Blair stared at Xander. With a buzzcut like that, it should've looked rough on most guys—but his face was gorgeous enough to carry it.
His handsome features were sharp, defined, and dripping with attitude. He had the kind of face that made people think twice before messing with him.
He was undeniably good-looking, but Blair still felt the urge to punch him. However, it was late, and since Bradley had already stepped in to break things up, she figured it wasn't worth the effort.
Without sparing Xander another look, she stepped out of the bathroom. Xander stormed in right after and slammed the door shut behind him.
Blair turned to Bradley. "Thanks."
Bradley waved her off. "No worries. Don't mind him."
Blair gave a faint smile. Of all people, she hadn't expected the only warm moment on her birthday would come from someone she'd just met—Bradley. Out of the four roommates, he was the one Blair liked the most so far.
Bradley caught the light smile on Blair's face, and before he knew it, his hand landed on her head, ruffling her hair like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Blair froze.
Bradley pulled his hand back casually. "Good night."
"Good night." Blair climbed into her bed and tugged the curtains shut. In that small enclosed space, the narrow mattress felt like her own little world.
On her first night in the boys' dorm, Blair thought she'd be wide awake all night. But to her surprise, she slept like a rock.
It wasn't until someone started moving around that she stirred. She reached for her phone and checked the time—6:00 a.m.
Outside the window, it was still dark, early spring skies cloaked in gray. The school lights had already flickered on.
Langford Academy was nothing like regular high schools. Expectations here were brutal. First homeroom started at 6:50 sharp.
The dorm door creaked open quietly. A few seconds later, it clicked shut again.
Blair was just about to sit up when her bed suddenly jerked under her. She frowned, confused, and was about to draw her curtain back when someone yanked it open with zero warning.
Xander sneered, "Pretty boy, you're something else. First day here and you already found yourself a shield. Don't think just because Bradley's got your back I won't mess with you."
Bradley had gone out for his morning run. And the second he left, Xander came looking for trouble.
Xander stood there in loud, cartoon-print pajamas, his face set in a scowl as he stared Blair down with undisguised contempt.
He was standing on the floor while Blair sat on the top bunk. From that angle, all he could see was a head of messy, tousled hair sticking out above the rail.
After a full night's sleep, Blair's cropped hair had gone slightly rogue, sticking up in places with that lazy, just-woke-up vibe. From where Xander stood, he could just make out the side of her beautiful face.
Though Blair had been disguising herself as a boy for years, her features still carried a subtle softness, a certain grace.
Xander blinked, caught off guard. "Why do you look so feminine—like a girl?"
"Get lost," Blair said without even flinching, turning her head. The diamond stud in her right ear flashed cold under the light.
Xander went dead silent.
Did he just tell me to get lost? There aren't many people in this world who've dared say that to me. This pretty boy must really have a death wish, he thought.
"Get down here," he growled furiously.
Blair planted a palm on the guardrail and vaulted down with ease. She landed light on her feet, her arms crossed. She slicked her bangs back with a flick of her fingers, her expression laced with casual defiance.
"What do you want?" she asked, already sounding impatient.
Xander hadn't expected this much attitude from his new roommate. Blair was hands down the most oblivious, out-of-line punk he'd ever met.
He cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp in the quiet room. "Do you have any idea what happens to people who piss me off? Get on your knees now and beg, and maybe I'll let it slide for Bradley's sake—"
"Blair. Xander," a chilly voice cut in before he could finish, "you're interrupting my sleep. Take it outside."
Elijah lay in bed, his chiseled face clouded with irritation from being woken up, his brows slightly furrowed.
Xander shot him a glance over his shoulder. "If it's too loud for you, then you leave. Why the hell should we?"
Elijah didn't respond. His brooding eyes flashed with a flicker of disdain, but he didn't bother arguing. Not because he couldn't—but because he didn't see the point.
He was at the top of the class. And Xander, just like Blair, ranked at the very bottom and failed every test. To an overachiever like Elijah, dealing with academic slackers wasn't worth his time.
Trying to reason with them is like shouting into the void, he thought. He then got up and walked straight into the bathroom.
I really do need to request a room change, Elijah pondered. It was bad enough when those two were going at it last night, but now they're at it again first thing in the morning. How the hell am I supposed to study like this?
With Elijah cutting in like that, Blair headed straight to the sink and started brushing her teeth.
Xander followed. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed, his eyes locked on her like a challenge.
"Are you into watching people brush their teeth or something?" Blair shot him a look, toothpaste foaming in her mouth.
Xander scoffed, "You seriously think I'm just gonna let that slide? You crossed me, punk. You get that?"
Blair spit out the foam, wiped her mouth, and said coolly, "Sounds like a delusion. You should get that checked."
Xander froze. For a second, he looked like he was trying to find the words, but rage got there first. He lunged, grabbing Blair by the collar, ready to make her pay.
But the next second, she twisted out of his grip like it was nothing, flipped his arm behind his back, and shoved him hard against the wall. The slam echoed as his sculpted features twisted from the pain.
"Ow!" Xander cried out in pain.
Blair let go immediately. Her movements had been so fast, Xander was left wondering if he imagined the whole thing. He stared at his hand, stunned.
Blair picked up her uniform jacket and sat on the chair, waiting for Elijah to come out so she could change. She grabbed a sanitizing wipe from the table and began carefully cleaning the fingers that had just touched Xander's arm.
"What the hell did you just do to me?" Xander stormed over, seething, and got right up in Blair's face.
Blair looked up, clearly annoyed. "You really gonna keep clinging to this?"
"You're the one who crossed me, got it?" Xander jabbed a finger toward her shoulder.
Blair leaned back slightly, letting his finger miss its mark. She didn't like being touched.
She gave him a cold glance. "Wanna settle this the way real men do?"
"Oh yeah? The way real men do?" Xander's eyes fixed on her gorgeous, flawless face, and he let out a cocky laugh. "Pretty boy, you think you can throw hands? You think that skinny little frame of yours can take one punch from me?"
Blair said flatly, "Hate to break it to you, but I don't do brawls."
She didn't trust herself not to maim him if she actually fought back. She rarely ever threw the first punch.
Xander lifted his chin. "Then how do you wanna settle this?"
At that moment, Elijah stepped out of the bathroom.
Blair stood up, brushing past Xander without a glance. "Ten tonight. School field."
Xander scoffed. "Whoever chickens out is the coward."
He had no clue what exactly Blair meant by the way real men do. But whatever it was, Xander had never backed down from anything in his life.
The first period that morning was Spanish. Blair sat at her desk, zoning out. Every word and grammar rule on the board was already carved into her brain. Staring at them now felt like a waste of time.
Her phone, tucked into the desk, kept lighting up. She'd already silenced it. When she finally picked it up to check the time, she saw eight missed calls—all from Martin. She didn't need to guess why he was calling.
Blair, a puppet Martin and Heidi had raised and brainwashed for eighteen years, had suddenly developed a mind of her own and refused to follow orders.
Of course he was panicking.