Chapter 3

But then I realized that only people who felt guilty avoided looking others in the eye.

Xavi must want me to know, but he was just too embarrassed to say it.

I managed to cheer myself up again and decided to head into class first, then ask around later.

The door to Class One was half-open, so I could just give it a gentle push and it would swing right open.

Just as my hand was about to touch the handle, I paused, turned to Xavi, and flashed him a sweet smile. "Thanks, Xavi."

He looked surprised for a moment, and when he saw me reaching for the door again, he snapped, "Don't move!"

I froze, and Xavi strode over to me in just a few quick steps and glanced up above the doorframe.

Then Xavi switched back to his usual cocky swagger, giving me a challenging grin. "Who do you think you are, thinking you can walk in front of me?"

He gave me a shove, making me stagger, and insisted on barging in first.

But as soon as he pushed the door open, a bucket of water came pouring down, soaking Xavi to the bone.

Class One was on the top floor.

This floor only had one class, and while it was usually dead quiet, right now it had erupted in noisy commotion.

They were all snickering like they'd just pulled off the perfect prank, shooting contemptuous glances at us by the door.

The teacher stood at the far end of the classroom, arms crossed, clearly not interested in stopping any of this.

I poked my head out from behind Xavi, not getting what everyone was laughing at.

But their laughter died out real quick.

Xavi looked like a storm ready to break, scanning the room as if memorizing every face for payback.

Their smirks froze, eyes wide with shock and fear. None of them could figure out how Xavi ended up coming in first.

Even the teacher turned ghostly pale, frozen in place and looking completely helpless.

Xavi was downright commanding. He just stood there, not saying a word, and his presence alone was enough to silence the whole room.

I gazed up at him with stars in my eyes, totally in awe, but he wasn't having any of it. He just reached out and covered my eyes with his hand.

Suddenly, everything went pitch black, and Xavi's low, angry voice came down from above like thunder.

"Didn't I warn you? If this happens again, you can forget about teaching here," he growled.

Judging by his tone, this definitely wasn't the first time Xavi had gone to bat for someone.

Annoyed, I pulled his hand away, only to see the teacher who'd been gloating just a minute ago now kneeling on the floor, looking totally pathetic.

I couldn't help but giggle, hiding behind Xavi and sticking my tongue out at her.

The teacher looked even more miserable, her lips quivering as she failed to get a single word out.

One of the guys in the front row tried to smooth things over. "Mr. Lawrence, we honestly didn't know she was under your protection. Can you let this slide?"

He gave a sycophantic grin, but honestly, his smile was uglier than crying.

Strangely, Xavi didn't deny it. His lips pressed into a thin line, and it was clear he had no intention of letting them off easy.

The silence in the room felt just like the calm before a storm.

Since Xavi wasn't giving them any respect, they all started looking to me, hoping I'd bail them out with a few nice words.

But honestly, I didn't even bother to look their way. My whole world was Xavi right now.

He was drenched, and that white shirt, already way too loose, was plastered to his skin, showing off every sleek muscle underneath.

I tentatively reached out and ran my hand over his chiseled abs. They were rock hard.

When Xavi didn't push me away, I got even bolder, letting my hands roam up and down his body.

Going higher, I found his nipples, pink and perky, just begging for a playful pinch.

But before I could get my hands on him, Xavi snatched up the hand that was getting frisky.

I shot him a defiant look, only to see him staring right back at me.

His face was stone cold, eyes dark, and his voice came out hoarse: "What are you grabbing at?"

With that, he grabbed me by the collar and set me down on an empty desk in the back row.

That was Xavi's old seat. Xavi was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the afternoon.

The rest of the class totally flipped their attitude.

Suddenly, everyone wanted to be my friend and started giving me all sorts of gifts.

I didn't care if it was fancy or cheap. I just accepted everything.

Pretty soon, my desk looked like a mini mountain of stuff.

The only one who didn't join in was the girl sitting by the window. She just kept staring at me, her eyes practically burning holes through me.

I knew who she was. That was Sadie.

Every time I tried to get the scoop on Xavi, her name was the one I heard the most.

They all said Sadie meant something extra to Xavi.

Class One never had a spot for someone like her, a scholarship kid from a poor family.

But when Sadie casually mentioned she wished she could have access to all the resources in Class One, Xavi just pulled some strings and got her transferred in.

And when she said she didn't want to be in the same class as someone like Xavi, who was all about using his influence for his own gain, Xavi just up and left Class One.