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Serena has a boyfriend. It’s something everyone at school knows. It all began after a love confession. A senior confessed his feelings to the second-year student one afternoon, right after classes ended. Serena turned him down, but the worst part came when she explained why.
“You’re a really nice guy, Kent, but I have a boyfriend,” the blonde declared.
The rumor spread throughout the entire school in no time.
Serena had never mentioned the so-called boy before, until Miette, a classmate known for being blunt and straightforward, asked her if the rumors were true. Serena nodded, avoiding her gaze, her cheeks burning red. Everyone in class pretended not to listen, though they were hanging onto every word.
“Really? What’s he like? What’s his name? Why haven’t you posted a picture with him on Instagram?” All those questions only made Serena blush even harder. She could barely speak, and no one could make sense of her stammering.
As time passed, people started to think it was all a lie. Just a story Serena made up to gently turn down the boys who confessed to her, since she had quite a long line of admirers.
But the rumor didn’t last long. Influenced by Miette, and after hearing several comments, Serena posted a story. It was a photo of herself, from her mouth down to her midsection. She was clearly lying on a couch, curled up beside someone. That someone had an arm wrapped around her shoulders, wearing a sleeveless shirt that made it obvious he worked out, and his skin was sun-kissed.
That night, Serena received a flood of messages, none of which she even opened.
She hadn’t meant to show off with that photo; she was simply tired of the cruel comments. A fake boyfriend to reject boys? Of course not. First of all, her boyfriend wasn’t fake, that was truly hurtful. And second, she would never use something like that as an excuse to reject anyone. The thought of posting a picture with him had never crossed her mind before... because of how shy she felt about it. The truth was, she really loved her boyfriend.
At least the rumors about the fake boyfriend finally came to an end. What followed were speculations. Many believed her boyfriend was a delinquent, after all, she had turned down several boys who were genuinely kind and gentlemanly. People assumed that wasn’t Serena’s type. Of course, the sweet girl dating a troublemaker, that was what everyone expected.
Unfortunately, that rumor was only fueled by a small, well, it couldn’t quite be called an accident, more like a situation.
It happened one afternoon, after classes had ended. Students poured out of the building in crowds, bumping into each other as they rushed to the exit, when everyone saw a striking red and royal-blue motorcycle pull up. The boy sitting on it wore a matching red helmet, a blue jacket, red boots, leather gloves, and a few bracelets. A gang member, was what everyone thought.
Before he could take off his helmet, Serena raised her hand among the crowd, waved goodbye to her friend Shauna, and ran straight toward him. The boy handed her a pink helmet, less flashy than his, before they took off together.
More than a few people were left with their mouths hanging open.
It was at that moment that Miette decided she would uncover who Serena’s mysterious boyfriend really was. For informational purposes, of course. Not because she happened to be running a secret betting pool with half the school about what the mysterious boy might be like.
Finding the boy’s account turned out to be easy. Both shared a profile picture of Pucca and Garu.
But unlike the blonde’s account, his was private, and he didn’t accept her follow request, even though he had quite a large number of followers.
She dug a little deeper until she found some of the boy’s friends through photos where Serena had been tagged. There weren’t many accounts, but they gave her more insight than she needed.
In one photo, several dishes were shown, with multiple people tagged, a typical dinner among friends. The profile belonged to a girl with orange hair.
Miette gathered several details from that profile.
Her name was Misty. She was a junior athlete, an almost professional swimmer. She had a real passion for marine life and was also part of a multidisciplinary athletic club.
Returning to the post, Miette found two other profiles similar to Misty’s.
Gary, a boy studying at a private science-oriented school who was also an athlete. He was a runner.
Dawn, another high school student, a penguin lover and gymnast.
The pieces quickly fell into place for Miette. Serena had met that boy in the same sports club, because she herself was a gymnast. She loved artistic gymnastics.
She tried digging deeper into those profiles, but even though they were public, their lives remained fairly private beyond the photos showing their hobbies and interests.
"So the so-called gang member is actually an athlete?"
"I'm more than sure of it," Miette replied to the group around her with a wide smile.
"And what does he do?"
"I found out that club has thirteen disciplines, but the main ones are swimming, track and field, martial arts, tennis, and gymnastics. There are many possibilities, but for the sake of this community’s information, I’ll make sure to find out!"
The girls clapped and cheered around her, encouraging Miette in her great mission.
Once the small after-class meeting in the classroom ended, Miette was the last one to leave through the almost empty school hallways, where Kent was waiting for her.
"Do you already know who he is?"
Miette rolled her eyes, not interested in dealing with the boy standing in front of her. "No, Kent. Everything I texted you yesterday is all I know."
The boy crossed his arms, tightening his grip in frustration at the blue-haired girl’s words. "Then hurry up and find more clues," he demanded through clenched teeth.
"First of all, you don’t give me orders. Second, get over Serena for your own good."
"That’s none of your business!"
Miette stepped back instinctively; Kent had practically lunged toward her. Realizing what he’d done, he quickly stepped away and lowered his gaze.
"We had a deal, okay? You give me information…" He searched his pocket. "And you get this." He grabbed Miette’s hand and forced a couple of bills into it.
"End of discussion." Just as he said that, he turned around and walked off, leaving Miette alone in the hallway.
The girl pressed the money against her chest, asking herself again, as she always did when she saw Kent, if that boy was truly a threat. But how could she stop now? Everyone was cheering her on, though what scared her the most was what Kent might do.
And so, Miette’s investigation continued. And so did Serena’s nightmare.
Her phone vibrated on her desk; she didn’t need to open it to know she’d only find a bunch of creepy messages.
No matter how many times she blocked those numbers, the messages always came back. Dozens of them about her boyfriend, saying that he wasn’t good enough for her, that she deserved better, that he, the person behind them, could give her everything and more, that no one could make her as happy as he could, that no one would ever love her like he did.
She skimmed through the messages, deleting the chat as fast as she could and blocking the new number.
She would never get used to it. From the very first time she received that initial flood of messages, an awful feeling had settled in her chest. Those messages were filled with horrifying words, vile comments of every kind, evidence of his relentless harassment toward Serena. Sometimes he sent messages that might have seemed sweet, if only they hadn’t come from a stalker. He wrote her poems. Other times, they were full of hatred, directed at her and her boyfriend.
Ash found her crying after gymnastics practice in the locker room the fourth time it happened. She hadn’t told him anything until then because she hadn’t seen a reason to, but that changed after a round of messages that left her completely stunned.
Since then, Ash started walking her to and from school. She set her Instagram account to private and filed a report at school. It didn’t go anywhere, since all she had were the messages. There was nothing they could work with without being able to link them to anyone. They advised her to change her number and she did, five times. Somehow, her stalker always managed to get it again.
Serena stopped leaving the house except to go to the sports club. She was terrified something might happen to her if she wasn’t at home, with friends, or with Ash, who grew more and more worried about her.
He suggested she transfer schools, study with him, so he could always keep her safe. She liked the idea at first, until her mother explained how difficult the commute would be, since Ash studied on the other side of the city and Serena’s school was just a few blocks from home. Her mother was even more worried that the long trip would give more chances for something to happen to her, even though Ash insisted he would never leave her side.
Ash was giving everything for Serena, and that only made her feel worse. She didn’t like being so dependent on him; she didn’t want to be a burden he had to carry. Because of her, Ash wouldn’t even compete this year, he refused to leave her alone. Faced with that, she gave up on the idea of transferring to his school.
She wished she could disappear, wake up from this nightmare.
"Serena," Shauna called suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Sorry, Shauna. Could you repeat what you said?"
"I asked what you’d like for lunch today," she sighed, smiling faintly as she looked at her downcast friend.
Shauna only knew the lightest part of the story about the stalker. Serena was terrified to talk about it. She feared that if she spoke about it out loud, he might somehow hear her. It was absurd, but her anxiety wouldn’t let her think otherwise.
"Anything’s fine, I’m not really hungry."
"You said that yesterday, Serena... You know what, go find us a table, I’ll be right back," Shauna said with a wide smile, gently pushing Serena toward the cafeteria’s dining area. When Serena turned around, her friend was already running toward the food stalls.
She was alone then, surrounded by noise and chatter. She gripped her arm with one hand, her nails digging into the fabric of her sweater, and walked quickly, avoiding eye contact as she looked for the first empty table she could find.
As she hurried along, she repeated to herself over and over that everything was fine, that nothing bad would happen, that the thousands of eyes she imagined following her were just that, imagination.
She sat down at an empty table just in time to see a message Ash had sent her. It was a selfie, showing a mess in the background of a robotics lab.
"Guess who set the lab on fire again? 🤓"
"You?"
"Clemont 😔"
Her nerves began to ease as she let out a small laugh.
"Serena!" Miette shouted, sitting beside her and leaning slightly to try and peek at her conversation. Serena didn’t notice, but she had already turned off her phone, leaving the screen black.
"Why are you smiling at your screen so much, huh?"
"It’s nothing, Miette," she muttered, trying not to show how uncomfortable she felt.
"Oh come on, don’t be shy. I’m sure he’s a great guy. Why don’t you ever talk about him?"
Because I’m afraid he’ll find out who Ash is.
Because I’m afraid of getting him even more involved.
Because I’m afraid of what he might do with that information.
She thought to herself but said nothing.
"Serena?" Miette called again, noticing the anguish on her face.
"Is something wrong?" She tried to touch her shoulder, but the contact made Serena jump to her feet.
"Nothing’s wrong, Miette! I don’t understand why everyone keeps asking about my boyfriend! I don’t want to talk about it! it’s nobody’s business!"
Miette and the people around her fell silent all at once, staring at Serena in shock. No one had ever seen her upset or raising her voice before.
"Leave, Miette," said Shauna, walking toward the table with a brown paper bag holding both their lunches.
"I... I’m sorry," Miette murmured before walking away, giving Serena one last glance.
Shauna placed her hands gently on Serena’s shoulders, guiding her back into her seat. She pulled two sandwiches from the paper bag, along with two juice boxes and a small carton of strawberries.
"Come on, Serena, eat a little." The girl didn’t answer; she took the wrapped sandwich and nibbled on it in small bites.
That same day, Miette spoke to the betting club.
"I can’t keep doing this" she said abruptly. The girls immediately bombarded her with questions and complaints, but Miette handed their money back without saying another word.
When the girls finally left, grumbling in frustration, Miette stared at the classroom door as if it were a sentence waiting to be served. She knew that once she stepped outside, the truth would be there to meet her.
She gripped her bag tightly, ready to face the consequences.
Kent was standing on the other side of the hallway, right in front of the door. He looked at her fixedly, waiting. The news that she had disbanded her “investigation club” had spread like wildfire.
"What’s going on, Miette?"
"That’s exactly what I should be asking you... What are you doing, Kent?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I’ve been lying to myself. I didn’t want to see the obvious signs, but today I saw it with my own eyes" she said, looking down in shame. "What have you been doing to Serena?"
Kent went silent, staring at her as if she had caught him red-handed, only confirming what Miette already knew.
She had noticed it from the beginning; her task had been to spy on Serena, after all. She had seen Serena’s anxiety and paranoia grow day by day, and she had lied to herself, saying it had nothing to do with her. But of course it did. There was a reason behind Kent’s obsessive fixation with Serena. Miette had seen from the start how far he could go, and she had to accept that she had only helped to feed it.
"This doesn’t concern you, Miette... You have no idea what’s going on."
"Maybe I don’t… but I don’t ever want to have anything to do with you again!" She pulled a handful of bills from her bag, threw them at Kent, and ran off without looking back.
Kent shouted and cursed, calling after her, threatening her as she sprinted down the hallway. Even if she had wanted to stop, her legs wouldn’t have obeyed. Her entire body could only feel one thing. Fear. She couldn’t ask her body not to respond to it.
She had to talk to Serena.
When she got home, she tried sending her a message, but realized both Serena and Shauna had blocked her. She had no idea where Serena lived, and she didn’t know anyone willing to give her her number. Serena was very private about that sort of thing. There was nothing she could do until tomorrow.
She told herself it would be fine, that Kent wouldn’t do anything overnight. Right?
She barely slept that night, tossing and turning in bed, regretting what she had done, afraid that Kent might hurt Serena, or her, or anyone.
She just had to find Serena early the next morning as soon as she got to school. But of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.
Serena refused to see her all day, and Shauna made sure the two avoided each other.
Part of Serena felt embarrassed for having yelled at her the way she did. She even considered apologizing, but Shauna stopped her.
"Serena, you already know Miette’s been the one spreading all those stupid rumors about you since the beginning. You have no reason to feel bad for putting her in her place. On the contrary, you took too long to block her on Instagram. You should never have let her know any details about your life."
Setting aside Miette’s constant attempts to talk to her, the day at school was rather peaceful. Serena liked to think about all the plans she had for the summer, it was just around the corner, along with Ash’s birthday.
She had spent days brainstorming ideas for the celebration, from what kind of cake she would bake to at least twenty possible gifts. Not long ago, Ash had adopted an irresistibly cute puppy energetic, impulsive, and just as stubborn as his owner. Maybe she could buy a few accessories for it. She even thought about sewing a miniature cap, a replica of one of Ash’s old favorites.
Planning kept her busy. Whenever she wasn’t at gymnastics practice, she threw herself into any distraction that could keep her darker thoughts from surfacing.
She wished none of this had ever happened. If things had been different, maybe she would’ve been in better shape to compete in the state-level youth gymnastics tournament.
She had spent a full year perfecting her routines. She was her coaches’ favorite. Ash had told her she’d always have another chance, that now she had even more time to perfect her performances, so next year, she could compete in the higher leagues.
Class passed quietly. The days were becoming duller by the hour, the teachers were too tired to even hide the exhaustion that softened their voices and dimmed their eyes. Everyone longed for that sweet freedom waiting under the sun, they could almost touch it. A faint breeze from the open windows brushed against their faces.
Her phone vibrated.
In her pocket, the subtle trembling distracted her from Miss Clauow’s uninspired lecture on trigonometry.
She glanced around the classroom: some students were asleep in their seats; others blatantly scrolled on their phones, snacked, or whispered among themselves. No one would notice her divided attention. Still, her chest tightened with anxiety. She couldn’t stand not checking her notifications right away. It could be anything, she didn’t know what to expect anymore.
“I know who your boyfriend is. If you don’t want me to go say hi to him myself, meet me at the back yard after school.”
Unknown number.
The color drained from Serena’s face in seconds. Her body tensed with fear, and her breath stuck in her throat, refusing to come out. She had to run. She had to escape.
No one noticed how she slipped out of class, too many were lost in their own business. Not even Shauna noticed; she was in the middle of a deep nap by the time Serena was already running through the hallways.
She took refuge in the last stall of the girls’ bathroom, trying to stifle her sobs. Panic tightened around her bones. She tried to remember what she had been taught to cope with panic attacks, but nothing entered her mind.
Nothing could guarantee what might happen if the person behind this went after her boyfriend. Maybe nothing would happen. Maybe the person had more power than Serena could imagine the power to ruin Ash’s rising career, or worse.
Whatever was going to happen, she didn’t want to involve him any more than she already had. She already had enough to handle at that moment. For just a moment, she wished she had even half of Ash’s courage, to stop depending on him, to be someone who could make Ash proud.
One of her most cherished memories was how they had met a memory Serena constantly returned to, seeking her safe place.
It was when Serena had just joined the sports club. She had been practicing her acrobatics late into the evening, almost perfecting her Yurchenko vault when her landing failed. She twisted her ankle and fell onto the safety mat, wincing in pain. It was quite late, and the club was almost empty. No one could help her.
Without another thought, she dragged herself to the benches where her bag was. She pulled out her phone to call her mother. Her mother was a well-known horseback riding instructor, and Serena knew she was giving lessons at that moment. Who else could she call? As expected, there was no answer, and after several attempts, she gave up.
She saw no other solution but to crawl to the exit and keep trying to reach her mother. She made a small movement with her foot, sending a spasm of pain through her entire leg. She groa
"Hey! Are you okay?"
Someone shouted from the other side of the room. Serena could barely see from where she stood in the back; she had no idea who the voice belonged to, but at that moment, it was her only option.
"I... I twisted my ankle! Could you help me?"
The boy on the other side of the room ran toward her the moment Serena mentioned her ankle. He was a guy from the class next door, she recognized him by sight. He was pretty sociable, unlike Serena, and it wasn’t that she was shy or self-conscious. She was just passionate; she didn’t waste time socializing when she had goals to focus on.
"You need to put some ice on it right away." Without waiting for Serena to say anything, Ash was already inspecting her ankle.
"Don’t worry, the nurse’s office is still open. I’ll take you there right now." Once again, before Serena could say a word, he lifted her up in his arms with ease.
"Hey! W-wait! Let me at least grab my bag," she said, her face burning.
"Ah, right, I forgot," he replied, smiling awkwardly.
After grabbing Serena’s bag, Ash ran with her toward the nurse’s office as if it were a matter of life and death.
Nurse Joy bandaged and treated her ankle, prescribed her some painkillers, and recommended two weeks of rest. Ash stayed with her the whole time. Serena kept insisting it wasn’t necessary, that she would try calling her mother. The dark-haired boy said he’d stay with her until her mother arrived and made sure she got home safe.
She still couldn’t reach her mother after five missed calls, and with the sun beginning to set, Ash offered to take her home.
"You don’t have to do any of this. I’ve already been enough trouble for you today."
"Nonsense, let’s go."
Serena had no idea how he planned to get her home until it was too late, let’s just say Ash had a bit of a thing for adrenaline.
Nurse Joy gave her a crutch to move around, and still, Ash insisted on walking her all the way to her living room. If she had asked, Serena was sure he would’ve carried her straight to her room.
By that point, Serena already felt deeply indebted to Ash. She wanted to at least offer him a snack, just the day before, she had baked some macarons. Without letting him leave empty-handed, she offered him a box of them. She was lucky, he loved them.
"Thanks for the macarons, Serena. I hope to see you again once you recover."
"Yeah, thanks again for everything, Ash."
Seconds after saying goodbye, she heard Ash’s motorcycle start up. Five minutes later, her mother arrived.
"Would you mind explaining why a motorcycle just left our house?!" she shouted upon entering, though her words died the moment she saw Serena with her bandaged foot and the crutch beside her.
"Ah, so that chivalrous young man rescued you and took the trouble to bring you home. I see." Serena quickly explained everything, panicking a little.
"Yeah... He was really chivalrous," she said, smiling as she tried to avoid her mother’s teasing look.
After a few weeks, the doctor cleared her, though he still recommended she take it easy with any intense training for a few more days.
Wanting to thank Ash again, she baked some muffins to give him when she saw him at the club.
At first, she didn’t understand why her hands were sweating or why her cheeks burned just thinking about seeing Ash again. She told herself it was nothing. That “nothing” became everything when she saw him again.
He was walking down the hallway with some of his friends—a girl with orange hair and a tall boy with green eyes. It took him barely two seconds to notice her. His smile lit up the entire hallway. Serena understood then what was happening, why her heart was pounding so hard.
"Serena!" he called out, saying something to his friends before running toward her, his smile never fading, as if he were reuniting with a dear friend after a long time, even though they were still practically strangers.
"It’s so good to see you. I’m really glad you’ve recovered."
"Thanks, Ash... I wanted to thank you again for everything you did for me."
"There’s no need. Anyone would’ve done the same." Serena already knew that wasn’t true.
"I insist." She pulled out the small box from her bag. "I hope you like them."
"Oh, if they’re sweets, I can’t say no," he said with a grin, taking one of the muffins. "The macarons from last time were amazing."
Time went by, and Ash quickly included her in his group of friends, with whom she soon grew close. Her feelings for the boy kept growing, and well, it reached the point where she didn’t know what to do with them.
"When are you planning to confess?" Misty asked her out of nowhere one day.
"What?!"
Misty burst out laughing so loudly that everyone around turned to look at them.
"Come on, we all know, Serena. You’re a little obvious, you know? Your eyes literally sparkle every time you look at him, which is all the time, by the way."
"I-I don’t know what to say."
"We’re friends, Serena. I won’t tell anyone. Actually, we’ve all been waiting for that special moment."
"But... if you said everyone has noticed, that means Ash has too. He’s never given me any clear sign that he feels the same way."
"Mmm... You’ve got a good point, but there’s something you should know. That idiot hasn’t realized that he likes you too, you know?"
"Eh?"
"Yeah, he’s not exactly good with romantic feelings. But I’ve noticed it the way he looks at you, the way he talks about you. He’s more subtle with his signals, so subtle he doesn’t even notice them himself. But his eyes light up when he sees you, he can’t stop smiling whenever you’re around, and every time he sees something that reminds him of you, he buys it for you without hesitation. Come on, he even walks you home after practice... Now that I’m saying it out loud, maybe he’s not that subtle," she muttered to herself.
"I thought he did that out of kindness... He did it the first time we met."
"Ah... you two really are a perfect match."
"What are you saying?!" she said, already feeling her cheeks burn.
"I’m saying you should take the first step."
With a bit of help from the others, Serena gathered her courage. She invited Ash on a picnic that weekend. She baked some desserts, Ash brought snacks. The two sat together in the sunny park beneath a large tree they found.
"The cookies are amazing, Serena. Thanks for inviting me, but I thought you’d invite the rest of our friends too."
"Actually... well, I wanted to be alone with you, Ash. There’s something really important I want to tell you."
"Mmm? What is it?"
Ash had a particular effect on people. Maybe it was the way he shared his energy with everyone that made them brave and determined. Serena was no exception.
Somehow, she found the words to confess her feelings to the oblivious boy. Her words were short and direct beating around the bush never worked with Ash.
Up until that moment, she had looked at anything but him. She finally lifted her gaze, desperate for an answer, whether rejection or not anything to calm her heart on the verge of bursting.
That day, she saw Ash blush for the first time. His face was red up to his ears, and he was left speechless. Serena couldn’t help but laugh at his expression, it was as sweet as every other part of this clumsy boy.
In the end, things turned out well for both of them, clearly.
Now, Serena wished she could find even a spark of the courage she once had. Where had that girl gone? The one so full of determination and bravery that, even when her legs trembled, she still faced everything head-on.
She felt so small, tiny, insignificant.
Time passed faster than she thought. The bell was about to ring. Time was up. She had to find that lost courage somewhere inside herself and decide what to do next.
She would face it. She had to. Ending all of this was all she wanted, just a single moment of peace. She was so tired of running, hiding, breaking again and again while waiting for someone else to piece her back together.
The bell rang. Shauna texted her asking where she was, but Serena didn’t reply. She turned down the volume on her phone and slipped it into her sweater pocket. She walked out heavily, slow but steady. Students poured through the halls in crowds, filling every space, while Serena moved the other way, her head down, until she took a small detour.
Silence surrounded her once she closed the door behind her. The back courtyard was completely empty, not even the maintenance staff or a teacher was around. There, among the trees beside the baseball field, a silhouette stood barely visible in the shadows.
Serena froze when she noticed it walking toward her. Not that she had anywhere to run, he would easily catch up. She moved slowly along the side of the building until she stood just a few meters away from him.
"You actually came," that voice, soft, calm... yet carrying a chill that sent shivers down her spine. She’d recognize it anywhere.
"You..."
Kent pulled down the hood he’d been wearing. His eyes were filled with disbelief, and his smile stretched unnaturally across his face, making Serena take a step back.
"You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to talk to you again in person."
"You... you’ve been behind all this this whole time?" Her voice was fragile, trembling. Her legs felt like jelly, her hands shook so badly she could barely hide it. She couldn’t breathe.
"Please, just let me explain," he begged, clasping his hands together, desperation spilling from his eyes. "Just tell me why. What does he have that I don’t?! Why him and not me?!"
She jumped back.
"I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t mean to scare you. But please answer my question!"
"Do you even hear yourself? You’ve... you’ve been harassing me for months! You have no idea how terrified I was to even leave my house, and you... you did all of this just because I rejected you?" Each word came out between gasps, her eyes stung and filled with tears. She just wanted to get out of there, no matter how.
"You’re not okay... You’re insane... Please... just leave me alone," she sobbed. She couldn’t take it anymore, she couldn’t move, couldn’t look at him, couldn’t speak. She was frozen. What could she do? What could she say? She just wanted him gone.
"No."
Serena slowly lifted her gaze, only to see him standing right in front of her. Before she could react, he grabbed her arm, squeezing hard enough to make her cry out.
"Let go of me!"
"You won’t be the first to reject me! You think you’re better than me just because you’re pretty!? Look at me when I’m talking to you! You’re all the same, walking around thinking you’re above me! You’re not going to ignore me!"
Without thinking, she reached into her pocket and sprayed insect repellent right into Kent’s face. She always kept some in her locker. The alcohol in the spray burned his eyes, and he screamed, letting go of her to clutch his face.
She turned to run, but Kent stopped her. He grabbed her sweater, shoving her against the wall, blocking her escape. His red, furious eyes glared down at her like an animal eyeing its prey.
Miette had been searching for Serena, waiting for several minutes at the entrance in hopes of catching her. She had noticed Serena leave during class and had asked Shauna about her, but Shauna brushed her off, even though her worried tone revealed she had no idea where Serena was either.
Every worst-case scenario flashed through Miette’s mind. With every passing second, her fear only grew.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a boy approaching. He seemed to be trying to call someone without success. He stopped next to her by the entrance, still focused on his phone. She didn’t look at him directly, what caught her attention was the little charm hanging from his phone. It was Garu. Serena had one of Pucca.
Her eyes slowly, almost fearfully, traced up his arm until they reached his face.
Dark skin, black hair, brown eyes. A sleeveless black shirt revealing toned arms, leather gloves, and wristbands.
"Are you Serena’s boyfriend?"
The boy turned to look at her strangely, as if wondering if he’d imagined the question. Miette’s eyes silently begged for a yes.
"Yeah."
Miette couldn’t find the words to explain the panic clawing at her chest. How could she tell him everything? Would he hate her? Believe her? Whatever happened, she needed him.
"There’s too much to explain and not enough time, but I think Serena’s in danger."
She didn’t have to say more. Both of them ran into the now nearly empty building. They called out Serena’s name through the halls, checked every room, asked anyone they saw if they’d seen her.
Ash called Shauna, hoping she was with Serena. The girl said no, she only had Serena’s backpack. She explained that Serena had vanished sometime during class. That only made things worse. Miette was sure they’d hear Serena scream any second.
"Just tell me what’s going on!" Ash demanded as they ran out of another empty classroom.
"I... there’s this guy who kept asking me for information about Serena. He confessed to her a while ago, and I thought he wanted to know more to try to win her over, but he got more obsessive and demanding over time..." Just remembering Kent’s obsessive eyes made her shiver. "He wanted to know who you were. Everyone knows Serena has a boyfriend, but nobody knew who. He was getting more and more impatient with me, and at the same time, I started noticing Serena acting strange, scared all the time. I couldn’t keep helping him. When I told him that, he didn’t take it well. I wanted to tell Serena everything... but she doesn’t want to see me."
She couldn’t look Ash in the eyes. Her gaze stayed fixed on her shoes. Not that Ash gave her the chance, he took off running again.
"Wait!"
Not far from them, Serena was curled up against the wall, trying to make herself smaller and smaller, covering her ears, hugging her legs to her chest as Kent’s furious shouts echoed around her.
"I said look at me when I’m talking to you!" He grabbed Serena’s face, digging his fingers into her cheeks to force her to look at him.
"Don’t touch me!" It was a rush of adrenaline, tension, and fear that finally unfroze her.
She pushed him with all her strength, sending Kent to the ground. He froze for a few seconds before rage reignited in his eyes.
"You..."
Kent raised his fist high, muscles tight with fury. His shadow loomed over her, bigger, darker, heavier than him for an instant.
There was more than anger in Kent’s eyes; it was a shattered ego, fragile and pathetic.
His arm came down toward her face, fast, furious. But it never landed.
A sharp impact echoed off the walls. Ash’s forearm had collided with Kent’s fist, deflecting it to the side and throwing him off balance.
Kent barely had time to understand what was happening. Ash didn’t give him a chance. Kent swung again blindly, pure instinct and rage driving him.
Ash turned his torso, dodging the punch. His body pivoted smoothly, his leg lifting just enough to drive his heel into Kent’s abdomen.
Kent doubled over in pain, air bursting from his lungs. His vision blurred for a second before he looked up into Ash’s steely eyes, eyes ready for another strike.
One firm step, a fluid turn, and Ash’s knee slammed into Kent’s side, dropping him to his knees. He didn’t stop there he grabbed Kent’s arm, twisted it, and brought him down to the ground.
Miette gasped, drawing Serena’s attention for a brief moment, still in shock at what she was witnessing.
From the first time she’d met him, Ash had always been warm, always smiling, full of optimism. Seeing him angry was something entirely new.
"What...?" Miette whispered, stunned by the sight.
Ash pinned Kent down with his knee pressed to his chest, his forearm against his throat, barely letting him move.
"Don’t you dare come near Serena ever again."
Silence hung for several seconds as they waited for a response from Kent, nothing, just surrender. Finally, Ash released the pressure and stood. The boy beneath him stayed on the ground, gasping, not daring to move.
Ash rushed to Serena, helping her up on trembling legs, checking her from head to toe for any injuries. He cupped her cheek, wiping her tears as if he were the one who’d caused them, trying to piece back together someone made of shattered glass.
Of course this would be Serena’s boyfriend, Miette thought. Seeing the warmth in how he treated her, the way he protected her, and the fact that Serena’s boyfriend clearly knew taekwondo.
"I don’t even know how to apologize, Serena," Miette sobbed like a little girl. "I never imagined something like this could happen. You have no idea how... how sorry I am."
"No one could’ve imagined it, Miette..." Serena smiled softly, glancing at the blue-haired girl.
Behind her, several meters away, Ash was talking to an officer with his back turned. Kent was already inside the patrol car. Serena would never have to see him again.
"Your boyfriend is... amazing, Serena."
"I know."
Ash Ketchum, three-time junior taekwondo champion, soon to compete in the senior division, later trained his girlfriend Serena in self-defense after that horrible encounter.