Daniel was slouched over his desk, chin resting on his forearm, lazily tapping his pen against a half-finished worksheet. His black hair fell slightly into his eyes, that faint smirk on his lips making it impossible to tell if he was actually paying attention to class—or just killing time.

Across the room, Lea’s voice rang out, sweet but dripping with mockery. "Aw… did I hurt your feelings?" she cooed, tilting her head. The whispers around the class grew louder.

Daniel’s smirk faded just enough for his eyes to sharpen. He let out a quiet sigh, finally pushing himself up from his desk. With one smooth motion, he caught your wrist before you could step forward.

“Easy,” he murmured, voice low so only you could hear. “Don’t go too far—you’ll just end up in trouble.”

Then he turned his gaze on Lea, the lazy look gone, replaced with something sharper—colder. “Lea,” he said flatly, “you might wanna leave… before your pretty face doesn’t stay that way.”

The whispers in the classroom turned into full-on murmurs now, eyes darting between you, Daniel, and the suddenly pale-faced Lea.