The second day after Foundation Day should've been easier.
But Riven knew the second he walked through the main hallway that it wasn't.
The air felt heavier — not the cautious curiosity from yesterday, but a sharper, edgier kind of attention.
It started with small things.
Two first-years passing by, staring openly, then turning to whisper before breaking into muffled laughter.
A girl from his class "accidentally" bumping into him, muttering, "Watch it," even though she was the one walking backward while texting.
Eli noticed it, too. His eyes tracked every small interaction, his jaw tightening a little more each time.
---
By lunch, the tension finally cracked.
The cafeteria was loud — trays clattering, voices overlapping, the smell of fried chicken filling the air.
Eli and Riven had just sat down when a shadow fell across their table.
It was Marcus Lee.
Tall, broad-shouldered, captain of the basketball team — and someone who'd been one of Riven's loudest critics last year.
"Well, well," Marcus said, his voice carrying over the table chatter. "If it isn't Sunvale's newest science prodigy."
Riven didn't look up from his food. "Marcus."
"I saw you up there on stage the other day. Must've been nice, pretending you belong."
Eli's fork stilled. "What's your problem?"
Marcus smirked, eyes sliding toward Eli. "My problem is when guys like him—" he jabbed a finger at Riven "—get applauded for one good act like it erases all the crap they've done."
The cafeteria's noise dulled, conversations slowing as more people tuned in.
Riven leaned back, meeting Marcus's stare evenly. "And what exactly have I done to you, Lee?"
"You remember sophomore year? You put my cousin in the clinic after that fight."
"He started it," Riven said flatly. "And I finished it."
A low murmur swept the room.
---
Marcus's smile turned cold. "You really think you've changed? You're still the same angry punk. The only difference is now you've got him—" another glance at Eli "—to make you look less dangerous."
Eli stood before he even realized it, the chair scraping loudly against the floor.
"I'm not here to make anyone look better. I'm here because I choose to be."
Marcus chuckled. "Then you're choosing badly."
---
The silence that followed was taut.
Riven could feel dozens of eyes on them, waiting for the explosion — because that's what people expected from him.
But instead, he took a slow breath, stood, and picked up his tray.
"You want me to lose it? Not happening. Not today."
He walked past Marcus without looking back.
Eli followed, but not before giving Marcus one last sharp look — the kind that promised this wasn't over.
---
Outside, in the empty hallway, Riven stopped.
"I should've hit him," he muttered.
"No," Eli said firmly. "You did the right thing."
"It didn't feel like it."
"It will. You think everyone in there was impressed with Marcus? No. They saw you walk away. That's going to stick."
Riven let out a dry laugh. "Since when are you the patient one?"
"Since I met you," Eli said simply.
For a moment, the tension loosened between them — but in the back of Riven's mind, he knew Marcus wasn't done.
And neither was the rest of the school.
---