Escape - Chapter 25.2

Schedule: Wed and Sat

Chapter 25.2

“Oh, sorry. I thought you were a talking scarecrow.”
Alex and his friends froze as I answered, a smirk playing on my lips. Their pale faces told me they knew exactly who I was.
As I approached, the difference in our sizes became stark.
‘She went on a date with this guy? I didn’t know Adeline had a thing for scrawny, small guys. How am I supposed to compete with that? I can’t exactly rebuild my body.’
“A-Are you crazy? You know you’re not supposed to shoot at people, right?”
Alex’s voice trailed off as I smiled, a predatory glint in my eyes. He instinctively took a step back, confirming my suspicion that he was terrified.
“Just hit me. Go ahead.”
“W-what?”
“I said, hit me. Since I’m so sorry.”
I repeated myself patiently as the stunned idiot stared up at me. He quickly glanced around, his pride apparently wounded. We were now the center of attention, drawing stares from the other students.
“Y-you want me to hit you?”
A look of resolve hardened his gaze, and he swung his fist, putting what little strength he possessed behind it. I let him hit me and turned my head to see his bewildered expression. A sneer curled my lip. Yes, I told him to hit me.
“…So you started it.”
The smile vanished from my face. I heard Daniel groan behind me, a sound of pure exasperation.
The clueless idiots just stared at each other, dumbfounded.

***
“Why did you suddenly attack them for no reason?”
Adeline’s voice, sharp with annoyance, cut through the air. She stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes scanning my face, searching for injuries. “What if you scarred your face?” she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.
“That’s why I followed you here.”
I answered flatly as she dabbed ointment on my cut. She sighed, exasperated, and glared at me. She’d dragged me to the infirmary over a split lip, fussing over a minor injury. If she knew what state those skinny guys were in, she’d probably faint.
That’s why, despite the gentle tug on my arm, I followed her obediently to the infirmary, like a well-trained puppy. I didn’t want her to see the others first. Or, more accurately…
“Did you enjoy your date?”
“What?”
“You went out on the weekend, right? With… what’s his name.”
She winced as she applied the ointment, her brow furrowed in confusion. She clearly had no idea what I was talking about.
“What’s-his-name? Oh, you mean Alex?”
“Yeah.”
“A date? We just had tea together. He wanted to talk about his career options.”
I was speechless. He’d spun a simple conversation about career choices into a date in front of his friends. And it wasn’t just his friends who’d fallen for it. I had too. Thinking about it now, it was absurd that Adeline would ever date a moron like that.
“He’s interested in tobacco farming, but he’s also considering becoming a teacher, depending on his grades… Hey, are you still laughing? Why are you mocking his dreams?”
“I’ve decided on my career path too.”
I murmured, feeling her fingers sting against my cut.
“Oh? And what will you be doing?”
“I’m applying to the Royal Guard.”
The brown hair in front of me stilled, then swayed gently.
Lost in thought, I watched the movement, my hand reaching out involuntarily towards the long strands.
Soft and delicate.
I was absently toying with her hair when Adeline leaned in, as if to say something.
And our eyes met.
‘Wait, this is too close.’
The moment I registered the proximity, everything froze. I was still staring directly at Adeline, and she was frozen mid-motion, having just applied the ointment to my face.
My dark eyes, heavy-lidded, bored into hers. My gaze drifted down to the straight line of her nose and then to her slightly parted lips.
‘I want to touch them.’
It was then that I realized something.
“Ah… Sorry.”
My hand retreated slowly, a clumsy apology filling the sudden silence.
“Uh… It’s okay.”
An awkward response.
That night, for the first time, I lost sleep over a dream. In it, Adeline wore an expression I’d never seen before, doing things we’d never done.
I woke up with a jolt, cursing under my breath as I felt the heat spreading through my body. If Adeline ever found out, she’d probably be disgusted and avoid me. The dream had been that explicit.
Every morning, filled with self-loathing, I’d escape to the gym and work out until I was exhausted. When Adeline found out and insisted on joining my routine, claiming she wouldn’t be outdone, I was almost resigned to my fate.
My obsession with her was already unhealthy. I’d chosen my life’s path based solely on her.
And I didn’t hate it.
Things that accumulate silently reveal their presence only when it’s too late. By the time you realize the weight, you’re already suffocating, crushed beneath the weight of what once felt so light.