expecting me.

I pushed through the crowd, my heart pounding against my ribs. "You bastard!"

Jason didn't even flinch. He just stood there, watching me with that same smug expression.

"Looking for someone, little human?" he taunted, his voice slow, amused.

I was shaking, my fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms. "Did you do this?" My voice cracked, but I didn't care. "Did you record me?! Did you record what we did last night? Are you fucking insane?!"

His eyes darkened with something unclear. Before I could react, he moved-an impossible blur. One second, he was a few feet away. The next, he was right in front of me. His cold fingers caught my chin, tilting it up, forcing me to look at him.

My breath hitched.

Jason leaned in, his voice a whisper against my skin. "And what if I did?"

"Did you think I'd let you walk away so easily?" Jason murmured, his voice dripping with danger.

A shiver ran down my spine.

I clenched my jaw and shoved at his chest. "You're pathetic. A terrible excuse for-"

"Uh-uh." His smirk widened, wicked and taunting. "Did you forget?" His grip on my chin tightened, his fingers like steel. "I'm not human."

Before I could react, his hand wrapped around my throat-not squeezing, just holding. A silent threat. A warning.

Then, with effortless force, he shoved me backward.

Pain exploded through my side as I hit the ground, hard. A sharp cry tore from my throat. The court's rough surface burned against my skin, my breath knocked from my lungs.

Laughter. Low murmurs. The watching crowd. Their eyes, their whispers-humiliation flooded me.

Jason loomed over me, his gaze cold, detached. "Seems like you don't know your boundaries." He crouched beside me, voice soft but razor-sharp. "You don't know who you're dealing with. You're not scared, right?"

My body curled inward instinctively, my hands gripping the ground beneath me. Every inch of me ached, but I refused to look weak. I refused to let him see the shake in my fingers, the burn in my throat.

Then...

A hand.

I blinked up, my vision hazy from the impact. Someone was stretching their hand toward me. A guy. Tall. Broad shoulders. A basketball jersey. But not Jason's team. His uniform was different.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I stiffened. My fingers twitched against the ground. Then, without thinking, I smacked his hand away. "Don't touch me!"

He didn't move, his expression calm, and firm.. "I'm just trying to help."

Jason's head tilted slightly, his eyes sharpening. The ball rolled between his hands, his fingers tightening around it. His entire body went still, watching. Calculating.

The guy crouched further, his voice softer. "Come on, let me help you up."

I flinched back. "I said don't touch me."

But he ignored me.

Before I could react, his arms slid under me, lifting me effortlessly.

The breath in my chest stilled. The court spun.

Jason's grip on the ball tightened. His jaw twitched, his muscles flexing under his shirt. The shift in the air was suffocating.

Then-he smiled.

Slow. Dark.

A smirk that promised destruction.

He bounced the ball once.

Twice.

Then, just loud enough for me to hear-

"This is just the beginning."

The world blurred as the guy stormed into the school infirmary, his grip unrelenting. Before I could protest, he dropped me onto the bed with zero care.

I winced, immediately grabbing my foot, pain pulsing through me.

"Fuck! Didn't you hear me? I asked you to let me go! Did you go deaf, huh?" I snapped, rubbing the sore spot furiously.

"Hey, easy." His voice was maddeningly calm as he sat beside me.

Without another word, he pulled out an ointment, unscrewed the cap, and reached for my foot.

I shoved my leg away. "Don't. No one begged you to help."

His gaze didn't waver.

"And what are you still doing here?" I shot him a glare. "Have we even met before? I don't even know who you are-fuck!" My fingers dug into my ankle as another sharp sting hit.

"Damn, this hurts. That bastard Jason," I muttered under my breath.

His chuckle was low. "I just transferred here."

I barely glanced at him. "And I should care because...?"

"Let's just say I'm a new student." His lips curved into a smirk-seductive, effortless.

God. Almost falling for this. He was ridiculously handsome. Maybe not more than Jason, but... hell.

"I don't care," I snapped, shaking the thoughts away.

"Didn't you just say you don't know who I am?"

"And so?" My eyes narrowed.

He exhaled, amused. "You're hurt. I want to help. So kindly let me."

Before I could protest, he grabbed my foot again, his touch firm but careful. I struggled, but he was stronger. And then... I let him.

His fingers moved expertly, spreading the cool ointment over my bruised skin. The sting lessened, warmth replacing the pain. Minutes passed, his touch oddly soothing.

"All good," he finally said, standing up. "Now, I can go."

He turned to leave, but before I could stop myself-

"Um... hey." My voice was quieter now.

He paused.

"What's your name?" I demanded.

For a moment, he didn't answer. His lips twitched, like he wanted me to wait longer.

Then, finally, his voice dropped, cold and flat.

"It's Adrian."

And just like that, he was gone.

"Adrian...? Never heard of him before." I muttered under my breath.