"Care to tell me what happened in the ground?" Mr. Brown looked in Adam's eyes and he just shrugged carelessly. The grey orbs of Mr. Brown shifted to my face and I gulped with fear. "Miss. King! Will you tell me who started the fight?" he asked, chewing his words. A large frown was etched on his already serious face, making him looked scarier. I mean, who could blame him. His teenage son was in school dispensary while the two people who were responsible for his condition were seated in front of him in his own office. "Who started the fight Alicia?" he asked again, his eyes bored into mine. "A.. Adam." I whispered. "But he didn't-" Before I could explain the reason, he had already moved to Adam. "After all this time, you still can't stop yourself. I thought you would have understood by now." His words were followed by a disappointed sigh but weirdly, the disappointment was not directed at Adam. "What I did to Noah has nothing to do with you." Adam leaned forwards and propped his elbows on Principal's desk. For a minute, both pair of grey eyes glared into each other. Mr. Brown was the first one to look away. "Look son-" "You don't get to call me son." Adam growled loudly and stood up in a swift. "You are not my father. Nor will you ever be." I couldn't understand why Adam reacted that way. He looked like he was about to explode with anger. A vein in his neck popped out and he stomped out of his office without speaking anything else. After he left, I shifted my gaze to Mr. Brown. His eyes were brimming with sadness and something resembling guilt. After a moment, he coughed and turned his face back to me. "Please don't punish him for this. It all happened because of me." I reasoned. "Don't worry. I won't punish him." Mr. Brown sighed and opened a file placed in front of him. When he didn't talk to me for few minutes, I excused myself and stand up to leave. "He is a nice guy Alicia. Try to be his friend and you won't be disappointed." Mr. Brown spoke when I was leaving his office. After nodding, I exited his office and closed the door behind me. ... For the next whole week, nothing significant happened in my life except the membership interviews for school's music club. Adam had returned to his old dry, arrogant self and Noah had been trying to earn my forgiveness by making small gestures. It was Saturday night again. It had been a week since that club night, a week since I stepped inside Adam's room and almost a week since I last talked to him. After doing my Literature assignment, I jumped out of my bed and stretched my legs. Wrapping my hoodie around me tightly, I strolled towards the window and slid the curtains aside. And then I watched something that made my eyes widen like saucers. Adam was clung to the pipe present beside his window. With fast, careful movements, he crawled down with the help of the pipe. When the distance between him and the ground was less than five feet, he jumped on the ground without making any noise. The scene would have been funny if I weren't baffled to my wits. I knew something was not right. Those rumors, the injuries of Adam's body, sneaking outside at nights, almost choking a guy to death. Any same person would be able to make the connections. Either he is in trouble or he is trouble. He ran towards his bike which was parked at the other corner of the street. Settling on it, he tried to start it. If the history was any significant, it would take him at least five minutes to get it started. Enough time to follow him! A sane voice in my head insisted that it was a bad idea but I owed Adam that much. If he was in any mess, I needed to find out. If there was any way I could help him, I needed to find out. After all, he saved me that night. Picking up my car key from the dressing table, I rushed downstairs. Dad won't be home till 11 and I'll be back by then. Closing the main gate behind myself, I slid inside my car and revved the engine. I felt like a stalker. I drove past the crowded roads and the night life area. I could see Adam's bike at a distance. He was wearing a helmet so I couldn't see his face. I tried my best to keep my pace with him. The area had now shifted into a creepy, secluded one. From the side view, I watched some shady men and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. They had face tattoos and piercing, even their outfits looked dangerous. I increased my speed in order to catch Adam but I couldn't find his bike anywhere. Fear crept into my insides and I turned my car to the opposite direction. I might be a little stupid but I am not completely cray-cray. I had driven only few meters when the car stopped suddenly. I pushed the accelerator few more times but it didn't start. Sighing in desperation, I exited the car and looked around myself. Thankfully, there was nobody around. But the frightening silence prevailed in the deserted street was enough to make me shudder. I was trying to call Dad when some footsteps alarmed me. From the corner of the street, I saw two guys walking towards me. I would have asked them for help if it was not for the guns in their hands. With widened eyes and sweaty palms, I tiptoed to the side of my car which was against the wall. I bent down and clamped my mouth shut, making sure I was not visible to them. After I was sure they had left the street, I trudged forwards and looked around. But before I could use my mobile again, a hand gripped my wrist and someone pinned me to the wall. "Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God." I chanted without opening my eyes, my heart thumped inside my chest. "Please don't kill me. Please. Please dont-" "Ssshhh" a person whispered and I opened my eye, only to meet with Adam's smoldering one. I gulped the saliva down my throat, my knees wobbled due to the anxiety. He looked around to make sure there was nobody around and then leaned closer to me until I could feel his breath on my lips. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he fumed, still holding my body static against the wall. I could feel every contour of his body against mine. There were small tingles appearing on my cheeks and heat was creeping up my neck. I was sure I would have been red by now. "I.. I was just passing by." I said, breathless. "Stop lying." he seethed and I bit my lower lip to stop it from trembling. Bad move I guess because his eyes wandered to my lips and I felt butterflies in my stomach. "Uh.. I.. I don't.." I tried to form a sentence but his proximity and heated gaze was affecting my mind. He didn't step away. Instead, he leaned more into me when another pair of men passed by us. He made sure that they won't see my face. By now, I was breathing so hard and my face felt like it was boiling. When those men had walked way past us, Adam stepped away and I exhaled loudly. Adam ran towards his bike and started it. He stopped when he was in front of me and patted the seat behind him. I gaped at him with wide eyed when I understood what he was pointing at. "I'm not riding this piece of trash." I stated and then felt bad at my choice of words. "No offense to its owner but this bike is like free death warrant." "Don't test my patience Alicia." he said dryly and started the bike... Well, tried. "But my car?" I reasoned. "I'll bring it back tomorrow." he countered. I contemplated for a minute and then locked my car. If I was destined to die tonight, I would prefer dying in Adam's presence, not by being stabbed by an evil gangster. With shaky hands, I held Adam's shoulder and settled on his bike. After few failed attempts, it finally started and we were soon out of this creepy area. For the first few minutes, I kept a reasonable distance between us but when the speed increased, my hands automatically snaked around his waist and I held him tightly. It was just an instinct, nothing else. I felt his rock solid abs clench under my touch. My thighs were touching his legs and the front of my body was clung to his back. Adam's torso was surprisingly warm in the chilly air and he smelled wonderful, something like woods and rain. A strange desire to nuzzle my neck in the crook of his neck erupted in my heart and I scolded myself for such thoughts. I wanted to back away but I couldn't. Because I was afraid I would fell down the minute I'd let him go. With every passing second, I was getting more and more affected by his presence. I don't know if he felt it or not, but being so close to him did something to my heart. So when he stopped his bike in front of our houses, I felt so relieved. Without speaking anything, I rushed inside my house. After almost half an hour spent on his bike, I was finally able to breathe but the next moment, every inch of relief washed away from my body when I found Dad waiting for me in the living room. "Care to explain what you were doing with Adam at this time?" he asked when I saw him. Fuck. ________________________