Chapter 44 Friendship In Between
As soon as Oliver and I stepped out of the school building, we headed toward the Quiet Dorm. Oliver led the way, shoulders relaxed but purposeful, while I followed closely behind, flowers still cradled in my arms.
We barely made it past the courtyard when the scene ahead snapped our steps to a halt.
Sheriff Fitzroy was guiding Marcus into his patrol car.
“No,” I breathed, stepping forward on instinct, the word trembling with protest in my throat.
But Oliver’s hand shot out, catching mine. In one swift motion, he pulled me back behind him, boots grinding slightly against gravel as he anchored us both away from the scene.
“No, Lexie,” he warned, leaning down slightly so only I could hear. “We can’t go closer.”
“But they can’t just take him like that!” I protested, voice cracking upward before I forced it back down.
Oliver’s lips twitched into a lopsided smirk as he glanced at the car again. “His hands aren’t cuffed, Lexie. Breathe.” He tapped a finger lightly to his temple. “He’s not being arrested. The sheriff probably just wants answers too.”
I exhaled sharply, chest tightening anyway. “We still need to see him.”
Oliver arched a brow, head tilting in that slow, unconvinced way he always did when he thought I was being dramatic. “And how exactly do you plan to do that?”
“We go as his friends,” I reasoned, stepping beside him again, voice steadier now. “The sheriff will allow that.”
Oliver opened his mouth, but then sighed instead, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe. But you still won’t be allowed to leave school grounds.”
Right. Gravenmoor’s rules.
I turned away from the gate, gaze lingering on the patrol car as it rolled out, tires humming low against the road. The moment it vanished behind the academy gates, the silence that followed felt personal, almost accusatory.
“I know a way.”
My head whipped back to him. “You do?”
He nodded once. “But we’ll have to go through the woods. It’ll make the trip long.”
“I don’t care,” I said immediately, already turning toward the orchard path. “As long as we see Marcus.”
He huffed a quiet laugh and followed, catching up with two long strides until he was walking beside me.
Gravenmoor’s second orchard was the border between campus and forest, tall wildflowers swaying like sentinels, the air perfumed with crushed petals and damp earth. The path ahead narrowed into the same trail Adrian once showed me when he took me to his art house in the woods.
I was walking in front now, not behind.
“Have you been here before?” Oliver asked, skepticism painted lightly over his tone.
“Yes,” I replied.
He smirked again. “And how does a new student know this path?”
“Through someone,” I answered with a smile I couldn’t hide.
He scoffed dramatically, hands flying upward. “Don’t tell me… it was that psycho?”
I lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “What psycho?” I countered, pretending innocence, though I knew exactly who he meant. I wanted to hear him say it himself.
“Oh please, what’s his name again?” he drawled, rolling his eyes skyward. “Adrian.”
I exhaled and repeated, quieter but firm, “There’s nothing wrong with Adrian.”
“Nothing wrong?” he echoed, almost scoffing. He took a step closer, shoulders rising slightly as if bracing himself for the argument he didn’t want. “You and I both know—” he corrected himself quickly, rubbing the back of his neck once, “I mean you especially know that guy is not… normal.”
He gestured vaguely with one hand, palm turning upward like he was listing evidence that didn’t need a courtroom. “He doesn’t act like a normal person, even if he has two eyes, two legs, and two arms. He carries himself like he’s part of some unsolved mystery—dark, distant, always brooding. He barely speaks to anyone. I’m still trying to process the fact that he even speaks to you.”
He paused briefly, then added, almost as an afterthought, “And he once had a thing with the principal’s daughter…”
I blinked once, confused, the name slipping from me before I could stop it. “Naomi?”
Oliver had already turned halfway, taking a few steps away from me. He stopped when I wasn’t beside him and turned back around, shrugging both shoulders lightly. “What?”
I stepped closer, boots brushing softly against the ground.
“You mean Adrian and Naomi dated?” I asked, gaze steady, but something flickering beneath it.
He blinked once, face blank but confused by my confusion. “Why are you so shocked?”
“No, nothing,” I said quickly, cheeks warming. “It’s just… Adrian doesn’t look like someone who would date a girl like Naomi.” The moment the words escaped me, I startled at myself.
Oliver burst into laughter, loud enough to echo through the trees. He bent forward slightly, palm bracing on his knee, laughter shaking his frame.
I balled a fist and shoved his chest repeatedly, playful but peppered with real annoyance. “Oliver. Oliver. Oliver—”
“Ow—stop—Lexie!” he wheezed between laughs, catching my wrist. “That actually hurts!”
“Stop laughing! I’m serious.”
He inhaled a deep breath and straightened, but his grin lingered like a ghost of laughter he was still swallowing. “Okay, okay. Continue.”
I continued walking again.
“You have a crush on Adrian, don’t you?” he teased, leaning a little closer, arms folding.
“Ugh,” I groaned, eyes squeezing shut briefly. “Forget it.”
“Sorry,” he laughed lightly, hands spreading in surrender. “I just needed to be sure.”
“You know what?” I said, halting again.
He straightened, eyebrows lifting. “What?”
“We should stop talking and focus on our destination,” I said, adjusting my bag strap over my shoulder before resuming the march forward.
“Oh, now she wants to be professional,” he muttered, amusement sparking again.
“Come on, Double L,” he coaxed, jogging slightly until he was beside me again, hands still raised. “I was just having fun. I mean—joking. Sorry.”