"I'm telling you Em. Adam is nothing like Justin and Noah." I stressed as we both strode towards the school ground. Emily was reminding me of the same rumors again after I told her what happened on Sunday and how Adam cooked for me.

I started again, "I know he is annoying and downright narcissistic. But I don't think he can harm anyone. Not physically at least."

Though nothing can be said about his stinging words that torture me mentally.

"I.. I just don't want you to get hurt." she responded back.

"I know I-" my words stopped in my throat when a crowd of students at some distance caught my attention. They were assembled around a corner, their backs were facing us. Few gasps and loud curses arose from them and another masculine scream reached our ears.

Emily and I rushed towards he gathering. We pushed passed the crowd and reached forwards to see what was happening. The scene unfolded in front of our eyes and I screeched in fear and surprise.

A tall, lean boy was pinned to the wall and a strong hand was enveloped around his neck. The thing that shook me to my core was that the hand belonged to Adam. His jaw was clenched tightly and his hard, emotionless eyes were fixated on the boy whose face was turning blue. The boy struggled with his hands and feet but Adam was more powerful than him. He didn't give him any chance to free himself.

Nobody tried to separate them, they just stood there watching the scene. The boy looked like he was about to crash. Without thinking, I rushed towards them and tried to separate Adam from him.

"Leave him." I shouted, forcing his arm away but Adam didn't listen to me. Instead, his grip tightened even more.

"He will die Adam. Leave him." I struggled again, only to hear him growl this time.

I applied maximum force and that's when Adam pushed me away. I ended up on the hard floor, moaning in pain. Adam's face left all its color when he realized what he had done and guilt replaced the anger in his eyes. Without saying a word, he turned around and ran out of the garden, leaving me startled.

Emily bent down and helped me stand up. I hissed in pain when I put my weight on my feet. It felt like my ankle had been sprained. With her help, I sat down on a nearby bench.

"I.. I don't understand," I felt at loss of words. "What happened to him?" I mumbled in a low voice, the scene continuously playing in my head.

"I heard that the boy said something bad about his family." Emily informed.

"Family?" I looked at her in confusion.

"Yeah. His real family. I've heard that it is a sensitive topic." she continued, checking my injury.

"I.. I've never saw him this angry." I grieved. "He looked like he was about to kill him."

I have never watched anything this violent. Sure in movies I have, but never in real life. Few more minutes and he would have killed him. Just like that. He would have murdered his dreams, his ambitions. He would have snatched him from his family forever. He would have robbed him of the chance of being in love, finding a dream job, getting married.

Just like that.

...

I stopped the car in front of my front gate and exited slowly. My ankle throbbed with pain and I yelled,

"Ouch."

I was about to seat back inside when a hand gripped my arm and strong masculine scent enveloped me.

"Come on. Let me get you inside." Adam's low voice hit my ears and I angled my neck to look at him. His face looked drained of all emotions and a thick coat of indifference was coating his eyes.

"No thanks. I'll manage." I replied, standing on my own weight. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down slightly. It looked like he wanted to say something yet he refrained.

Trying my best to keep my face straight, I straightened my shoulders and walked inside my house. I could feel his glare on my back, yet I didn't turn around.

After changing into some comfortable clothes, I took some painkillers and lay down to sleep. My mind kept diverting to Adam and what he did today. What did that guy say and why did it matter so much? What had happened to his family and why did he live with Tiffany?

It was almost 7 in the evening when I woke up. After brushing my hair and tying them up in a pony, I exited my room and made my way towards the lounge. My feet stopped after watching an unexpected guest, principal Brown who was busy in some discussion with my father.

Wait. If Mr. Brown is here, that means maybe-

"Finding someone?" a familiar voice hit my eardrums and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.

"Spare me in my own house at least." I responded, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Always ready to pick a fight with me Pooper? That's what I like the most about us." Noah smirked, running his fingers through his smooth hair.

"There is no us." I gritted.

"You sure about that?" he grinned.

I was ready to retort back when Dad's voice intervened. I went inside and had a small talk with Mr. Brown. He was here to talk about some donation with Dad. And guess who was kind enough to tag along! His golden boy.

"So Mr. King, you have a nice house. Can I look around?" he said smiling and I frowned.

A wave of annoyance passed through Dad's face which he hid well. Forcing a smile on his face, he asked me to show him our house. I stepped towards the dining room and through the door connecting it to the garden, I led him to outside.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Won't you show me your room?" he smirked again.

"Not in this lifetime." I retorted, putting my hands on my hip.

"Well, you are always welcome in my room." he chuckled deeply. "Pooper."

"Fuck you." I cursed.

"Anytime." he answered.

Stomping my foot, I sat down on the wooden bench and groaned. He sat down beside me, all the playfulness left his face. "I heard what happened in the playground."

"Yeah. And what do you want to do? Rub it in my face?" I snorted.

"I'm not that evil, sweetheart." he smiled.

"I beg to differ." I answered.

"Anyways, I'd advise you to stay away from him. That dude is downright crazy." he remarked.

My anger peaked at his words and my nostrils flared. He had no right to say shit about Adam. Even after what he did, he was still a better person than he will ever be. Sighing in disappointment, I stood up and trudged back into the house. I could hear his footsteps behind me but I didn't bother to stop. Without saying goodbye to Dad, I rushed into my room and shut the door behind me.

Slipping out of the suffocating sweater, I opened my pony tail and ran fingers along my waves. Turning the lights off, I tiptoed towards the window and inhaled the chilly air.

I decided to turn back inside when Adam's window shot open and his head emerged from behind the blinds. He looked around the street and stopped when his eyes met mine. For a small moment, some emotions showed through his piercing grey eyes.

"Hi." I started the conversation.

"Didn't your friend advise you to stay away from me?" he taunted, stressing on the word friend.

"Uh.. Emily didn't mean-"

"I am not talking about Emily. But good to know that the list is longer." he continued and I looked at him in confusion.

Is he talking about Noah? But how does he know what Noah said to me?

"He is not my friend." I seethed but Adam chose to ignore my words. Shaking his head slightly, he closed the window back with a thud. I wanted to ask him about the reason of his behavior but he didn't give me any chance.

To cure my restlessness and forget about Adam, I picked out The lucky one from my bookshelf and buried myself under the duvet. After a while, I felt sleepy again. So giving a read to my Literature homework, I lay down and let the sleep engulf me.

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