December 26 2023

It was twelve fifteen a.m. as Damian was outside the campus, going out for a walk. Even though he wasn't supposed to be out of curfew around this time, He just wanted to enjoy the cold air that breezes through his face and relax his mind.

As Damian continued walking through the quiet street, He found a bench which had a very nice view from the other side, He decided to sit down and stare while thinking about something.

His emotions have been feeling conflicted, There was a feeling he couldn't describe, and he felt like he wanted to speak to someone, open up a little bit. Even though he was used to hiding his emotions and feelings, things have changed a lot for him.

But unknown to him, someone was walking past the bench, and it was revealed to be Rhea.

She had a small smile on her face and looked at Damian. Rhea was making her way back to the campus after spending time with her family, She continued staring at him before Rhea slowly walked up and touched his shoulder, Damian turned around and saw Rhea as his eyes lit up.

Damian: Rhea, what are you doing here?

Rhea: I should be asking you the same thing, You might get in trouble, you know?

Damian: Indeed, But how many students have left during curfew or during classes?

Rhea: You're right, We're all troublemakers.

Damian: And we need better security and stricter rules.

Rhea chuckled and decided to sit next to him while looking at the beautiful view in front of him, The dark sky made it look better.

Rhea: But if they do that, then you can't take me to pretty places late at night.

He chuckled as Rhea was smiling at him, She moved a little closer as Damian continued staring at the sky.

Damian: You're right about that.

There was a moment of silence between them until Damian said something to her.

Damian: You should head back to the campus, It's dangerous to stay out at this time.

Rhea: *Smiles* Isn't my tough guy here to protect me?

Damian: But that doesn't mean you should push your luck.

Rhea: Maybe I just wanted an excuse to spend more time with you.

Damian couldn't help but smile a little as Rhea giggled and punched his arm.

Rhea: Come on, give me a bigger smile, Damian.

Damian: *Chuckles* You're ridiculous.

Rhea: Admit it, I'm your favorite person.

Damian: You definitely are. . . the most important person in my life.

He smiled at her as Rhea was stunned for a moment, Her heart was beating fast as both of them were looking at each other.

Damian: Just thought you should know.

Rhea: That means a lot to me, Damian.

He slowly pulled her arm, bringing her closer to him, It's like he just wanted her to be close to him. Rhea had a smile on her face and continued staring at the view in front of them before she slowly laid her head on his shoulder as Damian felt his heart beat faster.

Damian: Your different. . . You push past the walls I've built without even trying. And for some reason, I don't mind.

Rhea: Maybe because deep down, you want someone to care about you.

Damian: Maybe. . . I'm happy that I met you.

Rhea: Is that your way of saying you care about me?

Damian: More than I thought I could care about anyone.

Her heart skipped a beat as Damian slowly wrapped his arm around her, Rhea couldn't help but smile as Damian was looking at her.

Rhea: You're starting to sound romantic.

Damian: But I mean it. . . You mean so much to me.

He spoke softly as Rhea was smiling and began holding his hand, It was different to see him open up for the first time, but she liked it.

Another ten minutes passed as both of them decided to leave, Damian was holding her hand while leading her towards the college, Rhea was staring at him as Damian looked at her for a moment and gave a smile.

Her heart skipped a beat, seeing him smile so suddenly as both of them made it to the college, Rhea stopped him for a moment as both of them looked at each other before she hugged him.

Damian felt his heart skip a beat as he hugged her back, He kissed the top of her head while rubbing her back as he began staring at the sky, feeling his heart race by her embrace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scarlett and Alex were seen in bed together after their intimate session, Scarlett pulled the duvet towards her as she moved closer to him while holding his arm.

Scarlett: You're quiet tonight. What's on your mind?

Alex: Just. . . thinking.

Scarlett: Thinking about me, I hope.

She gave a soft and teasing smile as Alex chuckled and looked at her.

Alex: You're always on my mind, Scarjo.

She giggled as Alex began playing with her hair while admiring her.

Scarlett: Seriously though, Tell me. What's on your mind?

Alex felt his heart race as he continued staring in silence, Scarlett was a little concerned and waited for him to speak before he sighed heavily.

Alex: I don't know. . . I feel guilty.

Scarlett: Guilty?

She sat up as Alex was silent for a moment, thinking of the right words to say as Ambrose sighed again.

Alex: I feel like i shouldn't have killed Tyler.

Her eyes were widen, She thought he never regretted what he did to Tyler, but today, There was something odd about him.

Scarlett: What's wrong, Alex?

Alex: I. . . I don't know how to say this.

Scarlett: It's okay, Alex. Talk to me, I'm listening.

Alex: No, you'll be afraid or you'll hate me.

Scarlett: I won't be afraid of you, and I won't hate you, Trust me.

She began holding his hand, reassuring him as Alex gently squeezed her hand and began speaking to her.

Alex: The truth is. . . This isn't my first murder.

Scarlett: What?

Her eyes widened as Alex continued speaking to her.

Alex: I never had a good childhood. My parents. . . they were alcoholics. Every time they came home, things would get worse.

Scarlett's eyes were widen as she stared at him with shock.

Alex: It wasn't just the physical abuse. It was emotional, too. They tore me down in ways I can't even explain.

He squeezed her hand tighter before shaking his head as he looked at her.

Alex: One day, I had enough of everything, and I killed both of them, with no remorse. And then I sent to juvenile but the trauma and anger didn't fade away. . . I was much different back then, you know?

She looked at him with sadness and shock, Scarlett couldn't believe it. He went through so much in his life.

Alex: My mind was full of rage and violence. During my time in juvenile, I almost killed someone else, and then I served a longer sentence before I was finally released.

He felt so glad to finally open up to someone, Alex trusted Scarlett and felt like he wanted to tell her everything that was going through his head, The tightness on his chest faded away as Scarlett continued staring at him with sadness as she squeezed his hand.

Scarlett: Oh my God. . . I'm so sorry, Alex. . . I have no words.

She just hugged him as Alex felt his heart beating faster as Ambrose wrapped his arm around her.

Alex: It's okay. . . My grandfather guided me to the right path, every since then. I'm been different, and I wanted to make sure I would never go down that path again, However. . . When Tyler showed up, there was something in me. . .

Scarlett broke the hug and looked at him as Alex looked at her with a hint of sadness.

Alex: He had everything against you and you were weak. . . It reminded me of myself. And i didn't want you to be in my place. . .

He touched her cheek as Scarlett looked sad and sympathetic.

Alex: I was blinded by anger and I killed him. . . But today, I realised I shouldn't have done that. There could have been something better. . . I broke my grandfather's trust.

She looked sad and could tell how much he regretted this, His grandfather teached him the right thing and Alex decided to go back to that same path, He was hurt. But Scarlett knew this wasn't his fault.

Scarlett: Hey Alex, Look at me.

He looked at her as his gaze softened, She began caressing his hair while speaking to him.

Scarlett: None of this is your fault. . . You went through so much in your life. What you did was wrong. . . But you protected me, When I thought my life was over. . . You were there to save me from Tyler.

She kissed his cheek as Alex's heart continued beating faster.

Scarlett: Don't blame yourself, What is done is done now. Just remember to never go down that same path again, No matter what happens. Be the person your grandfather wanted you to be. . .

Alex was looking at her and continued thinking about her words.

Scarlett: And. . . I'm not afraid. I care about you. . . I want you.

Alex: . . . . . Thank you, Scarlett.

She smiled faintly and kissed his cheek again as Alex was looking at her with a huge smile on his face.

Alex: I feel so much better right now.

Scarlett: Whenever there is something on your mind, Talk to me about it, I'll always listen to you.

Alex: I will, Thank you again.

Scarlett: *Smirks* Even if it's about your fantasies, I'll listen. We can even make it come true~

Alex looked shocked as Scarlett laughed a little, wanting to bring the mood back up. Alex smiled before pinning her down and began tickling her as Scarlett was laughing.

Alex: This is my fantasy.

Scarlett: *Laughs* Alex! Stop!

He smiled and kissed her forehead before moving away as Scarlett took a deep breath and got up as both of them laughed again.

Soon, Alex got up and began dressing himself as Scarlett was looking at him.

Scarlett: Are you leaving?

Alex: Yeah, It's really late right now.

Scarlett: Can you stay over for the weekend?

She asked softly as Alex looked at her while fixing his shirt, He thought about it before he smiled.

Alex: Okay, For you.

Scarlett: Awesome! Wanna watch a movie?

Alex: Sure, I'll be downstairs.

He was about to grab his hoodie jacket before Scarlett grabbed it and gave a cheeky smile.

Scarlett: Can I wear it?

Alex: *Chuckles* Sure, you can have it.

She giggled as Ambrose walked away, letting her get dressed. He was sitting on the couch while thinking about his conversation with Scarlett, Soon, She arrived downstairs, wearing nothing but his hoodie jacket, which looked oversized as Alex couldn't help but smile.

Scarlett: It's comfy.

Alex: You look cute, I think you should keep it.

Her eyes lit up as she began walking towards him before sitting on his lap as Alex wrapped his arm around her waist as She opened the TV and was looking for a movie to watch while Alex was busy admiring her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason: Cassie, Please listen to me.

Cassie: *Sighs* Jason, I'm not in a mood to speak to her.

After Jess and Cassie argued, Both of them never spoke to each other and Jason was confused by this situation, He didn't understand why they were arguing so suddenly and both of them are not telling him something, But right now, He wanted to try and fix things between the two friends.

Jason: You and Jessica are not telling me something, How did this even happen?

Cassie was silent and began staring at Jason. He looked very concerned and wanted to know the issue.

Cassie: Let's just say she was starting to get jealous of me.

Jason: Jealous?. . . I'm sorry, I don't understand. Jessica has never been a jealous kind of person.

Cassie: Of course you would think like that.

Jason: Hey, I didn't mean it like that.

She sighed and looked at the ground as Jason continued staring at her, He touched her shoulder, wanting to comfort her as Cassie looked at him.

Cassie: I'm sorry, Jason. . .

Jason: It's okay. . . Look, how about you two talk about this?

Cassie: Give me some time. I don't feel like doing this.

Jason: Please, You can't avoid this.

Cassie: i won't. . . Don't worry.

He sighed and trusted her words as Cassie was looking at him, Jason patted her shoulder and nodded.

Jason: I just hope things will go well.

Cassie: I hope so. . . By the way, Can you stay with me?

Jason: What?

Cassie: *Sighs* I just want some company. . . Can you stay for a little bit?

Jason was looking at her before he nodded, He just wanted to comfort her and then check on Jessica. Both of them sat on the couch as they were talking to each other.

Cassie: I don't know why she's acting like this so suddenly.

Jason: Look, It could be a misunderstanding. That's why I want both of you to talk.

Cassie: *Sighs* I'm worried about my friendship with her. . . .

Jason was silent and noticed how sad she seemed, He continued staring at her before speaking.

Jason: Hey, if you ever need someone to talk to. . . I'm here for you, okay?

Cassie looked at him and smiled a little.

Cassie: You're a good friend, Jason.

He smiled a little as both of them continued speaking to each other, More than fifteen minutes passed as Cassie moved closer to Jason and began hugging his arm, which caught him off guard.

Jason: Cassie-

Cassie: I just need someone to be here right now.

Jason: Hey, It's okay. . . I'm here.

He placed a hand on her neck as Cassie continued hugging his arm while smiling at him.

Cassie: I. . . I don't know what am I feeling.

Jason: It's okay, Things will get better. I promise.

Her heart was beating faster as She moved closer to him, hugging him tightly. Jason's heart skipped a beat as he was shocked by how close she was. . . It didn't feel right for some reason.

Another five minutes has passed before Cassie finally broke the hug and fixed her hair as Jason said that he needed to leave, They both said goodbye as he left the dorm while Cassie was thinking about him.

Soon, Jason was making his way towards Jessica's dorm and knocked on it as she opened the door and gave a small smile to him.

Jessica: Hey.

Jason: Hi Jess, Are you feeling alright?

She allowed him to enter as Jessica shut the door and shrugged.

Jessica: Could have been better. . . Did you speak to Cassie?

Jason: I did, but give her some time, okay? Maybe she'll speak to you.

Jessica: I don't know why she was assuming things. . . It's my fault.

Jason: Don't blame yourself, Jessica. . .

She looked at him until she smelled perfume coming from his jacket as Jessica stared at him.

Jessica: Why do you smell like Cassie's perfume?

Jason: She hugged me, actually. . .

Jessica: Seriously!?

Jason: She wanted me to stay with her for some time. . . She also wanted a hug.

Jessica stared at him before nodding. Jason placed a hand on her shoulder before McKay hugged him tightly.

But deep down, Jessica didn't like this. Something was going on with Cassie. Jason also had a strange feeling about all of this.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and stay strong!!! :)