The pain from the fall was pressed at the back of her mind as Lara looked back at Jasper who wore a face of rage, his grip on her ankle painful as he dug his digits into her flesh. "Get off me!" Her shout followed with a kick to Jasper's face.
*BAM*
The attack landing squarely making Jasper momentarily let Lara's leg go giving her the window to crawl away and leave the apartment. "Get back here Lara!" Jasper grunted as he tried to pull himself back up, the pain on his crotch making him flinch and fall on his knees, his teeth grit.
Lara didn't hesitate as she stormed down the flight of stairs, clutching tightly to her coat as Jasper's vehement groans echoed through out the entire complex attracting the attention of the neighbors. By the time the neighbors had arrived at Jasper's place, Lara was long gone from the apartment and running on the sidewalk.
She kept on running before she ran out of breathe, stopping at a local park where she it hit her. The pain from falling and from Jasper's forceful grab of her ankle. "My phone…" Her jaw tightened as the realization hit her that all of her belongings were back at Jasper's place. The only thing that she had was what she had on her.
"It's way too far to walk back and I don't know my colleagues that well to ask them for help." Her figure on a bench barely illuminated from the fluorescent lamp that attracted moths in the dead of night. She slumped over, making the bench a temporary bed and forced herself to sleep.
It wasn't long before she was disrupted as she heard the sounds of footsteps approach her. A few feet from her a man loomed over her, masked only revealing his gaze that scanned all over her body in a predatory manner. Before she could bring herself up to her feet, the faint pain of a needle prick coursed down her neck.
Her eyes grew heavy, her movements sluggish before falling asleep, vulnerable to the figure.
. . .
Jasper on the other hand had a difficult moment trying to explain to his neighbors what had happened between him and his girlfriend. His excuse to them was an argument before Lara had tried to kill him and when she failed escaped. With his figure blocking the entrance, refusing anyone of them from entering, they didn't enter his room and see the packed bags.
After they were all gone, Jasper let out a heavy sigh as he looked at Lara's packed bags before noticing her phone. "Looks like I can pawn of that phone, a fitting tribute given what that bitch had done to me!" His hand reaching to the phone before a knock interrupted him 'It's the middle of the night, do these neighbors have nothing else to do than bother me?'
He marched to the door, his face already showing his annoyance but this time at a glance, it was clear the figure wasn't his usual neighbors. "Can I help you?" The figure raised his hand and shot something at Jasper's neck, way too quick for Jasper to react.
. . .
It was an afternoon, Kevin exhausted from his studies as he crashed onto the sofa.
*Click*
Andrew closed the door as he left, Kevin didn't bother looking at his figure as he was too busy absorbed on the television. His interest however didn't last long before looking back at Andrew's bag propped next to the sofa.
He took a long look at his bag, the noise from the television nothing more than background. 'Is this what I have to face with now? I thought that he would be the cure for that annoying ghost but now he's far worse.'
Memories began to flash of the past, how Trevor, Andrew and him would go on adventures and play with each other before the image of Trevor's crucified corpse shattered his memory. He recalled another, how he would try to get close to Andrew and the responses he would get. If not silence then words that worked, not those that would elicit laughs between the two, just those that would pass the moment to the next scene.
'Looks like I'm the one stuck in the past while he's moved on.' He turned off the television only to be met with silence, the same that clung to Andrew. Another fact about Andrew hit him, the money that he had as well as his social circle. He recalled how he had been telling Andrew not to take interest in Brittany and yet somehow he managed to catch Brittany's attention.
He recalled the magazine from earlier, how it talked about Andrew and his disappearance from back then, talking about his silence and his unnatural talent in the game of chess. "A player whose never lost." The article boldly declared which make Kevin lightly scoff.
Kevin looked at the counter, tea already made by Andrew, something he did at the end of each day. Kevin poured himself a cup and took a light sip. "Perfect as always, huh?" His gaze turning bitter as he looked at the kettle and the biscuits neatly arranged.
Memories began to surface how he tried to cook tea with her mother. How she would say that the milk wasn't enough, the sugar was too much while Andrew got it right away. "Is this my torment? Trevor's replacement?No, this is worse, unlike Trevor who I could ignore, he's going to be here, maybe with his perfect nature pass school and get a good job, if not he has the luxury of falling on cushions of money he has."
He covered his face with his hands, the image of Andrew coming up. 'Just what goes in your mind for you to agonize me like this Andrew? Is it too much to ask for a friend? The one I had back then?' The image of Andrew at twelve began to overlap with the current version of Andrew, the smile replaced with a neutral smile.
"He doesn't even try so why does everything have to go to him?" His tone laced with rage as he reached for the kettle and poured it's contents into the sink, throwing the biscuits into the garbage. "Am I nothing more than an idiot stuck in time while he's superior? A better version of me with his apathetic face?" His chest began to heave, his teeth gnashing as he looked at his own hands.
"He could leave at any moment and yet he doesn't. Does he pity me or what?" Kevin marched back to Andrew's back and began to look into it, letting the contents fall on the floor. He dug into his books, notes perfect in cursive, a cat he had taken showing perfect scores. Kevin looked and looked, as if he would fins his answers in Andrew's bag before he stopped.
His breathes faint as he sat on the floor, leaning on the back of the sofa covering his face.
. . .
"Thanks to you my father has been on my ass asking me about my eyes!" Brittany reprimanded, her lips tainted with Andrew's blood as the latter at the edge of the swimming pool, both their legs dipped in the cool water. Andrew didn't bother responding as he let the conceited girl did as she pleased.
"As for Adrian, do you know how tricky it was convincing him that there was nothing going on between us?! From now on would be best that we only meet at my place or other places because school will start to attract unwanted eyes." The sounds of blood faintly oozing and sucking permeating through the air.
"Miss Brittany, master Adrian is here." A servant mused, ignoring the position the two were in. "What?! Why is he-" Brittany quickly rose to her feet, traces of blood all over her lips and cheeks. "Fine, Andrew go to the piano room!" Andrew stood up, his motions fluid and what Brittany didn't want to happen transpired.
"Hello Britt!" Adrian spoke, making his way to where she was before almost immediately his smile fell upon seeing Andrew. "If you're having an affair with him, it would be best for you to just come clean." Brittany was at a loss for words, aware of how it all looked. Behind Adrian another figure came into view however lacking the confidence that Adrian had. "You know what? I've have just about enough of you Andrew so I propose a small wager between us as gentlemen."
"Can you drive?" Adrian's question met with a nod. "Then be here, if you don't have a car my good friend here Matteo can give it to you." Adrian patted the other person he had come with who flinched on Adrian's touch. "Ah, yeah. You could use my car."
Brittany wanted to intervene but she hadn't expected Andrew to agree. "Of course." Adrian inched closer till the distance between the two was a meter away from each other. "But of course you know what this means, right. Not just not talking to her but if I happen to hear that you much so as looked at her, then you won't be having an easy time in school. Don't be late."
Andrew picked up the card offered to him,Brittany pursed her lips as she watched Andrew leave. "And as for you, if you want to end our relationship then just say so because it's getting tiring for me to see you with another guy."
Brittany let out a sigh, her frame shrinking. "I understand Adrian but you have to promise me that you won't injure him even if he loses." Adrian wrapped his hands around Brittany's shoulder, roping her in closer to him. "What do you mean if he loses, he will lose, isn't that right Matteo?"
The three making their way to the front of the house where Adrian's car, a beast meant of muscle was parked. "Of course, the car's rigged as planned." Brittany grit her teeth as the car snaked it's way into the road. "And besides what's so good about him? His looks are rather average and kind of odd with how he's silent. His background isn't even worth mentioning either."
Brittany was unsure of how to put it. 'I don't like him, it's just that I want his blood.' The words preposterous to say out loud. "It's his insight of tennis that sets him apart from the others. But other than that, it's as you said, there's nothing special about him."
Adrian flashed a smirk as the car drove farther and farther out of the city, making a detour in the outskirts on a beaten path before a gate was revealed. They didn't last long before they got in, revealing a wide selection of cars with their hoods off, people taking pictures and such.
Parking his car, Adrian together with Brittany made their way to a private room while Matteo scurried off. "My father says that you need us and from how subservient you get, it really shows." Adrian broke the silence as Brittany took a seat, his arms opening a cold bottle of wine.
"You're drinking even though you have to drive?" Adrian ignored Brittany's question, his back facing her. "The Red Lotus huh, if it weren't for that, then I guess I wouldn't be wasting my time with you." His words followed coolly, taking a light sip of his glass. Brittany had an annoyed expression as Adrian turned to face her.
"I get it but do you have to be a dick about it?" Adrian sat across from her, his leg propped over the other. "Given your status in comparison to mine yes. You don't bark like the way I want you to. Not to mention you're not exactly in my eyes at the moment, your body sub par as well." Brittany didn't bother masking her disgust while Adrian went on.
"The only reason why I'm playing this game with you is because it's nice having my bitch as the star of the tennis team. Believe it or not, I'm actually looking to your performance in the upcoming tournament."