CHAPTER 62Caleb had just gotten out of the shower, toweling off his sweat-soaked curls, when his phone vibrated with a new notification.Probably just the group chat with Trent and Maddie going crazy again, building themselves up for tomorrow's epic clash. Caleb gave himself a wicked grin as he swiped his home screen awake, feeling the approaching glory on his tongue like a slab of bleeding red steak.Except...the message did not come from his savage teammates. Caleb's brows furrowed in an immediate thundercloud of discontent as he saw Dylan's name blazoned across the screen.Caleb, bristling, typed on the text chain, all warmth curdling in his breast as he took in the words:"What's up, Caleb? I just wanted to wish you good luck for the big game tomorrow night. I'll be there in the front row, like I always am, supporting my dude..."Caleb's grasp on his phone tightened to the point where he could hear the aluminum casing complain. What the hell was this scrub up to? Not only did you
CHAPTER 63*** D-DAY OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP ***The air inside Willow Creek's Basketball Court was electrifying, sparked by the barely restrained intensity of two competitors ready to clash. As Caleb entered the court for warm-ups, his gaze was drawn to the Oakwood players stretching on the opposite side.So this was it: the night that would finally determine who the district's kings were.Caleb knew everything he needed to know about his colleagues after just one glance: they were locked, loaded, and full of hungry bloodlust. Trent was yelling out some vocal calisthenics that sounded more like ag intimidation than pregame inspiration. Maddie sped past in a blur, her engine screaming at full speed. Even the backups portrayed a towering danger as they sent up jumper after jumper, shoulders already dripping from strain.These were the Wolves of Willow Creek at their most wild, hackles rising and teeth glistening with anticipation of the upcoming feast.Caleb bent down and entered his secre
CHAPTER 64Midway through the fourth quarter, the scoreboard showed Willow Creek with a seemingly overwhelming 22-point lead. But on the floor, Caleb's increasing velocity and negative energy were becoming a force of nature in their own right.He stalked the hardwood flooring like a chaotic Athlete in the grip of bloodlust. At one point, Oakwood's generally unflappable floor general dared to try slowing down the pace, squandering the clock in the hopes of engineering a minor comeback that would lessen the impending humiliation.A big mistake.Caleb grabbed the ball away from his opponent with a fierce poke check before blazing down the floor on a fast break that was strangely empty of teammates. Squaring up from the top of the key, the entire arena seemed to sink into a vacuum of silence and stillness as he assessed his target.Caleb released a whistling heat-seeker of a two-handed missile, channeling all of his pent-up hatred and venom into the wicked aim of the shot. Do you dare try
CHAPTER 65The sound of the ball hitting the hardwood seemed to vibrate through Caleb's very bones as the clock bled its final agonizing ticks. Five Oakwood jackals surrounded him in a tightening circle, seeing their last desperate chance to seize the throne.In those final minutes, the Willow Creek executioner felt a deep, soulful calm. Caleb was no longer in the same terrestrial plane as the snarling warriors pursuing them futilely. No, he had ascended to a higher heavenly level reserved for demigods and icons who had finished their mythological conquest rituals.The roar of the capacity throng had faded to a gentle buzz like the white noise of insignificance accepting an unavoidable reality. Caleb's laser focus zoomed in on the raised hoop, making it the entire cosmic scope through which his destiny would finally, legitimately, be realized.In one eternally held breath, a silent supernova on a great inner scale, he climbed from a threadbare coil to ballistic apogee. As his trainers
CHAPTER 66Dylan's heart echoed in his chest as he moved through the crowd of well-wishers, navigating between people drenched in sweat and adrenaline. Caleb stood in the centre of the celebration, a gigantic monument of victory, clutching the State Memorial Trophy like a sceptre of conquest.Caleb's harsh, contemptuous eyes flickered towards Dylan as he approached. Dylan felt a familiar sensation of rejection twist in his gut, but he persisted. They needed to chat, refocus on the group project, and meet the scholarship application deadline.Lila appeared at Dylan's side, her eyes bright with purpose. She began signing quickly, her tiny fingers moving with accustomed elegance. "We need to attract his attention. "The project is too important to let this go."Mia nodded, moving closer to interpret Lila's signs. "She's correct. If we don't come up with a plan soon, we may lose that scholarship."Miranda and her puppets appeared in front of them, as if called by some terrible force. Miran
CHAPTER 67*** FIRST STUDY SESSION ***The calm atmosphere of the library was disrupted by the violent scratch of chairs on the floor as the group gathered around one of the study tables. Dylan took a moment to study their mismatched crew; Caleb's massive presence dominated one end, and the State Memorial Trophy sat like a flashy centrepiece in front of him. Mia and Lila crowded across from the jock king, apprehension imprinted on their faces."Alright, people," Dylan said, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. "Now that we've got Caleb's...permission to proceed, we need to start mapping out a game plan for this group project."Caleb snorted mockingly, his eyes flashing with disdain as they fell on the paper packet Dylan had created."A game plan?" he mocked. "What is this, war room strategy session?"Mia grumbled, giving Caleb a harsh stare. "It's called being prepared and taking the assignment seriously, you arrogant meathead."Before Caleb could respond with a sharp response, Li
CHAPTER 68The heavy wooden door bashed shut behind Caleb with a resounding finality that echoed along the empty hallway. His footsteps sounded like sledgehammers, propelled by a spinning whirlwind of embarrassment, rage, and disbelief.How dare they? How can those small little insects defy him so shamelessly, removing his legitimate claim to power with their pathetic insurrection? As the images repeated in his mind's eye, he let out a low growl from deep within.Those losers and the freak raised their betraying hands in arrogant, coordinated rejection. Dylan, the overhype little b*tch who had fooled himself into thinking he could steal Caleb's natural leadership. A strong shudder shot through the jock's titanium-hewn frame as he pictured wrapping his hands around that thin throat and squeezing until those mutinous lights went out for good.His fists squeezed till the knuckles turned white, tendons cording against the skin like high-tension cables. The abrupt jarring blast of his ring
CHAPTER 69Miranda and Yuria paused in mid-torment, their savage sneers temporarily easing as the sound of an adjacent classroom door smashing open reached their ears."What in the name of blessed reason is going on out here?"The authoritative scream of a male faculty member pierced through the tense atmosphere like a hot knife as Mr. Levinson's towering form approached the corner. The hefty, barrel-chested History teacher stopped short, his already florid cheeks purpling even more as he took in the chaotic sight."Miss Miranda!" "Miss Yuria!" His blustering tones cracked like a whip as he focused on the perpetrators. "Release those young ladies this instant and explain yourselves!"For a brief time, it appeared that Miranda might dig in her heels and refuse the teacher's intervention. Her clean features distorted into an ugly grimace, and her grasp on Lila's hair tightened violently until the mute girl wailed. Then, just as swiftly, the mutinous fury subsided into calm, lazy apathy
The library had settled into its usual afternoon lull, the air thick with the musty scent of aging paper and the soft rustle of turning pages. Lila sat hunched over her laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard as she transcribed her latest research notes. So engrossed was she in her work that she failed to notice the looming presence approaching her table until a shadow fell across her screen.Glancing up with a start, Lila found herself face to face with Caleb's towering bulk. Her muscles tensed instinctively, body coiling as if readying for fight or flight. The last encounter with this lumbering bully still burned fresh in her memory - his sneering disdain, the casual cruelty as he'd snatched away her notebook filled with painstaking calculations and schematics.But something was... off. Instead of the usual sneer twisting his features, Caleb's expression seemed almost sheepish. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his varsity jacket as he r
The echoing silence stretched unbearably as Caleb's hulking form loomed over Lila. She remained frozen, muscles coiled tightly, awaiting the inevitable belittling remark or physical intimidation tactic from the lumbering brute.Instead of lashing out verbally, Caleb simply stared her down, pale eyes drilling into her with an intense, unblinking glare. The seconds ticked by agonizingly until Lila had to fight the urge to squirm under his domineering scrutiny. Finally, he broke the oppressive silence by jutting his thick neck forward, the cords of muscle straining beneath his skin as he fixed her with a callous sneer."Give it here," he growled, the gravelly timbre of his voice reverberating through the stillness.Lila's brow furrowed slightly as she met his imperious glare, refusing to be cowed so easily despite her growing trepidation. She tilted her head in an exaggerated questioning expression.Caleb responded by leaning down until his meaty face filled her field of vision, hot bur
The library had settled into an industrious hush, the only sounds the occasional creak of chair legs against tile or the muffled clacking of Lila's fingers flying across her laptop's keyboard. Dylan pored over a sheaf of printouts, lips pursing in concentration as he made notations in the margins with a stubby pencil.Mia broke the silence with a jaw-cracking yawn, slumping back in her chair as she stretched her arms overhead. "Well, I don't know about you two, but my brain feels like an overstuffed piñata about to burst after cramming in all those thermospheric equilibrium models."Lila shot her a sidelong glance, the ghost of a smirk playing about her lips as her hands articulated a response. Dylan watched the deft weaving of her fingers with a hint of envy, wishing he could fully grasp the nuanced expressiveness of that rich, silent language.Mia snorted, translating Lila's gestures with a rakish grin. "She says no one ever claimed saving the world would be easy, especially when th
CHAPTER 73Mia studied a stack of printouts and sketchy diagrams, her brow wrinkled with concentration. Lila's fingers flew across the screen of her laptop with fluid ease, signing a complicated stream of gestures interspersed by brief bursts of typing. Dylan watched the spectacle with a genuine sense of pleasure and satisfaction. Just a short time ago, this ragged company was on the verge of implosion, split between petty power battles and pointless outbursts of ideological grandstanding. However, once their focus moved to actual, concrete goals in pursuit of the Scholsemann Sustainability Scholarship, a perceptible rebirth of synergy emerged.Dylan felt the same explosive spark that had first attracted them together rekindle as he assessed his co-conspirators' single-minded focus on the mission at hand. He cleared his throat, the gravelly rasp cutting through the charged silence like a tuning fork vibration. "Alright, people - I think it's time we regroup and see what kind of big-
CHAPTER 72***NEXT DAY AT SCHOOL ***The library's hushed ambiance felt like a taut wire, barely containing the simmering tensions that crackled between them. Lila swept her gaze across the secluded study nook, taking stock of her unlikely crew bound together by shared trauma and a singular purpose.Mia radiated tightly-coiled fury, her lithe frame tensed like a spring awaiting release. Though defiant fire still burned in those dark eyes, the mottled bruises marring her skin served as a visceral reminder of the price they'd paid for resistance. Beside her, Dylan settled into his chair with measured movements, as if afraid any sudden gestures might rekindle the powderkeg hostilities. His jaw was clenched, eyes tracking the others with a wariness born of recent betrayals.The heavy tread of boots against tile announced Caleb's arrival. The towering jock swaggered in exuding nonchalant arrogance, but the corded muscles bunching along his thick neck betrayed the menacing undercurrent sim
CHAPTER 71The front door let out a deep, familiar groan of protest as Lila shouldered it open and stepped across the threshold into the Hawthorne home. The entrance stretched out in front of her, tiny but neat, a true reflection of her father's practical principles and workmanlike pride.She scuffed her trainers against the bristly welcome mat, releasing the grit and debris that had gathered throughout the day on their rubber soles. The regular shucking noises resonated hollowly along the front hall, as Lila went about her daily practice of making herself at home.Her backpack thudded on the floor with a muffled whump, spreading its contents in a tangled sprawl of notebooks, textbooks and stray pens. She'd worry about resolving that issue later; for now, the enticing draw of escape into the digital ether called with its siren song of consequence-free distraction.Lila retrieved her smartphone from the chaos, flicking her thumb across the lockscreen in a single practiced flick. The sc
CHAPTER 70The bell, which thankfully signaled the conclusion of another academic assignment, rang out in a strong dismissal tone that cut through the noise of the packed corridor. Students rush out of classrooms, eager to get away from academic duties for a few hours.Lila stayed there for a few lingering seconds, watching the storm swell and fall before getting up. She gathered her belongings with deliberate, precise care, her actions honed over years of discreetly traversing a world practically devoid of noise disruptions.As she lifted her bag and turned towards the exit, a familiar figure appeared at her side. Mia fell into step, her face a mix of affectionate irritation and lingering uncertainty."You sure you're okay heading out alone?" She asked, narrowing one eye as she examined Lila. "After this morning's...events, I wouldn't blame you for wanting someone to walk with."Lila's hands moved in a flurry of familiar gestures, her agile fingers articulating the response with prac
CHAPTER 69Miranda and Yuria paused in mid-torment, their savage sneers temporarily easing as the sound of an adjacent classroom door smashing open reached their ears."What in the name of blessed reason is going on out here?"The authoritative scream of a male faculty member pierced through the tense atmosphere like a hot knife as Mr. Levinson's towering form approached the corner. The hefty, barrel-chested History teacher stopped short, his already florid cheeks purpling even more as he took in the chaotic sight."Miss Miranda!" "Miss Yuria!" His blustering tones cracked like a whip as he focused on the perpetrators. "Release those young ladies this instant and explain yourselves!"For a brief time, it appeared that Miranda might dig in her heels and refuse the teacher's intervention. Her clean features distorted into an ugly grimace, and her grasp on Lila's hair tightened violently until the mute girl wailed. Then, just as swiftly, the mutinous fury subsided into calm, lazy apathy
CHAPTER 68The heavy wooden door bashed shut behind Caleb with a resounding finality that echoed along the empty hallway. His footsteps sounded like sledgehammers, propelled by a spinning whirlwind of embarrassment, rage, and disbelief.How dare they? How can those small little insects defy him so shamelessly, removing his legitimate claim to power with their pathetic insurrection? As the images repeated in his mind's eye, he let out a low growl from deep within.Those losers and the freak raised their betraying hands in arrogant, coordinated rejection. Dylan, the overhype little b*tch who had fooled himself into thinking he could steal Caleb's natural leadership. A strong shudder shot through the jock's titanium-hewn frame as he pictured wrapping his hands around that thin throat and squeezing until those mutinous lights went out for good.His fists squeezed till the knuckles turned white, tendons cording against the skin like high-tension cables. The abrupt jarring blast of his ring