My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 118

Chapter 118 Claiming Me As His Own

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“She deserves better than a guy who uses her for a passing grade!” Julian fired back. A brief spark of courage lit his eyes. He played to the

crowd. He recited the Crestview Prep rumor. “Everyone knows the contract. Everyone knows you fake the whole thing to keep the principal

off your back. You dragged her into your mess.”

The crowd held its collective breath. Trent Lawson stood near the back, watching the scene with wide eyes. Harper Vance gripped the

strap of her designer bag. They waited for the explosion. They waited for the Crestview monster to shatter Julian’s jaw.

Ryder did not explode. The dark storm in his hazel eyes froze into solid ice.

He removed his hand from the locker. He reached out and grabbed the front of Julian’s pastel sweater. He twisted the expensive fabric in his fist. He pulled Julian away from the metal door, dragging him a harsh step forward.

Julian stumbled. The spark of courage died in an instant.

“Listen to me very carefully,” Ryder murmured. The rough gravel in his tone cut through the silent hallway. “You do not know her. You see the pristine blazer and the high grades, and you think you understand her worth. You think a poem and a polite smile make you a safe

harbor.

Ryder tightened his grip on the sweater.

“I am the storm, Ryder confessed. He owned the title without hesitation. “And she chose the storm. She does not need you to rescue her. She does not need you to offer her a real date behind my back.”

“Okay, Julian choked out. His hands hovered in the air, a silent gesture of surrender. “Okay. I get it. Let go of me.”

Ryder released the fabric. He shoved the crumpled cream note hard into Julian’s chest. The ruined paper fell to the linoleum floor.

“If I catch you looking at her in the library again,” Ryder promised, his voice a lethal whisper, “if I catch you standing within ten feet of her locker, I will make sure you spend the rest of the semester eating through a straw. Do you understand?”

Julian nodded frantic and fast. He rubbed his chest. He backed away, his eyes fixed on the floor. He broke through the ring of students and disappeared down the corridor.

Ryder remained in the center of the hall. His chest heaved with deep, ragged breaths. The adrenaline pumped through his veins. He defended his territory. He destroyed the threat.

The heavy silence stretched. The surrounding students stared at him in a state of suspended shock. He dismantled the transactional rumor with his raw, bleeding possession. No one in the C-wing believed the fake dating lie anymore. A boy doing a favor for a scholarship student did not threaten a classmate over a love note.

“Show is over,” Ryder commanded. He swept a cold, dark glare over the crowd.

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13:11 Fri, Jul 10

Chapter 118 Claiming Me As His Own

The student body scattered. The ring dissolved. They hurried toward their classrooms, eager to escape his line of sight.

I stood frozen near the chemistry lab door. My hall pass lanyard slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a soft plastic clatter.

The hallway emptied, leaving the two of us alone in the long beige corridor.

Ryder turned his head. He saw me.

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The lethal, cold ice in his eyes melted the second his gaze met mine. The golden shards returned, burning with a desperate, starving heat. He looked at my flushed face. He looked at the rapid rise and fall of my chest.

He closed the distance between us. His heavy boots covered the linoleum in three massive strides.

He did not stop a polite three feet away. He did not respect the physical boundary. The fake parameters we drafted in this exact hallway weeks ago lay in ruins. He abandoned the act. He abandoned the careful restraint he practiced on my front porch.

He crashed into my personal space. He reached out. His large hands gripped my waist. He lifted me a few inches off the floor and backed me against the solid wood of the chemistry lab door.

My back hit the wood with a soft thud. My canvas bag dropped to my feet.

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