Chapter 3

• Someone like me? Those words echoed in my head for the rest of the week. What did he mean by that? The worst part was that I still hadn’t realized I had crossed paths with one of the most popular groups of boys at school. How popular was the band for people to start paying attention to me? And in a negative way, no less…
• During classes, paper balls flew in my direction from time to time over the following days. I had to skip my first meeting at the archery club when I noticed some of the band's fans crowding at the entrance.
• The following week, things got "better." At least they replaced the silly pranks with more elaborate hazing. Just a few steps from the classroom, I caught a distinct scent of paint in the air, thanks to Lisa's keen sense of smell.
• As if such childish tricks would have any effect on you! my wolf chuckled internally.
• I gave a faint smile as I noticed the paint bucket above the slightly open door. I glanced at a group in the hallway, chatting casually as if they had nothing to do with it, and imagined an even larger group inside the classroom, probably waiting to laugh and film the scene.
• I waited a few moments outside the room, leaning against the wall and listening to music. If the goal was to take revenge for the band, then I would make the band itself stop them. I noticed the impatient look of a girl in the external group but completely ignored her. As soon as I saw Annie approaching, I stepped forward for a candid conversation. This needed to end this situation as soon as possible!
• "Good morning!" I greeted her warmly.
• "Good morning!" she replied, surprised and a bit shy.
• "I've been thinking it over and decided to collaborate with the band. I think it'll be fun!"
• "Really?" she asked, flashing an adorable smile.
• "Of course! Let's go into the classroom to talk more about it. What do you think?" I pointed ahead, and she took the lead with a radiant expression. Just as she was about to open the door, the girl who had been glaring at me earlier tried to pull her back desperately. No wonder—what would happen to their image in front of the band if the prank targeted the leader’s girlfriend?
• "Gotcha!" I grabbed her arm, pulling Annie away from the door, and flipped the prankster over my shoulder, slamming them against the door. She landed on her back on the floor, receiving a shower of paint as some girls inside laughed and film the moment.
• "Oops, we got the wrong person!" exclaimed a slim, medium-height girl with long, straight blonde hair and light brown eyes.
• "Looks like the prank backfired," I said as I stepped over the girl on the floor and pulled Annie with me.
• "What was that?" Annie grumbled as the girl on the floor got up and ran away in tears. "Was that meant for me?"
• "What a naive question." Ignoring the irritated stares around me, I had Annie sit across from me. "As if anyone would have the guts to mess with you."
• Under normal circumstances, she had a personality that would make her an easy target for bullying, but considering who supposedly claimed to be her destined mate, she would make it through high school unscathed.
• "I had to put you in front as a shield because I knew Liam’s crazy fangirls wouldn’t dare touch you, but I never intended for the paint to fall on you. That would’ve been a death sentence for me."
• "I think you're exaggerating," she said, a bit confused.
• "Me? Exaggerating?" I almost asked if she was blind, but I let it slide when I noticed a hint of sadness in her eyes.
• "So the whole thing about helping the band..."
• "I can do it, as long as they make sure those lunatics stop harassing me," I said honestly.
• "That's great!" she exclaimed excitedly.
• "Shhh..." I hushed her as soon as I saw the teacher enter. After he slightly slipped in the paint, he started muttering complaints to the class. No one dared say a word about what had happened. "We'll talk more about this during the break."
• She nodded at me with a bright smile and, to my dismay, stayed by my side. It was clear she intended to be my friend, and this time, I did nothing to push her away.
• "Guys, Eliza decided to join us!" she announced cheerfully, pulling me toward the table where the band was sitting.
• "Correction! I decided to help you so your crazy fans stop harassing me," I stated firmly. Annie sat down, and I took a seat beside her, waiting for a response, whether positive or negative.
• "And you think you can handle the job?" Liam questioned me with a serious expression.
• "The real question is whether she needs protection," this time it was Maxsuel who spoke, seeming to hold back laughter. "Heard you sent Morgan flying today."
• "That stuck-up girl got what she deserved," Jonathan commented.
• "As long as you don’t put Annie in danger again, I’ll let this slide," Liam remarked. Now it was clear why he looked so grumpy. "Especially since my Annie seems to like you a lot."
• "First of all," I replied firmly, "she was never in danger. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Second, as long as the task is limited to writing sheet music, I can handle it."
• "Alright!" He handed me a list of about half a dozen songs. "I understand it might take some time, but the sooner you can do it, the better."
• Involuntarily, I frowned as I read the song titles—all by the same singer. I felt my wolf laughing inside, making me completely uncomfortable.
• "Judging by your face, you can't handle it. Don't know the songs, huh?" Maxsuel teased.
• "You guys really intend to play and sing this?" I asked.
• "Why?" This time it was Nicolas who spoke. His words came out harsh and impatient. "We're not talking about just any singer. This is Lisa, and in case you didn’t know, her career skyrocketed in just two years since her debut. Right now, she's one of the most listened-to artists among young people. Everyone at school loves her songs. If we're asking someone like you, it's because Lisa’s songs are so recent that they're hard to find online. We don’t have many options."
• Someone like me? Again with that nonsense? I shot Nicolas a furious look, which was softened by Annie’s gentle words.
• "Sorry for not being that good at this, guys. Eliza, please, I know you can do it! I saw what you're capable of."
• I stared into Annie’s pleading eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded.
• "Alright! Annie, hand me your sheet music notebook." It wasn’t a request—it was an order.
• I stretched out my hand, and Annie pulled a pink notebook covered in floral drawings from her backpack and handed it to me. I took a pen from my pocket and started writing the notes.
• "Leave that for later, it'll take a while..." Jonathan trailed off when he saw the speed and skill with which I was writing the melodies. I replayed the songs in my head as I finished the task. The group remained silent until the last note was written, precisely when the bell rang. As I returned the notebook, I noticed their astonished and incredulous expressions, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to get this over with.
• As I stood up, I left them with one final remark.
• "If you don’t need anything else, my task is complete." I turned specifically to Nicolas before giving my final words. "Be grateful that someone like me did something that someone like you couldn’t. If you were really good, you wouldn’t need sheet music to play."
• I tapped my ear—the most powerful weapon of a gifted musician—and walked silently to the next class. This time, he didn’t dare respond.