Chapter: The Breaking Point
Etasha was done.
Done with Kaiser's cold attitude.Done with Sam acting like he owned the world.Done with feeling like she was the only one who ever cared too much.
Her fingers curled into fists as she paced her room.
"Fine," she muttered under her breath. "If they want to play… I'll play better."
The plan came fast. Too fast.
And that should've been her first warning.
Sam's notebook lay unattended on the table.
Etasha stared at it for a long moment.
"Let's see how perfect you are without this," she whispered.
She flipped it open.
At first, it was small things—crossing out answers, misspelling words, scribbling just enough to ruin it.
Then she paused.
Her eyes flicked to the water bottle beside her.
A slow, dangerous smile crept onto her face.
"Oops."
The water spilled, soaking through the pages, ink bleeding like wounds.
She shut the notebook quickly, heart racing.
For a second, guilt hit her.
But then she remembered Sam laughing earlier. Ignoring her.
And Kaiser…
Her jaw tightened.
"No," she said softly. "He deserves it."
Evening came.
Sam and Kaiser walked in like kings of their own world, arguing about some game, laughing like nothing else existed.
Natasha watched from the corner, silent.
Invisible.
"Bro, you literally suck at that level," Kaiser smirked, dropping onto the couch.
"Oh please, at least I don't die every five seconds," Sam shot back.
They started playing.
Time passed.
And then—
"Wait, I should check my homework."
Etasha's stomach twisted.
Sam grabbed his notebook casually, flipping it open.
Silence.
Then—
"What. The. Hell."
The room froze.
Kaiser glanced over, mildly curious. "What happened?"
Sam didn't answer.
He kept flipping pages, his expression darkening with every second.
"This… this is a joke, right?" His voice dropped—dangerously calm.
etasha didn't move.
"etasha." He said her name slowly.
She forced herself to look up. "What?"
Sam held up the notebook, pages wrinkled, ink smeared beyond recognition.
"You think this is funny?"
She shrugged, trying to act careless. "Maybe you shouldn't leave your stuff lying around."
Big mistake.
Sam's jaw clenched.
In two quick steps, he was in front of her.
"Say that again."
Etasha lifted her chin. "I said—maybe it's your fault."
The shove came fast.
She stumbled back, hitting the wall.
"Sam—what is wrong with you?!"
"What's wrong with me?" he snapped. "You just ruined my work!"
"It's just homework!"
"It's not just homework!" His voice echoed. "You don't get to decide that!"
Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her toward the cupboard.
"Sam, stop—this isn't funny!"
"You wanted a joke, right?" he said coldly. "Here's one."
He shoved her inside.
Darkness slammed around her.
"Sam! Open the door!"
The door shut with a loud bang.
Her breath hitched instantly.
"I'm serious—open it!"
Outside, Sam's anger hadn't settled.
It had sharpened.
His eyes landed on something across the room.
Etasha's doll.
Her favorite.
He picked it up slowly.
For a moment—just a moment—he hesitated.
Then—
Snap.
The head rolled onto the floor.
Inside the cupboard, Natasha froze at the sound.
"No… no, no, no—Sam!"
Her fear spiked.
She hated the dark.
"Let me out!" she screamed, banging hard against the door. "Sam, I'm sorry! Just open it!"
But Sam just stood there, breathing heavily, anger still boiling under his skin.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The noise echoed through the house.
Back in the other room, Kaiser paused his game.
"…What is that?"
Another bang.
Louder.
He frowned, tossing the controller aside.
"Sam?" he called, walking out. "What did you do?"
Sam didn't meet his eyes. "She deserved it."
Another bang.
Kaiser's expression hardened.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"It's none of your business," Sam snapped.
BANG.
"Let me out!" Etasha's voice cracked from inside.
Kaiser went still.
Then he walked straight to the cupboard and opened it.
Light flooded in.
Etasha blinked, her face pale, eyes wet, breath uneven.
For a second, she just stared at him like he was something unreal.
Relief hit all at once.
She stumbled out and immediately hugged him tightly.
"I thought—"
Kaiser stiffened.
For a second, he didn't move.
Then he pushed her back.
"Don't."
The word was sharp.
Etasha froze.
"What…?"
"Don't get too close," he said, irritation slipping into his voice. "This isn't some movie scene."
The warmth shattered instantly.
His eyes dropped to the floor.
The broken doll.
He bent down, picking it up.
Carefully, he fixed the head back into place, adjusting it until it held.
Not perfect.
But not broken either.
He held it out to her.
Etasha took it slowly, her fingers brushing his.
"Thank you…"
Kaiser shrugged, already stepping back. "Don't mention it."
Sam scoffed from behind. "Wow. Hero moment, huh?"
Kaiser shot him a look. "Locking someone in the dark? Really?"
"She ruined my work!"
"And you lost your brain over it."
"At least I don't pretend to care," Sam snapped.
Kaiser smirked slightly. "Yeah. You don't pretend. You just don't."
That hit.
Sam's expression hardened.
"Stay out of it."
Kaiser turned away. "Or what?"
Silence stretched between them.
Etasha stood there, clutching her doll.
Her heart still racing.
Her fear slowly turning into something else.
Anger.
Hurt.
Confusion.
She looked at Sam.
Then at Kaiser.
And for the first time—
She didn't feel small.
She felt dangerous.