Kash shook his head. “No. Not just for her.” He hesitated. “For you.”
Ody’s eyes snapped to his.
“You think we dragged him to that school and beat him because he stepped in for you. But that wasn’t why I did it. I did it because of how he treated my sister.” He swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the floor. “But even then… I saw the way you looked at him. The way he tried to protect you.” His breath shook. “And I couldn’t take it. I hated that you noticed him when you’d never even seen me.”
He rubbed a hand over his face, guilt and jealousy twisting together. “I didn’t want Stella dragging you into her plans. I thought I could protect you from the worst parts of what we weredoing. I thought only Mano would get hurt.” He met Ody’s eyes. “But you care about him. And that changes everything.”
Ody stared at him, stunned, before the shock burned into anger. “She told us you hit her.” He shook his head, still trying to process it. “She sent Mano a voice message. Crying. Saying you hurt her.”
Kash’s breath caught. The realization hit him. Ody had been with Mano when that message arrived. Jealousy flickered in his chest, sharp and ugly.
“She lied about you hitting her. Lied to get Mano to feel guilty. To pull him back to her only to hurt him. And you just… let it happen.” His jaw clenched, fury rising through him. “All that crying. All that panic. And it was nothing but a performance.” Disgust etched across his features. “Everyone knew what you were doing and played along.”
Kash’s head jerked up. “No. No one knows Stella is my sister.”
Ody’s stare sharpened. “Not even Pablo and Brandon?”
Kash swallowed hard. “I didn’t want them involved with her. I didn’t trust them around her.”
Ody’s voice dropped, cold and precise. “But you trusted them around Mano. And you trusted them around me.”
The silence after that was suffocating.
Ody pushed his chair back and stood. His movements were slow, controlled. When he spoke, he was frighteningly calm. “Leave. We’re done.”
Kash flinched. “Ody, please. Listen to me.”
“I said leave.”
Kash stepped forward, eyes desperate. “Please. I’m trying to fix this. I don’t want to lose you.”
Ody didn’t waver. He spoke quietly, every word deadly clear. “I was stupid enough to give you a chance. To believe you.” He shook his head, a bitter laugh slipping out. “I let you touch me. I let you kiss me.”
He took one slow step back, like distance could keep the anger from spilling over. His jaw flexed, eyes burning with hurt he refused to show fully. “And the whole time, you and your sister were destroying someone’s life for fun.” He swallowed hard.
For a moment, he looked away, like the realization physically stung him. Then he turned back, eyes sharp. “I felt sorry for you.” He let out a breath. “I actually felt sorry for you!”
“Ody, please.” Kash’s words cracked with desperation. “I’m trying to stop everything. I swear I am.”
Ody cut him off, sharp as a knife. “We’re done. From now on, we go back to what we were this entire year.” He met Kash’s eyes without a flicker of mercy. “Nothing more.”
Kash’s breath left him with a broken exhale, but Ody didn’t soften. He simply stepped back and gave him space to leave.
Kash’s face crumpled. “Please, don’t do this…” he whispered.
Ody didn’t blink. His stare was cold. “You did it. You and your sister.”
“She can’t hurt him without my help, and I’m not going to help her,” Kash said quickly, trying to sound reassuring, but he couldn't quite hide the tremor.
Ody shrugged, unimpressed. “I don’t trust you, Kash.”
Kash’s gaze dropped to the floor, shame tightening his posture.
“If the professor hadn’t shown up this morning… what would you have done?”
Kash lifted his eyes slowly. “What do you mean?”
Ody held his stare, refusing to soften. “You know exactly what I mean. Would you have told Brandon and Pablo to stop, or would you have hit me too, just to keep up the act?” He stared at him like he already knew the answer.
