"William, right? Thanks to you, we're totally screwed," Paul groaned, slumping onto his bed like someone had just died. "They won't even let us out of the dorm now! When Ryan comes for you, just don't drag us into it. We don't even know you."
William didn't look the least bit worried. He smiled and said, "If you guys really want to leave, I'll take you out myself."
"You have any idea how many people are outside right now?" Wyatt snapped. "Thomas, the captain of the Taekwondo Club, is guarding the door himself. You're gonna take us out? With what, a magic wand?"
Wyatt was seriously starting to regret his life choices. All he'd done was exchange a couple of words with William on the stairs, and now he was caught in the crossfire.
Collateral damage, plain and simple.
William had pissed off Ryan—that was on him. But Wyatt? He hadn't done a damn thing.
"Taekwondo Club captain? Is that supposed to be impressive?" William asked, genuinely confused.
He didn't know much about Taekwondo. The term itself had only been coined in 1955. Over the years, William had always made a conscious effort to keep his strength in line with the average level of the world around him. If his opponent was strong, he'd match them. If they were weak, he'd hold back. At this point, he felt like he couldn't possibly lower himself any further.
Back during the age of gods and monsters, fights were at least interesting. Later, there were knights and martial artists—pure physical combat still had some charm. He'd managed to keep things balanced.
Then came the era of firearms. That had its own appeal.
But now? In this so-called age of peace?
Taekwondo? To him, that was child's play.
They call that martial arts?
"You wanna know if he's impressive?" Wyatt took a deep breath, gritting his teeth. "Last time, the captain of the football team—six-foot-three, built like a tank—got into it with Thomas. It's been two weeks, and the guy's still in the hospital. You think your skinny ass can take a beating like that?"
William nodded thoughtfully. "I probably can. But I'd rather not fight him. Feels like bullying."
Wyatt pointed at him like he was looking at a lunatic. "Unbelievable. Keep talking, man. You're clearly insane. And don't even get me started on that crap about Lila buying you stuff. If she actually bought you anything, I'll eat my laptop screen right here, right now."
William glanced at the screen they'd just set down and asked seriously, "Is that edible?"
Wyatt nearly had a stroke on the spot.
Is that edible?
The guy looked completely sincere. Was this a question a normal person would ask?
William didn't say anything else. When he'd first walked in, he'd seen Paul playing a game and had peeked over his shoulder. It was fascinating.
This era really had changed a lot. There was so much to relearn. Staying in the dorms was definitely the right call.
They waited in the room for about ten minutes.
Then Ryan returned—leading a whole squad of people—storming back to the dorm building like a general returning from war. Lila was still standing outside, and she could already tell something was off.
The third-floor hallway was packed with students. Clearly, something big was going down. There were people all over the area now, crowding around the boys' dorm.
"Ryan! What the hell are you doing?" Lila snapped, furious. "I told you to buy a few things, and you turn it into a damn parade?"
She was about ready to explode. This wasn't just buying supplies—this was clearly aimed at William. Did he think she couldn't see that?
Ryan, who'd been acting like a boss just moments ago, quickly put on a sheepish grin under his sister's glare.
"What do you mean? I'm just buying stuff for the guy," he said innocently. "There's a lot of it—I couldn't carry it all by myself, right?"
Lila pulled Ryan aside, her tone serious and low. "I told you—don't mess with him. Don't mess with him. Do you not understand what that means?"
Ryan chuckled, trying to play it off. "Sis, that guy's probably just some blind date Grandpa set up for you. You don't even like him, right? I'm just helping him back off before he embarrasses himself. What's wrong with that? Even if Grandpa finds out, what's he gonna do—kill me?"
What Ryan didn't know was that if his grandfather did find out what he was doing right now, killing him might not be off the table. At the very least, he'd get beaten within an inch of his life.
William was someone even Anthony Carter would kneel to. And here Ryan was, stirring up trouble like he was invincible. He wasn't just digging his own grave—he was dragging the whole Carter family in with him.
Lila gave him a long look and said quietly, "If Grandpa finds out… I think he really might kill you."
Ryan snorted. "Yeah, right. Who the hell is this guy anyway? William Johnson? From the Johnson family in Texas?" He scoffed. "Even if he is from the Texas Johnsons, so what? That's not enough to scare me."
"I don't know," Lila said, frowning. "And don't ask me again. Just don't mess with him. If you don't want to deliver the stuff, fine—I'll take it up myself."
She turned and actually started walking toward the boys' dorm.
"I'll do it!" Ryan shouted, panicking. Let his sister walk into the guys' dorm to deliver toiletries to another man?
Hell no.
Even he had never gotten that kind of treatment from her.
There was no way he was letting that happen.
"Then don't start anything," Lila warned, arms crossed. "I'll be watching from down here."
She still didn't know exactly who William Johnson was—Grandpa hadn't told her much—but she could feel how seriously he took this. If Ryan really did something stupid, he'd be the one to pay for it.
"Alright, alright! Don't worry, Sis!" Ryan waved her off, then turned to the group behind him. "Let's go. Bring the stuff upstairs."
Among the guys following Ryan were a few of Lila's admirers. Seeing how this looked like something she had arranged, they were dying to get a look at the guy who'd earned her attention.
The whole group marched up to the third floor, while a crowd gathered below to watch the drama unfold.
Inside Room 306, William was still sitting calmly, waiting.
Then—bang!—the door flew open with a loud kick. Ryan stepped in, followed by a swarm of guys. One of them slammed the door shut and locked it behind them.
Ryan's eyes swept the room. He spotted William right away but still asked, "Which one of you is William?"
All three roommates pointed at William in perfect sync.
"Holy shit, it is you?" Ryan let out a sharp laugh. "Talk about bad luck. So you're the one named William, huh?"
William nodded with a smile. "Thanks for bringing the stuff."
"Stuff my ass," Ryan snapped. "You from the Johnson family in Texas? Let me warn you—stay the hell away from my sister. Just because the family arranged something doesn't mean it's set in stone. If I don't approve, it's not happening. Got it?"
"Johnson family in Texas?" William repeated. "I'm not from Texas."
Ryan narrowed his eyes. "Your dad Adam Johnson?"
William shook his head. "I think you've got the wrong guy. I don't come from any powerful family. No background. And I'm not close with your sister either."
No background?