Chapter 134 I’m Hurting Too

Chapter 134 I’m Hurting Too
Liam POV

I stood inside the bathroom, scrubbing a dry towel over my damp hair. Steam still hung thick in the warm air.

CLICK.

The front door latch snapped open down the hall, followed by a heavy slam against the frame.

I stopped rubbing my hair, holding the towel frozen in my hands. Nobody was supposed to be in the house at this time.

"Elena?" I called out from inside the bathroom, raising my voice toward the open doorway. "Elena, is that you?"

Silence.

"Elena!"

I listened closely, but no footsteps sounded down the hallway, and no voice answered back.

When no reply came, I wrapped the towel tightly around my waist, pushed the bathroom door open, and walked straight into my bedroom.

Daniel was sitting right there in the wooden chair beside my desk. He was hunched forward, staring blankly at the floorboards, his right hand clenched tightly around something hidden in his palm. His knuckles were completely white.

I stopped near the foot of my bed, pulling the towel off my shoulders. "Daniel? What are you doing in my room?"

Daniel didn't lift his head. His shoulders remained locked, his jaw clenching hard.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," I said, taking a slow step toward the desk.

"Don't come closer," Daniel said. His tone was deadpan and cold.

I let out a short laugh, continuing forward. "Right. What kind of joke is this?"

I extended my right hand to grab his shoulder, but before my fingers hit his shirt, Daniel exploded up out of the chair. Both of his palms slammed straight into my chest.

The weight of the shove caught my heels against the edge of the rug. I stumbled backward three full steps, my spine hitting hard against the bedroom wall.

"Hey!" I yelled, planting my feet to regain my balance. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Daniel didn't utter a single word. He shot me one dark glance, whipped around toward the open doorway, and walked straight out of the room.

I remained pressed against the wall, breathing heavily. I crossed over to the desk, scanning the empty chair, the wooden legs, and the surface of the desk around it. Everything looked untouched.

"What is going on with him?" I muttered, shaking my head.

​I pulled a dry shirt over my head, pulled out my desk chair, and sat down right in front of my study desk. I opened my notebook, picked up a pen, and tried to focus on studying right there in my room.

The main corridor was jammed with students moving between classes. Locker doors rattled shut, and bodies pushed past each other down the narrow walkway.

I stood in front of my open locker, unzipping my backpack to organize my books. I reached up to the top shelf and slid out a heavy textbook to find my notebook inside.

A hand slapped down onto my shoulder.

I flinched, slamming the textbook shut and spinning around.

Zayn was leaning his back against the locker right next to mine, clutching his bag strap.

"Dude," Zayn said, bending his head closer and lowering his voice. "I just heard something crazy. I need you to confirm it right now."

I rested a hand over my chest, letting out a heavy breath. "What is that, that makes you give me a heart attack before first period?"

"What kind of superstition or magic power does Elena have?" Zayn asked, watching me closely. "Since you're her friend, you have to know, right?"

My eyebrows pulled down tight. "What are you talking about?"

"Marcus and his friends have been saying it since morning," Zayn said, taking another step in. "They're saying she had some weird magic and can fly—"

"Stop talking nonsense!" I shouted.

My voice cut loudly through the corridor. Panic spiked instantly in my chest. I turned my head fast, scanning left and right down the crowded hallway, checking every face and ear nearby to make sure no other students had overheard what Zayn just said.

"Elena doesn't have any powers," I said, dropping my voice sharp and tight while clutching my textbook against my side. "You know it's Marcus's daily job to find problems where there are none. Stop listening to him."

Zayn threw his hands up in defense. "Alright, fine. But where’s Daniel? I haven't seen him in school today."

"I don't know," I said, tapping my phone screen to check the display. "His number isn't reachable."

Zayn waved a hand and turned away, blending straight into the thick crowd heading down the hall.

I stared down at the screen. Zero bars. I shoved the device deep into my pocket, the cold weight in my gut heavy and tight.

The afternoon sun hit the concrete as I walked out through the school gates onto the sidewalk.

"He hasn't replied to my text," I said, pulling the phone out once more to glare at the silent screen. "He was behaving so strangely yesterday... I hope nothing happened to him."

I kept walking, but when no voice answered beside me, I came to a complete stop on the pavement. I locked the screen, turned my head, and looked over.

"What?" I asked, a small smile pulling at my lip. "Are you worried because he likes you?"

I didn't wait for a response. I turned my face back toward the road and resumed walking forward at a slow, deliberate pace, shoving both hands into my pants pockets.

"How did you know?" a voice asked from behind, followed by fast, shuffling footsteps catching up to my shoulder.

"There's nothing I don't know," I said smoothly, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead on the road.

I kept my stride even, listening to the quiet silence between us.

"Did you tell him how you feel?" I asked.

"Somehow," a quiet mutter came from right next to me, almost swallowed by the noise of a passing car.

"Look," I said, slowing down my steps so the pace stayed comfortable. "It's okay to confess your feelings to someone. But you need to be direct and clear when you respond to how they feel."

I kept my gaze forward, letting the words settle.

"That way," I continued, "the other party won't have high expectations or end up feeling bad about it later."

A soft, heavy sigh sounded beside me. "Daniel must be hurting with the way I rejected him, right?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, turning my body completely around to step straight into the middle of the sidewalk path, blocking the way.

"I'm hurting too," I said.