Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 58: Salmon Sandwich

Nathan stared at Zane’s retreating back until the figure vanished behind the glass door leading to the garden.

"Weak?" Nathan hissed. He clenched his jaw, the adrenaline in his veins turning into a cold, simmering anger. He wouldn’t take that from anyone, especially not from this arrogant, rude boy.

Nathan didn’t turn back toward the library. He marched toward the garden entrance. He wasn’t done with Zane. He wasn’t going to let that icy dismissal stand.

He pushed the glass door open and stepped into the garden. It was a secluded, manicured area with lots of plants.

Zane had claimed one of the stone benches, sitting casually. He was already lighting a cigarette, shielding the flame with his hand.

Nathan walked up and stopped right in front of him. "Don’t flatter yourself, Zane," Nathan spat out, his voice sharp. "You think you saved me? Then you can just call me weak?"

Zane didn’t look up immediately. He took a long, slow drag from the cigarette, the tip glowing crimson. He exhaled a perfect plume of smoke that drifted past Nathan’s ear.

"Go away," Zane said, his voice flat, his gaze fixed on the distance. He looked completely uninterested.

That made Nathan even more annoyed. For some reason, he wanted to get angry at him. Seeing the boy silently enjoying his cigarette, he frowned. He remembered the incident in the parking lot, where Zane had turned pale and almost fainted.

"You still smoke even though you know you have asthma?" Nathan asked, his tone shifting from angry to accusatory. It was meant to be a jab, a way to expose the hypocrisy of Zane’s perfect façade. But he didn’t expect Zane’s reaction.

Zane froze. The cigarette halted halfway to his mouth. His gray eyes snapped up to meet Nathan’s, and the look he gave was not merely disdainful, it was lethal. It was a cold, pure rage that made Nathan’s blood run cold, despite the heat of his anger.

"Don’t you ever dare mention that," Zane growled, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. The cigarette was suddenly crushed between his fingers and dropped to the ground. The threat was immediate and visceral.

Nathan stood his ground, though his heart was pounding. "Why? Is the great Zane Leinster afraid someone will find out he’s actually... weak? That he’s—"

Before Nathan could finish, Zane moved with shocking speed. He stood up, towering over Nathan, and his hand shot out, grabbing a handful of Nathan’s sweater near his shoulder.

"You really enjoy pushing buttons, don’t you?" Zane’s grip tightened, pulling Nathan in close enough that he could feel the residual cold radiating from Zane’s body.

Instinctively, Nathan drove his elbow back in a sharp, defensive move, aiming for Zane’s ribs. But Zane was ready. He shifted his stance, absorbing the blow with his side, barely flinching.

Nathan tried to twist away, but Zane’s strength was deceptively immense. He realized that Gabriel might have been muscle, but Zane was pure, trained power. Nathan was pinned.

"Let go of me, you lunatic!" Nathan struggled, his frustration mounting.

Zane’s expression was unreadable, cold as marble. "Lunatic?"

Nathan stopped struggling for a moment, his chest heaving. He searched Zane’s face, trying to find a reason behind the cruelty. "Why do you hate me so much?" he asked, the heat draining from his voice, replaced by genuine bewilderment.

Zane scoffed, a dry, humorless sound. He released his grip just enough to push Nathan away a step, maintaining only minimal contact, but keeping him trapped by his presence.

"You are not special enough for me to hate, Salazar," Zane stated flatly.

"Then why can’t you just treat me normally?" Nathan retorted, the question escaping before he could stop it.

Zane’s lips curved into a bitter, cold smile. "Normal? A son of a sick mafia family... asking for normal treatment?" He tilted his head slightly, sneering in disgust.

Nathan froze. Whose family was the mafia? What did it have to do with him? Why did he need to hate him because of his family? 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Besides, how could his crazy family be a mafia? They were just a bunch of rich people who liked to dump their kids in orphanages.

Zane stared coldly this time. "Don’t you ever try to talk to me. I will really appreciate it."

The sting of Zane’s words cut deep, but Nathan refused to let it show. He opened his mouth to retort when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

It was Eli.

Nathan managed to pull the phone out, not taking his eyes off Zane.

"Hello, Eli? I’m busy. I’m going to the library now," Nathan said into the phone. His voice was softer than when he had been arguing with Zane.

("Nat! I’m sorry to interrupt, but I thought you were hungry. I brought some extra fries and put them on your desk. I’m waiting for you.")

"No, why did you wait for me? No, just eat!" Nathan interrupted, cutting off Eli’s apology. He lowered his voice, the anger subdued by genuine concern. "Don’t be hungry, seriously! Eat it now. I’ll see you later. Don’t let those vultures steal your food." He hung up abruptly.

When Nathan looked back up, Zane was still watching him. But the icy look had fractured. Something fleeting, a flicker of surprise, a hint of concern, passed over Zane’s perfect, cold features. It was gone almost instantly, but Nathan had seen it. A brief spark in those cold gray eyes.

Zane took a small, involuntary step back, his composure slipping just for a second before the mask clamped down again. He looked away, turning his back to Nathan.

"Get out of here," Zane commanded, his voice back to its usual bored monotone, though the slight rasp from the crushed cigarette was still audible.

Nathan watched him, confusion mixing with his anger. He decided to let the fight go for now. He had to go to the library. The next lesson would be canceled, so it was free time.

When he arrived at the library, Nathan was surprised to see Eli already waiting in front.

"Eli, you’re not planning on following me around all the time, right?" Nathan said, standing in front of the boy.

Eli grimaced. "How can I relax when you’re paying me to be your assistant?"

Nathan immediately clicked his tongue. "I can’t afford to pay you if you become a real assistant," Nathan joked, then he became serious again. "Just come when I ask you. You don’t need to follow me around. You have to study too. Think about yourself."

Eli just smiled. "I’ll just bring you food. I’ll go back to class then. If you need anything, just text me."

Nathan nodded immediately. "Thanks."

Eli looked at Nathan, this time with concern. "You’re okay, right?"

Nathan frowned. "Yes, why?"

"Ah... I just heard a rumor. If... Gabriel is targeting you, I’m just worried."

"Targeting me? I don’t even know who he is! Why would he target me? And anyway, who is he?"

Eli swallowed hard. "In terms of status, he may not be on par with some of the students here, but his father is a ruthless loan shark. They have many debt collectors who can hurt you easily. I’m just worried. You know, he’s very strong and big."

Nathan chuckled at Eli’s comment about Gabriel. "You don’t need to worry. Are we in the forest? We’re at school. If he messes with me, I’ll report him to the teacher."

Eli looked even more worried. He wanted to say something but seemed to be holding back.

Nathan was curious about something else. "What is Gabriel’s relationship with Zane? Do you know them?"

"Who doesn’t know them?" Eli replied quickly. "They’ve been archenemies since elementary school. Everyone knows that. Their parents are enemies."

"Zane is the son of the police chief, and Gabriel is basically the son of a... criminal."

Nathan was silent. Zane also indirectly said that he hated him because his family was in the mafia. Did he think his own family was flawless and that everyone else was a criminal and deserved to be hated?

"Bastard," Nathan muttered irritably. But he couldn’t choose between the two. Gabriel and Zane were both jerks. He didn’t understand why he had to get involved with both of them.

Nathan really tried to stay out of trouble. He couldn’t go anywhere and just monitored the folders and files on his laptop. He had a lot to learn from scratch.

Even though Malvin and Nael taught him some subjects at home, he still had to keep up. And that was enough to stress him out. At home, he studied until night. At school, he skipped lunch and forbade Eli from seeing him so he could concentrate better.

At a busy time like this, Gabriel really drained his sanity. The boy didn’t leave him alone. At every opportunity, he or his friends would cause trouble for him.

Several times, he lost things from his desk. Once, he found his book torn. The worst was when he found his laptop had been reset.

Eli helped him reinstall the applications and asked for files and folders from the teacher. Nathan was really upset. But he had no proof that Gabriel was the culprit. He only heard rumors, and no one dared to say it openly.

Nathan felt completely terrorized. He felt uneasy. He couldn’t leave his belongings unattended. When he reported it to his homeroom teacher, the old woman said she would investigate, but there was no real progress.

He thought for a moment that Zane had done it. But that boy was never in class during breaks, and he didn’t seem like the type to stab someone in the back.

Nathan snorted. He was busy with his French lesson files in front of him. The classroom was empty, only he was there.

Then suddenly, someone put something in front of him. Remembering what had happened recently, he was immediately alert.

When he turned around, Zane had already left the room.

Nathan furrowed his brow. He looked at the box in front of him. It looked like a lunch box.

"What?" he muttered, grabbing the box. When he opened it, there were two salmon sandwiches.

Nathan was stunned. He was completely speechless. He was still fully concentrated, and suddenly Zane came carrying food? Of all the people on earth, rude Zane gave him a lunch box?

Then the next second, Nathan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Don’t tell me he wants to poison me."

Nathan took the sandwich and smelled it. Normal. Whether it was because he was hungry or curious, Nathan ate everything.

"If it’s poison, I’ll probably die," he said.

But he was still healthy when it was time to go home. He hurriedly took the box from his drawer, intending to give it to Zane, when the boy had already walked away.

"Wait!" Nathan called.

Zane glanced briefly at the empty box, before a small, almost invisible smile graced his lips.