Chapter 26: Chapter 26 Memorizing Beauty II

Dickson, who had been sitting comfortably beside Liam up until now, suddenly tensed. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but something was definitely off. He nudged Liam sharply with his elbow, his voice low yet urgent as he muttered, “Bro, she’s coming our way.”

Liam turned his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as he noticed exactly who Dickson was talking about. Walking toward them with graceful confidence was none other than Ann, the girl who effortlessly commanded attention wherever she went.

The moment she began approaching, the field fell into an eerie silence, yet the tension in the air thickened considerably. It was as if an invisible war had erupted, one where the participants were exchanging unspoken words through their gazes alone.

Liam, ever so composed, didn’t move a muscle. Instead, he merely smiled as Ann drew closer, his demeanor exuding nothing but calm amusement. When she finally stood before him, she returned his smile, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

Liam tilted his head slightly as he spoke, his voice smooth yet teasing. “You really do know how to steal the show, don’t you?”

That single exchange was all it took to send another shockwave across the entire field.

Everyone watching from the sidelines had their mouths slightly open, their minds struggling to process the absurdity of what they were witnessing.

Liam.

Liam Carter.

The same Liam Carter who had been at the center of a hundred different rumors, who barely attended school events, who was known for being reckless and doing whatever he pleased—was talking to Ann.

And she was smiling at him.

Not just any smile.

It wasn’t polite, nor was it the kind of smile girls gave when they were merely being friendly. It was genuine. Warm. Filled with something that was far from disinterest.

Whispers immediately broke out among the students, spreading like wildfire.

“This has to be a joke, right?”

“There’s no way. I mean, yeah, Liam’s got the looks, but a pretty face alone doesn’t cut it. You need confidence. You need balls.”

“Did you see the way she smiled at him? When has Ann ever smiled like that at anyone?”

The silent war of emotions continued.

Jealousy.

Disbelief.

Confusion.

And then, just when everyone thought things couldn’t possibly get any crazier—Ann took things even further.

With an air of absolute confidence, she looked at Liam and, in a voice that carried effortlessly across the field, said, “Why don’t we make the show completely ours?”

And before anyone could react—before anyone could even begin to process her words—she moved.

Right in front of everyone, she sat down on Liam’s lap, wrapping her arms securely around his neck.

A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

The impossible had just happened before their very eyes.

Kyle, who had been casually watching from the field, expecting nothing out of the ordinary, found his entire world shattering in a matter of seconds. His breath hitched, his muscles stiffened, and for the first time in a long time, he felt genuine disbelief.

His jaw went slack as his mind struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.

The same girl he had been chasing for so long—the same girl that every guy in the school wanted, the same girl who had been untouchable, the same girl he had meticulously planned his approach for—was now sitting on Liam’s lap as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

And Liam?

Liam wasn’t just sitting there passively.

No.

As if to add insult to injury, Liam tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her even closer. Her body, soft and warm, pressed directly against his. He could feel the shape of her against him, the subtle rise and fall of her breath, the scent of her perfume lingering in the air.

The moment was intimate.

Too intimate.

Kyle could barely believe what he was seeing, his fingers clenching into fists at his sides.

The field had gone dead silent.

The only sound was the faint rustling of the wind, but even that felt distant compared to the heavy tension that settled over the scene.

And then, just like that—Kyle snapped.

His face twisted in unfiltered rage as he took a step forward, his voice booming across the field in a mixture of anger and desperation.

“He must be forcing her!” he shouted, his voice thick with fury. “There’s no way she would do this willingly!”

Liam, who had been basking in the moment, barely acknowledged Kyle’s outburst at first. But when he heard the heavy, aggressive footsteps approaching, he sighed inwardly before turning his head slightly to look at the approaching figure.

Kyle’s face was twisted in pure rage, his eyes locked onto Liam like a predator ready to strike.

Ann, sensing the hostility, turned her head as well, her expression one of confusion as she met Kyle’s furious gaze.

“Take your filthy hands off her!” Kyle barked, his tone carrying the kind of authority he had no right to demand.

Liam, still as calm as ever, tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowing as if he was genuinely confused.

Then, with a deliberately slow, mocking tone, he spoke.

“Who’s the dog barking so loudly?” he said, his voice dripping with amusement. “Can’t you see I’m busy enjoying the moment with my girl?”

The words hit like a bomb.

Kyle blinked.

Twice.

His mind stuttered as his brain attempted to reboot.

Had he just been called a dog?

Did Liam just refer to Ann as his girl?

The insult burned, but it was the audacity of the claim that truly sent Kyle over the edge.

His face darkened, his jaw clenching so tightly that his teeth ached.

“You’re forcing her,” Kyle accused, his voice strained with barely restrained fury. “Do you even know what the punishment for forcing yourself on a woman is? She doesn’t even want you!”

The words hung in the air.

A challenge.

A desperate grasp at control.

But Liam?

Liam simply smiled.

Unbothered. Unshaken.

And as he met Kyle’s furious gaze, there was only one thought running through his mind.

This is going to be fun.

Liam leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable as he looked up at Kyle, who was standing before him, radiating pure fury. The tension in the air was almost suffocating, thick enough that even the surrounding students, who had been eagerly spectating, felt themselves subconsciously holding their breath.

Then, Liam spoke, his voice carrying an edge of mockery.

“You think so, huh?”

Kyle, still seething with rage, clenched his fists before nodding sharply. “Yeah,” he said through gritted teeth. “So do yourself a favor and let her go.” His voice carried a misplaced sense of authority, as if his demand alone was enough to change the situation.

Kyle was too blinded by anger, too wrapped up in his own delusions, to realize the simple truth that was playing out before his very eyes. Liam wasn’t the one forcing Ann to sit on his lap. No one had made her wrap her arms around his neck. No one had whispered in her ear, telling her to lean against him as if she belonged there. She wanted to be there.

But Kyle refused to see it.

At first, Liam didn’t move. He simply stared at Kyle for a long moment, his expression one of mild amusement before, ever so slowly, he lifted his hands from Ann’s waist, withdrawing them completely.

Kyle let out a deep breath, a flicker of relief crossing his face.

Finally.

He had expected Ann to immediately stand up now that Liam wasn’t holding onto her. Maybe she had been too embarrassed to move before. Maybe Liam’s grip had kept her in place. But now that she was free, she would—

Kyle’s thoughts came to a crashing halt.

Ann didn’t move.

She didn’t even budge.

Instead, in a move that sent shockwaves through the already stunned crowd, she reached down, grabbed Liam’s hand, and guided it right back to her waist—firmly.

The moment it happened, a collective gasp spread through the students.

Dickson, who had already felt like he was about to faint from everything that had happened so far, felt his vision blur for a second. His head spun. His body swayed.

There had been a small, lingering part of him that still doubted Liam’s earlier claim about going to Ann’s house. A part of him that thought maybe—just maybe—Liam had been messing around.

But now?

That part of him didn’t exist anymore.

It was gone.

Erased completely.

It wasn’t just that Ann had refused to move—it was how she had done it.

The way she took Liam’s hand, placed it back on her waist, and held it there without hesitation—it wasn’t the action of someone who had been forced into anything. It wasn’t the action of a girl who had just been trying to mess around for fun.

It was an assertion.

A declaration.

One that said, I am exactly where I want to be.

Kyle, for the first time, hesitated.

His mind struggled to process what had just happened, but before he could even begin to gather his thoughts, Ann leaned in closer, her lips brushing against Liam’s ear as she spoke in a voice just loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Just ignore him,” she murmured. “He’s not important.”

Liam smiled.

A slow, knowing smile.

And then—he kissed her.

The moment their lips met, time itself seemed to stop.

For a single second, there was nothing.

No noise. No gasps. No reactions.

Just silence.

The entire field, which had been filled with whispers, murmurings, and quiet exclamations, fell into an eerie stillness as they watched, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Ann didn’t hesitate. She didn’t pull away. She didn’t stiffen in shock.

Instead, she melted into him.

Her hands trailed up, slipping into his hair as she kissed him back, completely unbothered by the dozens of eyes locked onto them.

This wasn’t just some random display of affection.

It was a message.

To Kyle.

To everyone.

And it was clear.

Dickson, who had already been struggling to stay conscious, felt his body give up completely. His eyes rolled back, and with a small, barely audible sound, he slumped over, passing out from pure shock.

The rest of the students weren’t much better.

Most of them looked as if their brains had stopped functioning entirely.

Confusion.

Horror.

Denial.

It was as if reality itself had just shifted in a way they couldn’t comprehend.

One of the girls watching, her voice weak and disoriented, muttered, “Are they… dating?”

Nobody answered.

Nobody could answer.

Because nobody knew.

All they knew was that Ann—the girl who had always seemed so unattainable, the girl who had never shown interest in anyone—was sitting in Liam’s lap, her arms wrapped around him, her lips pressed to his as if he was the only person in the world.

Kyle stood frozen.

He didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

Didn’t breathe.

The fact that it had happened right in front of him—mere inches from his face—felt like the ultimate insult.

His heart pounded, his hands shaking slightly at his sides as an overwhelming wave of frustration, anger, and helplessness crashed over him all at once.

And then—

He snapped.

With no warning, Kyle surged forward, reaching out and grabbing Ann’s arm, yanking her away from Liam and forcibly breaking their kiss.

Ann’s head snapped toward him instantly, her expression twisting into one of immediate fury.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” she snapped.

Kyle barely had time to react before Ann pushed him hard.

The force of it sent him stumbling back, his foot slipping against the edge of the stairs leading down the stands.

For a moment, time froze.

Kyle’s arms flailed as his balance wavered, his body tilting dangerously backward.

A sharp gasp swept through the crowd as everyone realized—

He’s going to fall.

But just as the worst seemed inevitable, Kyle’s hand shot out, catching onto the railing at the last possible second.

His breathing was ragged, his heart slamming against his ribcage as he pulled himself forward, barely managing to steady himself.

A heavy silence fell over the field.

The relief was almost tangible.

Even though Kyle had been acting like an ass, nobody wanted to see him take a nasty fall from that height.

But that relief—

Didn’t last.

Because in the very next second—

Something hit Kyle’s head.

Fast.

Strong.

It was Liam’s foot.

No one even saw him move.

One moment, he was sitting there, relaxed, unfazed—

The next, he was standing, his leg already in motion, his foot slamming directly into Kyle’s face with brutal force.

Kyle’s head snapped to the side, his mouth opening in a soundless cry as something white shot out—his teeth.

And then—he was falling.

Not in a stumble.

Not in a trip.

But in a full, uncontrolled roll—

Tumbling violently down the stairs, his body slamming into each level as he crashed downward, his head bouncing against the edges of the chairs, his limbs flailing helplessly as gravity took over.

For the second time—

Kyle had been sent rolling down the very same stairs.

And just like before—

It was Liam who had done it.

The stunned silence that followed was deafening.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

The only sound was Kyle’s pained groans echoing in the distance as he lay sprawled at the bottom, his body twitching weakly.

And at the top of the stairs, standing over him, Liam tilted his head slightly—

Before smirking.

****

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