He moved closer, lowering his voice. "Look, we're just messing around. Don't take it so seriously." Before Marina could respond, the DJ switched songs and someone shouted for a picture. The noise made the boys pause and Marina slipped by them, finally reaching her table.
She sat down, tapping her fingers on her lap to release the tension. "Don't let them get to you," she murmured. Some students glanced her way, offering half smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes. "They'd seen what happened, but didn't want to get involved. Typical."
A girl from her history class, Amaya, came over briefly. "Hey, you okay?" "Yeah," Marina said softly. "I'm fine." Amaya hesitated, then nodded and hurried back to her group.
Marina appreciated the effort, even if it lasted only 10 seconds. She looked out at the dance floor, watching everyone laugh and sway to the music. Part of her wished she could join them. Part of her wished she could forget everything. The new school, her uncle's long hours at work, her own frustration with constantly having to start over.
But she also knew something the boys didn't. Something no one here knew. Every bruise she'd ever taken, every hit she'd ever absorbed in the ring had shaped her into someone who didn't break easily. Even if she didn't look like it now, she didn't want trouble. Not tonight.
But trouble had already seen her. And it wasn't done searching. But the moment she thought the worst was over, something happened that dragged Dylan and his crew back into her path. And this time, they weren't joking around. Marina thought she could disappear into the background again, just long enough for the night to calm down.
She tried focusing on the decorations, the food table, anything that didn't involve the three boys who clearly had nothing better to do. But the thing about people like Dylan, Brandon, and Jace, once they find someone to single out, they don't just move on. They circle back. They push. They poke.
They test how far they can go. And Marina noticed something the moment she caught Dylan looking her way again. He wasn't laughing this time. Brandon elbowed him. "Dude, you see her sitting alone?
This is like prime setup for a prank." Jace grinned. "Yeah, man. We could spice this place up. Everyone's bored anyway."
Dylan didn't answer right away. His eyes stayed locked on Marina as if he was sizing her up. "I've got an idea," he finally said. "Something everyone will remember." Brandon snorted.
"Bro, it's prom, not a roast. Go easy. "Nah," Dylan said. "She asked for it." And that right there, that was the moment something shifted because Marina didn't do a thing besides exist.
Yet somehow, existing was enough for them to treat her like a target. These kinds of boys didn't need a reason. They only needed an opportunity. On the other side of the room, Marina sat with her fingers laced tightly in her lap. She kept glancing toward the dance floor, reminding herself that she came here to enjoy the night.