章 13: Forced Alliance

Who's there?" Olive asked, her body tensing up at the knock on her door. She waited for a response, but the silence was deafening. She glanced around the room, her eyes settling on the door as it started to turn. The door creaked open, and Lucas entered with a forceful push, the door banging against the wall.

_BANG!!_

Olive's eyes widened as Lucas burst into the room, her mind racing to process his sudden appearance. She hadn't expected him to show up, especially not after their last confrontation. Her heart raced as she swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on Lucas's determined expression."

Lucas smirked, his eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief. "You seem to have forgotten that you're not the only one who owns this room," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Why did you come here? Have you finally agreed to participate in the competition?" Olive asked, swallowing hard as she stood up from her bed.

"I want to see what you're up to, actually. You said you have something that can ruin me. Of course, I'm curious to see what it is," Lucas said with a smirk as he walked up to his bed and sat on it.

"Sure! I'm not lying about that," Olive replied, with a serious expression."I do have something that can ruin your reputation."

"And what's that?" Lucas asked with a smirk as he walked up to his bed.

"Do you have your phone with you?" Olive asked, her hands crossed as she stood before Lucas, a wide grin on her face.

"Yes? What does that have to do with you?" Lucas asked, with a confused expression.

"Maybe you should check the school group. Then you'll know what I'm talking about," Olive replied.

Lucas's face turned red with rage as he yanked his phone out of his pocket, his eyes blazing with intensity. His thumbs flew across the screen, his breathing quickening with each passing moment. He went to the school WhatsApp group, where he saw his bullying video.

"How dare you!" he yelled suddenly, his eyes red with anger and veins popping on his forehead as he stood up and moved closer to Olive, gripping her neck and pressing her back against the wall. "You still have that video after all this time, you jerk!"

"You knew I had it?" Olive asked, looking puzzled.

"Why do you think you got a red card in the first place if I didn't know about the video? People like you who can't mind their own business always end up in trouble," Lucas revealed, his warm breath on Olive's face.

"Let go of me," Olive demanded, feeling Lucas's grip on her neck tightening. "You'll have to participate in the competition, then I'll delete the video."

"In your dreams," Lucas retorted, releasing his hand and pushing Olive to the floor, narrowly missing hitting her head on the table.

"Then I'll expose your face, along with the other guys. Everyone knows you as the school successor, but no one outside of school knows about your true behavior. What will your admirers think when they see your true colors?" Olive threatened, glaring at Lucas, who looked furious.

In a moment, Lucas quickly grabbed Olive's phone, unlocked it as it had no password, and proceeded to delete the video from her phone and WhatsApp.

"You think you're clever and I'm the fool. But I didn't just keep the video on my phone. I had already sent it to someone outside of school. I knew you would try to erase it, but can you remove it from someone else's phone?" Olive asked, bursting into laughter.

"You idiot!!!" Lucas shouted angrily, banging his leg against Olive's wooden table. "Who do you think you are?"

"The only way to prevent the video from resurfacing is by participating in the debate competition and winning," Olive said, locking eyes with Lucas.

"Fine! I'll participate in the competition, okay?!" Lucas responded, his voice filled with anger.

"We not only have to participate but also win," Olive stated firmly as she collected her phone from Lucas.

"You're out of your mind! I can't guarantee a win in the competition. I can only take part," Lucas retorted, still visibly upset.

"We have to win. Otherwise, or I'll share the video again . So, we must give it our all to secure a victory," Olive declared as she stood up.

"Alright, we'll give it our best shot," Lucas agreed, storming over to his bed and sitting down.

"Let's meet in the school library tomorrow to start working on it. Also, during the two-week vacation, we need to make time to continue the research. No slacking off, or I'll post the video. Olive's voice was threatening as Lucas glared at her, unsure of how to respond, but closed his eyes instead.

_____

The next day came quickly. Olive had already taken a bath before the other students woke up, dressed and sitting in a lotus position on the bed, her gaze fixed on Lucas, who was still sleeping with his back to her.

Lucas soon turned over and was surprised to see Olive staring at him.

"What the heck! Have you been watching me?" Lucas asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity as he got up.

"Go and take your bath now. We'll start the competition prep after class," Olive said with a smile, still looking at Lucas as she showed him her phone, warning him about the consequences of him slacking off, sending fear down his spine.

"Stop smiling like that, it's creepy," Lucas said as he grabbed his towel and headed for the door. "I'm going, stop watching my every move or I'll poke your eyes out," he added with an angry glare before leaving.

______________

As they stepped out of the room, Olive and Lucas walked down the hallway together, arm in arm. The students of Belmont couldn't help but stare, shocked by the unlikely pair.

Lucas's face turned red with anger as he whispered to Olive, "What are you doing? You're attracting unnecessary attention."

Olive's eyes sparkled with amusement as she whispered back, "I'm afraid you'll run away before we start the competition prep."

Lucas's voice dropped to a whisper, his words laced with venom. "You have a video that could ruin my reputation. People might think I'm gay and even if I am, how can I settle down with someone like you?"

Olive's arm dropped from Lucas's shoulders, and she rolled her eyes. "You're not my type either. I can't settle down with someone like you."

Lucas's laughter echoed through the hallway, and he joked, "Do the poor have types?"

Olive's foot shot out, kicking him in the shin. "Are you crazy?!" Lucas yelled, his eyes blazing with anger.

The speaker's voice cut through the tension, announcing, "Everyone should go to the assembly hall now." The students exchanged puzzled glances.

"Why do we need another assembly? What's this one for?" Olive asked Lucas, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Lucas shrugged, his smirk returning. "How should I know? I hope it's gonna be that there's no more competition though."

Olive's eyes flashed with anger. "Your wish will never come through." She pulled Lucas along with her, his protests ignored as they joined the stream of students heading to the assembly hall.