Dylan stayed still, arms crossed, eyes locked on Marina. Trevor muttered under his breath. "Here we go again." Marina stood up slowly. "Stay here."
Trevor grabbed her wrist gently. Marina, "Don't walk toward them." "I'm not," she said, slipping her hand from his. "I just don't want them near you." That caught him off guard, but before he could say anything, Marina walked past the cup and toward the dance floor. not toward the boys, just away from them.
She stepped into the crowd of students dancing, letting the music surround her. She wasn't dancing, but she moved slightly, just enough to blend in. For a moment, she almost looked like any other girl trying to enjoy her night. Trevor watched her, worried. And the boys, they watched her, too.
"Look at her," Brandon scoffed, acting like nothing happened. "She thinks she won," Jace added. Dylan didn't say anything. He stared harder. Finally, he muttered, "She's not walking out of here thinking she's better than us."
Jace tilted his head. "So, what's the plan?" Dylan didn't answer right away. He stepped away from the wall, slowly rolling up his sleeves. Brandon's eyebrows shot up.
"Yo, what are you doing?" "She wants to act tough," Dylan said. "Let's see how tough she is." Brandon and Jace exchanged uneasy glances. Jace lowered his voice.
"We're not actually going to hit a girl, right? I mean, this is still a school event." Dylan shot at him a glare. "Relax. I'm not stupid.
I'm just going to scare her. Put her in her place. Make her cry or run. That's enough." Brandon smirked.
"Now that I can get behind." The trio started toward the dance floor. Meanwhile, Marina's heart beat in a steady rhythm. She wasn't scared. She wasn't stressed.
She was waiting. Her training taught her that people revealed everything in the moments when they think no one's watching. And right now, she saw Dylan's full intent the second he stepped toward her. She turned slightly, watching him approach. Trevor saw it, too, and jumped from his seat.
"Marina, they're coming." She lifted her hands subtly, not a wave, just a tiny gesture telling him to stay back. He stopped. The dance crowd began noticing Dylan pushing through. Students parted, confused, then alarmed.
"Dylan, chill!" Someone shouted. Dude, not here," another said. But Dylan didn't slow down. He pointed at Marina.
"You think you can disrespect me and walk away?" Marina finally spoke, her voice steady. "You caused your own embarrassment." "Oh, so you're a comedian now?" Dylan mocked.
She shook her head once. "No, I'm tired." Jay stepped forward. "Tired of what?" Marina looked at all three of them, her expression unchanged.
"Tired of boys who think they can do anything they want because no one ever told them to stop." A gasp rippled through the crowd. Dylan's jaw clenched. "Say that again." "No," Marina replied.
"It's your turn to listen." Brandon scoffed. "To what? You lecturing us?" Marina looked at Dylan, not Brandon.