Chapter 2

I was so furious I couldn't help but laugh. "We're on the third floor, and there's a thick lawn right below us! If we land in the right spot, we won't get hurt!"

I shouted to the rest of the class. "Everyone, don't listen to Julian! That whole 'triangle of life' theory was debunked years ago!

"There's no way to predict how a building will collapse, and those little spaces won't hold up under the weight of an entire building! Climb out the windows and jump onto the grass! We still have a chance to survive!"

For a moment, the entire classroom went silent. A few students who had been crouching beside their desks slowly got to their feet and glanced out the windows.

Our classroom was indeed on the third floor, with a thick, grassy lawn directly below.

Julian, still standing at the front of the room, spoke up. "Adrian, I know you've always had a problem with me, but we're talking about people's lives here!

"The triangle of life is common knowledge! You're really going to put everyone's lives at risk just because you can't stand me?

"That's a three-story drop! Anyone who jumps is going to end up dead or seriously injured! If you want to get yourself killed, go ahead! Just don't take the rest of us with you!"

A few girls who had crushes on Julian immediately rushed over to comfort him.

"Julian, calm down. Don't let him get to you."

"Adrian, are you crazy? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? If you want to die, go ahead, but leave us out of it!"

"Exactly! Julian's right. Staying near a load-bearing wall is our safest bet. We're not listening to you!"

I couldn't help but smirk at their stupidity. If they wanted to trust Julian and stay in the classroom until the building collapsed, so be it. I wasn't going to waste another second on them.

Instead, I turned to my best friend, Marcus Hollowmere, who was huddled near the front row. "Marcus, help me out!"

Marcus looked up at my voice. His eyes darted to the ceiling, which looked ready to cave in, then to Serena, who still had my wrist in a vice grip.

Without hesitation, he snatched the thickest dictionary from the desk and slammed it down on Serena's arm. Serena cried out in pain and finally released my wrist.

I took the chance to pull my hand free. My wrist was already badly bruised, with a few spots where her nails had broken the skin. She'd been willing to do anything to keep me trapped in that classroom.

"Adrian! Marcus! Are you two trying to get yourselves killed?" Serena held her injured arm and glared at us. "I told you, the corner is the safest place! Why won't you listen to me? Are you really that desperate to jump out the window?"

The sight of her made my stomach turn.

In my previous life, I'd broken my leg saving her and spent three whole months stuck in a hospital bed. The pain left me drenched in cold sweat every day, and I couldn't even roll over without help.

Serena came to visit every day with homemade soup, but she barely took her eyes off her phone. She always seemed to be smiling at something on the screen.

I only found out later that she'd been texting Julian all along.

While I was in the hospital, Julian had been spreading rumors about me to our classmates.

"If Adrian had just stayed in the corner and waited for help, he wouldn't have gotten hurt.

"Think about it. There was grass right below the windows, and everyone else who jumped got out without a scratch. Adrian was the only one who broke his leg. Doesn't that seem a little suspicious?

"He did it on purpose. He knew Serena was softhearted, so he dragged her out the window and made sure he got hurt. He just wanted her to feel like she owed him her life so he could hold it over her head forever.

"Poor Serena. Now she's stuck with a manipulative jerk who's going to make her miserable for the rest of her life."

And the worst part was, Serena actually believed him. She was more than happy to accept everything I did for her, all while secretly thinking I was a manipulative bastard.

She'd even told Julian behind my back, "Julian, I don't love Adrian. His limp makes me sick, but I can't just leave him. I owe him."

Marcus patted me on the shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I rubbed my bruised wrist and looked at Serena. "Serena, get over yourself. If you think I'm jumping out that window to save you, you're kidding yourself. You're not worth it. Don't worry. From now on, whatever happens to you is none of my business."