Laughter rippled outward but West didn't respond.
Caleb leaned slightly toward Lena. "Crazy how small this place feels now, huh?"
Lena shifted uncomfortably but didn't step away.
Caleb's eyes flicked back to West. "You eating alone?"
West's fingers curled slowly into fists.
"Leave him alone," Lena muttered.
Caleb raised a brow. "You feeling bad now?"
She didn't answer.
Caleb chuckled. "Man, you gotta admit—this is awkward."
West didn't bother looking up.
That silence and refusal to acknowledge his presence like everyone else was a slap to Caleb's pride.
The corner of Caleb's mouth twitched.
"Wow," he said loudly. "You really pretending I don't exist now?"
West took a slow breath but still didn't look up. He believed this would well be over with so long as he didn't bother engaging them.
He just wanted to be alone after failing to achieve his objective today.
But Caleb interpreted the current status in a different way. He laughed with a look of disbelieve.
"You hear that?" he said to Lena. "Dude's got balls all of a sudden."
Lena shifted uncomfortably. "Caleb, maybe we should—"
Caleb kicked the leg of West's table causing the tray to jump, rattling the cutlery.
West's fork slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the floor.
That finally did it.
Caleb slammed his palm down onto the table, leaning forward so West was forced to look at him.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you."
West met his eyes.
There was no fear there.
Just emptiness.
That made Caleb get even more incensed.
"You really don't get it," Caleb said quietly. "You think because you're quiet, you're above this?"
West said nothing.
Caleb straightened.
Then, without warning, he swiped the entire tray off the table.
Food crashed to the floor, splattering against West's shoes. The noise echoed through the cafeteria, drawing every eye.
Gasps, whispers and phones rose.
Caleb grabbed West by the collar and yanked him to his feet.
"What are you..."
West tried to resist and that pissed Caleb off even more.
He was the only awakened in class 3, everyone was supposed to kiss his ass... no one was supposed to ignore him...
This was his thought process...
Before West knew what was happening, he grabbed the back of his head and forced it down.
West's knees hit the floor with a thud but what came next shocked everyone even further.
Caleb planted his hand on West's skull and pressed his face towards his boots.
"Kiss it," Caleb said.
West clenched his teeth while trying to push himself upwards. "Stop..."
Caleb applied more pressure.
"I said—kiss it."
Unfortunately, West was no match for the brute strength of a Tier 1 awakened...
With a littke more force, West's lips brushed against Caleb's shoes.
Laughter broke out all across the surroundings as Lena stood frozen behind Caleb with a pale face.
Caleb crouched beside West and whispered. "You don't get to ignore me. Not anymore."
He grabbed West's hair and yanked his head up just enough for their eyes to meet.
"You should probably stop trying to talk to girls," Caleb said. "Word gets around."
Then he released him and West's head hit the floor again.
Caleb stood and draped an arm around Lena's shoulders, pulling her close.
"Come on," he said casually. "Let's eat somewhere better."
As they walked away, no one helped West up.
Not a single person.
West lay there for a moment with his face burning from humiliation and his chest tightening from the feeling of powerlessness.
West pushed himself up slowly.
Blood smeared across the tiles where his lip had split.
He didn't cry.
He didn't shout.
He simply thought—
"If this world only respects power," he thought coldly,
"then I'll get it... No matter the cost."
...
...
Four days passed in the blink of an eye. During these four days, West was nowhere to be found. He didn't attend school once, calling in sick leave... not like anyone really noticed his absence.
However, on this day, West finally returned to school.
And the stares began immediately.
However, the stares this time was different... different from how anyone would expect it.
Heads turned, conversations paused, eyes lingered a beat longer than they should've.
West didn't rush.
He didn't hurry past.
He didn't lower his head.
He walked slowly with a look of indifference written all over his face.
A black jacket hung open over his uniform, unzipped and casual. The rules said jackets weren't allowed but West didn't care.
The crisp morning air brushed his face as he moved through the school grounds. His dark hair had faint white streaks breaking the monotony and it was styled in a different way than usual.
Whispers followed.
"…Is that him?"
"No way."
"He looks… different."
"When did that happen?"
West heard it all but he pretended he didn't.
Inside, there was a sense of awareness.
This is what they react to, he realized.
Not words nor explanations...
Appearance... Presence... Image... these were the things that mattered the most if he wanted to move forward with his plans.
The system chimed:
[Public Perception Shift Detected]
This was all part of West's plan. There was no way he could succeed with his quest, if he didn't change his public image.
West entered the hallway just as the first bell rang.
He was late, Intentionally.
He didn't sprint despite the lateness. He moved at a measured pace with his footsteps echoing softly against the floor.
When he reached his classroom, the door was already closed.
West didn't hesitate.
He opened it and stepped inside.
Every head turned.
The room fell silent.
The teacher paused mid-sentence with a marker hovering inches from the board.
West stood there calmly with his jacket still on and a neutral expression plastered across his face.
"Yes?" the teacher asked, clearly irritated. "You're late."
West inclined his head slightly. "Traffic."
It was a lie.
A smooth one.
Murmurs rippled through the class.
Someone whispered, "Is that really West?"
West had never been late to class before. He had never done anything out of line or brought unwanted attention to himself. He was always the perfect introverted dork that usually blended into the background...
And now it looked like that had changed.
West walked to his seat near the window, unhurried.
That's when the teacher noticed the jacket.
"And take that off," she said sharply. "You know the uniform rules."
West stopped and turned.
He spotted Caleb sitting two rows back with a jacket on and his arms crossed. Caleb smirked faintly in satisfaction when he noticed that West was told to take his Jacket off.
Who did West think he was? He was the only one allowed to break the rules here...
This was Caleb's thought process.
West turned forward and met the teacher's gaze calmly.
"I'd rather not," he stated.
The class collectively inhaled.
The teacher blinked. "Excuse me?"