•Khloe's POV•
The auditorium felt heavier than usual. It wasn't loud just tense.
The kind of silence that presses against your chest, making you aware of every breath you take. The projector hums softly above us and then the topic flashes on the screen.
"Fear Creates Better Leaders Than Respect."
A murmur ripples through the crowd.
I don't need to look to my left to know who's on the opposing team.
Robert Williams.
I feel him before I see him, his presence sharp and immovable, like a shadow that doesn't belong to the light but refuses to leave it.
Eventually he steps forward first. He doesn't look nervous at all. He never does.
"Fear." he says, voice low and steady, "keeps people in line."
His eyes sweep across the audience like he owns it.
"Respect is temporary. Weak. People follow rules when they are afraid of the consequences."
Some students nodded. Some didn't. Teachers watched carefully.
"And leaders.." he finishes,"aren't here to be liked."
There's confidence in every word. Certainty. The kind that's built on experience.
I step forward when it's my turn.
No rush. No hesitation.
The microphone is cold under my fingers, but my voice doesn't shake.
"Fear" I say calmly, "creates silence."
The room stills.
"Not agreement. Not loyalty. Just silence."
I look straight at him then. Not to challenge but just to connect.
"Respect creates choice," I continue. "And when people choose to stand with you, they will stay even when it's hard."
Robert's jaw tightens almost imperceptibly.
"You can scare people into obedience" I say, steady and clear, "but the moment fear fades, so does control."
A pause.
"Respect" I finish softly, "outlives fear."
The silence that follows isn't empty.
It's loaded.
I step back.
And that's when I realize, Robert isn't responding.
He's standing there, eyes locked on me, mouth slightly parted like he's searching for something that refuses to come.
For the first time since I've known of his existence.
Robert Williams is speechless.
Ishouldn't notice the way his shoulders stiffen.
I shouldn't notice how his fingers curl slowly into fists.
But I do.
And something in my chest tightens.
•Robert's POV•
She didn't raise her voice.
Didn't mock me. Didn't attack me personally.
She dismantled the argument like it was fragile glass and she didn't even bleed doing it.
That's what gets to me.
All night, her voice loops in my head.
Fear creates silence.
I've lived on fear.
I've used it.
People step aside when I walk down the hallway. Even Robin knows when not to push.
And suddenly, here's Khloe Carter telling a room full of people that fear fades.
I don't sleep.
I replay the way she looked at me, not angry. Not smug.
Understanding.
That's worse.
•Next Day•
•Robert's POV•
The next day, I notice things I never cared to see before.
She jokes with the janitor while holding the door open for him.
She listens when a junior rambles nervously about missing an assignment, doesn't interrupt, doesn't dismiss.
She laughs easily, but not carelessly.
People don't follow her because she's beautiful.
They follow her because she sees them.
And that realization hits harder than her words on that stage.
That's why they respect her.
That's why she leads without demanding it.
And I hate how deeply that gets under my skin.
I begin to watch her more. Not like before. Not out of irritation. Out of… curiosity.
She's emotionally mature in a way most people our age aren't. Knows when to joke, when to be serious. Knows when to walk away. And I can't stop comparing that to myself. To how I dictated people with silence and intimidation and being authoritative.
She doesn't fear me. She never did. And somehow that's what pulls me in.
•Khloe's POV•
Something definitely changed after the debate. I feel it in the way Robert looks at me now. Less sharp, more focused.Not hostile. Studying.
He doesn't block hallways anymore when I pass. Doesn't speak unless necessary.
It's honestly so unsettling. One afternoon, I catch him helping a sophomore pick up dropped books.
No threats. No words.
Just action.
Our eyes meet briefly.
He looks away first.
That surprises me.
•Robert's POV•
I don't mean to change.
It just… happens.
I surprisingly found myself standing closer to her during assemblies. Listening when she speaks. Paying attention to how people relax around her.
Robin notices this unusual thing from me.
"You're gone." he says one evening, leaning against my bike. I didn't answer. Why?Because he's right.
I am.
This isn't a crush. It's even worse than that.
It's the kind of obsession that grows gradually and quietly deeply rooting itself in places you didn't know were empty.
Idon't want to own her.
I want to understand her.
And somehow, that terrifies me more than losing control ever did.
When she laughs, the world feels less hostile. When she looks disappointed, it feels personal. I have never let anyone have that kind of power over me. And yet? Here I am.
Watching her walk away with confidence rolling off her like a storm, she doesn't even realize she commands.
That debate didn't just change how people saw me.
It changed how I see myself.
And Khloe Carter? She has no idea that she's already inside my head. Or how far gone I really am.
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Have some avocados, you must be tired of reading such a long story😆
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YOO MY LOVELY READERS!!PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO LIKE AND LEAVE POSITIVE COMMENTS CUZ IT ENCOURAGES ME ALLOTTT😭STAY TUNED OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT! STAY SAFE! TAKE CARE! BYEEE❤️❤️