"ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴜꜱ "ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʀᴜꜱʜ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ"? ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰʟᴀꜱʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɢʀᴇᴇɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴀᴛ ᴍᴇ? ʜᴀᴠᴇɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴜʀɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴍɪɴᴅꜱ?"

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

⋆·˚ ༘ *

I pride myself on my insatiable curiosity. For me, it was a force that propelled me into uncharted territories. Often, my curiosity is my zeal to get better, to be better than everyone else. It was a flame within me, flickering with a constant desire to understand and unravel. Sometimes, I think that I contain too much of it that it can feel like I'm a bit of an asshole.

With Kyran, my curiosity was a guiding compass. It led me to ask him questions that lingered, pushing some boundaries perhaps and tearing through secrecy. The hypocritical part of it all? I would probably punch somebody for asking me the same.

Curiosity was just a trait, something I just had to embrace.

I followed Kyran back to Greenfield Avenue. I hadn't been there after the last impromptu breakfast invitation that Yashna dragged me to. However, this time it was something I had to hide. Fall was my favorite time of the year. The vibrant foliage painted the neighborhood in hues of red, orange, and gold. It was almost as if nature itself was trying to keep up with Fall's dramatic changes. The trees that surrounded the houses were decorated with bright shades.

We reached Kyran's house a little while later and the only change I noticed was the sprawling lawn. It was scattered with leaves, and the crisp autumn air carried a scent of sweet cinnamon. Probably incense.

Kyran put up a hand to stop me as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a hoodie. He was wearing a t-shirt all day and suddenly, he was wearing layers as we were walking inside his house.

Curiosity.

"You do realize that we're going indoors, right? I'm sure your house is warmer than outside."

He scoffed. "You do realize that my parents don't know about the tattoos, right?"

Realization hit me, and I nodded understandingly. "Right, the tattoos. Got it." I watched Kyran layer up in a white hoodie, hiding the inked artwork that he didn't want his parents to discover. I never knew that this was a side of him that he kept well-guarded, and the apparent secrecy added another layer of complexity to the person I thought I knew.

Also, I wondered how he got away by never wearing short sleeves when he was around his family but, I guess he managed to.

Adjusting his backpack, he approached the front door, and I trailed behind. He knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, the door opened. Emily Drake's familiar face greeted us.

"Hey, Kyran. You're home early!" Emily smiled warmly ushering Kyran inside. Her eyes landed on me, and she reached out to hug me. "Avery! Welcome back."

She looked curiously from me to Kyran while Yashna had arrived at the front door. Before Yashna could say anything, Kyran explained, "Avery's here to hang out with Yashna for tonight. Apparently, Yashna invited her, so I brought Avery along. Right, Yashna?"

Yashna raised an eyebrow, giving Kyran a skeptical look, but she played along. "Yeah, sure. Avery's just here to chill for a bit. We can have a sleepover. Nothing too fancy."

Emily nodded, seemingly oblivious to the awkward exchange. "Well, you're always welcome here, Avery. If you need anything, just let us know."

"Thanks, Emily," I replied, a bit overwhelmed by the unexpected hospitality. Kyran shot me a subtle, reassuring glance, and we followed Yashna up to her room.

Once inside, Yashna closed the door behind us, her expression shifting to immense amusement. "What's going on? Why are you really here? Don't get me wrong, I'm psyched that you're here. But it seems more like you're on Kyran's invitation."

I scoffed. "I'm here to help Kyran with his essay that's due tomorrow. He decided to leave it till the day before and you know me, I'm the fairy godmother, helping him out with everything."

Yashna beamed, her eyes narrowing as if trying to decipher the truth. "Kyran, you really roped Avery into your mess?"

Kyran grinned. "Well, it's not my fault. Ms. Walton hired her, and I desperately need her expertise in well, everything."

Rolling my eyes, I added, "Do your parents go into your rooms? How are we going to pull this off without your parents realizing that I'm not here for Yashna?"

"Ouch," Yashna exclaimed dramatically.

Kyran smiled. "Relax, Aves. My parents rarely come upstairs. And my room will be locked when we're there anyway. We'll be discreet," he said reassuringly, and I nodded in agreement.

Yashna's gaze lingered on us for a moment longer before she shrugged. "Alright, as long as you two don't scream at each other too much and turn my peaceful night into some chaotic drama, I'm good. And, Avery, I know you prefer screaming at Kyran but punch him instead. Less noise."

I laughed at Yashna's playful warning. "Noted. I'll make sure to resort to physical violence instead of verbal one."

With that, Kyran and I left Yashna's room while he double-checked that we were out of his parents' sight. We settled into Kyran's room which was vastly different to Yashna's. While Yashna's room was adorned with vibrant posters of contrasting colors, Kyran's room was minimalistic apart from three framed pictures. One of Notre Dame's football team, another of his football team. The last one, however, caught my eye and I couldn't help but walk towards it.

It was a fluorescent blue poster with C code written on it. It was a very simple computer program, one that showed a message based on various float functions and if-else statements. It was one of those week two assignments that students would get in their first few computer science classes.

I just never believed that Kyran Drake would be interested in computer science. It just felt out of place, almost odd. Then, I mentally punched myself for being so stereotypical and irritating.

Kyran noticed my gaze lingering nowhere else in his room except the one poster that was gleaming vigorously when there were no lights on. I felt his presence behind me as he sighed.

"What's so interesting?" he asked as I continued staring at the same lines of code once again.

"Nothing. I just never expected you to be someone that codes," I answered, immediately feeling bad that I assumed.

"I'm not that good, to be honest. I just do a little bit now and then. You know, if my football career doesn't work out, I always have a backup," he laughed and I moved away from the poster.

"Fair enough."

He switched the lights on and approached his desk, papers, and textbooks spread out. The desk itself was big, but there was a small rectangular empty space in the middle for one notebook perhaps. I raised my eyebrow at Kyran, who pursed his lips.

"Yep, got it. I'll make more space."

Smiling, I made myself comfortable on the floor. "We could just work on it here," I told him as he scrambled his way to clear his things off the table, knocking a few textbooks over. "And, what were you saying about me being clumsy?"

"Shut up."

Triumphant, I stretched out on the floor and checked my phone to see a notification. Eliza.

Have fun at your conference, sis

Thanks, I'll text you later. I'm just in the middle of a presentation.

K :D

She definitely needed me to do something for her.

Kyran brought his laptop and his notebook onto the floor. Sitting beside me, he stretched out as well and groaned. "Right. So, how are we doing this?"

I grabbed my own notebook and pen. "Well, we can start by outlining the main points you want to cover in each section of the essay," I suggested.

Kyran nodded in agreement, "Good idea. What did you write your essay on?"

I elbowed him. "That's called plagiarism."

He smiled to himself and began working on the outline, our initial awkwardness gone. We were more comfortable with one another now, and although tutoring him was an inconvenience, it was also entertaining.

I never thought I'd say those words.

Several hours passed, and the essay started taking shape. Kyran's insights into the subject matter surprised me, and I realized there was more to his knowledge of Macbeth than I thought.

"But, obviously the Witches never told him to do anything. They just alluded to the fact that something might happen but Macbeth's mind was a bit twisted. Can't blame those innocent ladies!" Kyran exclaimed and I laughed at his proclamation.

"Okay, write that down. Just with a bit more, um, fancy vocabulary maybe," I told him, fighting back the laughter.

Kyran rolled his eyes, but he complied, crafting a more refined version of his spontaneous outburst. We continued refining the essay or rather, I made him do it until I was sick of hearing the word 'Macbeth' again.

It took two hours for the essay to reach the third and final point while I pointed out any changes and errors that he may have made. It would most definitely be an A+ essay and I kept that to myself, to prevent any more unwanted inflation of his ego.

"Kyran? Kyran! Your friends are at the door," Emily called upstairs as I heard her footsteps on the stairs. It could be intuition but I think it was because I had to keep an ear out to the stairs in my house in case my mom suddenly appeared in my room.

"Kyran, your mom's coming upstairs," I warned, getting up from the floor as he moved back as well.

"Shit," he whispered, "Why the fuck are my friends here?"

Kyran hastily closed his laptop, and we scrambled to tidy up the scattered papers and textbooks. As we tried to make the room look less like a study zone, Yashna's voice echoed from downstairs.

"Kyran! Open up, man!" his friends called from outside his room and I realized that the footsteps weren't Emily's but actually Kyran's friends.

Kyran shot me a panicked look, and I motioned toward the window. "I could just...jump? It doesn't look more than 10 feet," I said, looking at the fall.

He glared at me, and I saw anger flash through his eyes for a few seconds. "You want to fucking jump out of the window?" he asked slowly.

I hesitated, his voice scaring me. I retreated slightly, raising my hands defensively. "I... I was kidding. Bad joke. Sorry."

Kyran's expression softened, and he shook his head, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Jesus, Avery."

We both knew jumping out of a window was not a viable option. I quickly scanned the room for another hiding spot just as the knocking on the door grew more insistent.

Kyran sighed, "You know what, fuck it." He held on to my arm and we quickly moved to the window. Opening it silently, we exchanged a glance before slipping out onto the narrow pavement behind Kyran's room. The cool night air hit us, and I couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the unexpected turn of events.

"So much for getting mad at me for suggesting the jump, huh?" I asked as I heard his friends push the door open. "Do your friends not care about your privacy?"

"Well, as it turns out, they don't," he answered.

We found ourselves behind what seemed like the backyard. The jump slightly hurt my knees and the land on the stone didn't help much. Crouched down in case his friends looked out of the window, we listened as Kyran's friends bantered and searched for Kyran in his room.

"Guess we're stuck here for a while," Kyran whispered.

I nodded as we waited there, crouched down as Kyran leaned back against the railing, glancing at the sunset above. "You know, I never expected my friends to show up like this."

The cool metal of the rail touched my arm, and I felt shivers through my body. "What's the occasion?"

He shrugged. "Probably just a spontaneous get-together. They do this sometimes."

Eventually, the noise from inside died down, and Kyran climbed up to the ledge cautiously and peeked through the window.

"We're clear," he whispered as he hoisted himself up and jumped inside his room. Clearly, jumping down looked much more doable than jumping back up. I hesitated, looked up, and tried to reach the top of the ledge, and failed miserably.

"Um, Kyran I might need a little bit of help," I asked as he poked his head out of the window.

"Oh, sorry. I totally forgot that you lacked arm strength."

I groaned. "Can you just shut up!" and he laughed. "Well, if you want me to help you, you need to be nicer to me."

I glared at him and he held out his arm. "Fine, I'll be the knight in shining armor."

I grabbed on, as he pulled up and I reached the ledge. However, I couldn't actually jump back inside, and I awkwardly dangled there for a few seconds while Kyran watched amusedly.

"Kyran, I swear-" I called out as he burst into laughter, the sound echoing. With a teasing grin, he reached down and, effortlessly, helped me back inside.

Maybe I need to go to the gym more often.

"There you go, damsel in distress," he said with a playful wink.

Rolling my eyes, I brushed off the dust from my clothes. "You really know how to make a girl annoyed, don't you?"

He chuckled, the warmth in his eyes lingering. "Only you and perhaps Yashna. Other girls find me amusing."

I couldn't help but laugh along with him. "They just have bad taste."

His friends were most definitely still around the house, and with a glance back at me, he stood by the door. "Um, I might need to check on my friends and see what they want," he said, closing the door.

"Right, yeah," I replied.

I was back at examining his room. It was just so simple, and ordered, free from any unnecessary clutter if you exclude his desk. I didn't notice it earlier but unlike Yashna's dramatic paint job in her room, Kyran's was beige. I made a mental note to ask him later if he chose the color himself.

Apart from his desk, everything else was neatly arranged. The focal point of the room was the grand, white bookshelf that stood to the opposite side of his bed. Curious, I walked over and I was stunned.

The bookshelf was organized with meticulous detail. He had the classics arranged alphabetically on the first two rows. The third row consisted of various college admission publications. The fourth one was his school textbooks. I ran my fingers across the dust that collected on the first row, scanning the books along the way.

I had no idea whether Kyran had actually read these books but this was a reader's dream. I found the Jane Austen collection, Tolstoy, and Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. It was when I saw 'In Cold Blood' and 'Crime & Punishment', I realized he was in fact, a notorious reader. The copies of his novels looked like he read them quite often.

Multiple voices came closer to the room before I started to panic.

"Guys, do we really have to go into my room?" I heard Kyran's voice say, dangerously nearby when I searched around the room for a hiding spot.

Spotting a partially open closet door, I hurriedly slipped inside and closed it behind me, the sounds of footsteps growing louder. From my concealed position, I could hear the muffled conversation between Kyran and his friends.

"Come on, Kyran! We just want to hang out. What's with the secrecy?" one of them teased.

Kyran sighed, "No secrecy. I just didn't expect you all to show up like this."

Kyran probably didn't realize that shielding the room so much would make his friends that much more interested in going inside. As I had guessed, the sound of the door being swung open startled me.

As the conversation continued, I took the opportunity to observe Kyran's closet. It was surprisingly organized, with a mix of casual wear and sports gear neatly arranged. Shoes lined the bottom, and the scent of cologne wafted through the air.

I made a mental note to tease Kyran later about his awfully well-organized closet, a stark contrast to mine which was pretty much a dumpster. That's because I focused on everything except my closet.

The laughter and banter outside the closet continued, and I couldn't help but overhear snippets of their conversation.

"Bro, were you actually studying?" one of them asked.

"I have something due tomorrow, Jake."

"Yeah, but since when do you put schoolwork above meeting your friends?"

I couldn't help but sigh at this. His friends were such a bad influence on him and his academics. I just couldn't understand how they could be angry that their friend was studying.

That's kind of disgusting.

"Well, it's not like you have a girlfriend to cool you down," one of them laughed.

Excuse me?

"First of all, I do have a girlfriend," Kyran recoiled, "And second of all, girls aren't there to cool you down bro, grow up!"

That's actually kind of nice.

"Kyran, why are you with her?" another questioned. The room went silent for a few seconds.

"I like her," Kyran replied softly. It was almost inaudible.

"But, why?" someone asked and I probably would've heard the answer if I didn't knock my head on the closet railing.

Kyran's response was drowned out by the thud of my head hitting the railing. I winced, realizing that my clumsy tendencies had just sabotaged my attempt to eavesdrop on Kyran's made-up response. However, the pain in my head wasn't what shocked me so much. It was actually what I noticed as I moved past the railing.

I moved the shoe rack aside very slowly, trying not to make too much noise that might alert the guys outside. The rack made a small screech before it moved.

It was a staircase.

In the middle of his closet.

The discovery left me utterly perplexed. A concealed staircase, camouflaged within Kyran's closet? My second instinct was to call out to Kyran and demand an explanation, but the muffled conversation outside made me reconsider. My first instinct? I wanted to explore it myself.

Was it dumb?

Probably.

Did I care?

Not really.

Ignoring my second instinct, I carefully tiptoed down the narrow staircase that wasn't as well-kept as the rest of Kyran's room. My steps echoed a faint creak as I descended into something unknown beneath Kyran's room. The dim lighting accentuated the room, and there was a faint scent of the cologne.

Kyran comes here often.

My curiosity overshadowed any concern about his privacy or propriety; I was simply driven by my desire to uncover what Kyran would hide in his own house.

The staircase led to a small, dimly lit room. Dust particles were dancing in the air as I surveyed my surroundings. The space was unexpectedly large, filled with an eclectic mix of items.

Old furniture, dusty bookshelves, worn-out sports equipment.

Nothing remarkable.

Except the long rectangular desk that contained two desktops running code simultaneously. I walked closer to see vast amounts of data being downloaded to some location that I couldn't tell. The code wasn't something we learned in school or even college. It was so much more complicated. It also didn't seem like something legal.

I was baffled. What was Kyran hiding down here? The code on the desktops seemed sophisticated, beyond the level of a casual coding hobbyist. This was something far removed from the typical high school student's secret hideout.

As I continued exploring, I noticed shelves filled with labeled boxes. Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened one of the boxes. Inside, I found a collection of circuit boards, wires, and various electronic components.

It dawned on me that Kyran wasn't just a football player, he was a tech genius. My heart felt that those computers were hacking, not just some simple side project. I just stood there, bewildered by what I found.

"Avery, what the hell?"

I turned around to see Kyran staring at me, his eyes fearful and furious while I couldn't find the words.

"I- um, this. I don't-" I murmured and he moved closer.

"Avery, what the fuck are you doing here?" he screamed and I moved back, away from him.

"I didn't mean to. I thought your friends were going to come in, and I ran into the closet-" I explained before he cut me off.

"Leave."

"What?" I asked, gulping. His eyes turned dangerously red as his jaw tightened. He gestured to the staircase behind him and shouted.

"I said leave, Avery!"

I stood there, frozen, as Kyran's anger erupted like a storm. His eyes bore into mine, seething with a rage that sent shivers down my spine. The room felt heavy with tension, and I became acutely aware of how wrong I was to come down here.

"I didn't mean to find this, Kyran. I was just trying to hide from your friends, and I stumbled upon this room. I swear," I stammered, my voice shaky, desperately attempting to convey my innocence.

Kyran's expression remained unyielding, his anger refusing to subside. He clenched his fists, and his jaw worked visibly as he tried to rein in his emotions. For a moment, he seemed on the verge of saying something, but he held back, choosing instead to gesture sternly toward the staircase. He probably would've hit me, but it seemed like he was holding himself back.

"Get out, Avery. Now," he commanded, the intensity of his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Feeling a mixture of fear, confusion, and regret, I turned on my heels and ascended the narrow staircase. The cool air from Kyran's room greeted me as I entered it again. I slammed the door behind me and knocked on Yashna's door.

"Hey, Avery. Are you done with the essay yet? We can watch a movie maybe?"

"Sure," I replied softly as she ushered me into her room.

As Yashna continued talking about the movie options, my mind was still reeling. I sat on her bed, trying to process what I had discovered in Kyran's secret room.

As the movie started playing, my thoughts drifted back to Kyran's anger and the hidden room beneath his closet. The realization that Kyran might've been involved in something beyond what's allowed scared me.

I felt conflicted, torn between the loyalty I felt for him and the nagging curiosity about what he was hiding.

Yashna, noticing my distraction, nudged me. "Hey, everything okay? You seem a bit off."

I forced a smile, trying to push aside the turmoil inside. "Yeah, just a lot on my mind. Let's focus on the movie."

The movie provided a temporary distraction, but the events of the evening kept replaying in my head. As the credits rolled, Yashna turned to me with a concerned look.

"Avery, you seem a bit off," she said and I shook my head.

"Just tired. Maybe we should call it a day?" I asked and she nodded.

I nodded, grateful for Yashna's understanding. The weight of the evening's revelations clung to me, and I couldn't shake off the unease that accompanied it. Yashna switched off her laptop, and I stood up to leave.

"Thanks for having me over, Yashna. I appreciate it," I said, forcing a smile.

"Of course, anytime. If you ever need to talk or if something's bothering you, you know where to find me," Yashna replied, concern etched on her face.

I offered her a genuine smile. "I will. Goodnight, Yashna."

Yashna rolled out a mattress from under her bed, which I presumed was there for her random sleepovers with her friends. I felt extremely guilty for ruining Yashna's sleepover plans, but I blamed Kyran.

I rolled over to my side as I thought about what I just saw. If it was something innocent enough, there was no reason for Kyran to get so angry with me. There was something undeniably wrong.

Yashna probably didn't know, his parents probably didn't know either. I wasn't entirely sure about his friends, but it didn't seem like they would take his computer programming side hustle very seriously. It'd have become a well-known fact in school if that was the case.

No, this was something more complicated. More dangerous.

I couldn't fall asleep at all, so I engaged in a conversation with Yashna who didn't mind chatting away. As my mind half-listened to her, there was only one thing that I was worried about.

I didn't like not knowing things, and Kyran Drake just left me with many questions.

Curiosity killed the cat, Avery.

I should've known better. 

⋆·˚ ༘ *

Welcome back to the first update of February!!🫂🤗

February means the ONC month (yay!!) I've decided to participate this year and I'm writing a science-fiction/dystopia novella that is completely out of my comfort zone but we'll see how it goes. I'd appreciate if you guys checked it out. It's on my profile and it's called 'The World's End'

Other than this amazing news, another piece of news I happened to have gotten were my exam results from last semester. I passed, which is all that matters. 👌

Many important revelations have been made in this chapter so I hope you guys enjoyed it (there may be a new character POV coming very very soon)

Please vote if you enjoyed reading this extra angsty chapter!

Q: Who is the most irritating character in this book so far?

That's all I have to say for now, so I'll take my leave respectfully.

Audrey. 💕😘