Alex truly felt, at that very moment, that he should have just dug up the entire ground beneath his feet and buried himself inside rather than continue standing there. His face burned with an unspeakable humiliation, his whole body trembling with shame and anger. The commotion around him was loud, filled with snickers, laughter, and hushed whispers, each word like a sharp blade stabbing into his pride.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to roar. He wanted to deny everything. But no words came out.
His eyes turned, almost unwillingly, towards Leo.
And what did he see?
Leo—his eternal rival, the person Alex despised most—was not even paying attention to him anymore. With calm steps, utterly unbothered, Leo walked away peacefully, heading toward the classroom as though nothing that happened here had anything to do with him.
That very act was salt on Alex's wound.
