Zero released her grip in disgust. Kenzie collapsed onto the cold hallway tiles, clutching her throbbing hand. Tears of pain and humiliation welled in her eyes, but her spoiled pride wouldn't let her stay quiet.
Zero reached into her pocket, pulled out a sterile wet wipe, and slowly cleaned the fingers that had touched Kenzie. She wiped her skin as if she had just come into contact with a deadly pathogen.
The blatant disrespect shattered Kenzie's remaining sanity. She looked around at the growing crowd of students and started screaming hysterically, weaponizing the audience.
"Look at this shameless faggot!" Kenzie shrieked, her voice echoing off the lockers. "He stalks Maverick every day, gets rejected, and now he's hitting women!"
The whispers ignited. Students pointed at Zero, the old memories of the pathetic stalker bubbling back to the surface.
Zero finished wiping her hand. She tossed the used wipe perfectly into a nearby trash can. She turned to face the crowd, her expression completely deadpan.
She walked slowly toward Kenzie, stopping right in front of her. The sheer physical dominance in Zero's posture made Kenzie's screams die in her throat.
Zero parted her lips. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling resonance that cut through the entire hallway.
"Listen closely," Zero said, her tone dripping with absolute disdain. "I have zero interest in Maverick Thorne. That arrogant, frozen block of ice means nothing to me."
The hallway went dead silent. Jaws dropped. People stared at Zero as if she had just grown a second head.
Zero's lips curved into a sharp, mocking smirk. "I used to be blind. My taste was garbage. But my eyes are fixed now."
Kenzie's face drained of color. Her ultimate weapon-the narrative that Zero was obsessed with Maverick-had just been obliterated.
Directly above them, behind the one-way glass of the second-floor VIP cafeteria booth, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Maverick Thorne, the captain of the Empire Alliance esports team, sat on a black leather sofa. As the heir to the Thorne family, even a living legend in the esports world was still required to complete his mandatory academic residency at River City Academy. His long legs were crossed. He held a cup of black coffee. His face, sculpted like a cold, unforgiving god, was turned toward the window, looking down at the drama below.
Finn O'Connell, his teammate, was pressed against the glass, a half-eaten slice of pizza hanging from his mouth. "Holy crap!" Finn mumbled around the food. "Captain, the stalker just said he's not into you anymore!"
Maverick's fingers tightened around the porcelain cup. His knuckles turned white. A surge of intense, irrational revulsion spiked in his chest.
"A trick," Maverick said. His voice was ice. He slammed the cup down onto the marble table. The sharp clack echoed in the quiet room.
He saw right through it. It was just another desperate, pathetic ploy to get his attention.
Finn scratched his blonde head. "But Captain, he looks... different today. Really different. And that move he pulled on Kenzie was brutal."
Maverick's deep blue eyes narrowed as he stared at the boy in the black suit below. A strange, irritating heat flared in his stomach.
Down in the hallway, Zero turned away from the stunned crowd. She started walking toward the cafeteria entrance.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
Years of living as a hunted hacker and operative had honed her instincts to a razor's edge. She felt it. A heavy, aggressive, predatory stare locking onto her spine.
Zero stopped walking. She didn't look around. She tilted her head back and shot her gaze directly up at the tinted, one-way glass of the VIP booth.
Behind the glass, Maverick's breath hitched. He knew the glass was completely opaque from the outside. There was no physical way Zero could see him. Yet, those sharp, dark eyes were staring directly into his.
Zero didn't know exactly who was behind the glass, but the arrogant, freezing aura seeping through the window was unmistakable. It was him.
Instead of looking away, Zero's smirk widened into something wicked and entirely defiant.
She raised her right hand, pressed her index and middle fingers together, and tapped them against her forehead in a lazy, mocking salute.
She turned and walked through the cafeteria doors.
In the VIP room, Maverick stared at the empty space where Zero had just stood. His jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek. His thumb rubbed aggressively against the rim of his coffee cup.
