I shoved my binder and textbook into my backpack, zipping it up as I glanced out the library window. It was already dark out as it was just after eight o' clock at night.

I'd stayed late with Avery to study at the library since my mom was holding another event with my dad's associates. She'd told me they were wine tasting, or something along those lines. Going to the library to study was my only excuse not to join. She was not happy about it.

The rest of the Macbeth show that night was uneventful. Liam came back from the washroom about fifteen minutes later, but he stayed far away from me, and avoided speaking to me the rest of the night. I tried not to take offence to that.

That continued throughout the week, and he avoided me like I was the plague. I tried not to let it affect me, but it was hard. I'd spent more time than I'd like to admit, wondering what had gone wrong with him.

A part of me knew it was for the best, avoiding him was what I should have done a long time ago. But still, I couldn't shake away the dejected feeling in my stomach.

"My mom's here, are you sure you don't need a ride?" Avery asked as she swung her bag over her shoulders.

"Yeah, I also drove here," I told her as I shoved my pencil into the bag. I watched it slide between my binders and books.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then," she gave me one last smile before she walked off, disappearing from my view.

Swinging my own backpack over my shoulder, I began making my way out of the library, passing by bookshelves and empty tables. No one was left at the school, unless it was for a late class and the library was pretty much empty.

I stopped short when I noticed Liam at one of the tables, he had his textbook and notebook out, scribbling something down at lightning speed. His hair was dishevelled, drooping over his forehead as he worked.

The familiar swarm of butterflies resurfaced in my stomach as I sucked in a deep breath. I'd barely seen him throughout the week, only in the one class we shared.

As if on cue, Liam turned his head, his eyes meeting mine. My stomach flipped. Immediately, he tore his eyes away from mine, turning back to the table as he began writing again.

I found my lips curling down, a heavy weight settling in my chest.

He'd been that way all week, and I didn't understand why. I also didn't understand why it bugged me so much — it was supposed to be a good thing. I rolled my eyes, taking another few strides to exit the library.

The hall was empty and dim, with most of the lights turned off. It was eerily quiet, which I enjoyed much more than how busy it was during the day.

I made my way out of the school and stepped into the parking lot, my sneakers smacking against the pavement.

I glanced around, taking in the empty, dark lot. There were no streetlights illuminating it, leaving me in pitch darkness. All the spots were vacant, except for my motorcycle and Liam's car. I hurried over to my motorcycle, feeling my heart race slightly from being alone in a creepy parking lot.

The wind was strong, adding to the chilly night. I pulled my sweater closer to my body.

Before I could even hop on to my motorcycle or shove my bag into the compartment, I stopped short.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath, my eyes scanning the back tire. It was deflated and sagging towards the ground, causing my bike to lean slightly to the back.

There was a large nail sitting on the ground next to my tire, one that was usually used to build shelves or other wooden structures. I must've rolled over it as I parked without realizing.

"You have got to be kidding me," I groaned, glancing around.

Everyone was gone now, except for Liam of course. And I wasn't about to ask him for help. I didn't want his help, and on top of that, he'd been ignoring me the whole week. I also refused to call my parents to send a driver. If I did, my mom would use it as an excuse to get rid of my motorcycle.

I sighed, hooking my fingers around my backpack straps. I'd have to walk until I found a bus stop.

I made my way out of the parking lot with a quick pace before slowing down. There were two guys hunched over, all dressed in dark sweaters and pants as they stood by the exit. Their hoods were up, shielding the majority of their faces. They seemed like shadows under the dark night.

The smell of cigarette smoke drifted up my nose before I was able to make out puffs of smoke escaping the men's mouths.

I'd never enjoyed walking in the streets after dark before, and they had just made my experience worse. Sketchy guys always in the dark made me apprehensive, even if they meant no harm.

I swallowed hard and bit down on my lower lip as I walked past them, keeping my head low.

The men immediately hushed as I walked by, turning their heads to watch me. I didn't stick around to find out what they wanted. I hurried down the sidewalk, forcing my feet forward as fast as they could move.

I turned my head slightly, only to see that the two men were now just a few steps behind me, following close behind. Dread filled my gut as my grip tightened on my backpack.

When I glanced up, two other men similar to the ones behind approached me with quick steps. Under the streetlights, I could notice matching smirks plastered on their faces.

"Where are you going?" one of them asked from behind. His tone dripped with confidence and a hint of malice.

Shit. Was all I that ran through my mind as I turned a sharp corner before the two men in front of me could get to me, walking down what I thought was another street.

My feet stopped short, realizing that what I'd turned into was a not a street, but a narrow, dead-end alley with a dumpster at the end of it. The walls were just a few feet away from one another on both sides.

I spun back around, only to see all four men in front of me within a few large strides. They blocked the exit.

I'd never felt small before in my life, but in front of these men, I felt like a bug — one they could squash without exerting any effort. I swallowed hard, clenching my teeth to keep my lips from trembling.

None of that mattered though, I just needed to get out of this situation, alive. Logically speaking, acting like some weak little girl wouldn't be of any help.

"Can I help you?" I looked between them. The four of them exchanged glances and I rolled my eyes, attempting to brush past them.

A hand clasped around my wrist tightly and I yelped as it pulled me back, slamming my back onto the wall. I gasped, my breath knocked out of my lungs.

I finally got a good chance to look at the men. One blond and three brunettes. One of them had a scar on the side of his left cheek. They all towered over me. Their smiles sent shivers up my spine and my stomach flooded with apprehension.

"She's a cute one," the blond man spoke up, his eyes scanning over me from head to toe. I froze when he reached a hand over, his finger skimming over my hair.

"Get away from me," I snapped.

Without thinking, I swung my hand at him, my fist meeting with his jaw. I ignored the throbbing pain in my knuckle as he staggered back, grunting as his hand flew to his face.

The other three looked between him and I, perplexed and concerned expressions on their faces.

"What the fu—" one of them started, with wide eyes.

"You bitch," the blond man snarled, his lip turned up. He had gathered himself again, and before I could even react, his fist met my cheek.

I cried out at the momentum that had me face-planted on the ground within a second, my head smacking against the pavement below me.

I blinked repeatedly, attempting to clear my blurred vision. A stabbing pain emanated through my face and head. My mind reeled, but there were no thoughts running through my head, the pulsing pain overpowering it.

Tears sprung into my eyes and I pressed them shut, a strangled groan left my lips after an unsuccessful attempt to push myself off the ground. My heart pounded against my chest, my vision spinning a hundred miles an hour.

"We gotta be quick. Shut her up," one of them said.

From his words, I hugged my arms around myself tighter, as if it would stop them. I braced myself for their unwanted touch, only to never feel it.

Loud, random thumps sounded from above me and the men cursed and grunted in pain. Slowly, I brought myself to sit up, the buildings and the sky still spinning wildly.

"Get away from her."

I almost let out a sigh of relief at the sound of a familiar voice — Liam's.

Finally, I forced myself to look up, to see three of the men retreating, disappearing around the corner. Liam swung his arm, his fist making contact with the blond man's face.

He fell over, his head rebounding on the brick wall before he collapsed.

My wide eyes lingered on the blond man, my hand flying over my mouth when he didn't get up. His eyes were shut, his face was adorned with a fresh pink bruise.

"Ophelia."

I heard Liam call me, but my eyes remained glued into the man. My mouth hung open, "Is... is he—"

"No, he's not dead. Just knocked out," Liam grabbed my shoulder, turning me to face him. Once again, relief flooded over me from the sight of his dark eyes that I'd grown  so accustomed to. He began pulling me up, onto my feet. "Ophelia, come on. Now."

Liam placed an arm on my back, almost shoving me away from the unconscious man. My heart pounded against my chest, so loudly I was sure Liam could hear it.

My gaze moved from the man to Liam's car, that sat idling on the side of the road in front of the alley we'd been in.

"Get in the car," he told me. My feet stopped moving, despite Liam's arms pushing me forward.

I turned around, my eyes landing on the man again, who laid on the ground motionlessly. I almost shuddered at the thought of his voice and his face, which had seemed to be carved into a permanent scowl.

"Ophelia, get in the damn car. Please," Liam's voice was firmer this time, with a hint of desperation. He opened his car door, pushing me inside before I could protest. He shut the door, jogging onto the other side to his seat.

I took off my backpack dumping it onto the floor at my feet as Liam hopped into his seat and immediately drove off. I stared out the window as he drove, my mind empty of thoughts as I watched the trees and buildings pass by in a blur.

When he stopped the car again, it was in front of my house. I stayed in my seat and Liam made no move to tell me to leave.

My house was lively, the lights in the main floor were turned on and I could make out the silhouettes of my mom's guests from behind the curtain. This seemed ridiculous after what'd happened.

"Are... are you okay?" Liam asked, hesitantly from next to me.

I turned back, my lips pressed into a thin line as I faced the front of his car. From the corner of my eye, Liam swallowed hard as he watched me, brows furrowed.

I avoided his eyes staring down at my trembling hands as I bit down hard on my lip. A heavy feeling settled within my chest. What had happened had finally sunk in.

Against my best efforts, tears burned the back of my eyes and I placed my head in my hands. I barely felt the throbbing sensation that spread from my bruise as my lip quivered.

To my dismay, I let out a choked sob, my shoulders shaking as I began to cry.

★★★

𝐻𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑜 𝑔𝑢𝑦𝑠! 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟! 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑒, 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑖𝑑!

𝐴𝑛𝑦 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟?

~ 𝑆𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝐼𝑛𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑡