Chapter 215
“Say that again. I dare you p>
Leo wasn’t the kind of guy to start a fight, but the more he got to know Claire, the more he admired her. Hearing someone trash-talk her, and dragging him and Len into it, set something off inside him. Leo was tall, broad, and had the kind of presence that filled up a room, thanks to years on the basketball court. When he spoke, everyone felt it.
Carr, the one running his mouth, was barely five-two and had the kind of attitude that made up for what he lacked in height. He looked a little rough around the edges, and right now, he was clearly rattled by Leo’s challenge. Still, Carr tried to stand his ground. “What, am I wrong p>
He squinted at Leo and Len. “Why is it you two are the only ones sticking up for Claire? I heard you go to the same school. Makes sense if you’re just her loyal lapdogs, right?” He let his eyes linger on Claire’s face. “Not that I blame you. She’s easy on the eyes p>
His words were loaded, not a hint of a compliment in them. Both Leo and Len bristled. Claire, though, didn’t even flinch.
She got up and walked straight over to Carr.
He puffed up, trying to look tough. “What, you gonna hit me now?” he said, voice shaky even as he tried to sound angry. He shot to his feet, but the crowd saw the truth-Carr wasn’t even as tall as Claire. Some people stifled laughs.
“You little p>
Leo started to move, ready to shut Carr up for good. The guy just wouldn’t stop. But before Leo could do anything, Claire stepped in front of him, gave him a little shove to the side, and slapped Carr across the face, hard.
“I’ll hit you whenever I feel like it. Why, do I need to book an appointment first p>
Right then, three teachers from the winter camp walked into the cafeteria. Norris was in the lead, and they all caught Claire in the act, hand still raised.
The whole place went silent. No one had expected Claire to actually lay a hand on him.
Wendy’s eyes went wide. She’d heard Claire didn’t take crap from anyone, but she’d never seen her go off like this. She was shocked, but honestly, a little thrilled.
Carr’s face burned red with anger and embarrassment. Being slapped by a girl in front of everyone? He lost it. “You hit me p>
He lunged at Claire, arm swinging, but a bunch of students jumped in to hold him back.
“Carr, leave it, man. You started it. She’s a girl-don’t do something stupid p>
“If you hit back, it’s a fight, and the teachers are right here. Both of you will get in trouble p>
“It’s just a slap, dude. Let it go p>
Everyone was trying to calm Carr
down, but nobody dared get too close to Claire Maybe it was because Leo and ten were standing right by her, looking ready to step in if anyone tried anything.
Alva, noticing the commotion, hurried over to stand with Claire. In the chaos, Claire managed to land a quick kick on Carr, just to drive her point home.
Carr completely lost it. He tried to break free, yelling and thrashing, but the other students held him tight.
“Are you all blind? She hit me! I swear, I’m not letting her get away with this p>
Fletcher rushed over, pushing through the crowd. “Knock it off! What is going on here p>
Norris was already in a foul mood, having just found out his brother still hadn’t located their missing sister. Now he just stared at the chaos, frowning.
“Mr. Fletcher, it was Claire! She attacked me!” Carr shouted, desperate for backup. With all the
teachers watching, he was sure
Fletcher wouldn’t cut Claire any slack.
Carr’s face was bright red, and he kept yelling for the teachers to kick Claire out of camp.
Norris, hearing Claire’s name, just shook his head. Of course it was her again. He started to text his brother
back, but then his eyes landed, Claire. He hadn’t seen her before, hadn’t realized she was the one causing all the drama. Now, looking at her, he found it nearly impossible to look away.