Stay strong, make them wonder why you're still smiling.

[30]

glare is the only thing I can focus on. My breaths are shallow and quick as if I wasn't going to survive this confrontation. Gary's hand quickly whips out in front of me and before I know it, I'm lying on the cold tile floor.

Reality all of a sudden crashes back on to me.

My focus comes back as quickly as it had gone and my eyes dart all over the bathroom looking for an escape route. Realising that my phone is in my purse at the table, I huff out in frustration and quickly grab onto the sink bench, my arms trying to lift me up.

"You don't get it, do you?" I hear Gary laugh from behind me. My shaky hands clench into fists, my anger hanging on by the thread.

"Leave me alone..." I grit out through my teeth. Gary's loud laugh pierces through the air like a sword cutting through someone's flesh. I close my eyes before reopening them and looking at Gary through the reflection of the mirror.

"Princess, don't do this to me now. After all, we've been through a lot together and now you decide to treat me like shit?" He yells harshly. My head snaps around and I glare at him, a fire in my eyes. Years and years of anger pulsing through my veins, finally wanting release.

Suddenly, the bathroom door bangs open revealing an extremely distraught Adam. I sigh in relief but then tense up again, realising that Gary is capable of anything.

"Leave her alone, bastard," Adam says quietly, controlling the red that's seeping just below his skin. I take a little, unnoticeable steps towards Adam without Gary noticing.

Gary glares at Adam and lunges for me, my body is shoved out the way and Adam punches Gary square in the jaw. Gary falls back onto his ass, his head hitting the cold, tile ground.

"Fuck..." he hisses between his teeth in pain. I inwardly smile and quickly grab Adam by the hand and pull him out the restaurant.

We run to the car and Adam opens the door for me before quickly closing it and hopping into his own side. Adam quickly pulls out the carpark and we make our way back to my house.

"Isabelle..." Adam begins. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" I look down at my arm where I know beneath the sleeve, a massive cut lays.

"No, it's fine, he didn't hurt me," I say, the lie easily slipping through my mouth. Adam sighs in relief and looks over at me, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that for..." Adam says quietly. I nod my head in agreement and laugh.

"I'm surprised with how okay I am right now. It's like I didn't just see the guy that had made my life a living hell from the age seven..." I whisper. Adam glances sideways and frowns.

"It's because you're stronger than them and you know that now. They'll never be able to rise above you now because, you're Isabelle Thompson, the strongest person I know," Adam expresses softly. My heart flutters and my mouth lifts upwards into a smile.

"Adam, as much as I love hearing you say that, I'm really not that strong - " My voice is cut off by Adam.

"I'm ready Isabelle. I'm going to tell you how this rivalry started between David and me..." He says. My mouth hangs open but I quickly close it and blink my eyes a few times. I nod my head and wait for the rest of the car ride to be over, because then, Adam will tell me how he and David's rivalry came to be.

Adam takes my hand and leads us over to the living room. He sits me down and suddenly starts to pace around the room. I awkwardly sit on the couch waiting for him to start.

"Adam, you don't have to tell me, I don't have to know..." I whisper hoarsely. Adam suddenly stops his pacing but still maintains the anxious look on his face. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"I have to Isabelle, I have to face my fear," he responds. I nod my head and move a few cushions around on the couch, letting myself relax. I hear Adam mumble a few words until finally, his deep voice begins to tell me his life story.

"I told you the story of how I lost my dad, how he died saving both you and David's fathers. This happened a few years later. David and I had already known each other from school and the funerals brought both of us closer. We met up again for the fifth time this particular month for my boxing match. When I had finished my match, we packed up and started our way back to my house where we were going to spend the night..." He whispers.

I listen intently to the story Adam is telling me.

"We heard these footsteps behind us but every time we turned around, no one was there. So we obviously just shrugged it off thinking it was a bird or something. Much to our despair though, it wasn't a bird and it was, in fact, a person trying to kidnap two teenage boys..." My hand slowly rises itself up to my mouth and a slight gasp escapes my mouth.

"Adam..." I whisper. Adam looks at me and shrugs his shoulders, "This isn't even the bad part, Isabelle..." he responds. I nod my head and stay quiet to hear the rest of the story.

"He wasn't a bad guy, to be honest. Sure, they did drug and kidnap us, but it was only for us to join a gang in which we did end up doing. As fucked up as this may sound, Isabelle, we had fun when we first joined, there were kids our age and everything. The next day, they let us return home like nothing had happened and we resumed our normal lives with the addition of going to the gang house every Friday."

Adam pauses to look at me and stares longingly into my eyes. I quickly divert my eyes to the wall behind him, hating the fact that he's so vulnerable right now and I can't help him or anything.

"A few years later was when everything began to get fucked. All the guys were taking drugs and drinking alcohol, basically drinking their family sorrows away. I was hesitant at first but then David was able to persuade me into taking drugs, drinking alcohol, sleeping with countless of girls and basically partying until I couldn't move anymore and was passed out on the floor, dead."

The thought of David and Adam being friends sends chills down my spine for some reason.

"It was one night when David came knocking on my door, drunk and high as hell. I was babysitting Millie at the time, so I didn't need to worry about mum finding out that David and I were taking drugs. I remember shoving him into my room and then going to get some painkillers for his head. When I came back to the room though, David wasn't there. I began to freak and started to search for him around the house. When I couldn't find him, my anxiousness grew and grew by the second until I heard thumps in Millie's room..."

I stare at Adam, worry etched onto my face. With every passing second, I feel Adam grow more tenser.

"I barged into the room and found David over my little sister's crib, holding a knife..." Adam hoarsely whispers. I gasp and jump up from my position on the couch, running over to Adam and pulling him into a hug.

"Adam..." I murmur. Adam shakes his head and pulls back from my hug, his hands holding my arms securely. I'm his lifeline right now and I'm fine with that as he is mine.

"I beat him up and broke our friendship. I said that if he were to ever step foot into my house ever again, I'll make sure he never walks out. And so, he never has walked into my house since. We both left the gang which was surprisingly easy although the gang leader is still my coach for boxing, I'm not a part of that life anymore. I had to go to therapy for a while to get myself off the drugs and I made sure that my sister's safety was the most important thing in the world..." Adam explains.

I bury my head into Adams' chest once more. The fact that David has hurt both of us has made this whole thing a lot scarier and sadder. If David were to have killed Millie, Adam wouldn't be right here, in my arms.

"Adam," I whisper, "stay strong..."

I feel Adam smile against my skin as he pulls me closer to his chest. His hand plays with the tips of my hair before he pauses.

"Prezioso, my sister's safety is still the most important thing in the world, but, so is yours. Please don't let them bring you down. Don't stoop to their level. Stay here with me and we'll watch as they soon realise they have no way of getting to us. We'll watch them crumble to pieces because we've risen above them. Isabelle, stay strong, please..." He croaks out.

I nod my head.

"Okay," Is the only thing I whisper and is the only thing we both needed to hear before we finally drift off into a peaceful sleep, holding each other in our arms.