Novel-novel oleh Purple Kiss

Bryan arrived at school the next morning with a single mission: find Derek, return his ID, and thank him.But Derek was nowhere; not in the basketball court, not in the cafeteria, not in any of the hallways Bryan nervously peeked into."Maybe after class," he whispered to himself, standing outside Derek's class like a lost puppy. He forced himself to walk away.***His first class was a blur. Bryan sat in the back row, eyes glazed over as the professor’s voice droned on like a distant, irritating lullaby. The whiteboard might as well have been blank. All he could see was the night before— the stranger in black, the ID on the ground, Derek's name staring back at him.A familiar figure dropped into the seat beside him. Valerie leaned, elbow on the desk and smiled at Bryan like he knew a secret.Bryan didn’t take the bait at first. But after a minute of being stared at, he muttered, “What?”Valerie leaned in closer, voice low. “So… are you into Derek?”Bryan's reaction was immediate and

Bryan stretched as he rose from the library chair. He had stayed back to read, and the clock on the wall now read 8:00 PM. His friend, Valerie, had gone home an hour ago.He slung his backpack over his shoulder, smiling as his mind replayed Derek's voice. "How cute". Two words. That was all it took to ruin him. He walked out of the library still smiling, still too lost in his thoughts to pay much attention to where he was going.The campus was mostly empty at this hour. Street lamps cast pools of orange light along the path to his apartment building. Bryan shoved his hands in his pockets and let his mind drift back to Derek's warm brown eyes.He didn't see the three figures step out from behind the oak tree.They cut him off, blocking his path. Bryan stopped walking, the smile instantly vanishing from his face. He tried to step around them, pretending they weren't there for him, but one of them grabbed his backpack and yanked him back."I see the nerd got rid of his glasses," one of t

Ryder footsteps echoed down the hallway, measured and unhurried. Only after he disappeared did the crowd finally breathe again."Unbelievable." A student said."That's new," someone else said, disbelief in their voice.“Nearly everything about that was new,” another added quietly.Bryan released the breath he didn't know he had been holding. His knees nearly buckled. He turned to find Derek already on his feet, wiping the last of the blood from his lip."You were... brave," Derek said.Bryan tried not to smile, but he failed. His eyes gave him away...bright, relieved, something softer flickering behind them."Do you want me to walk you to the campus clinic?" Bryan asked.Derek nodded easily. "Yeah, sure.”They walked side by side, leaving the whispers and stunned stares behind.***The nurse clicked her tongue as she dabbed antiseptic against Derek’s split lip. “How did this happen? A fight?” she asked, but Derek only shook his head.“I didn't take you for the type to fight back, Dere

Derek released Bryan's arm and turned to face Ryder properly. The hallway seemed to hold its breath as students pressed themselves together, phones half-hidden in their palms, ready to record.No one intervened. No one ever did.Bryan stood frozen, heart slamming against his ribs. His arm still tingled where Derek had touched him. Derek had grabbed his arm. Derek had pulled him up. Derek had saved him.It was the best and worst day of his life.Because now, he realized, his crush was no longer a quiet fantasy hidden in the dark corners of his notebook. It was a living, breathing person standing inches away...someone who had just watched him nearly kneel for the school monster. And Bryan had no idea if Derek had acted out of kindness or simply to spite Ryder.Either way, he was grateful."What if I buy you new pants and sneakers?" Derek's voice cut through Bryan's spiraling thoughts, calmly. "Just let him be."The hallway went still again.Ryder let out a low humorless chuckle and bit

‘I wish, just once, Derek would look at me.’Bryan said it to himself, not out loud, but in his mind where he kept his secrets. He had been standing in front of the bathroom mirror for fifteen minutes, adjusting the collar of his shirt, then messing it up, then fixing it again. It didn't matter. Derek had never looked at him once in two years. Why would today be any different?Bryan was a second-year business student. Average height, average grades, average everything, except for a quietly pretty face that most people still managed to overlook. He was also a reluctant new member of the university’s swimming club. The coach had seen him doing laps alone one evening and invited him to join the recreational group. Bryan had only attended a few sessions so far. He mostly went because the water helped quiet the noise in his head.From the first day of freshman year, he had seen Derek across the courtyard, and felt something crack open inside him. It felt like his body knew something his mi