Kai wasn't planning to attend school for the day. He had to renew his visa—but he had suspected something like 'Tyson getting called to the principal's office' might happen.

Now that he'd filled Hillary in with what might be happening, he was sure that she'd handle it from here.

He was about to leave when Cassie came up to him. "Leaving already?" Cassie asked, trying to sound casual—failing to hide the hurt in her voice.

Guilt hit Kai the moment he saw her. He knew the source of the hurt. He ought to have checked in on two days ago. Yet, too many things had come up and Cassie had somehow slipped from his mind.

"I see that you're doing okay..." Kai started softly, but Cassie cut him off. "No thanks to you."

Kai winced at her tone, realising this was going to be a lot more difficult for him than he'd expected. "I deserve that..." He agreed, trying to take her hand in his, but Cassie pulled away, folded her hands instead. "I regret not being there for you, Cassie. A lot came up and—" Kai stopped himself. "I don't want to make excuses, it doesn't matter what happened. I'm truly sorry for not being there for you."

Any other day, Cassie would have melted at the intensity in his eyes, looking genuinely regretful. But that alone wasn't enough for her today.

She felt her eyes welling up with tears, but willed herself not to cry. She didn't want to cry in front of Kai, didn't want him to see how much his silence hurt her.

Cassie took a step forward. "You think this is hard for you? Try being me. Two days since that incident, and people who barely know me checked in. But the two most important people in my life? Not a word." Cassie demanded.

Kai's expression shifted, just slightly—guarded, guilt-ridden.

"What?" she asked instantly. "What are you not telling me now?"

Kai hesitated. "Laura and a few of her friends were arrested," he said finally. "Drug possession."

The world tilted.

"When?" she whispered.

"After the concert. The police picked them up in the park behind the school."

Cassie's hands went cold. "How could this have happened? Laura was wild, but never had I imagined she'd do something like this... Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Kai's gaze held hers for a second longer than it should have. "Because it's not public yet. The police realized she was the missing link in a drug-pedalling investigation and tried to keep it quiet."

"Then how do you know about it?" Cassie challenged. Kai looked like he genuinely wished she'd not asked him that. "Because I'm the one who turned her in."

Cassie reeled. It felt like Kai had slapped her. "You what?"

"I'd been tracking her family for months," he said quietly. "Her father's a BBA sponsor. I wasn't supposed to hear it, but he threatened Mr. Dickenson—for protecting me. So I decided to find some dirt on him."

Cassie's mouth opened, then closed. Her eyes flashed with realization. "Is that... is that why you dated her? To get back at her father?"

Kai didn't flinch. He nodded once. "I did what I did to protect Mr Dickenson. Laura was the one who wanted more. I just played along. When I got proof that Laura had been using drugs, I quietly blackmailed her father into submission. I broke up with her after that, things were supposed to end there."

Her breath hitched. "Then why did it not?" Kai wouldn't meet her eyes. "Because she took it too far. She was dealing to too many kids—letting them use it on others without consent. She hurt someone I care about. I couldn't let that slide."

Cassie, blinked at the sudden jab, still not able to believe everything she was hearing. "And me?" she asked. "Why did you start dating me, Kai?"

Kai looked away. His voice was low. "Dating you was never the plan, Cassie. But once I got close to you all, I realized you were different. You were the only one who wasn't involved. But Laura... she meant more to you than even your family. It was only a matter of time before she dragged you under. I couldn't let that happen."

"So you dumped Laura, got with me, wrecked a friendship that lasted years, made me an outcast—just to save me?"

Kai's silence was answer enough.

Cassie stared like she didn't know him anymore. All that worry about him and Hillary—suddenly felt meaningless.

While she had been trying to stay ahead of their game of teenage romance, Kai had been playing them all at another level. "You manipulated everything."

Kai didn't defend himself, which was worse. "I did what I had to, I want you to understand that. It was never my intention to hurt any of you." he said, looking away.

Her voice dropped, trembling. "Then why did you turn her in now? You should've told me! Maybe I could've made her stop. But no—you just ruined her life!" Cassie accused.

Kai's eyes lost their warmth at that. "Laura's been using for two years. Hurting people with her negligence for one." he shot back.

"She was my best friend!" she snapped, throwing her hands up.

"Do you even hear yourself? She was about to ruin your life—and you're upset I ruined hers?" He demanded.

Cassie had enough of Kai. How dare he act like a righteous hero when he'd been lying to her face from day one, lying to Laura's face from day one, pit them against one another and manipulate absolutely everything?

"Get out of my face." she whispered, voice shaking. She could feel her heart break into pieces. The first person she had trusted in years, and this is what he does, she thought sarcastically.

She mustered some strength in her voice then. "I don't want to see you again!" She yelled and stormed away, furiously blinking back tears as she entered her class back.

But the tears didn't stop.

She slid into her seat, head down, pretending to rummage through her bag just to avoid the stares. The classroom had fallen quiet the moment she walked in. Whispers were already beginning to stir around her, subtle looks exchanged across desks, but Cassie didn't care. For once, the fear of judgment didn't weigh heavier than the ache in her chest.

Laura was gone. Kai was gone. Her entire world—shattered like glass beneath her feet.

She bit down on her lower lip, hard, trying to anchor herself, trying to breathe. But the silence was too loud. The classroom too full of eyes.

And the worst part? She didn't even know who she was mad at anymore.

Kai, for manipulating everything?

Laura, for hiding something so dangerous?

Or herself—for never noticing any of it?

*****

Hillary peeked into the Principal's office slowly, her eyes scanning all the people in the room before landing on the principal.

One look at Tyson, and Hillary knew that the situation was serious. Tyson looked frustrated—on the verge of snapping and throwing all chances of salvaging the situation out the window.

She had to force herself not to let her eyes linger on Tyson longer than necessary as she started, "I hope you don't mind me interrupting, but I wanted to submit the report of the fundraiser." She addressed the principal as she walked in.

"Not at all, Ms. Tachibana. To be honest, you arrived at the right time. Please take a seat—there are some things I have to verify with you," Mr. Nakamura asserted, indicating the seat beside Tyson.

Across from them sat Mr. Fujimura, their year coordinator, flipping through a stack of printed screenshots from the concert incident. Beside him, a couple of subject teachers—Mrs. Sato from literature, and Mr. Haneda from science—were quietly murmuring. Tyson's homeroom teacher, Mrs. Yoshida, sat with a carefully neutral expression.

"We have reason to believe that Mr. Granger here orchestrated the Beyblade mishap during the concert. What do you have to say about this? Did you know anything about this beforehand?" he asked bluntly, straight to the point.

Tyson, still fuming, watched as Hillary took control of the conversation with ease. "Firstly, the claim that Tyson staged the incident at the fundraiser is completely baseless, and I have proof to back it up," she answered and pulled out her phone.

It took her a moment to find the viral video circulating on social media—the one from the stage and from behind it—where Tyson had been caught on camera confronting the guy who threw the blade. "Next time, you aim at me, not innocent bystanders."

She turned the screen toward the principal and staff. "Does this look like someone who planned it as a stunt?"

A few teachers leaned in. Mr. Haneda cleared his throat. "That's... clearly reactive. Not planned. The principal's frown deepened. He didn't reply.

"And as for not agreeing to battle the troublemakers," she continued, not missing a beat, "Tyson is obliged to accept all challenges in order to maintain his world champion title. He has absolutely no choice but to battle them all." She quickly searched for the BBA regulations online and showed the official page in front of the principal. "If he had refused, he would have forfeited his title."

The principal handed her phone to Mr. Fujimura once he'd confirmed her claim. He too examined it with a raised brow. "She's right."

Hillary could see Tyson slowly relaxing but still resisted the urge to meet his eyes. She didn't want any of the staff thinking she had personal biases towards Tyson.

"There's still the matter of that incident with Robb," one of the staff began—Tyson's class teacher, her voice smooth but laced with something colder beneath the surface.

Mrs Yoshida folded her hands with deliberate grace, voice sickly-sweet, eyes narrowing slightly. "Now, I'm not saying Robb was blameless. Boys will be boys, after all. But one can't help but wonder what sort of conduct might provoke such... a response. There's a reason, you know, why young women have always been taught to remain soft. It protects them. Keeps them out of trouble. A girl who challenges—well... she just draws unnecessary attention."

Hillary blinked, stunned. The comment landed like a slap she hadn't been expecting. Not for a moment did Hillary think the narrative would be turned so drastically, painting her in the wrong light. She could hear some of the teachers whispering, but none of them seemed inclined to call out Mrs Yoshida. The rumours she'd heard about the old woman—about none of the teachers wanting to cross her, seemed to be true after all. 

Tyson stood up before she could gather herself. "Are you seriously blaming her for what Robb and his friends did?" he demanded, as Hillary silently urged him to sit down.

Ms. Yoshida smiled coolly. "Not blame, Mr. Granger. But she surely influenced his behavior. A wise girl knows how to manage a boy's temper. Knows when to step back."

Hillary found her voice then—cutting. "So you're saying if someone mistreats me, it's because I did something wrong?" she asked, wanting to clarify if what she was hearing was really true.

Tyson's class teacher continued in her condescending tone. "Men don't respond well to confrontation, dear. Especially not from women. Girls like you—" she emphasized like it was a bad thing, "—you just provoke reactions. That's just how it is."

Hillary stared at the woman in front of her, not able to believe her ears. She felt the build-up of tears behind her eyes, felt her cheeks heat up in shame—even though she knew that she had done absolutely no wrong.

Tyson's voice lowered as he sat back in his seat. "If a guy's temper needs babysitting, he's not a man. He's a ticking bomb." His glare was sharp.

Ms. Yoshida's eyebrows rose—she hadn't been expecting him to defend Hillary. "And you think that being this headstrong makes her desirable?"

Tyson didn't hesitate. "Absolutely. I know exactly what kind of woman I want in my life. And someone who stays silent just to make others comfortable isn't one of them."

There was a beat of stunned silence in the room.

Hillary lifted her chin slightly, recovering her center.

The principal, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke. "This line of reasoning ends here, Mrs Yoshida. Your comments are inappropriate. If you have nothing constructive to add, I suggest you remain silent."

The older woman pursed her lips but said nothing more.

Hillary gathered herself for a moment. "Tyson didn't stage the Beyblade stunt during the concert. Tyson had no choice but to battle the troublemakers. Tyson did not attack anyone unprovoked. He stopped Robb from grabbing me. He shouldn't be punished for any of this," she concluded.

There was a long, tense silence.

Tyson, who had been seconds away from arguing himself into a suspension, watched in stunned silence as Hillary dismantled every accusation thrown at both of them.

After what felt like an eternity, the principal leaned back in his chair. "You're dismissed," he said.

Tyson blinked. "Wait, that's it?"

Mr Fujimura shot him a glare. "Would you rather we continue?"

"Nope!" Tyson shot to his feet. "I'm good. Leaving now. Thank you for your time, sir, ma'am."

Hillary followed him out quietly, until they were well out of earshot.

Tyson finally exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Wow. I mean—seriously, wow. That was..." He turned to Hillary, awestruck. "I knew you were scary, but that was next level. Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Hillary shot him a look. "Tyson, you live on my bad side."

Tyson grinned. "Yeah, and somehow, you still put up with me. That's gotta mean something."

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "It means I haven't decided if jail time is worth it."

He snorted. "Brutal."

They walked in silence for a moment, heading toward the staircase, the tense atmosphere from the meeting slowly peeling away.

"You really saved my ass in there," Tyson said after a beat, his tone more genuine now. "I was two seconds away from flipping the table and getting suspended for something I didn't do."

Hillary snorted. "Two seconds? Please. You were at a solid half-second. I was already drafting your apology letter in my head."

"Wow," he said, placing a hand on his heart. "The faith. The unwavering support. You've always believed in me."

"I believe you're consistently three steps away from disaster," she shot back, giving him a side glance.

They then reached the hallway where they'd have to split off for their separate classes. There was a beat where neither said anything, and then Tyson grinned again and pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Anyway, I should go pretend to learn something."

"Tyson." She warned.

"Just kidding!" He said, flashing her one last grin and turned the corner, disappearing into the crowd of students.

Hillary lingered a moment longer than necessary, staring after him with a faint smile she didn't bother to hide—just for herself.

Then, almost as if remembering something important, she called out after him, "Hey, Tyson—wait."

He paused, taking a step back into view. "Yeah?"

She took a breath. "Thank you. For helping me with the fundraiser. You didn't have to, but you still went out of your way to make sure everything ran smoothly. Made sure I was okay..."

Tyson blinked, then smiled with surprising softness. "Come on Hil! It was the least I could do. After everything you've done—for me, for the Blade Breakers... That barely scratches the surface."

"I still mean it," she said firmly. "Thank you."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I accept. You're welcome."

She rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face lingered as she turned away.

He hadn't brought it up—the words he'd said in the meeting. Maybe he didn't even realize how much it had meant to her, the way he'd defended her without hesitation, without flinching. Like it wasn't even a question.

She took a quiet breath, the noise of the hallway soft around her, and turned toward her classroom—shoulders lighter, heart a little steadier, and that smile still lingering at the edges.

Despite everything that had happened until then, Hillary's Monday was turning out better than she'd ever imagined.

*****

Words: 2624

*****

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! What do you think about Kai's revealation? What do you think cassie will do next? First Hillary defending Tyson, and then Tyson defending Hillary is too sweet, isn't it? Do tell me your favourite part/line in this update! 

 Vote and comment guys! You really make my week! 

Happy reading!