CHAPTER 167: STANDING GROUND II...

Charis

That’s when Slater apparently decided he was done arguing. Before I could react, he stepped forward and lifted me, throwing me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.

"Put me down!" I yelled, hitting his back with my fists. "Slater, I mean it! Put me down right now!"

"No," he said calmly, already walking toward the stairs. "You can be mad at me later. Right now, we’re getting you somewhere safe."

"This is ridiculous!" I shouted. "I can walk!"

"Then why weren’t you?" Slater shot back, tightening his grip around me. "You’re stubborn, Charis, you always have been. But this time, your stubbornness might get you hurt, so save your pride for later."

Rhett and Kael flanked us as we went down the stairs. I kept struggling and demanding to be put down, but Slater’s grip was too firm.

"This is kidnapping," I growled.

"No," Kael replied. "This is three people who love you keeping you from making a mistake you’ll regret."

We reached the ground floor a few minutes later. Instead of going toward the main entrance, they headed toward the back of the building. I could hear voices and commotion coming from the front of the school, which made me more curious about what was happening out there.

When we got to the main gate area, I could see why the boys had been so worried. The front of the academy was filled with people. Parents were standing in small clusters, talking to each other with angry expressions. Some held their phones up, probably showing each other the news articles about me.

"Oh my God," I whispered.

"See?" Rhett said quietly. "This is exactly what we were trying to avoid."

I watched as one group of parents gestured angrily toward the school building. Another group was talking to what looked like reporters, who were writing everything down.

"How did they get here so fast?" I asked.

"Bad news travels faster than good news," Slater said, still carrying me but moving more carefully now so we wouldn’t be seen.

One of the parents, a woman with short blonde hair, was talking loudly enough that we could hear her from where we were hiding.

"If this girl could fool the entire school for months," she was saying, "what else are they not telling us about our children’s safety?"

"That’s Luna Patterson," Rhett said under his breath. "Her daughter is in our year."

Another parent, a tall man in an expensive suit, nodded in agreement. "The security at this school is obviously inadequate. How do we know there aren’t other students here under false identities?"

"I’m pulling my son out," said a third parent. "If they can’t even verify who their students really are, how can we trust them with anything else?"

I felt my stomach sink as I listened to them. The boys had been right. This wasn’t just about me anymore. My exposure created doubt and fear that affected everyone at the school.

"They’re scared," I said quietly.

"Yes," Kael agreed. "And scared parents make bad decisions."

As we watched, more parents arrived. Some were shouting at school security guards who were trying to keep them outside the gates. Others were on their phones, probably calling other parents or the media.

"We need to get you out of here," Slater said, adjusting his grip on me. "Now."

I wanted to argue more, but seeing the chaos at the front gate made me realise how serious this had become. These people weren’t just upset about being lied to. They were genuinely afraid for their children’s safety, and they blamed me for that fear.

"Okay," I said quietly. "I’ll go. But put me down first. I can walk."

Slater hesitated, then carefully set me back on my feet. "Promise you won’t try to run back inside?"

I looked at him, then at Rhett and Kael. All three of them were watching me with worried expressions, ready to grab me again if I tried to bolt.

"I promise," I said. "But where are we going to go?"

"We’ll have to cut through the crowd," Rhett exhaled slowly. "There’s no other way except that."

"What!" I screamed.

"Don’t panic, Charis." Slater’s hand brushed my arm. "They’re so immersed in their conversations, and it’s possible that they might not notice you. You just need to walk past them without drawing suspicion."

"And after we leave?" I asked, trying to keep the worry out of my voice.

"We’ll go to my house," Rhett suggested. "It’s the safest place you can be now."

"Okay!" Kael nodded, then turned to stare at me for a few seconds before he tugged the hoodie he had worn over his head and stretched it towards me. "You’ll stay between me and Rhett, since we’re the tallest and try to walk as normally as possible."

"You don’t need to tell me that," I said grudgingly.

Kael’s eyes lingered on me for a few more seconds before he cursed under his breath and in two strides reached me, cupping the back of my neck with his hand while the other rested on my waist, pulling me closer to him.

Before I could protest, his lips were on mine, kissing me like his life depended on it. Just as suddenly as the kiss started, it ended with Kael resting his forehead on mine.

"You’ll kill me, Charis. You’ll kill me," he sighed and pushed away. "Let’s get out of here, and I’ll tell you about Sandra, but don’t even think I would cheat on you. I love you."

"Show off!" Rhett hissed. "Let’s go, guys."

I wore the hoodie and the cap, tightening it over my head as I took my position between Rhett and Kael. We carefully started making our way around the crowd of angry parents while I struggled to keep my face to the ground.

Since I was practically staring at the ground, I failed to see who was in front of me and mistakenly ran into someone. I looked up briefly, hastily apologising. The woman seemed like she was going to let it o but suddenly, she paused and her eyes widened.

The boys must have taken the initiative too and tried to drag me towards the entrance of the gate. That was when I heard a loud voice murmur behind me.

"There she is!"

Every head turned.