We hadn't even made it halfway down the hallway before I noticed it.
The whispers.
People were staring.
Some pretending not to, others not even trying to hide it.
I slowed slightly. "Great… we're trending now."
Austin glanced around, completely unfazed. "Let them look."
"That's easy for you to say," I muttered. "You're used to attention."
He stopped walking again, turning to face me fully. "And now you are too. Because you're with me."
I crossed my arms, raising a brow. "Is that supposed to be comforting?"
"It's supposed to be honest."
I stared at him for a second… then sighed. "You really don't do things halfway, do you?"
He smirked. "Never have."
Before I could respond, a group of girls walked past us, whispering loudly enough to be heard.
"Is that her?"
"That's the one…"
"I heard he kissed her in front of—"
"Okay, I get it," I muttered under my breath.
Austin's jaw tightened slightly. "Ignore them."
"I am," I said quickly, even though my grip on his hand tightened just a little.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
Without saying anything, he pulled me closer to his side, his arm brushing against mine in a quiet, protective gesture.
And somehow… that helped.
We finally reached a quieter part of the school, near the back stairs where hardly anyone went.
I let out a breath. "Peace. Finally."
Austin leaned against the wall, watching me with that same intense look that always made my heart act up.
"What?" I asked.
"You didn't hesitate back there."
"With Mary?" I shrugged. "Someone had to put her in her place."
"No," he said, stepping closer. "I mean with me."
My breath hitched slightly.
"Oh."
There was a pause.
Then I looked up at him. "Do you want me to hesitate?"
He shook his head slowly. "Not even a little."
Something about the way he said it—so sure, so certain—made my chest feel tight in a completely different way.
"Good," I said softly. "Because I wasn't planning to."
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then his hand lifted, brushing lightly against my cheek, slower this time… like he was giving me time to pull away.
I didn't.
"I meant what I said," he murmured. "I'm not getting bored."
I searched his eyes, trying to see if there was even a hint of doubt.
There wasn't.
"Then don't," I replied.
That was all it took.
He closed the distance again, kissing me—slower this time, deeper, like he wasn't trying to prove anything anymore… just feel it.
And I did.
Every second of it.
My fingers curled slightly into his shirt as I leaned into him, completely forgetting about everything else for a moment.
Until—
A loud bang echoed from somewhere nearby.
We both pulled back instantly.
"What was that?" I asked, my heart jumping.
Austin frowned, looking toward the stairwell door. "Probably nothing…"
But the way his posture shifted told me he didn't fully believe that.
Another sound followed—voices this time.
Male voices.
Loud.
Arguing.
I frowned. "That doesn't sound like nothing."
Austin sighed quietly. "Stay here."
I grabbed his arm immediately. "Oh no, I'm not doing that 'stay here while you go be a hero' thing."
He looked at me, half amused, half serious. "You're stubborn."
"You just noticed?"
There was a brief pause… then he nodded toward the door. "Fine. But you stay behind me."
I smirked. "Bossy."
"Careful," he warned lightly.
Together, we moved toward the stairwell.
The voices got louder as we got closer—tense, aggressive.
Austin pushed the door open slightly—
And what we saw on the other side made my stomach drop.
It wasn't just an argument.
It looked like a fight.
And somehow…
It felt like we had just walked straight into something way bigger than school drama.
I swallowed.
"Okay…" I whispered. "Now this is a problem."
The moment the door creaked open, the noise hit harder.
Shouting. Shoes scraping. A sharp thud against the wall.
My stomach twisted.
There were at least four guys in the stairwell—and two of them were already throwing punches.
"What the—" I whispered.
Austin's arm immediately moved in front of me, blocking me slightly. "Stay back."
But I leaned just enough to see.
One of the guys slammed another against the railing, grabbing his shirt. "You think you can just take it and walk away?!"
"I didn't take anything!" the other snapped, struggling.
Another boy stepped in, shoving him harder. "Stop lying!"
I frowned. "This is bad…"
Austin muttered under his breath, clearly irritated. "Idiots…"
One of the guys suddenly noticed us.
"Yo," he called out, nudging the others. "We got an audience."
Great.
All eyes turned to us.
I instinctively stepped a little closer to Austin.
One of them smirked. "Well, well… look who it is."
Austin didn't react. "Not interested. Handle your mess."
I blinked slightly.
Bold.
But apparently, not bold enough to end things.
"Oh, come on," another guy said, stepping forward. "Don't act like you're better than this."
"I don't act," Austin replied calmly. "I am."
Okay… now that was bold.
The tension shifted instantly.
I could feel it.
This wasn't just about whatever fight they were having anymore.
Now it included us.
I leaned closer to Austin, lowering my voice. "Maybe we should go…"
"Yeah," one of the guys mocked. "Listen to your girl."
Before I could react, Austin's posture changed completely.
His jaw tightened. His shoulders squared.
Dangerous.
"Watch your mouth," he said quietly.
The stairwell went still.
Even I felt that.
But the guy just laughed. "Or what?"
I exhaled slowly. "Oh no…"
The guy took another step forward, clearly trying to provoke him.
And before I could stop it—
He shoved Austin.
Everything happened fast after that.
Austin grabbed his shirt instantly and shoved him back harder, slamming him against the wall.
"Bad idea," he said sharply.
The others jumped in.
"Hey! Chill!"
"Break it up!"
But no one was really trying to stop it.
It escalated in seconds.
Punch.
Shove.
Another hit.
"Austin!" I shouted, panic rising in my chest.
One of the other guys moved too close, like he was about to join in—and I reacted without thinking.
"Back off!" I snapped, pushing him away.
He stumbled slightly, looking surprised. "Yo—"
"I said BACK OFF!"
My voice echoed louder than I expected.
For a split second, everything paused.
Austin took advantage of it, shoving the guy away from him.
"Enough," he snapped.
The tension hung thick in the air.
Everyone was breathing hard now.
I quickly moved to Austin's side, grabbing his arm. "Are you okay?"
He nodded, though his expression was still tense. "I'm fine."
I looked him over anyway. "You don't look fine."
"I said I'm good," he insisted, softer this time.
One of the guys scoffed. "Man, this isn't over."
Austin didn't even look at him. "It is for me."
The guy laughed bitterly. "You don't get to decide that."
Austin finally turned his head slightly. "Watch me."
Silence.
Then, surprisingly, no one moved.
No one challenged him.
After a tense moment, one of them muttered, "Whatever… let's go."
One by one, they backed off, dragging their friend with them.
The stairwell slowly emptied.
And just like that—
It was over.
I let out a breath I didn't even realize I'd been holding.
"Okay… I officially hate today," I muttered.
Austin let out a quiet laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah… not exactly peaceful."
I looked at him again, more seriously this time. "You sure you're okay?"
He hesitated for a second… then nodded. "Yeah."
I narrowed my eyes slightly. "You hesitated."
"I'm fine," he repeated.
I stepped closer anyway, gently touching his cheek where it looked like he'd been hit.
He winced slightly.
"See?" I said. "Not fine."
He smirked faintly despite it. "It's nothing."
I shook my head. "You're impossible."
"And you're stubborn," he shot back.
I rolled my eyes—but my hand didn't move away.
For a moment, everything went quiet again.
No shouting.
No whispers.
Just us.
"That was crazy," I admitted.
"Yeah," he said. Then, after a pause, "You didn't run."
I frowned. "Why would I?"
"Most people would've."
I shrugged lightly. "I'm not most people."
He looked at me for a second, something softer replacing the tension in his eyes.
"Clearly."
There was a pause.
Then I smirked slightly. "Also… you kind of started that."
He scoffed. "He shoved me first."
"You provoked him."
"Did not."
I raised an eyebrow. "You literally said 'I am.'"
He grinned. "Okay… maybe a little."
I laughed under my breath. "Unbelievable."
He stepped a little closer again, his expression shifting back to that familiar intensity.
"But you stayed," he said quietly.
I met his gaze. "Of course I did."
Another pause.
Then, softer—
"Guess we're in this now."
I didn't ask what this meant.
I didn't need to.
Because somehow, after all that chaos…
It felt true.
"Yeah," I said. "We are."
And this time—
There was no turning back.