Destroy Me Gently:Ex-Enemy Becomes My Lover!
Chapter 19: The punishment

Chapter 19: The punishment

Chapter NINETEEN

**Oliver West**

All six of us stood facing the principal, waiting for whatever punishment he was going to give us.

My legs felt shaky and my nose was still bleeding, I could taste blood in my mouth. My whole face hurt from where Marcus had hit me, I was totally the victim here, couldn’t he see my condition at least?

Principal Johnson was a stern man in his late fifties with wire glasses on his nose. We stood there for what felt like forever while he looked through papers on his desk. My feet were starting to hurt.

Marcus had already been taken away in an ambulance. There was still blood on the hallway floor from where Kieran had beaten him.

When Principal Johnson finally looked up, his eyes swept over all of us, when he got to Kieran, his features flickered with exhaustion, like he had dealt with enough drama and wasn’t in the mood for more.

Kieran.

I’d been ignoring him the whole time, well, I was trying to.

I couldn’t understand why he had to do what he did. I sneaked a peek at him and felt my stomach drop. He had fresh bruises on his face that weren’t there the last time I saw him, his knuckles were bloody, not just from hitting Marcus but from something else.

Had he been in another fight before school? The bruises looked angry and fresh.

"So you were all involved in a fight? Anyone WANT to explain?!" Principal Johnson asked finally, snapping my attention from Kieran.

"They started it," William said firmly. "Marcus and his friends were attacking Oliver. We were just trying to help."

Tyler, Marcus’ friend stepped forward, his face red with anger. "You and your STUPID boyfriend started it all, you were deceiving his sister!"

Not this shit again.

William and I weren’t even like that, but it’s none of their business, they just needed an opportunity to show their homophobia. I still felt a little shaken, because I’d never been targeted for my sexuality, until now.

I suddenly felt a burning sensation at my neck, and when I finally had the courage to turn, I was met with Kieran’s dark eyes which resembled a thunderstorm approaching.

Shit.

I looked away instantly, my body trembling again, why the hell does he look so angry? I didn’t even ask him to help me, if he was furious about being here in the principal’s office, he should do well to remember he invited himself to the fight.

"You need to suspend him! Or expel him!" Tyler continued, pointing at Kieran with a shaking finger. "Look what he did to Marcus! He could have KILLED him! Marcus is in the hospital because of him! This PSYCHO needs to be kicked out of school!"

I saw Kieran turn his head slowly to look at Tyler.

He didn’t say anything.

Didn’t move. Just stared at him with those cold gray eyes and a defiant tilt in his jaw, like he couldn’t care less about what Tyler was saying.

Almost like Tyler was an annoying insect he might swat away if he felt like it.

Tyler visibly paled when Kieran continued to just simply watch him, the words dying in his throat. He took a step back, then another, the other boys with him did the same.

Principal Johnson cleared his throat.

"Our school has strict guidelines about homophobia, we welcome everyone despite their gender, sexuality or race, the three of you are getting suspended and if something like this happens again, consider yourself expelled and when you find yourself poor and useless in the future, you will remember this moment!" He announced slamming his palm on the table with a loud SMACK, Tyler’s eyes brimmed with shock.

"WHAT? I didn’t even fight anyone–"

"That’s it for three of you, you can leave my office, and oh I would also like to see your parents,"

"But–"

"I’m done with you! You can use the door!" Tyler’s protest was cut short by Mr. Johnson’s no nonsense voice.

They glared hard in my direction before storming away.

Now, the principal is focused on us

"You two," he said, pointing at me and William, and then, after a pause, at Kieran. "And you, detention for two weeks. After school, starting tomorrow."

"What?" William’s voice was full of disbelief. "Oliver didn’t start this! Marcus was beating him up!"

"And Morrison here finished it, and nearly killed a classmate," Principal Johnson said flatly, still not really looking at Kieran. "Both of you and him were involved in a school fight. That’s the end of it. It’s the rule,"

"Mr. Sawyer," Principal Johnson continued, paying no mind to William’s baffled expression "Take Mr. West to the nurse. That nose needs to be looked at."

William nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."

That’s when I noticed Kieran staring at us.

He wasn’t just looking. He was staring at William’s hand where he is now using his handkerchief to clean blood from my nose.

The look in Kieran’s eyes made terror shoot through me like ice water.

He had warned me to stay away from William, I knew for certain it’s because he simply wanted to isolate me, because he didn’t think I deserve friends.

And right now, he was looking at William with pure, cold hatred. His bloody fist clenched to the side, is he about to attack us right here?

"Let’s go," William grabbed my wrist and I quickly pulled my hand away like it burned, well it actually did as Kieran’s gaze zeroed on the spot.

What if he decided to beat William the same way he’d beaten Marcus?

The thought skittered goosebumps through my body, that murderous glint in his gaze terrified the shit out of me, I’d never seen him like that. The sick enjoyment in his gaze as he tore Marcus down. He looked like he was high on seeing Marcus’ blood.

William was just trying to help, I shouldn’t let him get hurt because Kieran hated me so much.

My gaze remained locked to his piercing grey ones, and for some moments, we stared at each other without saying anything, the tension in the room was so thick I could barely breathe.

Finally, he turned and walked toward the door, but before he left, he shot me one final look that made my blood freeze. It wasn’t just hate - there was something else there, something cold and threatening that I couldn’t figure out.

Then he slammed the door so hard the windows shook.

I started to follow him without thinking. I needed to understand why he’d saved me, why he’d beaten Marcus so badly when he was supposed to hate me. I needed to know he wouldn’t hurt William who had come back to save me.

William grabbed my arm firmly.

"Don’t, are you a masochist or something?" He gave me a look that suddenly made me feel like the stupidest person on the planet.

"You saw what he did to Marcus. If you go after him, he’ll just hurt you worse."

I stopped, but every part of me wanted to run after Kieran. Not just because I was scared for William, but because none of this made sense. Why would someone who hated me so much save me from getting beaten up?

It didn’t make sense. For years, he’d been cruel to me, threatened me, made my life hell, but he’d never actually hit me or touched me with that much violence.

William was right though. If I went after Kieran now, he’d probably just take his anger out on me. And that wouldn’t give me any answers.

I stayed, but I felt sick with confusion and worry.