By the time lunch had rolled around, word had gotten out about what happened to Jager and Maxwell. Tyler Maxwell didn't participate in the online smear campaign, but I overheard him telling someone that I wouldn't have been able to jump him like that. He'd still plan on going after Lilly; if she were so eager to fuck her brother, she’d be more than satisfied with what he had in mind. I contemplated letting Lilly’s real brother handle it but decided against it. The damage Nate could inflict on Maxwell would most likely result in consequences for years to come, but planting my foot in the back of his knee and sending him to the floor was much more satisfying.
He was upright, so I didn’t break any rules.
After that, the stares and whispers stopped. When I entered the cafeteria, the conversations halted, but no one looked my way. Suddenly, the floor seemed to be tremendously interesting for the entire student population. My teammates, sitting at the table I used to occupy, scrambled, assuming I would want my old seat back. Wrong. Yet, the gratification of their reaction made me grin inwardly. With Wes on my heels, I carried my tray to Lilly's table. Den was already there, nibbling on some carrot sticks and ignoring her surroundings. Sloane and Emma, next to her, looked around frantically as I approached.
"Ladies. And Den." I greeted, winking at her as I dropped into Lilly’s usual chair.
Denielle flipped me off but smirked. The shift in the social hierarchy over the last few weeks had our classmates unsettled. It was never a secret that The Bulldog and I didn't see eye to eye. Den was Lilly's guard dog, shielding her from me, and now we acted like best friends. Correction, we don't have to act. I consider her one of my closest friends.
After I made my stance clear throughout the day, no one would dare come after me, but I had my doubts about Lilly—especially once Kat emerges from wherever she had hid today.
"I know what you did to Kellan and Tyler," Lilly announces against my sweater.
I assumed she'd find out, but that was quick. "How?"
She pulls back and looks me straight in the eyes. "Someone filmed you; it's all over social media. You could've seriously injured him with that push kick to the knee."
Shit, I didn't notice someone taking a video.
"He deserved it," I defend myself.
Lilly sighs. "So, it’s bad."
With a bitter taste on my tongue, I admit, "Yes."
She turns and walks to her bed. Sitting down on the edge, elbows on her knees, she covers her face with her hands. "I should've stayed in California."