My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55 A Locker Taking the Force of Anger

“I’m fulfilling my end of the arrangement,” I replied, refusing to look at his mouth. I stared firmly at the collar of his t-shirt. “You need

passing grades. I need an alibi. I’m providing the materials.

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“Raisa,” he murmured, taking another step forward. The heat radiating off his chest washed over me, a physical, heavy weight. He reached

out, his bruised fingers brushing the sleeve of my blazer.

I flinched.

I jerked my arm back, my shoulder hitting the inside of my locker with a loud, metallic clatter. The sudden, jerky movement was entirely

involuntary, a pure survival instinct to avoid the burning touch of his skin.

Ryder’s hand froze in mid-air.

The air between us completely stopped moving.

He stared at the empty space where my arm had just been. The dark, indifferent mask he wore cracked, revealing a flash of raw, unfiltered shock. His jaw clenched so hard the muscle ticked visibly beneath his skin.

He slowly lowered his hand, his fingers curling into a tight fist at his side.

“Look at me, he commanded. The gravel in his voice was thick, grating against my frayed nerves.

I have to get to AP English,” I whispered, grabbing the heavy locker door and slamming it shut.

I turned my back on him and started walking. I didn’t wait for him to follow. I didn’t care if it ruined the illusion for the people watching. The illusion was already dead. The entire school knew I was nothing but a transaction.

I heard the heavy, deliberate thud of his combat boots right behind me. He was following me, matching my quick, erratic pace down the crowded corridor. The crowd parted for him instinctively, but the whispers didn’t stop. They grew louder as we passed.

“Look at her face.”

“I told you it was a setup.”

“She’s doing all his work.”

A group of senior guys from the lacrosse team was leaning against the glass display, blocking half the hallway. Chase Montgomery wasn’t with them, but Miller, a massive guy with a loud, arrogant mouth, was standing in the center of the group, holding a protein shake.

Miller saw us approaching. He saw the stiff, rigid distance between me and Ryder. He saw the cold, clinical way I was clutching my

backpack straps.

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12:53 Fri, Jul 10

Chapter 55 A Locker Taking the Force of Anger

A cruel, knowing smirk spread across Miller’s face.

He pushed off the glass case, stepping directly into our path. He didn’t look at me. He looked straight at Ryder.

“Hey, Steinmann, Miller called out, his voice booming over the ambient noise of the hallway.

I stopped walking.

Ryder stopped half a step behind me.

“Move, Miller, Ryder warned, his tone flat and deadly.

“Relax, man. Just wanted to ask a question,” Miller laughed, a harsh, grating sound. He took a sip of his shake, his eyes flickering toward me with pure disdain. “Word on the street is you found yourself a new homework service. Just wondering what the going rate is for the Valedictorian? She writing your English papers too, or just letting you copy her math?”

The corridor went dead silent.

The accusation hung in the stale air, ugly and completely exposed. A few sophomores standing near the water fountain gasped.

I stared at the linoleum floor, a hot, agonizing flush of humiliation burning my cheeks. It was out in the open. The absolute worst fear I had been harboring all weekend was being broadcasted to the entire school by a guy who delighted in tearing people down.

I waited for Ryder to shrug. I waited for him to play the indifferent bad boy, to offer a sarcastic comment, or to simply walk around Miller and leave me standing there. That was the script. That was the reality of a transaction.

But Ryder didn’t shrug.

He moved so fast my brain couldn’t even process the blur of his leather jacket.

He didn’t grab Miller’s shirt. He didn’t issue a dark, gravelly threat.

Ryder lunged forward, his right arm pulling back with terrifying, explosive speed. His hand curled into a massive, solid fist.

He didn’t hit Miller.

He drove his fist directly into the metal locker right next to Miller’s head.

The sound of bone and heavy rings colliding with hollow steel echoed like a bomb detonating in the confined space of the hallway. The sheer, brutal force of the punch caved the thick metal door inward, leaving a massive, jagged dent right at eye level.

Miller shrieked and scrambled backward so fast he tripped over his own feet, falling hard onto the linoleum. His protein shake splattered across the floor in a sticky brown mess.

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12:53 Fri, Jul 10

Chapter 55 A Locker Taking the Force of Anger

The entire intersection erupted into screams and frantic scrambling. Students shoved each other out of the way, pressing their backs

against the opposite walls, desperate to put distance between themselves and the explosion of raw violence.

I stumbled back, my hands flying up to cover my mouth, my heart slamming against my ribs with punishing force.

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He stood over Miller, who was cowering on the floor, scrambling backward like a terrified child. The dark, indifferent mask was completely, permanently shattered. Ryder’s hazel eyes were pitch black, burning with an unhinged, absolute rage that completely stripped

the oxygen from the room. His chest heaved with heavy, ragged breaths.

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