2 Chapter Two

"Yeah Mum, I'm fine." Adriel sighed for the tenth time since her mother called, although she secretly loved her mother's overly affectionate ways.

She was on her way to the grocery shop. She needed to stock up on food or she won't have the time later. Schoolwork had started officially and she needed to start preparing asap.

Adriel loved reading and always enjoyed the learning process. She hadn't missed a day since resumption. She's made more friends. One, in particular, stuck out, her name was Cassey. They got along so well that Adriel almost believed she was her lost twin, well asides from the fact that Adriel was black and she was caucasian.

"Don't forget your vegetables and fruits." Her mum chirped over the phone.

"Okay, Mum." Adriel paused briefly before adding,

"Say hi to Dad for me."

"Will do dear." Her mother replied cheerily.

"Even though he hadn't been there for half the things he should have been," Adriel muttered under her breath.

Her Dad had been away on business off the island for a few weeks, so he'd missed her coming to school.

She sighed. She rarely saw him these days. They used to be very close but work just keeps drawing them further apart.

"I know hon. He's trying his best. You know he loves you right?" Her mother sighed.

Adriel didn't answer her question.

"Goodnight Mum. Love you." She cut the call and sighed.

Adriel drove the cart to the aisle and began picking out the things she needed. It was muscle memory that kept her hands busy but her mind was far away.

She knew why her mum was so overprotective of her. She was all she had left after her brother died eight months ago but Dad took every chance he got to avoid her.

The grief had brought her and her mum closer but it seemed it was tearing her and her father further apart.

"Ow. Watch it." A voice snapped her from her thoughts.

Right in front of her was a group of four boys, all dressed up casually for the night.

They were getting beer and cigarettes, probably getting ready for a party. One had gold blond hair with pearl blue eyes.

The other had dark hair with dark green eyes, the third had dark hair with hazel eyes and the fourth was—

"Jayden." She gasped surprised. He turned at the sound of his name. Her heart immediately sped up.

The four of them looked like something from a magazine.

Was everyone in the school like this?

She's seen gorgeous people in her life but these people were off the charts. Jayden smiled at her. He looked surprised to see her.

He definitely looked like he remembered her. His eyes widened in recognition.

"Adriel." He said her name. Involuntarily, shivers ran up her arms at the sound of his voice. And she didn't love the way he said her name any less.

His light green eyes held her in place like an invisible force and she couldn't move. She could tell he still had the same effect on her as he did at the orientation.

"I haven't seen you around for a while now. I was hoping we'd meet again. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been keeping an eye out for you." He said with a smile and she found herself being trapped once again in his enchanting gaze.

Adriel blushed.

He walked up to her and her body reacted most strangely.

"We're on our way to a party, do you want to come with?" He asked hopefully, lifting the beer bottle in his hands suggestively.

Adriel shook her head.

"Partys aren't really my thing, never have been." She said wearily. She'd never liked them.

"So what is your thing then baby?"

The dark-haired guy with the hazel eyes spoke up with a smirk behind her, subtly checking her out.

"Jake." Jayden snapped at his friend.

Jake kept his mouth shut at the glare his friend was throwing his way. He quickly backed up with both hands raised in surrender.

"Sorry man."

"Don't mind my idiot friend. You don't have to come with but at least let me walk you to your dorm." Jayden offered so sweetly that she almost caved. But she shook her head with a shy smile. He didn't have to.

"I'm fine. You don't have to." It was late but her dorm was literally ten minutes away. She'd hate to be a bother.

"It's dark. It's not safe. Bad things go down this part of campus late at night." She felt a shiver of fear run down her spine. She didn't like the way he said it or the guarded look in his eyes. But she managed a small smile.

"I think I'll be fine. Thanks again Jayden." She said softly saying her goodbye.

She walked up to the attendant and paid for her groceries but felt their gaze at the back of her head as she walked out the door. And she felt it till she got to 'the blues'

{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶{¶}

"Oh my God. How boring was that class?" Cassey one of her new friends whined as they walked out of the huge lecture hall. Adriel chuckled holding her books against her chest.

"I found it quite interesting." She shrugged. Cassey rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say, dork." Adriel chuckled. She took it as a compliment. They met in Anatomy class a few weeks ago and bonded right away over their love for cold stone ice-cream.

"You up for a scoop?" Adriel nodded.

"Make that two," Adriel said. Cassey smirked.

"I like how you think." She said.

After getting their favorite ice-cream, Cassey walked Adriel to her dorm. Cassey's was four dorms across.

Hers was named 'Tulip'. Still cring worthy but definitely beats 'the blues' any day.

They walked past the common room. It was packed today filled with girls and guys alike. Some guys were from the dorms across visiting their girlfriends.

Some couples were making out on the couches, while some of the girls were already walking their boyfriends up their rooms.

"Damn. I wish my dorm was this spicey." Cassey muttered under her breath. Adriel shook her head glaring jokingly at Cassey's remark.

Adriel opened the door to her room and was shocked to see two guys already in the room. And one of them was on her bed. Adriel gasped. He was Jayden's friend, the one she'd seen at the grocery shop, the rude one.

Jake.

And he was still on her bed.

She didn't know he knew her roommates. His beautiful hazel eyes met hers

"Hey, Adriel." The guy greeted with a smirk. She couldn't speak. She was still speechless.

A guy was on her bed, her private space.

"I know I'm hot but I thought you had eyes for Jayden, though I definitely wouldn't mind sharing." He said with a suggestive hint to his tone.

He smirked when she returned his words with a glare.

"You need to get up, now." Adriel found herself saying.

"I think I'm gonna go," Cassey whispered beside her. Adriel had nearly forgotten she was even there.

"I'll see you later Adriel," Cassey said. They exchanged knowing looks and Adriel nodded.

"I'll see you." A second later, she was out the door.

"Adriel relax, he only came in about a minute ago," Lucky said in a bored tone, typing away at her phone. Adriel wondered which one of her roommates he came for.

Even though they weren't awfully close, she'd wished they'd respected her privacy. She loved her private space and it didn't sit well with her that someone she hardly knew was spread wide on it.

"You could just take a seat beside him Adriel. Jake, you don't bite, do you?" Victoria asked from the other side of the room, smirking.

Jake looked at Adriel in a strange way that made her skin crawl.

"I'll try not to." He finally said with a smirk. Adriel gasped. Unbelievable.

"You guys are unbelievable." Adriel exhaled exasperatedly.

"Stop getting so worked up honey. Take a chill pill." Becky said from the other side of the room before she and the second guy she didn't know resumed their make-out session.

Suddenly the door to their room opened behind her and she saw everyone in the room go silent. She furrowed her brow.

"Adriel." Her eyes widened. She recognized that voice. She turned around.

"Jayden?" He smiled, stepping into the room.

"What are you doing here?" She didn't miss the sudden increase in her heart rate as he walked closer to her. The girls greeted him, as well as the two guys seated on the beds with them.

They all seemed to know each other.

"I didn't know you were friends with our girls here," Jayden said lightly looking at her in that way again that made butterflies flutter wildly in her belly.

He was too close and her body was reacting most strangely. She swallowed. She took a step back. He noticed. His brows furrowed.

"You keep running away when all I want is for you to be closer to me." He whispered. He brushed a strand of black curls away from her wide eyes.

What was happening? Why couldn't she move? Her limbs were frozen.

What was going on?

"I wish you had stayed the other night." He whispered and his voice kept lulling her into a haze she was finding hard to escape from.

"But you're here now." He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"And that's all that matters." He was acting strange, they all were.

"When shall we start?" Victoria piped up coming to stand beside them. The door opened again and the remaining two guys in Jayden's group walked into the room; the gold blond one with the blue eyes and the black-haired one with the dark green eyes.

The blond whistled.

"Damn. You caught her already? Our boy sure works fast."

"So which one is she? Dinner or member?" Jake asked eyeing her like she was a piece of meat.

Adriel's eyes widened in shock still frozen on the spot. She could have sworn she saw his eyes darken at the first word.

Dinner? Say what now?

"No one touches her but me," Jayden said calmly and there was a hardness to his words and expression that made everyone back down.

In that instant, she was relieved, even though she was yet to understand exactly what was going on. She was still scared out of her mind.

"Jayden, I have no idea what's going on, but you're scaring me." She said. She was already trying to ease her way towards the door.

"There's nothing to be afraid of Adriel. I promise." He took a step closer in her direction. She looked around and saw that everyone had gathered even closer, closing in around her.

Someone grabbed her and that was when she began to scream. But before even a sound could even leave her throat, her voice was cut off by an unseen hand.

No one was touching her and yet her throat was being crushed. She spluttered.

"I don't want to hurt you but don't make this harder than it already is." He said softly. She felt his breath on her neck.

She choked scratching at her neck still choking from the unseen hand that was holding her.

"What are you?" She asked with barely any air left in her lungs.

Jayden looked at her intently.

He leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"Your worst nightmare." Then the lights went out.