"Fight! Fight!"
The hallway exploded with noise. Shoes squeaked, lockers slammed, phones were already up and recording…..but all I could focus on was him.
Dominic Vale.
Pressed just inches from me.
His hand was still flat against the locker beside my head, caging me in like I was prey and he wasn't sure if he wanted to devour me or destroy me.
His breathing was shallow. So was mine.
His minty breath hit my cheek.
The silver chain around his neck glinted under the hallway lights. His jaw clenched like he was fighting something. I couldn't even blink. Not with those piercing blue eyes on me.
I didn't know if I wanted to punch him.
Or…kiss..him.
"ASH!"
June's voice cut through the noise.
She and Marcus shoved through the crowd.
"Please, stop!" June begged, grabbing at Dominic's arm. "The teacher's coming! Just…please!"
Ian snickered from the side. "Look, guys. July and August showed up."
He tugged June's hand mockingly. "Gonna save your little boyfriend now?"
"Let me go, Ian!" she snapped, yanking her hand away.
Marcus stepped between us fast. " Let him go. Please."
But Dominic didn't flinch.
Didn't even look at them.
His gaze stayed locked on mine.
And in that stillness, in the middle of the chaos, I swear it felt like everything else went silent.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
The crowd lurched backward as a tall figure stormed in.
A teacher stepped into the circle. Not one I recognized.
A man. Tall, Broad-Shoulder, probably A teacher. Early 30s maybe, definitely new. He wasn't like the others….he wore a leather jacket, no tie, a leather watch and sleek pants that screamed someone young and not to be messed with.
Clipboard in hand. Authority in his walk.
He paused, taking in the scene: two boys locked in a standoff, one crushed against a locker, the other barely restraining himself.
Everyone took a step back.
Except Dominic.
"I said," the man snapped again, louder this time. "What is this? Some kind of circus?!"
Dominic slowly walked away from me. But not fully.
Not without letting his fingers graze my arm one last time…like it meant something.
I exhaled, finally. My heart wouldn't slow down. I stared at the floor just to get my bearings back.
The teacher's eyes scanned us both.
The teacher's sharp eyes bounced between us. "You two. Names."
I hesitated, but before I could speak…
"Detention." the teacher said, not even waiting. "After school. No excuses."
The hallway gasped.
Suddenly, laughter erupted.
Full-on laughter.
From Ian.
From Dominic.
From other students in the hallway.
Like this was the funniest thing in the world.
Ian stepped forward, slapping a hand on the teacher's shoulder like they were old buddies.
"You must be new," Ian chuckled. "What's your name? Mr. No-One-Gets-It?"
He motioned to Dominic. "This guy? He doesn't do detention."
Dominic took a step forward, grinning, until he was almost nose-to-nose with the teacher.
"You're not from here," he said softly, adjusting his jacket collar.. Like he was explaining something to a child. "But let me break it down for you."
He leaned in, and whispered into the man's ear …not so low the rest of us could hear it.
"Nobody gives me detention… unless I say so."
The hallway went dead silent.
Enough for Ian to laugh harder. Enough for Dominic's smirk to deepen. Enough for everyone else to start whispering again:
"He got another one."
"Damn, I love Dominic."
"He even broke the new teacher."
And me?
I just stood there.
The teacher said nothing.
Ian grinned wider. "Welcome to Blackwood Academy."
The teacher was still frozen, gripping his clipboard like it was the only thing tethering him to reality.
And Dominic…of course, turned around and walked away like he hadn't just threatened a grown man with power and a smile.
His hands were in his pockets, that same careless swagger in every step. Ian followed behind him, along with the other boys in the circle, their laughter echoing through the hallway like a pack of hyenas following the lion they'd sworn loyalty to.
Marcus leaned in beside me, whispering fast. "Yo, you okay?"
June rushed to me. "What the hell was that?!"
But I couldn't answer either of them.
I was too busy trying to figure out what the hell that look had been. What the hell that touch was.