When I found out the Prom Queen had made a bet to ruin my brother’s chances at college, I made a choice. I hugged my little piggy bank tight and went to find the town’s most notorious villain—a guy whose family had just gone bankrupt. "If you can protect my brother," I told him, "I’ll give you my entire allowance. All of it." Later, when the Prom Queen brought my brother breakfast, the villain spiked it with laxatives. When she asked my brother to a midnight movie, the villain crouched by the wall and unleashed a rabid dog to chase them... And right before the biggest exam of their lives, when the Prom Queen faked an illness to lure my brother away... The villain pinned him against the wall and threatened, "If you don't get into an Ivy League, your sister belongs to me!" My brother: "Wait, what??" Chapter 1 In the morning, I stood at the school gates, clutching my piggy bank and craning my neck like a turtle, waiting for Shane. He was the tyrant of Northwood High. And in my dreams, he was the ultimate villain. Last night, I had a vision. I dreamed that because my brother, Ethan, got involved with the school’s golden girl, Chloe, his grades tanked. He even got his right hand broken in a fight defending her honor. On the day of the SATs, he chose to skip the test to save Chloe from a "kidnapping." But in reality? It was all just a bet Chloe made with her friends to see if she could ruin him. The guy she actually liked was Jared. Jared was the son of my dad’s new wife, Jolene. Chloe’s goal was just to make Jared jealous, and to help him by removing my brother—his biggest academic rival—from the scoreboard. In the dream, after graduation, Chloe and Jared got into Stanford together. They became the internet’s favorite scholar couple. And my brother? He failed. People said his past grades were cheated. They called him a homewrecker who tried to get between Chloe and Jared. My dad kicked him out of the house. We only found out later, when the police called. He had slit his wrists in a bathtub. Jared inherited my family’s entire fortune. And me? One day, Jolene took me shopping and "accidentally" left me on the side of the highway. I was hit by a truck. I was only five years old. But in that dream, I also saw Shane. His family used to be the biggest real estate developers in the state. Three months ago, they went bankrupt. His dad jumped off a building, and his mom had a mental breakdown and was hospitalized. From then on, Shane became dark and violent. Fighting became his daily routine. But three years after graduation? He became a Wall Street shark, a financial predator who went toe-to-toe with Jared’s company and nearly drove him into the ground. He was the only monster scary enough to save us. "Hey, shortstack. You're blocking the road." A cold, deep voice dropped from above. I looked up into a pair of pitch-black eyes. Shane was half a head taller than my brother. His black school blazer was unbuttoned, showing a white tee underneath. There was a fresh cut near his left eye, probably from a fight. "Big brother," I gulped. "Can I pay you money to protect someone?" He looked terrifying. Shane raised an eyebrow at me. "Kid, go find a cop if you want protection. I don't do murder and arson." He reached out and flicked my piggy bank. The guys around him burst out laughing. My face burned hot instantly. I stammered, "No... no. I want to ask you to help my brother." Shane shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at me. "Who's your brother?" "Ethan. Ethan Xu from Class 2. They say... they say you run this school! Please, I’m begging you, save my brother." "He went out last night and didn't come back. He won't answer his phone." I started to sob. Last night, I overheard my brother’s phone call. Chloe asked him to a bar for her birthday. In my past life, she rigged a game of Truth or Dare there, forced him to choose Dare, and he ended up locked in an abandoned factory all night, missing his mock exams the next day. I wasn't sure if Shane would help. The only time Ethan and Shane ever crossed paths was on a rainy night two months ago. Shane had been beaten up in an alley. When Ethan and I walked by, we called 911. Ethan even put his jacket over Shane while we waited for the ambulance. Hearing the name "Ethan," Shane paused. He reached out, took my piggy bank, and roughly wiped the tears off my face with his thumb. Chapter 2 "Even the Boy Scout gets into trouble, huh?" "Consider this the down payment." I froze, stunned that he agreed so quickly. Shane pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Kyle, track Ethan’s location. Yeah, the Valedictorian, Ethan." When he hung up, I grabbed his sleeve. "Can I go too?" He glanced at me. "You get carsick?" "No!" I answered way too fast, terrified he’d change his mind. Shane raised an eyebrow, then suddenly bent down and scooped me up like a sack of potatoes, tucked me under his arm, and marched toward a black motorcycle by the curb. I barely got the helmet on before the engine roared and we shot forward. He drove like a maniac. He ran three red lights and weaved through traffic like he had a death wish. My stomach started to churn. My vision went black around the edges. When the bike slammed to a halt, my breakfast surged up to my throat. The inside of the helmet filled with the sour smell of fermentation. Oh no. I was gonna hurl. "Shortstack, if you dare puke in my helmet, you're dead!" Shane’s voice yelled. He ripped the helmet off my head just in time. The world suddenly got bright. I swallowed the vomit back down—hard—and stood there with tears and snot smearing my face. He lifted me off the bike like a wet kitten, looking disgusted, and shoved a bottle of water into my hands. "Rinse." I was so dizzy I just chugged half the bottle. He stared at me, eyes wide, like he was looking at a ghost. I felt awkward. Was that not right? Shane parked the bike and frowned at the factory ahead. "Why would a straight-A student run off to a dump like this?" His crew pulled up on their bikes behind us. "Yo, is this place haunted?" Kyle asked, shivering. Shane walked in front, glaring back at him. "Shut up." "But Boss, this place is slated for demo. I saw the 'Demolition' sign on the wall. Kid, what's your brother doing here? If he gets buried alive, we won't find the body for years." My hand shook, and I almost dropped the piggy bank. My voice trembled. "My brother is scared of ghosts. Do you think a ghost ate him?" The gang members behind us gasped and exchanged terrified looks. Shane scoffed. He reached out and ruffled my hair. "If a ghost ate him, I’d make it spit him out." His words made me feel weirdly safe. We searched room by room until we found him in the furthest workshop. My brother was sitting on a wooden chair, back to us. His hands were tied behind him with rope, and he was trying to saw through it using the sharp edge of the chair. "Ethan!" I couldn't help but scream. My brother whipped his head around. His eyes went round when he saw us. "Lily? What are you doing here?" His expression wasn't just surprised; it was embarrassed. Shane raised a brow and signaled the guys behind him. Two of them stepped up and cut the ropes. I rushed forward and hugged him, tears streaming down my face. "You didn't come home! I was so worried! I thought bad guys took you!" Ethan’s face stiffened. He patted my back. "I... I just went to celebrate Chloe’s birthday. I lost a game. They were going to come untie me in half an hour." Shane let out a cold laugh. "This place is in the middle of nowhere. It takes thirty minutes just to drive here from the city. You think she's coming? I saw her eating breakfast with Jared." Ethan’s face instantly turned pale. Chapter 3 "Impossible," Ethan whispered. "She said it was just a game punishment." "Heh. You got played, nerd," Shane deadpanned. I was angry. I couldn't imagine how scared my brother must have been alone here all night. "Wait... what time is it? I have to get back for the exam!" Ethan suddenly remembered the test. He looked at Shane. "Can I borrow your phone to call home? I'll ask our driver, Mr. Lee, to pick up Lily." Shane raised an eyebrow and tilted his chin at Kyle. "Kyle, you take Ethan back to school on your bike." Ethan blinked. "Aren't you guys taking the exam?" Kyle grinned. "I could throw the test on the ground and stomp on it, and it'd still score higher than me. My dad's donating a building so I can get into college anyway! And Shane? He's not going. We got a rumble with the Northside High crew." Shane shot him a glare. Kyle shut his mouth. Watching my brother disappear on the back of the motorcycle, panic seized me. Go home? But home had Jolene. And the big dog. My heart started hammering, my breath coming in short gasps. Shane straddled his bike, ready to lift me on. I twisted my body, dodging his hands. "Shortstack? You want to stay here and wait for the ghosts?" He looked at me, confused. "I... I don't want to go home," I whispered, my voice as small as a mosquito. "Why?" Why? Because Jolene’s pitbull loved to bare its teeth at me. Because whether I did something wrong or not, if Jolene was in a mood, she’d lock me in the cage. She wouldn't let me use the bathroom. If I peed myself, she’d laugh at me loud enough for the neighbors to hear, then tell Dad I did it on purpose to cause trouble. "Dad's new wife doesn't like me. She keeps a big dog, and she bought a big cage," my voice choked up. "When Dad and Ethan aren't home, she puts me in the cage and leaves the dog outside it." "She said I can't tell Ethan or Dad, or she'll drown me." Ethan lived in the dorms and only came home on weekends. Once, Jolene beat me until my backside was bruised. I tried to tell Ethan, but she put laxatives in his food so he was too sick to listen. Jolene threatened me: if I didn't shut up, next time it would be rat poison. My dad was busy. Jolene never let him be alone with me. The one time I went into his study to find him, he wasn't there. When he came back, he found his computer soaked with water and files torn up. The maid said only I had been in there. I stood in the corner all night as punishment. Shane’s expression turned terrifying. "What the hell? What century is this? Evil stepmother? Is your dad dead?" "No," I answered blankly. "Is there a difference?" he muttered. He scooped me up with one arm, put the helmet on me, and his movements were a lot gentler this time. "Hold on tight," he ordered. "Where are we going?" I yelled over the wind. "My place." Twenty minutes later, we pulled into a run-down apartment complex. Shane carried me inside. When the door opened, an old man with white hair was watching TV. He looked surprised. "Master Shane? Aren't you at school? Why are you back so early?" Master Shane? But wasn't Shane’s family broke? "Old Joe, this is a classmate's sister. She's crashing here. Her brother... saved my life once." Shane seemed to respect this old man. He briefly explained my situation. When he mentioned the dog cage, Old Joe’s face filled with shock and horror. "What a sin! Little girl, don't be afraid. No one dares bully you here at Grandpa Joe's." Chapter 4 Old Joe shook his head and sighed, then immediately shooed Shane out the door. "Master Shane, go take your exam! Hurry, or you'll be late!" "Remember, don't hand in a blank paper! And don't forget to write your name!" Shane covered his ears, looking annoyed. "I know, I know." After the door closed, Old Joe showed me around. Even though the family was bankrupt, the three-bedroom apartment was warm and cozy. He made me lunch and gave me a pile of snacks. Old Joe rambled on about Shane’s childhood. He said Shane was actually a soft-hearted kid, just bad at showing it. In the evening, Shane came back. Trailing behind him was a depressed-looking Ethan. "Ethan! Why are you here?" I jumped up in surprise, but froze when I saw his face. Ethan slumped onto the sofa, eyes dead. "I got caught cheating." My eyes widened. "Impossible! Your grades are perfect. Why would you cheat?" Shane threw his bag on the sofa and smirked. "He didn't cheat. I did." Old Joe and I looked at him, confused. Turns out, during the test, the guy sitting in front of Ethan threw a paper ball back. Before Ethan could react, Shane, sitting next to him, snatched it. The proctor demanded they hand it over. Shane shoved the paper into his mouth and swallowed it whole right in front of everyone. "Teacher told me to write a self-reflection essay due Monday," Shane said nonchalantly. Then he raised an eyebrow at Ethan. "That note was from your goddess, Chloe." Ethan looked incredulous. "H-how do you know it was Chloe?" "Because I saw her pass it to the guy in front of you," Shane sneered. "Don't tell me it was a love letter. Who passes love letters during a midterm?" "Want me to vomit it up so you can see if it's a poem or the answer key?" "She... maybe she just..." Ethan stammered. "Maybe what? Maybe she suddenly realized our Valedictorian is handsome and fell in love?" Shane’s shoulders relaxed. "Last time it rained, I forgot my umbrella. She lent me hers. I see her feeding stray cats on campus. Maybe you misunderstood her. She's kind." Shane scoffed. "That makes her kind? Ethan, did studying rot your brain?" He gave Ethan a meaningful look. "Stay away from her. Or you'll be sold for spare parts and you'll be the one counting the money for them." "I know," Ethan whispered. He looked so defeated it made my chest tight. I knew Ethan wouldn't actually stay away. He was too soft. If someone showed him even a tiny bit of kindness, he would return it a thousand times over, even if they didn't deserve it. Outside, the sky was completely dark. Ethan suddenly stood up. "Lily, I'll take you home. Dad is back from his business trip tonight. We can't keep bothering Shane." My body went stiff. "I don't want to go!" "If you put half the effort you put into Chloe into your sister, maybe you'd have noticed she was being abused," Shane said, his voice icy. "Lily was abused?" Ethan looked stunned. Old Joe explained what Jolene did to me. Ethan stumbled back, eyes full of shock and guilt. "I'm going back to ask! If she really did that to Lily... I won't let her get away with it!"
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