LOGIN"Don't flatter yourself, Klaus.” Adriana responded as she fell into step beside me, her face still flustered and her eyes looking everywhere except at me.I smiled, unable to stop the warmth that spread through my chest at the sight of her.After everything that happened earlier,she was still standing beside me.And for some reason, that meant more to me than I wanted to admit."Hey, Coleman." Tyler and Ryan appeared beside us, shoving themselves between Adriana and me.I let out a scoff, already wanting to punch both of them. "Get your sweaty ass away from her."They ignored me, both of them wearing those annoying smirks they always had whenever they wanted to get on my nerves."Easy, captain," Tyler said, raising his hands. "We just want to say hello to Coleman before we leave."He turned toward Adriana, while Ryan was already asking her how she was doing. "You okay there?" They both tried leaning closer to check her cheek, but I immediately slapped their hands away. "Get your hand
🏑 Klaus's POV 🏑I swung the locker room doors open, stomping inside as the sound of music and loud voices hit me.The boys were everywhere, getting ready for our first regular game of the season. Some were laughing, some were shouting across the room, and others were already hyping themselves up, but none of it reached me.My eyes immediately landed on Sean.He was sitting by his locker, his nose still bruised from where my fist had connected last night, while my own knuckles were wrapped in fresh bandages. A reminder of how quickly things had spiraled out of control again today.And somehow, both times, Adriana had been the reason.I looked away because the truth was, I wasn't worried about Sean nor Molly, my sister.I was worried about Adriana.I knew I had lost control, and that was the part that pissed me off the most. Because whenever it came to Adriana, I always felt like I was one second away from losing my damn mind.I wanted to apologize to Molly. I honestly did.But every
🪝Adriana's POV🪝"It's merely a scratch, Klaus. Will you stop fussing over it?" Ms. Carly, the school nurse, scolded with an eye roll as she applied a soothing balm to my cheek.We were in the school clinic. I sat on one of the beds while Klaus occupied the space beside me, his hand absentmindedly rubbing slow circles against my waist. He'd been doing it ever since we arrived, and judging by the distant look in his eyes, I wasn't even sure he realized it.I glanced down at his hand seeing how fisted his fingers were.His jaw locked tight.He looked like he was inwardly cursing himself.Guilt twisted painfully inside me as everything that had happened replayed through my head."Just make sure it doesn't leave a mark," Klaus muttered, never taking his eyes off my face as he watched Ms. Carly's every movement."That's exactly what I'm doing," she replied with an amused smile. "Now stop hovering so I can finish and you can take your girlfriend out of here."Heat rushed to my face,before I
🪝Adriana's POV 🪝 "You're okay, sweetie?" Mom's voice carried a note of concern as I settled into my chair at the breakfast table the next morning. Her eyes swept over me from head to toe, lingering on my face long enough for my stomach to knot. I forced a smile and reached for the toast. "Yeah." The single word scraped against my throat. Judging by the way she continued studying me, she wasn't buying it. I couldn't blame her. My eyes were swollen from crying myself to sleep after everything that had happened with Klaus. "Are you sure? You look—" "Let her be, dear." Dad interrupted gently before Mom could finish. "She's probably just stressed from school." I looked at him gratefully, mouthing a silent thank you. "Wanting to know if my daughter is okay isn't a crime, Fred," Mom replied, shooting him a look that said she wasn't pleased. Dad simply smiled before leaning closer to me. "She's been on edge because of your sister," he murmured quietly. I nodded. That
🪝 ADRIANA'S POV 🪝The ride was quiet. I kept my eyes on the window and watched the streets move past, feeling him glance at me every few seconds, that prickling warmth on the side of my face that I'd gotten good at recognizing without looking."How's Lily?" he asked, making a turn.I rubbed my palms together in my lap. "She's stable.""Just stable?""She's okay and on bedrest for now." I paused. "She'll be home-schooled for a while so we can monitor her properly."He nodded once. "That's good." And I was grateful he didn't push further, because I didn't have the energy to talk about Lily tonight without falling apart. I'd already cried enough for one evening.The silence settled back between us and I let it.Then he said, "Come watch our first season game tomorrow," and his voice came out softer than I expected, like he'd been turning the words over for a while before deciding to say them."I can't, Klaus."He frowned. "Why not?""Because we're supposed to be keeping distance from e
I rushed into the first room down the hallway and snapped the lock shut behind me, my heart slamming so hard against my ribs it actually scared me. My eyes burned from how much I'd been blinking, trying to hold everything in, and the second the door clicked shut I let my back hit it and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I stared at them like they belonged to someone else. The image of Julia kissing him kept playing on a loop, her hands fisted in his shirt, his hands in his pockets, not pulling her closer, not pushing her away. Just standing there and letting it happen. Some sick, traitorous part of me wanted to go back downstairs and watch the rest of it. Watch whatever that stupid game involves. Like punishing myself with it would somehow make the feeling in my chest go away instead of worse. I dragged myself up onto the bed. I shouldn't be feeling like this. I was the one who said it was a mistake and that we should never do it agai
She shuddered, biting her lip as her eyes glazed over, her hands still fisted in my shirt."How... how do you intend to punish me?"My eyes traced every inch of her face, memorising every curve while storing away every sound that slipped out of her lips. I was selfishly glad no one else could see h
🪝 ADRIANA'S POV🪝 The ride home was wrapped in silence, with Molly chattering about something I wasn't even paying attention to. My mind kept circling the same thought—she’d agreed we’d go to Madison’s party. The same Madison I'd seen with Klaus in the storage room earlier. And worst of all—K
🏑 KLAUS'S POV 🏑 I was pissed off. First, at Dad for bringing up therapy like I was some sick, demented child who couldn't function without some shrink digging through my head. Second, at Coach Leo for taking every opportunity to run to my father to complain instead of handling the team himse
The question hung in the air like a bomb. Molly's head snapped up. "Dad. Really?" Mrs. Brennan's expression shifted to something painful. "Robert—" I looked between the three of them, confused by their reactions. Both women were staring at Mr. Brennan like he'd just said something unforgivable







