My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 142

Chapter 142 Running Away From The Crowd

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The music stopped. The Crestview gymnasium held a profound, suspended silence.

Ryder kept his forehead resting against mine. His chest expanded with a deep, ragged inhale. The warm air from his lungs brushed across my cheek. We stood frozen in the center of the polished wooden floor. The crystal chandeliers cast a golden glow over his dark hair. I kept

my eyes closed. I wanted to live inside this specific second. I wanted to build a house in the narrow, silent space between our bodies and

never leave.

A sharp, synthetic beat shattered the quiet.

The DJ triggered a new track. The heavy bass thumped from the massive black speakers, vibrating straight through the soles of my velvet shoes. The crowd of students surged forward, breaking the wide circle they formed around us. The spell snapped.

I opened my eyes.

Ryder lifted his head. The golden flecks in his hazel irises looked dark, consumed by his dilated pupils. The intense, untamed storm raged

just beneath the surface of his clear skin.

The reality of our environment crashed over me. The ambient temperature in the massive room spiked. The combined body heat of hundreds of dancing teenagers turned the air thick and heavy. The scent of heavy designer perfumes mixed with the sharp smell of the blooming floral archways. The oxygen felt thin. My lungs worked overtime, struggling to pull a clean breath.

I looked past his broad shoulder.

A group of senior girls stared at us from the edge of the punch bowl. A photographer adjusted his heavy camera lens near the bleachers. The local society press waited for a misstep. The entire affluent student body watched our every move. They waited for the billionaire heir to discard the scholarship student. They searched for cracks in our armor.

The massive space transformed into a suffocating glass jar. The heat burned my skin.

I cannot breathe, I whispered. My voice shook beneath the loud thump of the bass.

Ryder dropped his hands from my waist. He did not ask questions. He did not dismiss my panic. He saw the frantic pulse beating at the base of my throat. He understood the sudden, crushing weight of the room.

He shifted his stance. He placed his body between me and the staring crowd, acting as a physical shield. He reached down and grabbed my right hand. He laced his long, calloused fingers through mine. His grip felt solid and unyielding.

“We are leaving,’ he stated.

He turned He pulled me toward the nearest exit.

He moved with a ruthless, determined pace. The students blocking our path scrambled to clear the way. The sea of expensive silk gowns

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Chapter 142 Running Away From The Crowd

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and tailored suits parted. They recognized the dark warning etched into the sharp lines of his jaw. The Crestview delinquent reclaimed his dangerous edge to secure our escape.

He pushed the heavy metal bar on the gymnasium double doors. The thick wood swung outward. We stepped into the A-wing corridor.

The doors slammed shut behind us.

The deafening noise of the pop anthem dropped to a muffled, distant thud. The harsh, fluorescent lights of the hallway offered a jarring

contrast to the golden chandeliers. The air felt ten degrees cooler, but it was not enough. My skin flushed with trapped heat. The heavy midnight blue silk clung to my ribs. My heart hammered a frantic, irregular rhythm against my sternum.

I leaned against the beige cinderblock wall. I placed my free hand flat against the cool, painted stone. I pulled the sterile air into my

burning lungs.

Ryder stood in front of me. He did not let go of my hand.

“The front doors are blocked, Ryder said. His voice echoed in the empty corridor. “The photographers set up a tent near the red carpet. If we leave through the main entrance, they will swarm us. We need a different exit.”

“I just need five minutes,” I told him. “I need cold air.

“I know a place.”

He gave my hand a gentle tug. I pushed off the cinderblock wall. I followed him down the deserted hallway.

We walked past the administrative offices. We bypassed the crowded cafeteria entrance. The silence in this section of the school felt massive. The ambient noise of the dance faded into nothing. The only sounds in the corridor were the sharp click of my velvet heels and the heavy thud of his polished dress shoes.

He led me toward the north stairwell.

The administration kept this section restricted during evening events. The metal security gate sat pulled across the bottom of the stairs. A heavy brass padlock secured the chain.

Ryder did not hesitate. He let go of my hand. He reached into the front pocket of his tuxedo trousers. He pulled out a small, flat piece of silver metal. He stepped up to the thick brass lock. He slid the metal pick into the keyhole. He twisted his wrist. The internal pins clicked with a series of sharp, metallic snaps.

The heavy lock popped open.

He unwound the thick iron chain from the metal bars. He pushed the heavy security gate aside, creating a gap wide enough for us to pass

through.

You break into the school? I asked. The question hung in the quiet space.

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