Page 48 of Revenge is a Witch

Kyla’s face flushes red with anger, and to my surprise, Sebastian is standing right there with her, mingling with her little group. He's clearly still playing his part, pretending to be under her hex. His eyes meet mine for a split second, and there’s a subtle glint of amusement there.

Kyla storms forward, her lips curled into a sneer. "I’ve heard you’ve got eyes on my man." Her voice is sharp enough to cut glass.

I raise an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "Your man? Oh, you mean Sebastian? You should be more specific, Kyla. I have my eyes on a lot of things. But don’t worry—when it comes to him, I’m just admiring the packaging, not the contents." I smirk, watching her anger bubble.

She steps closer, her voice low and threatening. "Sebastian is mine to do what I want with. I’ll make sure he’s too ugly for you to look at—maybe carve his face up, make it so you can’t stand the sight of him."

Anger flares inside me, hotter than I expected. Before I even realize what I’m doing, my fist is flying through the air, landing a solid punch square on her jaw. Kyla stumbles back, eyes wide with shock and fury.

The hall erupts into chaos as Derek’s arms wrap tightly around my waist, pulling me back before I can lunge at her again. "Whoa, Z! Cool it!" he says, his voice strained but amused. Bethany and her boyfriend are holding Kyla back, who is struggling to get at me, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Youbitch!" Kyla screeches, trying to claw her way past Bethany. "You’ll pay for that!"

I narrow my eyes at her. "You’ve got it all wrong, Kyla. Sebastian doesn’t belong to anyone, least of all you. And if you even think about laying a hand on him, I swear it’ll be the last thing you ever do."

Kyla growls, but before she can retort, Sebastian’s laugh cuts through the tension. He’s standing off to the side, clearly entertained by the whole scene. "Ladies, ladies... you’re going to make me blush."

Kyla, however, isn’t laughing. She glares at him, her face red and throbbing where I hit her. "We’re going to the nurse’s office. You’re coming with me, Sebastian!"

Sebastian glances at me, a subtle, knowing look passing between us. He’s playing the long game, and we both know it. With a lazy smirk, he follows her, but not before mouthing,We’re winning this.

As they walk away, Derek finally loosens his grip on me, and I let out a shaky breath. "Well," he says, his voice tinged with amusement, "that escalated quickly."

I rub my knuckles, feeling the sting of the punch. "Yeah. But it felt good."

He chuckles, shaking his head. "Remind me never to piss you off."

I glance down the hallway, watching Kyla and her crew disappear. "I don’t plan on letting her win, Derek. Not this time."

"And you won’t," he says, his voice full of quiet certainty.

Discoveries to be Made

As Derek and I make our way to the cafeteria, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m about to be summoned to the principal’s office for the Great Kyla Punch of the century. Not that I regret it, mind you, but the threat of suspension—or worse, expulsion—looms over me like a rain cloud that just won’t quit.

"You look like you're about to meet the executioner," Derek says, smirking as he nudges me. Always so reassuring.

"Gee, thanks," I mutter. "I’d rather not get expelled before graduation, you know? It's not on my bucket list."

He chuckles as we sit down. "Relax, Z. What you did was tame compared to half the stuff that goes down here. They’ve let way worse slip through the cracks. Trust me."

I stab a fry with my fork, half convinced and half... well, terrified. "Sure, Derek. Let’s just hope Kyla doesn’t turn into some sob story and suddenly become the victim of my 'unprovoked aggression.'"

Derek laughs, shaking his head. "You punched her. You didn’t start a war."

I’m about to reply when I see Sam heading towards us, and her face? Oh boy, it’s set tofull fury mode. Here we go.

"What the hell, Zaria?" she snaps, arms crossed like she’s about to launch into a full-blown lecture. "I asked you not to talk to Derek, and here you are, having lunch with him?"

Oh, fantastic. Petty drama, table for one. I groan internally. "Honestly, Sam, that request was… childish," I mutter, barely keeping my sarcasm at bay. "I’ve known Derek longer than you, and it’s not like you own him."

Her jaw drops. "I’m supposed to be your best friend!" she shrieks, like I just broke some sacred girl-code.

I lean back, giving her a pointed look. "Yeah, best friends don’t lie to each other or go running to the school’s resident evil queen to spill their best friend’s crush. You remember that part of the code, Sam?"

For a moment, she looks like a deer caught in headlights, but then she quickly schools her expression, playing innocent. "I don’t know what you’re talking about," she says, voice dripping with fake sincerity.

I raise an eyebrow. "Sure you don’t."

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