Chapter 2

Upon reading the name Adrian Marquez, I was immediately struck with awe. It was hard to fathom that such a perfect specimen of a person actually existed. I watched in slow-motion as the rest of the classroom faded into the background, and all that remained in my vision were his arms holding me close.

His hands were firmly supporting my back and cradling my head. Time seemed to stand still as he slowly helped me to my feet, and I found myself unable to move or tear my gaze away from him. It felt as if my body had been frozen, captivated by his piercing stare.

I nervously tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear and smoothed down my skirt with shaky hands. Trying to muster up some courage, I cleared my throat and finally found the strength to speak. "Thank you... Mr. Adrian Marquez," I managed to utter, still mesmerized by his striking features.

"Step aside," he commanded in a stern tone, but rather than obeying his words, I remained rooted to the spot, my eyes fixed on his face, unable to look away.

"I said, step aside!" he reiterated, his voice sounding more demanding this time, jolting me back to reality and compelling me to do as he instructed.

At that moment, I regretted the thoughts I had just had about him. It became clear to me that he was only good-looking on the surface. He was not the person I had expected him to be; in fact, he was rude.

"Oh! I'm sorry," I quickly apologized, bowing my head slightly in remorse. "I'm so sorry."

"I never knew that walking backwards is fun," he retorted sarcastically before taking his seat.

Anxiety gripped me, and I felt a lump forming in my throat. The situation seemed threatening, and I understood why Paul had looked so alarmed earlier. Perhaps I had inadvertently crossed paths with the most dangerous person in this school, and in the next few seconds, my life could be in danger.

As I watched Adrian proceed to his own seat, Paul quietly approached me. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. I nodded in response, but my eyes remained locked on Adrian. "Are you sure?" Paul pressed, and I could only shake my head in response, unable to tear my gaze away from him.

"Paul, I'm sorry, could you repeat what you were saying?" I asked, my eyes blinking rapidly as I tried to collect myself and move past the previous incident.

In response, he leaned in so close that it almost made my eyes cross. "I can tell you're not okay, Bea," he said, examining my eyes. I furrowed my brow and playfully poked his forehead with my index finger. "Ow!" he exclaimed, covering his temple. "What was that for?" he asked, slightly puzzled.

I chuckled and teased, "Silly! Can't you see that I'm perfectly fine?" I asked, but he was still rubbing his forehead, so I returned to my seat.

Furthermore, I glanced back at the rude guy and thankfully, his seat was quite far from mine, so I felt a little safer. However, the class went on until lunchtime.

Unfortunately, I could not focus on the lessons because I felt increasingly uncomfortable. Every time I stole a glance at him, I caught him already staring at me, as if he had evil intentions.

Lunchtime arrived, and Paul informed me that he needed to meet up with his friends, so he had to leave me to eat alone. He even offered to introduce me to his friends, but I declined.

So here I am now, all by myself in the locker room. I'm arranging my things while humming, but I have no appetite to eat my lunch.

I feel confident enough to sing because no one else is present in the locker room. Closing my eyes, I let myself feel the music in my head when suddenly, "AHH!" I screamed and instinctively stepped back as my locker door slammed shut, and a person popped out right in front of me.

"What on earth?" I exclaimed. It was the very person I didn't want to see. "Adrian Marquez?" I asked in shock. "What in the world is your problem?"

He simply chuckled, oozing with self-importance. "Of course, you know my name. I'm quite popular," he said, being completely full of himself.

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief at the guy in front of me. "Excuse me, sir, I read your name tag a while ago, that's why," I murmured to myself sarcastically. It was hard to take him seriously.

He was leaning casually on my locker, his tie loose and his coat untucked, giving off the aura of a rebellious bad boy. "Adrian Marquez is too formal, you know. Just call me Ian," he said with a smirk.

Rolling my eyes, I put my hands on my waist and faced him, ready to dismiss whatever he wanted. "Whatever. What do you need?" I asked, trying to sound unbothered.

"Give me your money," he demanded, suddenly straightening up and adopting a more serious posture.

I could not help but burst out laughing. "What?! Are you a grade schooler?!?" I couldn't believe this guy was attempting to rob me.

Before I knew it, my laughter was interrupted by a jolt of pain in my back as my locker door slammed shut behind me. I realized that Ian had grabbed me and powerfully pinned me against the locker, trapping me with his arms. I couldn't move, and his proximity was making me extremely uncomfortable.

"Just hand it over," he said through gritted teeth, the seriousness in his voice matching the force with which he held me.

I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, to yell at him for his audacity. But the words could not seem to escape my lips as I locked eyes with him, frustration and confusion evident in my gaze.

"Don't you dare make me wait, Miss," he growled impatiently, his impatience sparking an anger within me.

Realizing that he was rummaging through my pockets in search of my wallet, I could not contain my rage any longer. "What are you doing?!" I shouted, my voice filled with a mix of anger and indignation. His invasion of my personal space and touchiness were crossing all the boundaries. Without thinking, I mustered up all the strength I had and pushed him away forcefully. "Pervert!" I yelled, my fist making contact with his face, resulting in an instant stream of blood from his nose. He wiped it off with his bare hands, but it was clear that my actions had only provoked him further.

At that moment, I knew I had to escape before things escalated even more. Without a second thought, I turned and sprinted as fast as my legs would carry me. I didn't care where I was going or what direction I took. All that mattered was putting as much distance between me and Ian as possible.

The fear of what might happen if I didn't get away pushed me to run faster, disregarding everything else around me. The thought of losing my life forced every ounce of energy in my body to keep me moving forward—away from danger, away from him.