After drying the unlucky glasses boy's head, Evan finally picked up his pen and wrote on the back of Wendy's note.
I'm not a breeding animal. No. Not helping.
He threw the paper back.
When Wendy read the reply, her eyes dimmed.
It was not that Evan feared Mason or the local boys. He simply did not want to cause trouble. Before he came to Harbor City, Jack had warned him again and again: learn a trade, live properly, stop getting dragged into garbage. Evan was not actually a boy who enjoyed running around looking for fights.
He turned his head and looked at Wendy again.
Objectively speaking, she was attractive. Tall for a girl, clear-faced, with a figure that could make a loose T-shirt fail at hiding anything. She was definitely pretty. But compared with Hannah's mature, dangerous softness, Wendy still lacked a certain flavor.
And if the price of sleeping with Wendy once was offending an entire group of local students, Evan felt the trade was bad.
After being refused, Wendy lay on the desk and spun her pen between her fingers without saying a word.
She stared at Evan.
Directly.
Unblinking.
Evan felt his scalp go cold under that stare, so he simply turned away and ignored her.
At last, the bell rang.
Class ended.
Wendy suddenly leaned onto Evan's shoulder.
Then she raised her voice, deliberately sweet and loud enough for half the room to hear.
"Baby."
"They're going to block me after school."
"You have to get justice for me."
Evan went completely blank.
Wait.
When did he become her baby?
He opened his mouth to explain, but Wendy grabbed his neck with both arms and forced a kiss onto him before he could react.
It was not gentle. It was desperate, reckless, and completely shameless, like someone throwing the last card in her hand onto the table and daring everyone to call it fake.
Evan tried to push her away, but Wendy held on for several breathless seconds before finally releasing him.
During class, she had already made her decision.
She had to gamble.
If Evan did not help her today, Fiona would never stop. Wendy had no group behind her yet, no hometown association, no circle to stand up for her. In this broken school, someone without backing would be chewed on until there was nothing left.
Why did she choose Evan?
Because the day before, when she went to the school shop, she had personally seen him fight those dyed-hair punks in the woods.
Evan was terrifying.
One against several, and he still looked as if he had not even warmed up.
So last night, lying in her dorm bed, she had already decided. No matter what, she had to drag Evan into this. After he helped her survive the first round, she would find the students from her own region and join them. At least then she would not be alone.
Evan finally shoved her back and stared at her in disbelief.
This girl was ruthless.
To pull him into the water as her shield, she did not even want her own face anymore.
At that moment, Mason Wong marched over with a murderous expression.
He shoved away the glasses boy sitting in front of Evan and pointed at Evan's nose.
"I'm warning you. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
"Otherwise I'll make sure you can't stay in this school."
Before Evan could speak, Wayne stood from the row behind him and picked up a textbook like it was a brick.
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
"You dare threaten my big brother?"
After yesterday's fight, Wayne had been completely won over by Evan. He was now Evan's number one admirer. Anyone who caused Evan trouble was causing Wayne trouble.
"And who the hell are you?" Mason snapped.
The two stared at each other like fighting bulls.
Then Mason pointed at both of them.
"You two wait after school."
"If I don't break both your legs, my name isn't Mason Wong."
Evan was speechless.
When a person was speechless enough, he truly did become silent.
He had originally planned to clear things up.
Then Wayne jumped out and nailed the pot directly onto his head.
Fine.
No more explanation.
Prepare to fight.
After Mason left, Wayne leaned close and mysteriously opened his jacket.
Inside were two black telescopic batons.
He had bought them outside school the day before because he was worried the dyed-hair group might come for revenge.
He took one out and handed it to Evan.
"Brother, keep it for protection."
Evan cursed silently.
Thank you so much.
Both times he had gotten into trouble at school, this dead fat man had somehow been nearby making everything worse.
After Wayne sat down, a friendly-looking boy beside Evan quietly nudged him.
"Bro, don't fight them."
"They're locals. They act crazy."
"Listen to me. Go buy a few packs of good cigarettes after class. Lower your head tonight, invite them to dinner, and this can pass."
Evan played with the cold baton in his hand.
Buy them cigarettes?
He would rather buy their ancestors a funeral drum.
Back then, a pack of good cigarettes was expensive. Poor students usually bought two or three loose cigarettes at a time. Anyone who could buy a whole pack without blinking had a decent family.
Forget it.
Maybe this was fate.
Since he had been dragged into the water, then he might as well swim hard.
If he did not establish some weight in this class, every stray dog in school would think it could climb on his head.
Soon, noon dismissal arrived.
Before class ended, Hannah even called to ask if he was hungry and wanted to eat outside school with her.
Evan casually made an excuse, saying he had already agreed to eat with his roommates in the cafeteria.
The moment class ended, Fiona and Mason's group surrounded them.
Men and women together, more than ten people.
"Let's go. Empty lot behind the school."
"If you don't have the guts, crawl between my legs now."
"If you crawl, I'll let you go today and only deal with that little bitch."
Evan picked his nose with a look of contempt and flicked nothing in particular into the air.
"Walk, then. Stop talking."
The group headed toward the empty lot behind the school with great momentum.
That unfinished patch of land belonged to the school. It had once been planned for a new teaching building, but funding never came through. Now it was weeds, broken bricks, and rough dirt.
Naturally, it had become the sacred arena for student fights.
And this school lacked many things, but it never lacked people who loved watching trouble.
The moment students heard there was going to be a fight, some skipped lunch entirely and followed after them with excited faces.
Evan and Mason's two sides walked in front.
Behind them came a buzzing crowd.
All of them there to watch the show.
Author's Note:
This story will continue updating here.
If you want to read the full story without waiting or more books, you can unlock it here:
/c/TYMercer
Thank you for reading.