novelraw Chapter 118: Uncomfortable
Chapter 118: Uncomfortable
Layena fell completely silent. Knowing her elder sister was about to arrive in Montclair, she didn’t take a battle stance when she saw that face.
The redhead leaned back in her seat, a grin spreading across her lips, her sharp canine glinting into view.
She looked down at Layena and asked, "Here on a date? I didn’t expect you to become so... unruly just because I wasn’t around."
This time, Layena didn’t stay quiet, though she shifted the topic. "Why are you here?"
"Don’t you already know? The mess you and your little playmates caused... I’m here to clean it up."
"I’m glad you’re aware of your duty. So why are you here?" Layena asked, arms crossed.
"Pfft, trying to act all cocky and confident?" Ava said, her posture relaxed, the amusement never leaving her voice.
Then her gaze sharpened.
"You might be living on your own now, might have made a name for yourself here, but don’t forget... in my eyes, you’re still that rat who hide under the bed."
Layena’s throat bobbed. Her face remained calm, unchanged, but inside her mind, fragments of the past began to surface.
The same girl who now struggled to express herself had once cried out loud, begging for help. Back then, no one listened. No one heard her cries, nor the terror she endured every single day.
It was only when she was finally admitted into the academy that she felt truly alive, a spark of hope igniting within her.
A hope for a real life, not the hell Ava and her stepmother had forced her to endure.
And now, just as she was having a good day, just as she had begun to smile and even thought of making a friend, the very person who embodied those dark days appeared before her.
"Hello there."
The heavy voice cut through the silence as a tray landed on the table.
Ava hummed and glanced at the man standing over her, looking down with a blank expression.
"That is my seat."
She smirked. "Oh? But I’m in the middle of a conversation with my sister."
Kyle hummed in mild surprise. "You’re her sister? I apologize. The way this conversation was going, it felt more like some cheap school bully looking for trouble."
Ava’s grin faltered for a brief moment before she replied, "Were you eavesdropping? That’s hella rude, dude."
Kyle pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat down across from them. "If someone’s making my friend uncomfortable, of course I’m going to be concerned."
Layena flinched at those words and glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
He said she was his friend.
"Is that so?" Ava said with a smirk, her gaze shifting to Layena, who remained seated with her head bowed. "Well, I hope she’s a good friend who doesn’t ditch you on dates. She has a bad habit of breaking promises, you see."
Kyle nodded lightly. "From what I’ve seen, Layena is the most honest friend I have."
This time, Layena looked up at him directly, no longer hiding her gaze.
Ava’s expression tightened as irritation flared within her. ’Look at her, getting all excited.’
With a soft huff, Ava said, "I’ll see you around, Kyle." She extended her hand, but Kyle shook his head.
"Ah, sorry. I need to eat, and I don’t feel like washing my hands again."
He gave her a polite bow in greeting.
He wasn’t about to deal with that tracker mess again.
Ava narrowed her eyes at the young man. He was already high on her list of suspects. After this, she would be watching him closely.
Without another word, she stood up and left.
Layena finally exhaled the breath she had been holding for far too long.
Kyle took the seat across from her. "Umm... Layena."
She looked up, her brows raised. "Y-Yes..."
"Give me your hand."
She blinked in surprise and lifted her hand, only to realize it.
It was trembling.
Not subtly. Her hand was shaking.
She tried to keep her face calm, but her body refused to listen.
"Let me hold it for a bit," Kyle said, gently enclosing both of her hands in his and rubbing them softly. "Don’t tense up. Just relax." His voice guided her.
Kyle had noticed Ava the moment she stepped in. Her fiery red hair matched the image Veronica had sent him earlier.
Veronica had also mentioned, in passing, that Layena didn’t get along with the rest of her family. And seeing how she turned stiff and uneasy in that woman’s presence, Kyle realized the situation was far worse than he had first assumed.
"I’m sorry if the way I treated her upset you, but I felt... she was making you uncomfortable."
Layena shook her head. "I’m not upset... and you’re right. Her presence affects me negatively."
Kyle let out a quiet sigh. How could he not understand what it felt like to have bad blood with your own family?
His relationship with his parents had always been bitter, filled with pain and tears. When he thought back on his childhood, all that came to mind was a dark, suffocating space and the crushing expectations they placed on him.
So yes, in his own way, he understood her.
"Thank you... I feel better..." Layena murmured, then added softly, "Can you still hold my hand? Please?"
Kyle exhaled before nodding.
For her comfort, he moved to the chair beside her and gently held her hand under the table.
Looking at her, he said, "If you want to talk about it, you can. I’m a good listener. And if you don’t, we can just enjoy our meal."
Layena gave a faint smile. A crack finally showed as her lips curved, and she asked softly, almost pleading, "Can we talk about it later?"
"I understand," he nodded, picking up a fry with his free hand. "Come on, eat before these get completely soggy... though they already look halfway dead."
Layena let out a quiet chuckle, and the sound of her laughter drew a small smile from him.
Who would have thought the academy’s thorn princess could smile like that.
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A/N:- Ethan sure gonna be pissed. I have already replied in comments, but I will say it now. Ethan’s story won’t be dragged for long. He isn’t the main villain, at all.