"Yeah, well, some people have real jobs, right? Not everyone has the time to chase after balls." Valmet said covering her mouth and staring at melody with venom. Melody, not wanting to seem outright hostile, flips her hair and feigns ignorance of Valmet's underlying jab as she walked to valmet and lifted Valmets chin up with a baseball bat.

"Oh, totally! I get it. But, you know, if you ever need tickets or help with anything, my family can always pull some strings. I mean, I even got Steven a front-row seat to last week's game! Right, Steven?" Melody winks at steven almost flirtingly Steven, completely oblivious to the tension, grins awkwardly. "Yeah, it was a great game." Valmet, now glaring, feels the sting. Melody's tone of condescension is obvious to her, but to the others around, Melody just looks like a caring, helpful girl.

In the lunchroom, tension simmered under the surface, but Valmet still kept up the facade of control. She sat close to Steven, her hand subtly resting on his knee, the pressure of her grip just firm enough to remind him, and anyone watching, that he was hers. Melody was at the other end of the long cafeteria table, effortlessly commanding the attention of her group of friends, her voice cutting through the chatter like she owned the place—because she did.

“Steven, did you finish that Spanish assignment?” Melody asked sweetly, flashing him a grin that made a few nearby guys glance over in envy. Her voice was as sharp as the crack of a bat, calculated to sound innocent, but with just enough condescension to dig under Valmet’s skin. Valmet’s eyes narrowed slightly as she continued to sip her drink, her silence more threatening than any words she could’ve spoken.

Steven, ever the oblivious one, smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I finished it earlier with Val’s help. We worked on it together this morning.” He didn’t catch the flicker of annoyance that crossed Melody’s face, but Valmet sure did.

“Aw, how sweet.” Melody’s voice dropped, her smile now carrying a mocking edge. “Val, I didn’t realize you were tutoring Steven. How… generous of you.”

Valmet looked up slowly, meeting Melody’s gaze with a cold, disinterested stare, as if Melody weren’t worth the effort. “Well, I guess someone has to look out for him, right? Since you're always so busy with... baseball and all that.” Her voice was honeyed, with just a trace of venom underneath.

There was a shift at the table. Melody’s friends exchanged quick glances, sensing the tension thickening in the air. Melody leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming with a challenge. “Busy being the best at something, you mean,” she shot back, her tone sugar-coated but dangerous. “Not everyone’s content playing sidekick, Val.”

Valmet’s grip tightened on her drink, but her expression remained calm. “Well, some of us know how to get what we want without needing to swing a bat around all the time,” she said, her words a direct hit at Melody’s pride. The atmosphere at the table was electric now, everyone holding their breath.

Melody’s jaw tensed, her polished exterior starting to crack. She stood up, slowly and deliberately, the room seeming to quiet down just a little as she grabbed her baseball bat leaning against the table. “You know, Val, maybe you should stick to what you’re good at,” she said smoothly, taking a slow step toward Valmet. “Oh wait, what are you good at? Aside from clinging to Steven, of course.”

Valmet stood up too, the intensity in her eyes only growing, not backing down an inch. “Steven doesn’t need someone swinging at every problem to solve it, Melody. But I guess that’s all you know how to do, right?” The cafeteria felt smaller now, the crowd focused entirely on the brewing confrontation.

The next moment happened in a blur. Melody’s smile dropped completely, and before anyone could react, she swung the bat in a low, swift arc, catching Valmet square in the stomach. The sound was sickening—a dull thud—and Valmet doubled over, gasping, the wind knocked out of her.

For a split second, there was a stunned silence. And then laughter erupted—sharp, mocking. Melody’s friends howled as if they’d just seen the best joke of the year. Melody stood over Valmet, bat still in hand, a self-satisfied smirk on her face as though she’d just hit a home run.

Steven, caught between shock and confusion, rushed to Valmet’s side, dropping to his knees next to her. “Val! Oh my God, are you okay?” He touched her shoulder gently, his face pale.

Valmet gasped, trying to catch her breath. But through the pain, her eyes shot daggers up at Melody. Her composure was broken for the first time, but instead of weakness, there was something darker. Something dangerous. She pushed herself up slowly, ignoring the concerned whispers of Steven. Her lips curled into a chilling smile, even as her stomach throbbed.

“Nice swing,” she whispered, her voice just loud enough for Melody to hear. “But you’d better make sure I stay down next time.”

The laughter around them grew awkwardly quieter as Valmet straightened up, her posture shaky but her resolve unbroken. Melody stared at her, momentarily thrown off by Valmet’s reaction, but quickly masked it with a cocky grin. “Whatever, Val. You’re not even worth it,” she sneered, slinging the bat over her shoulder and turning her back.

But as Melody walked away, Valmet’s expression darkened. That blow wasn’t forgotten. No, Melody had just made herself a target. And Valmet would make sure she paid for it later after all pigs with curly blonde hair make the best screams.

As the laughter in the lunchroom faded and Melody walked away, her entourage in tow, Steven remained crouched beside Valmet. The shock of what had just happened still hung in the air, though the crowd had already started to lose interest, their conversations picking back up. For Steven, however, nothing else mattered at that moment but Valmet.

“Val, I—” His voice was soft, uncertain, as if the words were stuck somewhere between worry and guilt. He gently touched her arm, his hand trembling slightly. “Are you okay? That… that was brutal.”

Valmet took a moment, sucking in air through her teeth. The pain in her stomach pulsed, sharp and lingering, but the anger coursing through her veins dulled it enough for her to force a smile. She had to keep up appearances. She couldn’t let Steven see her weak, not when he looked at her with those puppy-dog eyes, so full of concern and love. It was suffocating sometimes—how much he cared.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice strained but steady as she slowly stood up. Her knees wobbled, but she caught herself, swallowing the wave of dizziness that hit her. She flashed a quick smirk, as if to say, “Is that all Melody’s got?”

But Steven wasn’t buying it. “Val, you’re not fine,” he whispered, his voice pleading. He stood too, his arm slipping around her waist gently, careful not to touch where Melody had struck her. “Come on, let me take you to class. You shouldn’t be walking on your own after that.”

Valmet opened her mouth to protest—she hated being fussed over—but the pain in her side flared up again, and she leaned into Steven, just a little. “Okay, fine. But only because it’s you,” she muttered, trying to sound annoyed, though a part of her was relieved to have his support. She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she liked the way Steven held her, so careful, so gentle, like she was something precious that needed protecting.

As they made their way through the hallways, Valmet noticed the way other students looked at them, their eyes flickering with curiosity or gossip. She ignored them. She had more important things on her mind—like how she was going to make Melody pay for what she’d done. But right now, she had to keep her focus on Steven, on the way he was practically carrying her down the hall, his concern radiating from him like warmth on a cold day.

“Steven,” she said softly after a while, breaking the silence between them. “You don’t have to baby me, you know. It’s just a bruise.”

He glanced down at her, his brow furrowed with worry. “It’s not just a bruise, Val. She hit you hard, and... and you could’ve gotten seriously hurt. I can’t just pretend like nothing happened.” His grip on her waist tightened a bit, as if he were trying to shield her from the world, from everything that could hurt her.

Valmet let out a small laugh, though it was tinged with bitterness. “You’re too sweet for your own good, you know that?” She tilted her head slightly to look up at him, her eyes softening despite herself. “I don’t deserve you.”

Steven blinked, caught off guard by the sudden vulnerability in her voice. He stopped walking for a moment, turning her toward him so that they were face to face. “What? Don’t say that, Val. Of course, you do.”

She looked away, her gaze drifting to the floor. “You’re too good to me, Steven. Too kind. You shouldn’t be wasting all that on someone like me.” Her words were quiet, almost like she didn’t want to say them out loud. Valmet had built up so many walls around herself—walls made of anger, pride, and the sharp edges of her upbringing in the mafia. But Steven… Steven always had a way of slipping through the cracks.

He gently cupped her cheek, guiding her face back to meet his eyes. “You’re not a waste, Val,” he said softly, his thumb brushing against her skin. “You’re the most important person in the world to me. I don’t care what happened today, or what Melody thinks, or what anyone else says. I love you. And I’m going to be here for you, no matter what.”

For a moment, Valmet just stared at him, her chest tightening. How could he be so… good? How could someone like Steven, with his pure heart and unwavering loyalty, love someone like her? Someone who used people, who lied and manipulated and wore her innocence like a mask?

She wanted to push him away, to tell him he was being stupid, but instead, she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes for a second as she let herself feel his warmth. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?” she whispered, her voice softer now, almost tender.

“Yeah, well, maybe I am.” Steven chuckled lightly, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “But I’m your ridiculous, right?”

Valmet smirked, opening her eyes again. “Yeah. You are.”

They started walking again, slower this time, Steven’s arm still around her, supporting her as they made their way to her next class. The bustling noise of the school faded into the background, and for a moment, it was just the two of them, walking side by side, caught in the quiet comfort of each other’s company.

As they reached the classroom door, Steven hesitated, his hand lingering on her waist. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” he asked, his voice full of concern again. “I can stay with you if you want. I don’t mind.”

Valmet shook her head, giving him a small but genuine smile. “I’ll be fine, Steven. You’ve done more than enough already.” She reached up and gently patted his cheek, her way of showing gratitude without getting too sappy. “Thanks for always looking out for me.”

Steven smiled, his face lighting up with that same earnest kindness she could never quite understand but always appreciated. “Anytime, Val. You know I’ve got your back.”

As Valmet stepped into the classroom, she glanced back at Steven one more time, her expression softening for just a moment. He was good—too good. And despite everything, despite how she used him, despite how she knew deep down she didn’t love him the way he loved her, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of warmth in her chest.

But that flicker quickly turned to cold steel as she remembered Melody, remembered the humiliation of being hit in front of everyone. Melody thought she’d won today. But Valmet wasn’t going to let that slide. No one messed with her and got away with it.

As Steven walked away, Valmet clenched her fists, her eyes narrowing. Melody would pay. But for now, she had to keep up appearances. She had to play her part. The game wasn’t over—it had only just begun.