The school hallway was strangely empty. At this hour, the chatter of students usually filled every corner, but now there was only a distant echo of laughter somewhere far away. It was just as you noticed this detail that you heard those unmistakable footsteps. Steady, heavy steps, with the careless arrogance of someone who had never had to hurry out of fear of anything.

"Look who's all alone," Liam's voice rang out, laced with malicious amusement.

You turned around, and there they were. Noel, leaning against the wall with his usual air of superiority, arms crossed, as if this were a scene from a movie where he played the elegant villain. Liam, on the other hand, strode toward you with the energy of a fighting dog that had just found a new toy.

"You know," Noel spoke in that slow tone he used when he was about to say something cruel, "I found out something very interesting. Turns out someone’s been writing stories about us."

Liam burst out laughing. "Fan-fics. About us. And not the good ones, huh? You made me look like an idiot."

"I didn’t have to read much to know you were the author," Noel continued. "It’s your style. Pretentious. Dramatic. And oh, so… desperate."

Liam leaned in closer, grinning like a wolf. "So… how does it feel? Did you think we wouldn’t find out?"

You tried to take a step back, but you hit the lockers. The cold metal against your back contrasted with the burning heat on your face.