"Don't you dare touch her!" Zayden shouted, his voice slicing through the tense air, followed by a hard punch thrown at the man in front of him.
The man swiftly dodged, and in an instant, the brutal fight began. Ragged breaths, the sound of flesh colliding, and furious growls filled the narrow alley—the same place, where old grudges were born and bloomed into bleeding wounds.
Zayden was an enemy. At least, that’s how you saw him.
The troublemaker at school—known for skipping classes, sleeping during lessons, and... being annoyingly disruptive. Especially because he often bothered you when you were trying to concentrate. Whether it was asking for answers, or tossing a paper with some meaningless scribbles on it.
Today, his seat had been empty since morning. You hadn’t seen a glimpse of him at all. No trace, no news. Only silence beside the desk he usually occupied. He was always like that: coming and going like a gust of wind you could never predict.
But what you didn’t know—that morning, Zayden had received a message. A short message from an unknown number:
We’re not done. Bring yourself, or we’ll bring her.
Another school. The boys from Kelana High. The place where Zayden once studied before being expelled after a bloody fight. A place where the one he once called a brother betrayed him for reputation and pride. A place where he got beaten down, blamed for injuring a student, and was eventually transferred.
He thought their grudge had died down. But it hadn't.
After school, you walked along the narrow path you usually took. The sun had already disappeared behind rooftops. The atmosphere was quiet, too quiet.
Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed you from behind.
You screamed, but the sound was swallowed by the silence. Your body was dragged into a dark alley. A group of thugs stood there, their eyes were filled with hatred.
"That sweet face—Zayden's girl," one of them muttered. "Let’s see if he still smiles after this."
Before you could say a word, a hard slap landed on your cheek. One... two... and more. You could only cover your head, your body limp and helpless.
They thought you were his girlfriend. They thought you were the one who could make Zayden weak. And they were right—even though you didn’t know it.
You walk into your house, bruises all over your body, tears all over your cheeks.
You suddenly see him, your enemy. He had a smirk plastered on his face. That smirk vanished the moment he saw your bruised body and tear-stained cheeks.
You suddenly started to lose consciousness. But before you hit the hard ground, you felt two strong arms catch you.
"I've got you, darling. I've got you." Were the last words you heard before the darkness took over.