~Jeremy’s POV~Adrenaline. Danger. Anticipation. The roars coming from the crowd surrounding me only fueled my blood. I could feel myself boiling. I flexed my chest as I approached the ring, the smell of sweat, blood, and beer reminding me that ‘here’ is exactly where I wanted to be.The cage was my altar. My battlefield. Across me stood a beast of a man, chest gleaming under the lights, fists like boulders, ready to crush me. Bets had already been placed on us, hungry eyes watching, waiting to see who bleed first. Oh, how I loved this.But for me, this wasn’t about money or entertainment. This was about release. About punishment. Every time I stepped into this ring, I wasn’t just fighting an opponent, I was fighting my ghosts. My anger. My shame. My father. My fate.I cracked my knuckles slowly, staring at the Goliath in front of me with the kind of coldness that made weaker men falter. My mind wandered…dangerous, intrusive thoughts pressing forward the way they always did in here.
As I finally stood from the library chair, Zayne rose from the desk too. Walking out of the space, I noticed a few students staring our way. I was sure it was at Zayne.He was the one who was worthy of being stared at. Good looks, height, outfit, tattoos, the confidence he emitted…he sure did have a lot to attract on-lookers.Me on the other hand-wouldn’t call myself plain Jane, but I definitely wouldn’t call attention with anything about me. I always had normal wears on-mostly big clothes that hid my gifted shape, no make up, my glasses intact. I was just used to the appearance my mum brought me up with.And neither for once had I been willing to change— to look wanted…until Jeremy. But recently, I was getting my old self back again.Which was why I knew it was a bad idea to have accepted Zayne’s offer right now.Still, I lifted my chin and followed him.Waiting outside, was his bike. Sleek and intimidating like him under the afternoon bright light. Zayne handed me the helmet withou
My stomach dropped. Zayne. Again.A smirk tugged faintly at the corner of his lips as though he had rehearsed this moment and was waiting to see how I’d react. “What kind of a creepy devil are you?”He came fully to view. By the desk, then he raised a thick brow, “Creepy devil?”“I guess my friend’s threat didn’t work on you. What are you doing here?” I shot the question at him. But he didn’t look fazed a bit. “Well, that’s not how to say ‘Thank you’ for helping you out earlier.” His British accent sang.I exhaled. “No one asked for your help. You are to stay away from me.” He tilted his head slightly at the rose still extended between us. “My wrist is starting to ache, so how about you save me the pain and just take it, pretty?”I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. “Do you ever listen when people tell you to back off? And I didn’t peg you as the type who give roses.”Unbothered, Zayne lowered himself onto the edge of the desk in front of me. His presenc
The boy’s smirk curved cruelly as he folded his arms across his chest. His voice was loud enough to gather glances from passing students.“This isn’t about you, sweetheart,” he said to Carol with a scoff. “Shift back and let your precious friend here face us. What do you think, Jeremy’s sister?” My heart gave a painful squeeze in my chest, and it suddenly made sense. This wasn’t random. It was personal. My pulse quickened as heat crawled up my neck.I forced myself to step out from behind Carol. My voice shook but I tried to sound braver than I felt.“Wait…this is about Jeremy, isn’t it?”The boy tilted his chin and jabbed a finger at his friend, the one with the medical neck brace strapped stiffly around him. His skin was pale, and I could see the way he tried to shrink into himself as if ashamed.“It was your stepbrother who did this,” he sneered. “He beat him till he couldn’t stand. Till he had to wear that thing.”The one with the brace shook his head quickly, tugging at his frie
I bore witness as the Chris’ pretty face reddened, my mouth hanging open. I couldn’t believe she had actually slapped him.“What the hell was that for?” He demanded after recovering from shock, his brows furrowed.Even Carol blinked, almost as if she hadn’t realized what she’d done until the sound of the slap echoed back to her. For a heartbeat, she looked startled too. Then her chin lifted, gaze sharpening like she had decided not to regret.“Get your gayish ass off me, Chris.” She warned sternly. If I wasn’t her friend, even I, would be so shaken right now.Chris froze. His lips parted like he was about to say something, but the words stalled. He blinked at her, stunned. “So that’s why you’ve been pulling away and just…actually slapped me?”She turned to face him. “You don’t get to fucking squeeze it as a small deal after your lying ass made me believe I have your cold heart wrapped in my hands. You lied to me!” “Carol…seriously? Instead of jumping to conclusions and lashing out li
It’s been three days since I left my dorm to stay with Carol. I didn’t pack much, just a duffel with clothes, my laptop, and the bare essentials. Carol had been inquisitive more than ever and to escape her numerous questions, I had been spending more time in school and the library, burying myself in coursework that I didn’t need several hours to understand. Thankfully, she was not usually in her dorm as well. So we’d barely seen each other.She had only asked me about Jeremy once and I dismissed her. I hadn’t come across Jeremy since the day he dropped me off and left me reeling. Hadn’t seen Zayne either. Sean had called me so many times I was scared he might finally show up at my dorm unannounced, only he wouldn’t find me there.I didn’t tell Carol about any of it. I just hoped she would allow me bail. But I was wrong. Today, she was driving me to Kingston’s auto shop. My nineteenth birthday was in two weeks and I had been saving enough to purchase the Audi A5 Coupe I had wanted for