What have you done, Liam!

Liam’s POV:

I smirked as Jayden stood frozen in the classroom, his bag in the teacher’s hands, and the stolen item lying on her desk for everyone to see. It was perfect. He looked confused, helpless. Just like I wanted.

Jayden turned to the teacher, his voice shaking. “Ma’am, I didn’t do this. I swear. I don’t know how that got into my bag.”

The teacher’s frown deepened as she crossed her arms. “Jayden, the evidence is right here. We’re going to the principal’s office. Now.”

“Please, ma’am,” Jayden pleaded, his eyes darting around the room, searching for someone—anyone—to believe him. But no one would. Not when I had planned this so perfectly.

I leaned back in my chair, letting out a loud laugh. “Ma’am, don’t let him fool you. I saw him put it in his bag earlier. Isn’t that right, Jayden?”

“You're just a petty theft, but what do we expect from someone from a very poor background?” I mocked and all the students laughed together.

Jayden’s head snapped toward me, his eyes burning with fury. For a second, I thought he might actually hit me. His fists clenched at his sides, but he didn’t move. Coward. He wouldn’t dare.

“The other day, Ashley lost her perfume, I'm sure he took it and sold it off, wasn't it?” I said trying to push him to the edge, I wanted to see him react, just as he was about to react the teacher's voice broke out.

“Liam,” the teacher said sharply, cutting through the tension. “That’s enough. Jayden, follow me.”

As Jayden walked past me, his shoulders stiff and his jaw tight, I couldn’t resist leaning closer and whispering, “How does it feel to lose? I hope you get lost in my life and out of this school, cause I hate you with passion, I pray we never cross paths.”

Jayden's glare could’ve burned a hole through me, but he didn’t say a word. He just followed the teacher out of the room, leaving behind a chorus of whispers and snickers from our classmates.

The moment the door closed, I raised my hand for a high-five, and my friends eagerly slapped my palm. “That was brilliant, Liam,” one of them said. “You showed him.”

“Of course,” I said, grinning. “No one crosses me and gets away with it. Especially not some loser like Jayden.”

I won, I always did, I would make sure he gets banned and out of the school, he needs to leave, he's a threat to my perfect life in school.

But as the laughter faded and the day dragged on, something started to bother me. It wasn’t guilt—never that. It was… unease. The way Jayden had looked at me, the sheer determination in his eyes, had left a mark. It was like he wasn’t done yet.

By the time the final bell rang, I was ready to shake it off. Jayden was nothing. He’d learn his place soon enough.

I'll make sure he does.

As I walked toward the school gates, I spotted him kneeling outside the teacher’s lounge, a punishment for his supposed crime. A satisfied grin spread across my face. This was exactly where he belonged—beneath me.

“Hey, thief!” I called out, sticking my tongue out like a child. “How’s the floor treating you?”

To my surprise, Jayden didn’t look defeated. He didn’t even flinch. Instead, he lifted his head slowly, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that sent a chill down my spine.

Before I could react, he was on his feet, closing the distance between us in seconds. I blinked, and suddenly, he was right in front of me, gripping my arm with a strength that didn’t make sense.

“What the—” I started, but his voice cut me off.

“I know it was you,” he said, his tone low and steady, the calm before a storm. “You put that in my bag, didn’t you?”

I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come out. His grip tightened, and I felt a strange pull, like something was forcing me to listen.

“You’re going to go to the teacher,” he continued, his eyes boring into mine, “and you’re going to tell her the truth. Now.”

Something was wrong. My legs started moving before I even realized it, carrying me toward the teacher’s lounge. I tried to stop, to turn around, but it was like I wasn’t in control of my own body.

What the hell is happening? Who the heck was Jayden, what kind of power did he possess to be able to control me this way?

The teacher looked up as I walked in, her expression confused. “Liam? What are you doing here?”

I swallowed hard, my voice trembling as I said the words I never thought I’d say. “I… I was the one who put the stolen item in Jayden’s bag.”

The room went silent. I could feel the weight of my own words, the shock in the teacher’s eyes, the betrayal in the faces of my friends who had followed me inside.

“What?” she said, her voice sharp. “You did this, Liam? Why?”

Before I could answer, another voice cut through the room like a knife.

“Liam,” my father said, his tone low and dangerous.

My heart stopped. I turned slowly to see him standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and his face a mask of barely controlled fury.

“Start explaining, what the heck did you do this time?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm.

“I—I didn’t mean to—” I stammered, but the words felt hollow, even to me.

Jayden stepped into the room then, his expression unreadable. For a moment, he looked at me, and I thought I saw a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.

“Start talking now! What have you done! What did I just hear?” My father barked and I shifted, in humiliation, this was like the biggest humiliation in my life.

I would make Jayden pay for this!