Chapter 384 Chaos
"Daniel?" Amelia blurted out, her eyes going wide as she shot me a quick look. She stepped in front of me like a guard dog, ready to pounce, her right foot forward. "What do you want?"
Amelia's been into martial arts since she was five, racking up awards left and right. Handling a scrawny guy like Daniel? Piece of cake.
Back in middle school, with Amelia around, our crew never got picked on. Anytime something shady went down, Amelia was always there to shield us.
When Daniel used to mouth off at me, Amelia would ball up her fists, ready to deck him, but I'd always hold her back. Not 'cause I was scared or anything, I just didn't want her getting sidetracked by my problems.
With Amelia by my side, I wasn't worried about my safety. Daniel's presence just bugged me.
Daniel grew up with us; we went to the same middle school. He'd seen Amelia take down bullies plenty of times and knew he didn't stand a chance. He took a step back, hands up in surrender, and gave a helpless smile. "I don't mean any harm. It's late, and I just wanted to walk you home."
I shot back, "No need. We can get home ourselves. Just stay away; it's really annoying having you tail us." Honestly, with Amelia's skills, I felt super safe.
"Stay away from us, or you'll regret it. You can't handle the consequences." Amelia grabbed my hand and started walking, not even glancing back.
Daniel didn't get mad; he just trailed us from a distance.
"Why's he here?" Amelia asked, annoyed, throwing an arm around my shoulder protectively.
I shrugged, thinking, 'How could I know? Probably just bored out of his mind.'
"No clue, maybe he's lost it," I said, rolling my eyes.
The walk from school to my place wasn't too far, but it wasn't exactly close either. Driving would be a breeze, but walking? Not so much.
When we got downstairs, I spotted Brad's car parked quietly in its spot. I had a thought: 'I should get my driver's license. How convenient would that be?'
Once we got home, Amelia headed for a shower while I plopped down on the couch, scrolling through my phone.
All day, no word from Brad. When I called, it went straight to voicemail. Meanwhile, Jenny had updated her status three times, all about Brad. Each post felt like a jab, making me uneasy.
Wasn't Brad on a business trip with her? How could she be posting updates while Brad's phone was unreachable? What was going on with Brad? Was he okay? My mind was a mess, swirling with questions.
Jane: [Brad, do you have enough clothes? Remember to buy a warm coat if it gets cold. By the way, I miss you. Can you send me a photo?]
I sent the message but got nothing back.
My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a million hands, a pain so deep it left my eyes dry and aching.
When Amelia came out of the shower and saw me zoning out, she quickly sat next to me, gently pinching my cheeks. "Don't overthink it. We all know what kind of guy Brad is."
I showed her my phone. Amelia glanced at it, her eyes lingering for a moment before she said, "These days, it's easy to fake stuff. Even if Brad did something, he'd explain it to you in person. You gotta trust Brad and your own judgment. I mean, trust your judgment now that you're twenty."
In other words, the Jane who worshipped Daniel before she turned eighteen had lousy judgment. But after twenty, I had good judgment and found the right guy.
Alright, even though that last bit was Amelia throwing shade, it was also true.
Deep down, I knew Brad wouldn't betray me. There had to be some reason or issue with Jenny's pictures.
But when something's right in front of you and you can't verify it, most people would feel conflicted like me—sad and desperate to know the truth, to confirm if the one they love is still theirs.
Yeah, Amelia was right. Brad wouldn't hurt me. I had to trust him.
Just as I turned off my phone, Amelia's phone started blowing up with calls and Facebook messages. All from Ryan, the guy who'd done all sorts of bad stuff and still wouldn't leave Amelia alone.
The constant ringing was driving us nuts. Amelia watched it for a bit, then grabbed her phone, blocked, and deleted him. To avoid more calls from other numbers, she turned off her phone.
Right then, my phone buzzed. It was a Facebook message from Adam.
Adam: [Is she okay?]
I stared at the screen, wondering if Adam had mixed up "you" and "she."
Of course, as a student at a top university, Adam wouldn't make such a basic mistake. So, he was definitely asking about Amelia. But Adam and Amelia hadn't met before. Why would he suddenly ask about her?
Today, I went to the airport to pick someone up, and Adam insisted on coming along. In the end, he did nothing but beat up Ryan before joining us for the ride back. It seemed his main goal was to be my driver and give Ryan a thrashing.
I asked, "Do you know Adam?"
Amelia put the towel she was using to dry her hair on the small cabinet and said, a bit puzzled, "Adam? I don't know him, but the name sounds familiar."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
