286 A Convoluted Truth

[Johan's POV]

"Rus," Johan called in a warning tone. "Don't be like that. I called them over because they're worried about Adrian."

"Tch!"

'He just clicked his tongue at me.' Johan sweatdropped as Russell turned his head away sharply; his lower lip jutted forward like a grumpy kid that got scolded. 'Cute.'

Clearing his throat to resist going over to smother Russell's scowl away, Johan turned to Raymond and his friends. His expression turned serious. "I think there's just a misunderstanding here."

"What is there to misunderstand—?"

"Ray," Johan cut Raymond off, eyes darting to Adrian, who looked like he wanted to speak up. He sighed. "Adrian came here of his own accord. Why don't you ask him—?"

"Then how do you explain this?" Raymond yanked Adrian's arm again to show the welts he had received. "If you can pretend this isn't a big deal, I can't!"

Adrian patted Raymond's shoulder. "Hey, calm down—"