Kingston sat in the Hawthorn common room, a loose weight on his shoulders he couldn't name. He toyed with the coin in his fingers. While his thoughts ran in circles around one person: Jujube. She annoyed him more than anyone ever had. The way she didn't flinch, the way she answered him like he was nothing it made his temper ricochet. For the first time, he felt the grip of power slipping. His reputation mattered. Losing control over how people saw him felt like losing a piece of himself.
Grey appeared in the doorway as if from nowhere, pausing when he saw Kingston hunched on the couch. "You back?" he asked, a hint of surprise in his voice. Kingston didn't answer right away; he was too deep in thought. Grey clapped a hand on his shoulder and waited. Kingston finally looked up. "Oh. You're here."
"You okay? You look… off." Grey studied him. Kingston tightened his jaw. "That girl is weird."
Grey raised an eyebrow. "The one from the police station?" Kingston flinched at the mention but nodded. Grey grinned, amused at King's discomfort. "Weird someone like you got taken in. That's new."
King stared at the floor. "And she talks to me like I'm nothing. Like she's looking down on me."
Grey laughed, low and curious. "First time I've seen you like this. She must be something else." He shrugged. "Maybe you're trying the wrong moves. People usually fold for you, They always do what you want."
King's face hardened. "Not her. I don't understand her at all. She has this blank look on her face at all times it makes you want to rip off her mask and see what she is holding behind it."
"Then try a different play." Grey leaned forward, conspiratorial. "Use what you're best at. Make her fall for you or something, then humiliate her."
King's eyes went cold for a beat, then a slow, dangerous smile creased his face. The idea landed.
"A love trap?" King tossed the coin up that he had been flipping in his fingers. "You are a genius." King chuckled.
Grey smiled faintly. "But let me tell you, the dean already made it the student council's duty to keep you away from the new students. I'm not sure how you're going to pull this off," he said.
King chuckled, leaning back. "How hard do you think it is to get a student's phone number?" he asked, pulling out his phone. He dialed a number and placed it against his ear.
Within seconds, the receiver picked up. "Hello, Mr. King. How may I help you?"
"I need you to send me the contact information of one of the scholarship students this year," King said calmly.
"Okay. What's the name of the student?" the man asked.
"Jujube," King replied.
"Alright, I'll send it now," the man said before the line cut off.
--
Jujube left the management office with a hollow feeling sitting in her chest. There was nothing they could do. The damage to her dorm room was too much, and repairs would take at least a week. Every other room was already taken. No exceptions. No sympathy, just polite voices and clipped apologies. She would have to find somewhere else to sleep until then.
She did not know where that somewhere was.
Work did not wait for personal disasters, so she went anyway.
The convenience store smelled like cheap cleaner and stale air. Jujube stood behind the counter, scanning items one by one, the soft beeping filling the silence. Her head was down. Her body hurt in places she tried not to think about.
The door chimed.
She did not look up. She had already seen him from the corner of her eye.
Sora walked straight to the beer section like he owned the place. He grabbed a few cans, slow and unbothered, then set them on the counter with a dull clink.
Only then did she glance up.
His eyes paused on her face.
The cut on her cheek. The split lip. The bruises she had not managed to hide no matter how carefully she stood. His gaze lingered longer than it should have,
"Looks like a rough first day at that fancy school," he said. His accent was thick, heavier when he slipped into that rough tone of his. "What happened. Get bullied already."
"Twelve dollars," Jujube said, flat and empty, as if he had not spoken at all.
Sora smirked faintly. He handed her fifteen and held his hand out, waiting. Jujube placed the change on the counter instead of touching him.
His mouth twisted to the side.
"You know people around here do not like that kind of attitude," he said. There was a warning buried in his voice, quiet but real. "Things do not usually stop at a few beatings."
"I do not remember asking for advice," she replied, her eyes dropping back to the register.
Sora stayed where he was, his gaze narrowed at her. He studied her like she was a puzzle that annoyed him. A girl who showed up out of nowhere in the town and was clearly unable to settle into the dynamics of the people here, yet still bold enough to talk back. It did not sit right with him.
Something about her unsettled him. "Watch your back, Worm," he said at last.
Then he turned and walked out, the door chiming softly behind him.
Jujube exhaled only after he was gone.
A few minutes later, Abby limped into the store. Her foot was still wrapped, but she'd forced herself to come. She'd seen Sora leave and rushed over, worry written all over her face.
"Did he come here?" Abby asked the moment she stepped behind the counter. "What did he say. Did he threaten you."
The questions tumbled out too fast. Then her voice stopped halfway through another sentence.
She finally looked at Jujube properly.
Her face drained of color.
"Did…" Abby started, her lips trembling, unable to finish the thought.
"It was not him," Jujube said quickly. Her voice was calm, steady. She was not talking about Sora.
Abby blinked. "Then what happened to you."
Jujube met her eyes for a second, then looked away.
Abby's jaw tightened. "Those academy bastards did this to you. What are they, animals."
"They are picking on you because you are like this," Abby went on, anger bleeding into worry. "It is making me so scared for you."
"It is okay," Jujube said softly. "You need to get better." She tried to smile, small and careful. "I will handle it."
Abby's eyes shone. "My sweet girl, how am I supposed to leave you among people like that. What if they hurt you again."
"All they do is talk," Jujube replied. "They cannot do real damage. I think I can take it."
She pulled her lips into another smile, but the corner of her mouth throbbed as soon as she moved it. Abby noticed. Her face fell.
Jujube shook her head, then paused as if remembering something. "Wait," she said. "I have something for you."
She stepped out from behind the counter, grabbed her bag from the shelf, and pulled out an envelope.
"Use this for the rent," she said, holding it out.
Abby recoiled slightly. "No. I cannot take that. This is yours."
"You need it," Jujube said firmly. "People like Sora will not leave you alone otherwise. That is the last thing you want. Trust me." Her voice lowered, carrying a weight that sounded too familiar. "You do not want people like him on your back."
Abby's hands shook. "How can I just take your money."
"Pay me back later," Jujube said, already looking away. "Also, I will be staying with you for a week. You can cook me dinner every day. That will be enough."
Abby stared at her, then slowly pulled the envelope closer to her chest, eyes wet. she threw her arms around Jujube. Jujube stiffened for a moment she wasn't much of a touching person but she stayed still, inhaling the faint scent of Abby's perfume as the older woman sobbed against her.
"Ju, you're my little lucky charm. How can I ever thank you enough?" Abby cried.
Jujube swallowed, her throat tightening as she rubbed Abby's back gently.
Outside, Sora was just about to push open the store door when he noticed something strange. A few figures were loitering in the distance, watching the shop. He slowed his pace, squinting. The men didn't look like locals their posture, their black cars, everything about them felt wrong.
He was about to step closer when, suddenly, the men got into their cars and drove off in a hurry. Still, Sora's gut told him they hadn't gone far.
"Whose men were they?" he thought, narrowing his eyes. There was no way a new gang had formed in this area; the territory had been quiet for too long. Which meant these men were from somewhere else.
He pushed open the door at last, stepping inside. Abby and Jujube were still at the counter. Abby glanced up, saw him, and scoffed under her breath.
"Did I ruin the moment, ladies?" Sora said lazily, grabbing a pack of bandages from the shelf.
"Why are you coming here over and over again?" Abby snapped.
"Pay me up, and I won't appear here again," he replied, smirking.
Abby stared at him for a second, then turned to Jujube, who was already avoiding her eyes. Abby's expression hardened. "Fine. I'll pay you," she said, her voice steady.
Sora raised an eyebrow, a little surprised at her sudden confidence.
Abby reached for the envelope Jujube had given her earlier. She lifted it, holding it out with a sharp glare. "Here's your money. Now don't show your face around here again. Do you understand?"
Sora caught the envelope as she threw it at him, but it slipped from his hand and burst open when it hit the floor. Hundred-dollar bills scattered across the tiles.
Sora froze, staring at the money. Then his gaze lifted to Abby. "Where did you get this?" he asked quietly.
"None of your concern," Abby snapped.
His eyes shifted to Jujube, her bruised face, her lowered gaze, her still posture, and then to the door outside. His jaw tightened as his mind pieced together a scenario he didn't like.