Chapter 4

Chase glared down at him, letting out a mocking bark of laughter. "With a puny little frame like that, you really think you can play hero?"

Liam's legs were visibly shaking, but he still tried to act righteous: "Treating a girl like this is disgusting! Let go of her right now, or I'm calling the principal!"

Chase's expression darkened, his eyes drilling into Liam. "You say one more word, and I'll beat your scrawny ass half to death right along with her. Try me."

Liam flinched, shrinking back for a second. But when he caught sight of the tearful, helpless Miranda beside him, his spine stiffened again. "Even if you beat me up, I won't let you lay a finger on Miranda! If you've got a problem, take it out on me!"

"You little piece of shit, you asked for this!"

With a roar, the two collided.

Liam was obviously no match for Chase. Within three seconds, he was thrown to the ground, curling up with his hands over his head and begging for mercy. Chase didn't let up, kicking him viciously in the ribs.

And standing there from an outsider's perspective, I noticed something wild: the look in Miranda's eyes as she watched Chase wasn't fear or disgust at all. It was twisted excitement and raw admiration.

No wonder they ended up getting together later on.

My interest fizzled out; I didn't care to watch any longer.

Just as I stood up to walk away, Liam suddenly shrieked, "What makes you so tough beating on me?! The guy Miranda actually likes is Shawn! If you've got the guts, go beat the shit out of him!"

"Holy shit!"

I was literally minding my own business eating a popsicle, and this asshole still dragged my name into it.

"Who the hell is Shawn?" Chase sneered disdainfully. He wrapped an arm possessively around Miranda's waist and barked out loud, "Listen up: she's my girl now! Anyone who tries to get cute with her is gonna answer to me! Neither this weak-ass punk nor that Shawn loser better get any funny ideas about touching what's mine!"

Liam's face burned crimson, his entire body trembling with humiliated fury.

Chase spat on him in disgust, then yanked Miranda toward the alley.

Watching from afar, it was painfully clear that Miranda wasn't fighting back with any real effort. Her feeble squirming looked less like resistance and more like playing hard to get.

Who knew she was into that kind of rough treatment?

Man, I really was blind back in the day.

Seeing the two scumbags on the verge of hooking up, the deep-seated hatred from my past life flared in my chest. While Liam was glaring daggers at their backs, I quietly slipped a loose brick right beside his hand.

Liam was trembling with blind rage as he watched them walk away. When his hand suddenly brushed against the heavy weight of a brick, pure fury overrode all logic. The moment his fingers closed around a weapon, he charged like a madman: "I'll kill you, you motherfucker!"

"Crack!"

The brick slammed hard against the back of the bully's skull. The blow was so brutal that the brick literally shattered into pieces. Chase's head split open with blood spurting out, and he crumpled straight to the asphalt.

Miranda shrieked in sheer terror.