Chapter 98 – A New Challenger Approaches

I'm staring at my math textbook, but the words might as well be written in ancient Sumerian for all the sense they're making right now. Because instead of learning about limits, my brain has decided this is the perfect time to have a complete existential crisis about my love life.

Or potential love life.

Or complete lack of love life depending on how catastrophically I'm misreading everything.

My mind keeps circling back to the couch incident from Saturday night. Bianca, pressed against my side under that blanket, her hand on my chest, whispering about pinning her down and making her submit. The way she looks at me sometimes, the constant hand-holding, that time she kissed my neck...

Then there’s Selene. Sweet, bubbly Selene who told me she loved me when I was comforting her. Who gets all touchy and playful whenever we’re together. Who teased me when I got out of the shower, her eyes definitely not staying on my face.

A question rattles around my skull like a pinball: Are they into me?

And the follow-up question is significantly more terrifying: What the hell do I do about it if they are?

I mean, I'm definitely into them. That ship sailed, sank, and has been resting at the bottom of the ocean for a while now. But what if I'm completely misreading the situation? What if all this is just... sisterly affection? What if I confess my feelings and get hit with the verbal equivalent of a nuclear strike: "I love you as a brother."

I think I'd have to immediately run into traffic. Just full-on sprint into the nearest moving vehicle and hope for a better roll of the dice in my next life. "Sorry, God, can we restart? I made some poor dialogue choices in that last playthrough."

The worst part is I can see it happening. I build up the courage, pull one of them aside, stumble through some awkward confession about having feelings, and then watch in real-time as their face goes through the five stages of grief.

Absolutely not. No thank you. I choose life.

But then again... the way Bianca melted when I kissed her head and called her cute. The way Selene smiled at me when I told her I loved her. That's not nothing, right? Right??

The bell finally rings, saving me from my own thoughts.

Maybe I should just... try to casually bring it up at home? Like, somehow work it into conversation without being obvious? "Hey Bianca, totally random question, but when you said you wanted to practice pinning you down in my bed, did you mean that in a wrestling way or in a... different way?"

I can literally feel myself cringing at the thought.

Screw it. I'm leaving this problem to future Adam. That guy can deal with it.

I pack up hurriedly and head for the door.

When I step out into the hallway, it takes me exactly three seconds to spot Selene.

She's hard to miss. That pink hair catches light like a beacon, and she's standing near the wall talking to some guy I don't recognize. He's tall (maybe six-foot-seven?), with tanned skin and the kind of chiseled features that probably required a team of genetic engineers to create. He has flawless skin, piercing green eyes, and lean muscle visible even through his clothes.

My first emotion is an ugly spike of jealousy that I immediately try to suppress. Because that's not fair, right? Selene can talk to whoever she wants. She's allowed to have conversations with attractive people. That's a normal thing that normal people do.

But then I take a closer look at what's actually happening, and the jealousy fades into a combination of relief and worry.

She's backing away from him. Her arms are crossed over her chest in that universal body language of "I am not comfortable with this interaction." Her usual bright energy is completely absent, replaced by visible irritation.

He's grinning at her, saying something in a low voice while trying to close the distance between them. She backs up again, and he follows.

Oh hell no.

Most of the other students in the hallway are rushing to their next classes, heads down and focused. But a few have noticed the drama unfolding, their gazes bouncing between Selene and Mr. Universe like they're watching a tennis match.

I start moving toward them quickly, catching the tail end of their conversation.

"I said I'm not interested!" Selene's voice has lost all its usual bubbly enthusiasm. She sounds flat and annoyed, which is wrong on every possible level. Selene should never sound like that.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that." The guy's grin widens, and I immediately want to punch his teeth in. "You're too fine to be playing hard to get. Just gimme your number, yeah? We'll grab food or something." He steps closer, invading her space.

Selene backs up until her shoulders hit the wall. "Dude. Back. Off."

That’s my cue.

I close the remaining distance and push myself between them, using my shoulder to create space. It's not aggressive, exactly, but it's definitely not friendly.

"Hey, man." I look up at him, keeping my voice level. "She’s not interested."

Now that I'm closer, I can get a better look at this guy. The handsome face, the perfect hair with just enough product to look effortlessly styled, the confident smile that suggests he's never been told "no" in his life. Everything about him screams fuckboy energy. His easy smile and the way his eyes keep wandering make me immediately want to punch him in his perfect teeth.

It's strange, though. I don't recognize him at all, which is weird considering how drop-dead handsome he looks. Someone who looks like this would be well-known. Is he new?

He looks down at me with an expression of mild amusement, like I'm a puppy that just tried to bark at him. "Yo, relax, little man. We're talking here. Why don't you mind your business?"

I glance back at Selene, who rolls her eyes hard. "We're not talking. You’ve been harassing me and I keep telling you to go away!"

"See, she's just playing." He winks at me like we're sharing some kind of guy code. "Girls like the chase, you know?"

"Dude, seriously?" I say. "She literally just told you to go away. What part of that is confusing?"

"Ugh, Adam, let's just go." Selene grabs my arm, trying to pull me away. "He's not worth it."

We make it maybe two steps before his voice rings out behind us.

"Damn!" The guy whistles. "That's a nice ass! You're even hotter from behind!"

The hallway goes quiet for a beat as his words register. Then the murmurs erupt. Multiple people are staring now, and I hear someone mutter "What the fuck?" under their breath, clearly disgusted.

I look at Selene and see her face has gone bright red, her jaw clenched tight. She's not just embarrassed, she's genuinely upset, her whole body rigid with discomfort and anger.

Yeah, fuck that.

I turn around slowly, and see him standing there still staring at Selene's ass with this lecherous grin, like he just paid her the compliment of the century instead of sexually harassing her in a public hallway.

Should I fight him? The answer is probably no. I'm not intimidated by this asshole, but I also don't want to get expelled.

But while I shouldn't start a fight, I'd be more than happy to retaliate if he throws the first punch.

Regardless, I'm not letting him walk away from this interaction feeling good about himself.

I gently pull my arm from Selene's grasp and turn to face him fully, speaking loud enough that my voice carries through the murmuring hallway.

"Damn, dude." I let out a low whistle of my own, but mine drips with sarcasm. "Your mom must be so proud of you."

He pauses. The smile starts to fade as he processes what I just said. His eyes narrow slightly. "What'd you just say?"

"I mean, is this how she taught you to talk to girls?" I let that hang in the air for a second. "Oh wait, my bad, she probably wasn't around to teach you anything, huh?"

There's a beat of silence.

"DAMN!" someone exclaims from somewhere in the crowd of students.

Then the murmurs start in earnest. I hear a few snickers, see others pulling out their phones to record what's happening. The energy in the hallway has completely shifted, people are paying attention now, and this guy is no longer the confident aggressor. He's been put on blast in front of an audience.

"Adam..." Selene's voice is worried behind me. "Come on, let's just leave, okay? Please?"

I'm about to respond when I see Tanned McFuckface's expression transform from surprised to genuinely pissed. His whole body tenses as he starts marching toward us.

Oh. He's mad. Good.

His face has gone red, the easy-going fuckboy persona completely evaporating. "The fuck did you just say to me?" His voice is lower now, dangerous.

I mentally open my System Shop, pulling it up in the corner of my vision. This might actually come to blows, and while I can't buy any body enhancements or active skills mid-confrontation, I could definitely grab some perks or passive skills to help even the odds if things go south.

But then, out of the corner of my eye, I see movement. A teacher is stepping out of a nearby classroom, drawn by the commotion. He starts walking toward us.

Okay, maybe I won't need to buy anything after all.

I wait, letting the teacher get a bit closer before I respond. I keep my voice quiet, just loud enough for the guy in front of me to hear, and tilt my head like I'm confused. "Sorry, did I say that too fast for you?" I pause. "Should I use smaller words?"

Selene tries to pull me back. "Adam, stop—"

I resist, grabbing her side gently but firmly, keeping her behind me.

His eyes go wide with rage. "You little—" He raises his fist, pulling it back.

And that's when the teacher reaches us.

"HEY!" The teacher grabs the guy's arm mid-swing. "What the hell is going on here? Break it up!"

The tall guy glares at me, breathing hard, glaring at me with pure rage while the teacher holds his arm. He looks between me and the teacher, clearly weighing his options.

Finally, he speaks through gritted teeth. "Nothing. Just a misunderstanding."

The teacher doesn't look convinced, but he slowly releases the guy's arm. "Everyone get to class. Now."

The crowd starts to disperse reluctantly, though plenty of students are still whispering and glancing back.

The tall guy straightens his shirt and moves past us, but as he does, he leans just close enough that only I can hear him mutter: "Watch your back, little man."

You too, asshole.