PASTA POINT OF NO RETURN
COLE-PAST
I’m walkingdown the hallway, trying to make it to class before the bell rings, when I catch it. A voice, not loud but sharp enough to slice through the usual chaos of a busy high school hallway. It’s Jamie, an asshole from the senior class, making fun of someone. Not just anyone, though. It’s Kenna.
I freeze mid-step.
I don’t need to look to know what’s happening. I know that tone, the way they laugh when they think they have someone trapped.
Something inside me snaps. Not because it’s the first time I’ve seen this kind of crap, but because it’s her. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that people like Jamie don’t stop unless someone makes them.
I don’t even think about it. I turn and head straight for her locker.
When I arrive, I see Jamie and his friends gathered around Kenna. Jamie is leaning against her locker, preventing her from closing it, while the others move around like vultures. He’s saying something, likely a joke about her clothes or hair, something petty. I don’t need to hear the words to understand the pain and humiliation in her eyes.
She’s clutching her books tightly than necessary, her lips a hard line, eyes shining with unshed tears. She’s trying to keep her head down to avoid giving them more fuel. But Jamie’s taunts only get louder.
I’ve never been the type to stand by and let someone get treated like shit. Not when it’s someone I care about.
I step up behind Jamie and tap him on the shoulder.
“Hey, Jamie,” I say, my voice firm, my tone cold. “You done?”
He turns around, surprised at first, but then he puts on that cocky smile I can’t stand. “What’s your problem, Cole?” He looks me up and down like I’m some kind of threat. “This doesn’t involve you.”
“Yeah, it does,” I snap, my jaw clenched. “You’re bothering her. That makes it my problem.”
Jamie raises an eyebrow. “Oh, come on, man. We’re just having some fun.”
“Yeah? Well, I’m not laughing,” I say, stepping closer, standing between him and Kenna. My eyes lock onto his. “So how about you get the hell out of her face before I make you.”
The other guys exchange a few unsure glances, but Jamie is too proud to back down immediately. He looks at me like he’s sizing me up, trying to decide if I’m serious. I don’t back down. I’m not going anywhere.
“You think you can scare me, Cole?” he says, but his voice wavers a little. “You’re not even in our league.”
“I’m not here to play games, Jamie,” I say, my voice low and steady. “You don’t get to pick on people like that. Now, leave her alone.”
For a second, Jamie’s expression flickers, like he’s about to argue, but then he looks at his friends. They don’t want to fight me either, so after a beat of awkward silence, he huffs and backs off, muttering something under his breath before he and his buddies finally leave.
As they disappear down the hall, the tension doesn’t. The hallway feels too quiet, like the calm after a storm.
I turn around to face Kenna, but she’s already looking down, her eyes glistening with tears. My stomach drops when I see it. She’s trying to hold it together, but she can’t. Not this time.
“Kenna…” I start, my voice soft.
She shakes her head quickly. Her face flushed. “I’m fine,” she says, but I can hear the tremor in her voice, and it’s a lie.
“No, you’re not,” I say, stepping closer, my hand instinctively reaching out to her. I hesitate for just a second, but then I pull her into me, wrapping my arms around her like I’ve done a thousand times before. She stiffens for a moment, but then she relaxes against me, her shoulders shaking as she finally lets the tears fall.
I hate that this is happening in the middle of a school hallway. I hate that people are still watching, whispering. But I can’t care. Let them talk. Let them see.
I hold her tighter, my hand moving in slow circles on her back, trying to calm her down, trying to let her know it’s okay to cry. I’ll always be here for her, no matter what.
“I’m sorry, Kenna,” I whisper, my voice steady, though there’s a sharp pain in my chest that I can’t explain. “You don’t deserve that.”
She takes a shaky breath and pulls away just slightly, looking up at me. Her eyes are red, her cheeks streaked with tears, and I want to take all of that pain away. I want to erase the things people have done to her, to make everything better.
“You didn’t have to protect me,” she whispers, her voice raw.
