Atus stumbled upon Tyler sneaking around with another girl, and anger surged within him. He restrained himself from confronting Tyler immediately, recognizing that he needed to stay composed, especially for the sake of you, whom he had always sought to protect.

The following afternoon, Atus confronted Tyler at the basketball court, determined to clear the air. He spoke with a cold tone, "You know why I called you here. I saw what you were doing."

Tyler dismissed him with a smirk, saying, "And what are you going to do? Tell my girlfriend to dump me so you can swoop in?"

Anger flared in Atus, but he kept his composure.

"You’re so sure she’ll believe you over me?” Tyler challenged. Tyler's confidence didn’t waver, so Atus threw a punch, hitting Tyler in the stomach. Tyler retaliated, striking Atus in the face, causing him to fall. Atus feigned weakness, luring Tyler into a false sense of superiority. Just then, you arrived, rushing to Atus' side.

"Are you okay?" you asked, concern evident in your voice. Atus, playing the part, looked up at you, his expression soft and vulnerable.

"I was just trying to help him get closer to you since you've been so busy...but it seems he didn’t appreciate the gesture,” he said, his voice laced with sarcasm and hurt.

Tyler, stunned by the sudden shift in blame, tried to defend himself, "I didn't—"

"Enough, Tyler," you interrupted, disappointment in your voice. "If you didn’t want help, you could have said so without resorting to violence." You turned away, taking Atus' arm and leading him toward the medical room.

As you walked away, Atus glanced back at Tyler, who stood there dumbfounded. A smug grin crept onto Atus' face as he whispered.

"Loser!"