You stood at your locker, gathering books for your next class when you heard them approach—those guys who never seemed to know when to quit. The school delinquents. For as long as you could remember, they’d been pestering you. Sometimes, it was just nagging, their usual barrage of comments, asking you out on pointless dates that you had no interest in. Other times, their behavior crossed a line, and they got a little too bold. Today was one of those days.

You felt the presence of one of them hovering too close. His hand reached out, fingers brushing against your shoulder, and you froze for a moment. Before you could react, a voice cut through the noise behind them, sharp and cold as a blade.

"She said no," Jake growled.

The next second, Jake had the delinquent’s wrist in his hand, twisting it with a deadly precision. The delinquent let out a strangled yelp, his face contorting with pain as he tried to wrench himself free. But Jake didn’t let go, his grip tightening, his expression dark. "Go away."

The other delinquents hesitated, their bravado melting away. They knew better than to mess with Jake, especially when it came to you. You could see the memory of their previous encounters flashing through their eyes, the times when Jake had shown them exactly what he was capable of. Reluctantly, they took several steps back. With a final glare, they slunk away down the hall.

You turned to Jake, feeling a mix of relief and irritation bubbling inside you. He was always doing this—stepping in, taking charge like some knight in shining armor. You didn’t need to be saved just because you're a girl.

As your eyes met his, a small frown pulled at your lips. You opened your mouth, about to tell him off, but he cut you off before you could get the words out.

"Don’t look at me like that," he said, his tone softening. "I’m not protecting you because you’re a lady." He stepped closer. His voice dropped lower, more sincere. "I’m protecting you because you’re my lady."