Chapter 9

When we reached Chloe and Sophia, they were already deep in conversation, but as soon as they saw us, Sophia grinned.

"There you are!" she said. "We were about to send out a search party."

Chloe leaned against her locker, smirking. "Or at least a missing persons alert."

I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway. "We were literally right behind you guys."

Lucas opened his locker next to mine, pulling out his books. "Yeah, we got held up outside."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Ooooh, by who? Someone special?"

I froze for half a second before realizing she was just teasing Lucas, not me. He groaned, shoving his math book into his bag.

"My mom, obviously."

Sophia snorted. "You say that Diana isn't, like, the sweetest person ever."

"Yeah, well, she also tells me to have a good day really loudly in front of the entire school."

Chloe laughed. "That's just called being a good mom, Lucas."

I stayed quiet, trying to blend into the conversation without actually having to speak. My nerves were still buzzing under my skin, and I could barely focus. The thought of Tom showing up at any second made my stomach turn.

I stared at my locker, pretending to look for something. Just breathe. Just get through the day.

"Adrian?"

I snapped out of it. Chloe was looking at me, tilting her head. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said quickly. "Just tired."

Lucas glanced at me but didn't say anything. Maybe he knew I wasn't telling the whole truth, but I wasn't about to explain.

Before anyone could question me further, the warning bell rang, making everyone groan.

"Ugh, here we go," Sophia muttered, grabbing her bag. "Guess we actually have to learn now."

"Tragic," Chloe agreed, linking her arm with Sophia's as they walked off toward their class.

Lucas and I had our first period together, so we started heading that way. But as we rounded the corner, I spotted a familiar face further down the hall.

Tom.

He was standing near his locker, laughing at something his friend said, completely oblivious to me. But that didn't matter. Just seeing him sent a chill down my spine.

My heartbeat picked up. My hands curled into fists before I forced them to relax. I turned my head, trying to focus on anything else. Maybe if I just ignored him, he wouldn't—

"Adrian!"

My stomach dropped. I knew that voice too well.

I kept walking, pretending I didn't hear, but Lucas slowed down beside me, confused.

Tom's voice came again, this time closer. "Wow, didn't think I'd see you back here."

I clenched my jaw, but before I could say anything, Lucas turned around.

"What do you want, Tom?" His tone was sharp, defensive.

Tom smirked, leaning against the lockers like he had all the time in the world. "Relax, Scott. Just surprised, that's all. Though maybe he finally transferred to, I don't know, a fat camp or something."

I felt my whole body go cold.

Lucas stepped forward before I could stop him. "Shut up, Tom."

Tom held up his hands in mock surrender. "Whoa, no need to get worked up. Just making conversation."

I forced my feet to move, tugging on Lucas's sleeve. "Come on, let's go."

Lucas hesitated but followed me. Tom didn't say anything else, but I could still feel his smirk burning into my back as we walked away.

Lucas was fuming. "I swear, if he—"

"Just forget it," I muttered. "It's not worth it."

Lucas frowned but didn't argue.

We walked into class just as the final bell rang, and I slid into my seat, my heart still racing. I kept my head down, trying to push away the memory of Tom's voice, the way he looked at me like I was still the same easy target I used to be.

But no matter how hard I tried, the words stuck.

"Fat camp."

I stared at my desk, swallowing hard.

Maybe today was going to be terrible after all.

First period passed in a blur. I barely paid attention to the lesson, too busy replaying Tom's words over and over in my head. Fat camp. Like it was some big joke to him. Like I hadn't spent years trying to get his voice out of my head.

Lucas sat next to me, glancing over every now and then like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Probably because he knew I wouldn't want to talk about it. I appreciated that.

Second period was better. At least Tom wasn't in any of my classes. I could actually breathe without worrying about him popping up behind me. Chloe and I sat together in history, where she kept making dramatic sighs about how boring the lesson was.

"Adrian, if I suddenly collapse from sheer boredom, just leave me here. Let me become one with the floor."

I snorted. "Noted."

She smirked. "Good. Just tell Sophia I loved her."

That made me laugh, which helped distract me for a while.

By third period, I started to relax a little. Tom still hadn't shown up anywhere, which meant maybe I could get through today without dealing with him again.

But the second the bell rang and we started walking toward lunch, I felt the nerves creeping back. My eyes kept flicking around the hallway, searching every face.

Lucas nudged me. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

Chloe, walking on my other side, gave me a knowing look. "You're looking for him, aren't you?"

I stiffened. "Who?"

She sighed. "Adrian, come on. We all know Tom is a massive jerk. If he's bothering you, you should just tell your brothers."

I shook my head immediately. "No way. They're already overprotective as it is."

Lucas scoffed. "For good reason."

"They don't need to know," I muttered. "It's not a big deal."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Right. Not a big deal at all."

I ignored her and kept walking.

By the time we got to the cafeteria, my stomach was twisting in knots—not from hunger, but from nerves. I grabbed a tray, loading it up with a salad and some fruit. I added some grilled chicken to the salad, mostly because I knew someone would comment if I didn't.

But as I sat down, I just stared at it.

I hadn't eaten anything this morning. I knew that meant my brothers would probably be on my case later, but the thought of food just made my stomach turn.

Chloe noticed. "Adrian," she said, her voice low.

I sighed. "I'm eating."

She didn't look convinced. "Mmhmm. Sure."

I picked at my salad, pushing the chicken to the side. If I ate the lettuce and fruit, maybe no one would notice I left the rest.

Lucas sat down next to me, his own tray piled high. "You better eat, man. You know Easton's gonna make you have a huge dinner if you don't."

I frowned. "I'm not that hungry."

Sophia, who had just joined us, raised an eyebrow. "Not hungry? You didn't even have breakfast."

Lucas groaned. "Oh, man, Easton is gonna force feed you tonight."

I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything. I just kept my head down, hoping they'd drop it.

But even as I picked at my food, my mind wasn't really on the conversation. I was still thinking about Tom. Still wondering when if he was going to show up again.

And if I was going to be able to handle it when he did.

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Word count: 1216

Hey Guys Thanks for reading this story so please be nice and kind. I am sorry if there are any spelling mistakes or bad grammar.

Thanks for reading my ninth chapter and please vote and leave a comment.

More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*