Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 69: Behind the Rumours

Chapter 69: Behind the Rumours
The winter sun was bright but lacked any real warmth, casting long, sharp shadows across the X Starling parking area. Zane Leinster sat in the driver’s seat of his car, waiting for the bell to ring. The window was cracked just enough to let his cigarette smoke escape.
There were strict rules about smoking, and he wasn’t someone who truly enjoyed it. Maybe it was the sensation, or maybe it was rebellion. Sometimes he hoped to get caught, just so his father would come by once in a while.
He didn’t know. He wouldn’t enjoy it if his father actually came because of trouble he caused. Maybe, on some level, he just wanted to look strong.
That was all.
This morning, for the umpteenth time, he witnessed something interesting. At first, he didn’t care, he never cared about the people around him. But after seeing it for the third time, he felt mildly interested. Because it involved Nathan.
He saw Franc Salazar, the "perfect" cousin, holding court in the shadows of the gym wall. Zane could see it clearly from inside his car. There were two gym buildings, and one was close to the parking area.
This was the third time he’d seen it. Each time, a different group of lower-classmen approached Franc. The boy would flash that rehearsed, polite smile, hand over a thick roll of bills, and whisper something that made the boys nod eagerly before scurrying off.
Zane wasn’t a curious person, curiosity required too much energy, but he noticed the results. By the afternoon, those same boys were in the hallways, whispering to anyone who would listen.
"Did you hear? Gabriel Perlich’s dad is evil. Gabriel is only here because he’s extorting students."
"I heard Gabriel is the one who tipped off the cops about the last street race."
Zane walked by without saying anything. But he heard everything. In the end, he understood why Gabriel had a problem with Nathan. In class, his gray eyes tracked Franc as the red-haired boy looked innocent. It made him sick. After all, they were from the same family, yet they played such dirty tricks.
"Cheap tricks," Zane muttered, his lips curling into a faint, bored scowl.
Today, the peace of the morning shattered near the science wing. Zane was walking toward his classroom when he heard a small commotion.
Gabriel Perlich had a boy pinned against the wall by his collar, the boy’s feet dangling several inches off the floor. Gabriel’s face was a mask of pure, unadulterated rage.
Several students passing by hurried away, not wanting to get involved. No one stopped the bigger boy.
"Say it again," Gabriel growled, his voice a low rumble of thunder. "Who told you I was a rat?"
"I-I... everyone is saying it!" the boy stammered, his face turning a sickly shade of purple. "Nathan! Nathan Salazar told us! He said he saw the police files at his house! He said you’re just a ’dumb watchdog’ who can’t be trusted!"
Gabriel’s grip tightened until the fabric of the boy’s blazer began to tear. "Nathan... that little stray. Again?!"
Gabriel’s mind flashed to the two times he had cornered Nathan. Something had felt off, but the "proof" kept piling up. His blood boiled. He dropped the boy, who slumped to the floor, gasping.
"I’m going to kill him," Gabriel hissed, turning to search for the Salazar twin.
"You really are a meathead, aren’t you, Gabo?"
The lazy, drawling voice stopped Gabriel in his tracks. Zane stepped closer, his hands in his jacket pockets, looking like a bored old man fed up with everything.
Gabriel spun around, fists clenched. "Stay out of this, Leinster. This is Salazar business."
"It’s actually stupid business," Zane said, walking over with a slow, rhythmic gait. He didn’t look at Gabriel, he looked down at the trembling boy on the floor. "You’re being played like a rag doll."
"What did you say?" Gabriel stepped toward him, but Zane didn’t flinch.
Zane looked at the boy on the floor. His gray eyes lost their boredom, turning sharp and cold like a winter blade. He leaned down, his shadow swallowing the terrified student.
"Listen to me carefully," Zane whispered, a dangerous edge in his voice. "My father is the Police Commissioner. If I find out you’re lying to me, I won’t just get you expelled. I’ll make sure your family’s tax records become a federal interest. You have three seconds to tell the truth, or you can find out how long it takes to die in a holding cell."
He was bluffing, of course. His father wouldn’t get involved, especially not in something that wasn’t his business. But it was enough.
The boy’s eyes went wide. Rumors were one thing, but Zane Leinster’s quiet threat was something else entirely.
"I already know what you got from that red-haired coward. So tell this stupid big cow what was actually going on," Zane said.
Gabriel felt like strangling Zane for a moment, but curiosity won out.
The boy trembled, terrified, but he knew enough to make the right choice.
"It—it wasn’t Nathan!" the boy shrieked. "It was Franc! Franc Salazar gave us the money! He told us exactly what to say! He wanted us to spread the rumors and say we heard it from Nathan!"
The silence that followed was heavy. Gabriel froze, his hand still half-raised.
"Franc?" he whispered, the name tasting like ash.
Zane straightened, the coldness leaving his eyes as he returned to his usual indifference. He glanced at Gabriel’s stunned expression. "I’ve seen him hand out cash three times. Who knows how many more. You’re the only one dumb enough to believe a Salazar like Franc would do anything out of kindness. All Salazars are bastards."
Except Nathan,
maybe
.
Zane turned to walk away, pausing briefly. "You cornered Nathan for things he didn’t do. You might want to fix that before his big brother decides to make you a permanent part of the school’s foundation."
Gabriel didn’t move. He watched Zane walk away, his mind replaying every interaction he’d had with Nathan, each one rooted in a mistake.
He’d never really known the boy. And twice, he’d almost hurt him for things he didn’t do.
He remembered Nathan’s confused, defiant stare. He remembered how Nathan hadn’t looked like a liar, just someone exhausted by nonsense. Gabriel looked down at his hands, the hands he’d used to shove an innocent boy against a wall.
"Shit," Gabriel muttered to the empty hallway, his chest tightening with unfamiliar feelings: guilt and anger.
He looked toward the administrative wing where Franc usually spent his mornings. The rage returned, but this time, it was aimed at the right target.