Page 3 of Off-Limits Bad Boy Protector

"I arrived at this spot before you did, so please find another place to view the results," I asserted firmly. I met his unfriendly gaze with a determined look. I stood with my hands confidently on my hips and focused my stare on his chest to show my unwavering resolve.

I had always wanted to challenge my archenemy academically since they were freshmen. Fate had finally given me the chance to glare at his face while mentally asking how he kept up such great grades. Especially when he hardly showed up at school.

The tension between us was starting to increase by just the look he sent in my direction. But then, to my surprise, he relaxed. A slight smirk appeared on his face. His blue eyes quickly checked the notification behind me.

“Cassie Evans.” His gaze came back to settle on my face. “Is that you? The one whose plan to be the best student of the year always get failed by me?” Leo questioned with the most scrutinizing gaze of all time.

At this point, I couldn’t fight back a sneer at the insane amount of arrogance oozing out from every word he spoke. My eyes narrowed at his taunting tone. My fingers curled into fists as I clenched my dress to stop from punching him.

"Wow, I thought you never noticed. You've been so frustrating for four years," I retorted sarcastically.

To my big surprise, I noticed a tiny smirk playing on his lips as I spoke. "It might have been simpler if you didn't wear those fashion-disaster outfits all the time," he teased, giving me a disapproving look from the corner of his eye.

I felt my cheeks heat up at his remark, not being able to stop my shoulders stiffening at his words. He was mocking me. Oh God, he really was mocking me. I wasn't the only one who had heard that. I could tell from the stiff chuckles and giggles a few meters away.

The disapproving stares from my classmates didn't improve my mood. It seemed like every single person in the hallway gazed at me with a mixture of disappointment and anger, their eyes demanding that Leo Woodrow, the self-proclaimed "school king," take action against me for not following their unwritten rules.

The air was thick with tension, and I could almost hear their collective whisper: "How dare you defy us?" It was as if they wanted Leo to summon his inner dictator and publicly humiliate me for my disobedience. The weight of their expectation pressed down on me, making my shoulders slump in defeat.

I could feel the pressure rising. I also knew the fight with Leo was not for me to win. Deciding to back down would be best. I didn’t want anyone to ruin my joyful day.

He took a step forward with a small smirk on his attractive features, the tip of his shoes touching mine. “Get out of here, Cass, if you don’t want me to create more problems than being the second-best student.” His words came in whispers. His low, raspy voice barely reached my ears. It sent an electric spark over my nerves.

My eyes flickered back to his. Then, they fell on his face, finding traces of amusement. It was written over his features. It was almost daring mine to stay there.

I sneered at him, stepping back slightly at his aggressive posture, my eyebrows furrowing tightly together. "I don’t need a jerk to tell me what to do," I spat. Then, I walked past him. I made sure to bump my shoulder into his chest.

Someone laughed softly, sounding mocking, as they left, but I didn't care much since I knew who it was.

My eyes flickered back to his. Then, they fell on his face. I found traces of amusement written over his features. It was almost like he was daring mine to stay there.

I sneered at him. I stepped back at his aggressive posture. My eyebrows furrowed tightly. "I don’t need a jerk to tell me what to do," I spat. Then, I walked past him. I made sure my shoulder bumped his chest.

A soft chuckle filled with mockery bid me goodbye, and knowing from whom it came from, I couldn’t care less.

I had more important things to do than worry about that jerkish—if that was even a word— and arrogant son of a b**** Leo Woodrow.

Chapter 4

Remember when I thought, I never had any reason to worry about the school popular jock? Well, guess what? Turned out I had been completely wrong…

After my frustrating run-in with Leo Woodrow, my peaceful life in Shelly Ford turned into a nightmare. His piercing icy blue eyes seemed to follow me everywhere. Whenever he glanced at me, his mocking smirk appeared. The sound of his laughter echoed in my ears. It caused my lips to involuntarily frown. I frowned at the memory of his deep, melodious voice.

He truly caused me distress. I can point to various situations that led to this feeling. For example, his constant criticism and lack of support weighed heavily on me. Additionally, his dismissive attitude towards my feelings only added to my distress.

It was like a constant reminder. His blank gaze haunted me during lunch and classes. Sometimes his hand would linger on my shoulder, or he'd lean in close with that sly smile, whispering into my ear.

"Second best?" He always called me that, all the time.

The words halted my steps slowly. They made me scowl and my eyes dart left. I was in search for the source of those familiar deep tones. They had haunted my dreams lately.

Sure enough, there he was, standing just a couple of feet from me. His deep crystal blue eyes bored into my chocolate ones. His hand was in the pocket of his black pants. His head was bowed down to meet my eye level.

He gave that same annoying smirk, like he did a moment ago. His eyes looked proud, like he thought he was better. His grin looked mean, not happy. It seemed like he thought their talk was normal. He then casually asked, "Are you off to a class?" He sounded confident, almost making fun of the situation.

The brunette didn’t hesitate to reply, the annoyance still lingering on my features. “The name's Cassie.” I corrected while tilting my chin up, my teeth gritted.

Leo didn’t seem impressed by my response. His expression looked like someone with more important things to say. He seemed uninterested in my name. “I need the notes of every class I missed this week.”

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