Ladies and gentlemen, Chapter 4! (Much longer than I expected it to be, actually...) Enjoy!
Feel free to go stalk me on Tumblr: to give me other couples and scenarios you'd like me to write about, and bother me with questions at lionphantom. tumblr. com (remove the spaces, obviously)
^^^ No, but seriously, go do it.
The rest of the week passed by in a blur of stolen kisses and whispered secrets behind closed doors. In public, the pair was as obnoxious and antagonistic as ever. Only Derek knew what was really being said between the lines of endless insults, what was really happening behind each annoyed glare, and what was really felt with each frustrated shove or slap.
But when left to their own devices, Logan and Julian fell into a sort of pattern. Their personalities didn't leave room for them to be anything but argumentative. The difference was obvious however: the blonde now brushed his leg against Julian's under the desk when the two sat and studied together; the actor had taken to locking their pinkies together affectionately when they watched movies in their rooms; the prefect always had a cup of coffee ready for the brunette before they walked to class; Julian constantly 'forgot' his favorite leather jacket in Logan's dorm while the Warbler was a practice, just to give him an excuse to text him in fake irritation when he got home.
It was pure bliss. Julian couldn't remember a time when he was more happy. Logan had never been in a better mood. Even Derek was smiling more often than usual.
One person did not share in the joy. He wasn't as oblivious as the rest of the students at Dalton. Adam saw that things were different. He was an expert at noticing the nearly invisible details about a person, years of practice under his belt. He loved that Julian was happy, but...it wasn't the Hanover's doing. It was that damned Logan Wright. Which meant the good times wouldn't last long.
Adam watched and waited, as the actor continually blew off plans with him to sneak more time in with Logan, growing more resentful as each day passed. The pair couldn't possibly be content together- they constantly fought and insulted one another. There was one day in particular, where Adam saw Julian's face fall at a comment from Logan- the brunette boy laughed it off, but the Hanover boy knew he was still stung. He knew every minuscule detail of each of Julian's expressions by now.
Logan had to go: that much was clear to him. He could not be allowed to break the heart of Adam's beloved actor again.
"Jules, I'm sorry," Logan said, shutting the door behind him. Julian didn't look up, as he dropped his bag on his bed. "I know you're mad. I shouldn't have said that...Look at me, please?" the blonde asked pleadingly. The actor sighed and complied with his request, deep brown meeting pale green.
"Don't." His voice was dangerously low, as Logan opened his moth to speak again. "I don't want to hear it."
"But, I-"
"Just leave me alone."
"You can't run away from an argument with me anymore."
"Get OUT," Julian hissed.
Logan tried to argue, but the brunette shoved him out the door without another word. He locked it and leaned his forehead against the cool wood with a frustrated cry escaping his lips. Julian closed his eyes against the tears forming. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he checked the messages. A text from Adam: Hey, you free? I'm walking by Stuart now.
Absolutely. Be down in a sec, he sent back, grabbing his jacket and heading out to meet his friend.
"Hey," he grinned at the Hanover boy. "Good timing."
"Rough day?" Adam asked, noting the forced merriment of the smile.
"People are just NOT on my good side today," Julian tried to laugh, but the sound seemed a bit strangled.
The two fell into their usual stroll along the path around campus, trading stories of their weeks, though the actor avoided the most obvious news in his life. Adam's mind was churning behind his quiet exterior. Julian was suddenly reminded of a paper he had to work on. Apologizing to his Hanover friend, he headed towards the library, not realizing he had played directly into Adam's plans, as the other boy pocketed the cell phone he had lifted from the Stuart's pocket.
We need to talk, the text from Julian read. Logan sighed. He hoped this meant forgiveness for his stupid remark earlier in the day. After he sent his agreement, the next text told him where to meet: The archway, near Warbler's Hall.
The blonde blinked in surprise. Why wouldn't they just meet in the dorm? Unless...maybe Julian wanted more neutral territory? Or he was just playing the demanding diva card...He decided not to question it. At least the actor was talking to him again.
When he arrived in the darkened corridor, he called out cautiously. "Jules? Julian, are you here?"
"Hello, Logan," a cold voice answered him, as a dark figure stepped out of the shadows.
The prefect squinted at him. "A-Adam? What are you doing here? Did Julian send you?"
"No," came the frosty reply. "He didn't send me. But I am here to take care of his business."
"That isn't your place to do so," Logan frowned. "Where is Julian?"
"Safe. Though the same can't be said for you..."
"What do you mean by THAT, exactly?"
A flash of light from Adam's direction caught the blonde's eye. Was that...a gun? Logan swallowed hard against the lump that suddenly formed in his throat. The Hanover's odd behavior, the timing of the stalker's appearance on campus...It all made sense to him now.
Adam grinned in the moonlight, a chilling sight, as he watched the prefect's face contemplate the situation and come to the right conclusion. He lifted his gun up, pointing it directly at Logan's chest as he stepped in closer. "Figured it out, have you?"
The blonde's breathing stopped for a moment, as the weapon was trained on him. "Why, Adam?" he finally managed to ask.
"He deserves to be happy. Julian deserves all the best things in life," Adam said softly, his voice deadly serious. "You don't make him happy, you only hurt him. Over and over again. I just can't let that happen anymore." He stepped forward again to press the barrel against the blonde's heart, as Logan raised his arms in the universal surrender sign. The prefect caught a glimpse of crimson liquid dripping down Adam's wrist to the floor, the drops almost as loud as the pounding his heart. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep him happy," the Hanover boy whispered, a crazed look in his eyes. "Whatever it takes..."
Julian cursed as he headed back through the dark to Stuart. Where the hell was his phone? He must have left it behind when he rushed to meet Adam. What if Logan was trying to get in touch with him and apologize? The actor was more than ready to hear him out now, he had just needed a little time to cool off.
Stalking down the hallway to his room, he noticed a familiar path of red drops on the floor, leading to his door. His heart nearly stopped. No. Not here. Not now. Julian nearly turned away, but decided he had to see it through. He recklessly opened his door, ready to run if necessary. But the room was empty. He let out the breath he'd been holding.
The blood was smeared all over different parts of his room, as if the stalker had been touching everything he possibly could that was close to Julian's body: his pillow and blankets were lightly stained, his desk and chair, some scripts he'd been going through, his bag, even some of the used tissues in his trash can. The brunette's nose wrinkled in disgust at the slight, the coppery smell of the scarlet liquid finally assaulting his senses.
There was a note on his desk, written by an unsteady hand, blood smearing the page, with scattered red rose petals over the surface. Julian stood looking over it, frozen. Dear Julian, You'll never have to be unhappy again. Not while I'm around. I'm taking care of everything as you read this. I love you.
There was no signature, just his missing phone, also coated in the crimson fluid, and a picture clearly ripped from his own bulletin board. It was of him and Logan freshman year, laughing at something Derek had said from behind the camera, arms around each other. His own face had a smudge of blood over it, as if the stalker had caressed his likeness, while Logan's head was shredded, almost beyond recognition. NO.
He grabbed his phone with shaking hands, checking the call log and recent text messages. THERE. Near Warbler's Hall? Julian immediately sprinted out of the room, one hand dialing 911, as the other wiped tears from his eyes.
"Police. Dalton Academy. Warbler's Hall in the Main building. Please hurry," he sobbed into the phone by his ear. "Someone's going to get hurt!" The actor hung up, now just focusing on pushing his body to the limits of it's physical condition. This wasn't some movie role, he really did have to play the hero. He had to reach Logan in time. He couldn't lose him, not now.
Julian ran into the building, stumbling slightly at the doorway, but continued to fly towards Warbler's Hall. "LOGAN!" He screamed at the sight of the blonde further down the corridor, pushed against the wall, gun to his chest. "Get AWAY from him you psycho, it's ME you want- ADAM?" He skidded to a stop as he recognized the boy who had turned at the sound of his voice.
"Julian..." Adam breathed, his eyes locked on the actor.
Logan used the distraction as opportunity to knock the barrel away from his chest. "JULES! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" He wrestled for control over the gun with the surprisingly strong Hanover boy. Julian could barely see anymore, frightened tears clouding his eyes, but he still ran towards the two fighting boys, on shaking legs. "No! Julian! Go!" He heard Logan's strangled yell and ignored it, feeling as though he were moving in slow motion.
The sound of a gunshot echoed through the darkened hall. A cry of pain rang out. Julian's knees finally buckled, and he fell to the ground. His vision went black.
CLIFFHANGER?
Uhhh...Don't kill me? *runs to go hide under my writing rock*