"I don't need you,

brain playing tricks on me,

I don't need you,

double vision that which I sometimes see."

❁❁❁

"LEXI!" AT THE sound of my best friend's familiar voice, I spun around, coming face to face with Emily. Her usually cheery persona was one of concern when she saw me, and she immediately threw her arms around me and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"We were all so worried when we heard you've fallen ill! Are you alright now?" Emily asked, her worried eyes scanning my face. Even though my fading bruise was stealthily covered with a thick layer of foundation, my heart still sped up at the thought of Emily noticing it.

"I'm much better," I smiled reassuringly, and she heaved a huge sigh of relief.

"It must be the soup," she said, smiling. "Asher told me that Robin makes great comfort food."

"Huh," I mumbled, pursing my lips. So Robin really could cook. Not that I doubted him, or anything.

"By the way, I was so surprised when Ash told me that Robin paid you a visit! I guess I was wrong about him being scary and all," Emily said thoughtfully, shooting me a wink. "Tell me all about it later, okay?"

I laughed and nodded, "Sure, Em."

"Well, come on. Let's go get lunch!" Emily cheered, dragging me towards the dining hall. My heartbeat quickened at the thought of facing Jake or any of his friends, but I forced the smile to stay on my face. Once we entered the bustling hall, Emily pushed me towards the short queue and passed me a metal tray which was quickly filled with plates of delicious gourmet food.

"Let's go find a seat, yeah? I feel really bad that I have to leave you alone for lunch all the time, so let's eat together today!" Emily chirped, much to my relief. However, we didn't even have five seconds alone before a familiar grumpy fiancé showed up in front of us.

"The both of you are sitting with me today," he said through gritted teeth, leaving no room for argument. Then, to my surprise, he grabbed the tray out of Emily's hands and turned to walk to the forbidden table. Emily and I shared a look of confusion, since while Emily had become a regular at the Centre Table, I was far from becoming friends with any of them.

"I'm not secretly engaged to one of them without my knowledge, right?" I whispered into Emily's ear, causing her to giggle.

"Of course not!" she laughed. "He probably just feels bad because I'm really awkward at the table, and Logan suggested that they invite you to sit with us. I wasn't expecting Asher to actually say 'yes' though, given how the both of you are always butting heads."

Pursing my lips, I glanced at the Centre Table where Asher stood impatiently. On any other day, I would never sit within a five metre radius of Asher Dane, but seeing that I had nowhere else to go, I figured that it might not be too bad. After all, judging by the glares I've been receiving from Geraldine and Becca, I doubt that I was welcomed at Jake's table anymore.

When we reached the table, Asher shot me a look and pursed his lips, nodding at the empty seat next to Yuko. Yuko had his nose tucked into a book and didn't bother looking up while Logan winked at me.

"Decided to join us, sunshine?" Logan asked in a sing-song voice.

"If you don't mind," I said, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear and shooting him a quick smile.

"I'm more than happy to have your company," he replied with a big, toothy grin, which seemed to irritate his white-haired friend.

"Stop flirting with her," Asher said, wrinkling his nose.

"Jealous?" Logan teased, raising an eyebrow. "Don't be greedy, Asher. You already have Emily, don't you?"

Asher's nostrils flared with annoyance at Logan's endless teasing, and Emily turned a shade of bright pink and grew an interest in her pastel blue sneakers.

"You can sit there," Asher muttered to me before sitting down at his place, choosing to ignore Logan. When he finally noticed that there was one person missing, his frown deepened. "Where's Robin?"

"Beats me," Logan shrugged. Without a word, I quietly sat down next to Yuko. Yuko, who was engrossed in a thick, Spanish history book, glanced up at me and pursed his lips.

"Are you alright?" Yuko asked in a quiet whisper, so softly that Emily, who sat next to me, didn't hear him. Logan and Asher were too busy wondering where Robin was to notice.

"What do you mean?" I asked warily, frowning slightly. Yuko paused, scrunching his eyebrows together.

"Well, it's just that you seem less," Yuko waved his hand as he tried to think of a word to explain.

"Bright," he finally decided, pushing his glasses up his nose with one finger and shooting me a look of curiosity.

"Damn, nothing gets past you, huh?" I mumbled under my breath, and Yuko let out a small laugh.

"I majored in psychology and behavioural science at Harvard in freshman year," Yuko shrugged, as if it was no big deal. My eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets.

"Don't look so surprised. I just have a lot of free time, so I decided to pick up a degree," Yuko explained. I shook my head, laughing softly.

"Pick up a degree? You make getting a degree sound like a late-night ice cream run. You're brilliant," I complimented. Yuko's lips relaxed into a small smile, but it was a smile so bright that it lifted my spirits and put a smile on my face too.

"Stop smiling like that, you look like you're having a seizure," Robin's familiar sardonic voice said from behind me. I scowled at his insult and huffed loudly as he sat down on his chair rigidly.

"No wonder you never smile," I sniffed, and Logan and Yuko tried to hide their laughter behind their expensive sleeves. Emily's eyes widened in panic.

"She doesn't mean that," Emily squeaked, laughing nervously. Asher frowned.

"She does," Robin drawled, quirking an eyebrow at me and daring me to object. He took a seat next to Asher, directly in front of me. He shot me a devious smile that looked more like a smirk, and I stuck my tongue out at him childishly.

"Is your flu any better?" Robin asked, knowing full well that I wasn't cooped up in my room over a cold. But I knew he wasn't trying to rouse any suspicion from the rest, and for that I was grateful.

As I opened my mouth to reply him, I was immediately silenced by the loud noise of wood scraping against hard linoleum and a chair hitting the ground. I glanced at whoever made the sound, only to see a livid Jake, standing at his table, staring straight at the Centre Table where the Royals sat. When he made eye contact with me, I immediately bowed my head, allowing my hair to fall over my face.

The silent students watched as Jake stalked towards our table, fists clenched and positively steaming. I jumped when Jake slammed his fists on the table. He opened his mouth to speak, but Asher beat him to the punch.

"May I help you?" Asher asked, narrowing his eyes and cocking his head to one side. Jake looked taken aback and even a little hesitant now that Asher had spoken to him. I didn't blame him, though. Asher Dane knew exactly how to make you squirm in your shoes. When Jake threw me a dirty look, I grew still. I felt Yuko glance at me with concern before his warm hand enveloped my clenched fist under the table. He rubbed my knuckles with his thumb, loosening the tight grip I had on my seat.  Yuko's dark eyebrows furrowed, and seemed to come to a realisation. He looked between Jake and I, hisstare growing colder by the minute.

"I can't believe you'd dare to show your face around here after trying to get me expelled," Jake whispered harshly, pointing an accusing finger at me. I tried to hide my shock and looked at Robin, who casually continued to eat as if he didn't know anything about Jake's spontaneous expulsion.

"Now, if that's what all the fuss is about, would you mind waiting until after I'm done eating?" Asher drawled lazily, his lips stretching into a humourless smile. "It's really none of our business to interfere with your...talk."

"Yeah, man," Logan said, offering Jake a sympathetic smile. "All your negative energy might cloud my aura. Would you mind?"

Jake stared at the two boys, completely slack-jawed at how little they cared about his presence. It seemed like it only riled him up even more, because he looked like he was going to explode any minute now.

"I know one of you helped her do this," Jake hissed, narrowing his eyes. Asher snorted, leaning back against his chair and looking up at Jake.

"Do you think I'd waste my precious time meddling with people like you?" Asher asked, raising a pierced eyebrow. His sterling silver piercing glinted dangerously under the bright fluorescent light. "The lot of us have better things to do."

"It's clear that you've overstayed your welcome," Robin murmured, speaking up for the first time. He looked right into Jake's eyes, his stare so intimidating that even Jake, who hated him so much, looked away. His rosy lips lifted into a slight smirk as he scrutinised Jake. "Why don't you find Principal Karen and sort out the mess you've gotten yourself into instead? Maybe if you get down on your knees and beg, she'll take pity on you."

"I'm not going to fucking do that," Jake spat, clearly offended at how the Royals treated him like someone who couldn't be taken seriously. Robin shrugged, as if telling Jake to suit himself. Jake stood in his place, shooting daggers at everyone at the table. When he made no move to leave, Asher narrowed his eyes.

"I believe that Robin has already told you that you've overstayed your welcome," he stated, the warning evident in his voice. Jake's chest heaved up and down as he stared dumbfounded at the people he hated so much.

"Don't talk to me like that," Jake seethed, pounding his fist on the wooden table. Emily and I jumped at the loud sound, but the boys stayed rooted to their seats.

"You're hardly the one to be making any demands around here, Lindon," Robin said quietly, looking rather fed up with Jake. "This is your last warning─ get lost."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Jake all but screamed, and his eyes widened frighteningly. His fists were balled up so tightly that they shook at his sides. Jake turned a bright shade of red and I swore I saw steam rising from his ears. Robin seemed to have had quite enough of him, because he finally stopped eating and put his utensils neatly beside his plate of unfinished food.

Then, Robin rose from his seat. Like a titan rising out of the sea, everyone stared at him in awe as he straightened and turned to face Jake. He took a step towards him, towering over Jake. He stared down at the furious boy in disdain, his usual scowl replaced with one that was impossibly more intimidating.

"What is your problem?" Robin asked, his voice low and threatening. I have never seen Robin look pissed off before, and judging by the way everyone was staring with their jaws opens, neither have any Meilleureans. "Are you that pathetic of a person that you have to be dealt with like a child?"

"A-A child?" Jake spat, his nostrils flaring at Robin's insult.

"Isn't that what you are, throwing a tantrum in the middle of lunch break?" Robin questioned, shooting Jake a smirk. I bit my lip nervously as I stared at the two boys. The rising tension was suffocating, but it was so hard to look away. "Grow up, Lindon."

"I'm not a child!" Jake protested angrily, before raising his fist and preparing to strike. I gasped aloud when Jake's fist came barreling towards Robin, striking Robin's mouth. Collective gasps echoed throughout the dining hall as Robin clutched his mouth in one hand. Jake shot him a victorious, arrogant smirk. 

"I'm not much for violence, Lindon," Robin said, letting go of his mouth. A small streak of blood rolled down his chin from his cut lip. Robin licked his bloodied lip and wiped the blood off his chin with his thumb. "But I guess sometimes, that's the only way to get a point across."

With that said, Robin drew his arm back and punched Jake─ square in the nose. I winced when I heard a loud crack, followed by Jake's loud howl of pain. Jake clutched his nose tightly, squeezing his eyes shut. A stream of crimson already started to flow down his nose, staining his uniform. Jake let out a feral growl and barreled towards the blonde heir, but not before he was quickly restrained by Wes.

"Jake, stop it!" Wes pleaded, trying to hold Jake back, who was writhing in his arms like a worm. The blood that flowed out of his broken nose was smeared across his mouth, making him look like a deranged psycho.

"What is going on here?" A shrill, stern voice said, silencing everyone in the dining hall. No one had noticed that Principal Karen had arrived in the dining hall due to all the commotion between Jake and Robin. Jake, noticing the principal for the first time, went limp in Wes' arms. Then, he quickly stood up and pointed an accusatory finger at Robin.

"He punched me in the nose!" Jake accused, glaring hatefully at Robin, who looked less than bothered.

"Is that true, Mister Clair?" the principal asked, turning to look at Robin.

"Yes," he replied, shrugging casually. "It was self-defense."

"Self-defense?" Jake and Principal Karen repeated at the same time.

"Jake struck me first," Robin explained calmly, shoving his hands into his pockets. His usual stoic expression returned to his face. "You can see that in any of the numerous videos that have been recorded by my peers in the dining hall."

Principal Karen pursed her lips, staring at the two boys with an unreadable expression on her face. Then, she gestured at the two boys.

"Come to my office. Now."

❁❁❁

THAT NIGHT WHILE I was busy trying to complete my homework, a knock on the door startled me. At first, I thought it was Robin, but since it's been more than thirty seconds and he hasn't started yelling at me to hurry up, I knew it wasn't him.

Knowing that it wasn't Robin, my heart beat sped up.

Could it be him?

With shaky hands, I cautiously approached the looming oak door and looked through the peephole. I immediately let out a sigh of relief when I saw that it was just Wes. Although I was relieved it wasn't Jake, I was still wary of him.

"Alex?" Wes called softly. I kept silent.

"I just want to check up on you. After what happened during lunch," he said.

"Please open the door," Wes pleaded after a few minutes. I hesitated. My hand on the doorknob seemed to be frozen, unable to move. He must've waited outside for more than fifteen minutes before he let out a sigh.

Wes turned around to leave, giving me just a few seconds to make up my mind on opening the door.

"Wait," I finally said, loud enough for him to hear me from outside.

❁❁❁

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you are a re-reader, you probably noticed the new scene (Robin and Jake fighting). I hope you guys enjoyed the addition to the rewritten version, since many of you had requested for there to be a fight scene between Robin and Jake in the old version.

On another note, 2017 is coming to an end. Thank you all for the endless support and love this year. Without you guys, I wouldn't have had a successful run on Wattpad this year— such as winning Best Poetry in The Fiction Awards 2017 for my first attempt at poetry and finally hitting 70k followers. Most importantly, thank you for being loyal readers and for showing so much love towards the rewritten version of The Lonely King. I promise to bring better quality content to you in 2018, and I am excited to see what the new year has in store for us. Thank you all for being so understanding and patient with me. This year has been rough, and it has taken quite a toll on my health and well-being (like fainting on public transport lmao), which was the reason why I was unable to upload the previous week and why I have been on and on-and-off hiatus every so often.

Lastly, remember to love yourselves, take care of yourselves and most importantly, live for yourselves. While the world does not owe you success or favour, it does offer you opportunities. I hope that in 2018, all of us will be able to take on new endeavours and try new things. And of course, read more books!

With all the love;
shev xx

Song of the Chapter: Need You, by The Revivalists.