I am 15 chapters ahead on my patreón, check it out if you are interested.
https://www.patréon.com/emperordragon
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Chapter 36: Consequences
Jon entered the high school with his headphones on, music filling his ears as he navigated through the familiar hallways. But even through the beats and melodies, he could sense something was off. The usual hum of morning chatter was still there, but there was a strange undercurrent to it. He could feel eyes on him—glances stolen, whispers exchanged. He wasn't paranoid; this was different.
As he walked towards his locker, he noticed students stepping aside just a little more than usual, some staring openly before hurriedly looking away. Others nudged their friends and gestured in his direction, murmuring words he couldn't quite catch over his music.
Jon sighed. What now?
He ignored it as best as he could, keeping his pace steady, his face unreadable. But just as he reached his locker and spun the combination lock, he saw a familiar figure leaning against the row of metal doors, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
Terry.
Before Jon could ask anything, Terry grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward an empty classroom.
"Dude—what the hell?" Jon protested, yanking his arm free but following anyway.
Terry shut the door behind them and turned to face Jon. "Alright, tell me the truth. Did you knock some dude out at a college party last night?"
Jon paused. So that was what all the looks were about.
He exhaled and nodded. "Yeah. I did."
Terry's eyes widened slightly. "Damn. Okay, why?"
Jon frowned. "Wait, how do you know about it?"
Terry pulled out his phone, tapped on the screen a few times, then turned it around to show Jon. A video was playing. It was grainy and a little shaky, but there was no mistaking it—it was Jon standing in front of the five guys from last night, and then—BAM—the moment his punch connected, sending the biggest guy crumpling to the ground. The person recording let out a curse, and the camera wobbled as the group scrambled away.
Jon sighed. "Great. Just great."
Terry put his phone away. "So? You gonna tell me what happened?"
Jon ran a hand through his hair. "It's complicated."
Terry gave him a look. "Jon."
Jon groaned. "Fine. Haley and Dylan were at that party. Some guy hit on Haley, Dylan pushed him, guy fell into the pool. Later, a bunch of his friends surrounded Dylan and shoved him in the pool as payback. I pulled him out, tried to walk away, but one of them got in my face, acted all tough."
"And you knocked him out," Terry finished.
"Yeah."
Terry let out a low whistle. "Damn. And now half the school's seen it."
Jon folded his arms. "I figured."
Terry studied him for a moment. "Alright, so what's your plan?"
Jon shrugged. "No clue."
Terry sighed. "That's reassuring."
Jon gave him a smirk. "You worried about me?"
"Worried for you," Terry corrected. "There's a difference."
Jon chuckled, but deep down, he knew Terry had a point. He wasn't concerned about a fight—if someone wanted to take a shot at him over this, they were welcome to try. But he was concerned about the kind of attention this was going to bring him, and how it might affect the people around him.
A few classes later, just as Jon was starting to think maybe this would blow over, the classroom door opened, and the school secretary stepped inside.
"Jonathan Hale," she said, scanning the room. "The principal wants to see you."
Jon exhaled through his nose. Of course.
He closed his notebook, gathered his things, and stood up, ignoring the way the entire class had gone silent, every eye locked on him.
Here we go.
Sitting in her seat, Alex watched as Jon stood up and walked toward the door. She hadn't been sure why the entire school had been buzzing about him all day, but now she had a pretty good idea. Whatever happened, it was big enough to get the principal's attention.
As soon as Jon was gone, she glanced over at Haley, who looked oddly guilty. Alex narrowed her eyes. That was suspicious. Haley never looked guilty—unless she had a reason to.
When class ended, Alex wasted no time cornering her sister in the hallway. "Alright, spill it."
Haley blinked. "Spill what?"
"You know exactly what. Why is Jon being called to the principal's office? And why do you look like you just got caught stealing from Mom's purse?"
Haley sighed, rubbing her temples. "Ugh, fine. But you can't tell Mom and Dad."
"No promises," Alex said. "Talk."
Haley hesitated for a moment before relenting. "Dylan and I were at a college party last night. One of the guys there hit on me, Dylan pushed him, and the guy fell into a pool. Later, that guy and his friends cornered Dylan and shoved him into the pool in return."
Alex frowned. "Okay… where does Jon come in?"
Haley crossed her arms. "I called him to come pick us up because I didn't feel safe. When he got there, he helped Dylan out of the pool and tried to get us to leave, but those guys got in the way."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Haley shifted awkwardly. "Jon… kinda knocked one of those guys out in one punch."
Alex's eyes widened. "He what?"
"I know! It was crazy! One second the guy was talking big, and the next, he was on the ground out cold."
Alex took a moment to process that. "So, let me get this straight. You and Dylan got into trouble at a party, you called Jon, he showed up to save you, and then he ended up decking some college guy?"
"Pretty much."
Alex sighed. "Haley, do you realize how much trouble Jon could be in? That guy could press charges. The school could punish him just because of how bad it looks."
Haley bit her lip. "I know… but it's not like he had a choice. Those guys wouldn't let us leave."
Alex shook her head. "I need to find Jon after he's done with the principal. If this turns into something worse, we need to be ready."
Haley nodded. "Yeah… I just hope he's okay."
Alex turned toward the direction of the principal's office, a pit forming in her stomach.