Damien sat at the back of the classroom, his eyes unfocused as he absentmindedly tapped his pen against the desk. The voices of his friends, Jake and Mason, droned on beside him, but he wasn’t really listening. His mind kept drifting back to Ethan—how easily the new kid had walked into their group and, without lifting a finger, seemed to command attention.

It was subtle, but Damien felt it. Every joke, every comment he made—it didn’t have the same weight it used to. His friends still laughed, sure, but it wasn’t the same. They were more interested in what Ethan had to say, even when Ethan didn’t say much. The guy had an eerie ability to make silence work in his favor.

“What’s up with you, man?” Jake nudged Damien, breaking his thoughts. “You’re quieter than usual.”

“Nothing,” Damien muttered, forcing a smirk. “Just thinking.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “About the freshman we pranked yesterday? That was gold, man. You really got him good.”

Damien chuckled, but it felt hollow. “Yeah, sure. Gold.”

By lunchtime, Damien’s unease had only grown. He found himself standing on the edge of the group, watching as Ethan effortlessly slid into conversations with Jake and Mason. Every now and then, Ethan would glance over at Damien, as if to check that he was still paying attention.

“You know,” Ethan said casually as they gathered by the bleachers, “there’s this kid I saw in the hall. Real loner type. I bet no one would even notice if we messed with him a little.”

Damien’s ears perked up. Ethan was talking about the new freshman—the one who always sat alone at lunch, hunched over his books, trying not to draw attention.

“Yeah?” Damien said, narrowing his eyes. “What do you have in mind?”

Ethan smiled, his expression calm and unreadable. “Something simple. Knock him down a peg. Show him who’s in charge around here.”

Damien agreed. It was a chance to prove that he was still the top dog. That afternoon, they cornered the freshman in the hallway, blocking his path with smug grins plastered on their faces.

“Where you off to in such a hurry?” Damien asked, his tone mocking.

The kid stammered, trying to sidestep them, but Mason grabbed his backpack, yanking it open and spilling the contents onto the floor. Books and papers scattered everywhere. Jake kicked one of the notebooks down the hall, laughing.

“Oops. Guess you’ll have to clean that up,” Jake sneered.

“Pick it up,” Damien ordered, his voice harsher than intended.

The kid dropped to his knees, scrambling to gather his things. His hands were shaking, and as he reached for his books, tears welled up in his eyes. 

“Come on, man,” Jake said, nudging Damien with his elbow. “He’s practically begging. Let’s get outta here.”

That night, Damien lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been fun, hadn’t it? So why did it feel so… wrong?

His phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen. A message from Ethan.

**Ethan**: Nice job today. You really showed him.

Damien stared at the message for a long moment before typing a response.

**Damien**: Yeah.

His phone buzzed again almost immediately.

**Ethan**: You should do that more often. The weak ones… they’re just waiting to be put in their place.

The next day, Ethan approached Damien as they were leaving school. “You did good yesterday,” Ethan said, his voice low. “That’s what it takes to stay on top. You either own them, or they’ll own you.”

Damien looked at Ethan, studying him closely. There was something unsettling in the way he spoke, something that didn’t sit right. But before Damien could respond, Ethan clapped him on the shoulder with a smirk and walked away, leaving Damien standing alone in the hallway.

For the first time in a long while, Damien felt unsure of himself. He had always been the one in control, the one pulling the strings. But now… now it felt like someone else was pulling them.