Chapter 29 It Seems the Little Cat Is Not Afraid.
Adrian
Nothing inside my head felt stable.
Calls kept flooding my phone one after another, the screen lighting up nonstop, yet every single one was ignored.
By the time we reached campus, exhaustion had already settled deep into my bones.
Pale skin. Heavy eyes.
Even my hand trembled slightly at my side.
Fingers pushed roughly through my hair before my gaze shifted toward Marcus.
“Wait for me here… I’ll go wash my face and come back.”
Worry crossed his expression.
“Are you okay? You really do not look okay, Adrian. Should we go to the nurse? Your face looks terrible.”
A faint smile touched the corner of my lips.
“I’m fine… I just need cold water.”
Resignation slipped into his sigh.
“Alright… I’ll wait here.”
Old pipes groaned inside the abandoned-looking bathroom building as I stepped in. Cold water splashed harshly against my face again and again, but the pounding inside my skull refused to calm down.
Before I could even breathe properly, a voice echoed behind me.
“You’re the one who beat Ryan… right?”
My eyes lifted toward the mirror first before I turned around slowly.
Ryan’s little companion from that night.
Cold amusement curled across my lips.
“Answer me. I’m talking to you.”
Boredom settled heavily inside my chest.
A slow glance moved toward him.
“Yes… it was me. What about it?”
For a moment, the guy completely froze.
No denial. No panic. No excuses.
Just a casual confession, like we were discussing the weather outside.
Anger quickly replaced the shock on his face.
“Why would you do that? Ryan is in serious condition.”
Quiet laugh escaped me.
“And? Am I supposed to care?”
Tension visibly tightened his fist.
“If you admit it so easily, why didn’t you tell the administration?”
Mockery flickered in my eyes.
“And since you know who did it… why didn’t you report me yourself?”
Frustration twisted across his face.
“Because nobody believes me! Every time I say you were the last person with him in the bathroom, they act like you don’t even exist.”
Step after step carried me closer to him.
Enough for his body to react instinctively.
Retreat.
Another step.
Then another.
“Do you want to join your friend?”
My voice lowered dangerously.
“Because I can arrange that very easily.”
Fear flashed across his expression while he swallowed hard.
“Why are you doing this?”
Crooked smile slowly appeared on my face.
“Because I want to.”
Dark amusement settled inside my gaze as I leaned slightly closer.
“Stay out of my way. If I decide to focus on you, I’ll chase you even inside your dreams.”
Wall tiles pressed against his back once retreat became impossible.
Meanwhile, I simply watched him… almost entertained by the fear growing in his eyes.
Clicked.
Nice smile spread across my lips.
“Ah… now I get it.”
Confusion mixed with panic on his face.
“What?”
Laughter slipped from me again.
“You like Ryan… don’t you?”
Shock instantly widened his eyes.
“What?!”
“My God…”
Another mocking laugh followed.
“I seriously do not understand you gays. How can someone even be attracted to another man?”
Color immediately drained from his face.
“I-I’m not like that.”
One eyebrow lifted coldly.
“Then why were you staring at my lips earlier?”
Embarrassment became painfully obvious the moment he looked away.
That reaction only made me laugh harder.
“Is the princess shy now?”
Still silent.
His reactions were amusing.
“I understand, though. I am handsome.”
Mockery sharpened my tone.
“But unfortunately for you, I’m not interested in gays.”
Slow glance traveled from head to toe before another smirk appeared.
“And judging by your appearance… you’re definitely the submissive type.”
Pure shock covered his face while laughter echoed through the bathroom again.
“I beat Ryan, yes. But I’m pretty sure he likes women, so stop wasting your feelings on someone like that.”
His lowered gaze confirmed enough already.
My words hit exactly where they were supposed to.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
“I don’t know… it just happens.”
Coldness immediately returned to my expression.
“Do I look like a psychiatrist to you?”
Nervousness tightened his posture again.
Another step brought me closer.
“If you don’t want your secret spreading around campus, stay away from me.”
My voice dropped lower.
“Otherwise everyone will know you’re obsessed with Ryan.”
“I’m not obsessed!”
“Yes, you are.”
The words came out flat and merciless.
A mocking chuckle followed right after.
“And if my mood were slightly better today, I would’ve sent you straight to hell already.”
My smile deepened.
“Seems like the perfect place for people like you.”
Hesitation lingered in his eyes before he finally spoke again.
“Why do you hate us this much?”
Soft laughter filled the silence.
“You haven’t even seen half the hatred I carry.”
Closer again.
Enough for my whisper to make his entire body stiffen.
“If it were up to me… I’d burn every single one of you while watching.”
Real fear settled into his eyes after that.
“And if you’re truly convinced this is normal…”
My gaze stayed locked onto him.
“Then why hide it? Because deep down you already know society will crush you for it.”
A faint smirk crossed my face.
“So keep it secret if you want a peaceful life.”
Only stared at me.
Not like I was human.
Like I was something else entirely.
The question left his lips quietly.
“Who exactly are you?”
A sideways smile appeared while I turned my back to him.
“Me? Just a student.”
Cardboard slid from my pocket before landing near his feet.
“Go visit this psychiatrist.”
Mockery laced every word.
“Maybe he can fix your tendencies.”
Without waiting for another response, I walked out of the bathroom as though nothing had happened.
\---
Outside, admiration filled Marcus’s eyes while he stared at the massive university campus.
“Wow… this place is actually beautiful.”
His phone was already out, ready to take pictures, when several young men suddenly approached him.
Uncomfortable smiles stretched across their faces.
One of them stepped forward first.
“Finally found you alone.”
Confusion pulled Marcus’s brows together.
“Who are you? I think you got the wrong person.”
A mocking laugh came immediately.
“No. I never make mistakes.”
Seriousness slowly replaced the confusion on Marcus’s face.
“W.. who exactly are you?”
“Think of me as just a random guy passing by.”
Annoyance slipped into Marcus’s voice.
“And what does this random guy want?”
Their distance shortened slightly as the young man moved closer.
“Who are you exactly for me to spend all this time following you around?”
Confusion returned again.
“You’re Adrian’s friends?”
Laughter erupted from the entire group even though nothing about the question was funny.
“Of course we are.”
Mockery dripped from his tone.
“But who are you? We’ve never seen you around him before.”
Both hands slipped casually into Marcus’s pockets.
“And why should I answer you?”
Amusement crossed the guy’s face.
“Because you have to.”
Marcus studied him carefully.
Red eyes. Constant twitching around his nose. Dark circles beneath exhausted skin.
A real addict.
Annoyance deepened across Marcus’s expression.
“Listen, I don’t know you, and I don’t care what you want. Go ask Adrian yourself.”
Another laugh.
“Unfortunately, I want the answer from you.”
Boredom mixed with irritation inside Marcus’s sigh.
“And why are you so obsessed with Adrian anyway? Maybe because he doesn’t want to hang around people like you.”
That sentence immediately triggered louder laughter from the group.
“Oh… looks like the little cat isn’t afraid.”
Anger flashed through Marcus as he stood up straight.
“What did you say?”
Aggressive footsteps closed the distance between them.
“I said you’re a whore.”
Shock lasted less than a second.
Marcus’s fist slammed directly into his face without hesitation.
Blood spilled from the guy’s lip as he crashed onto the ground, holding his cheek in disbelief.
His friends rushed to help him up.
Rage burned visibly inside his eyes now.
knife quickly appeared in his hand.
Everything happened too fast.
Fear locked Marcus in place the moment the blade lunged toward him.
Eyes squeezed shut instinctively.
Before the knife could touch him, my hand closed tightly around the blade.
Warm blood immediately dripped across the ground.
Shock spread across Marcus’s face the second his eyes opened.
There I stood in front of him…
Blood pouring heavily from my hand.