I had only just fallen asleep, when...

*BANG BANG BANG*

I jolted awake. Someone was banging quite furiously on the front door, so loudly that I could hear it clearly from my bedroom, half-asleep. Frightened, I just sat there and waited, hoping it would go away. That kind of sound at this time of night wasn't exactly the most comforting thing in the world, and I wasn't about to answer the door to a thief or killer, although I did find it odd that they hadn't broken in already. Maybe it's the police... I thought to myself. However, I knew I did nothing wrong, and I hadn't disturbed any of my neighbors since I'd been here, so the chances of that were also unlikely. Whatever the case, I decided to ignore it and go back to sleep, but then...

*Ding-Dong*

...Whoever it was rang the doorbell. Ding-Dong? I thought. I don't think a predator would ring the doorbell...or the police, for that matter. I wonder who it is... Defeated by my curiosity, I decided to get up and answer the door. And the moment I did –

"There you are." Lysander shoved the door open and barged into my apartment.

Not the predator I was thinking of, but close enough...

"Darling, we need to talk."

I was dazed with fear and confusion – not to mention, I was still very, very sleepy. "W-What...? What are you talking about? What are you doing here?"

"I just told you, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"I think you know."

"I honestly don't."

"Don't lie to me. I saw you with him earlier today."

"Oh dear lord, do we really have to do this right now? It's only chapter two...well three, if you count the prologue."

"...Darling, I'm sorry to intrude when you clearly need your rest, but I need you to tell me right now: Who was he?"

"Who, Chris? He's one of my friends."

"Really? So I assume you let all your friends pull you close and bond with you like that."

"Oh what, you mean when he ruffled my hair and joked around with me? We were just having fun; it was nothing serious."

"Stop. Lying. To me. I know what I saw, Julia, and I don't like it. I can't believe there's another one. Why are you doing this to me? Why do you always insist on pursuing other men when I'm the one who truly loves you?" He inched closer. "You are mine, and mine alone. I don't care what kind of 'friend' he is to you; I won't allow yet another man to get between us." With that, Lysander grabbed the back of my head and gave me a passionate kiss, keeping me tightly pressed him. He let go after a few seconds, and made his way towards the door. "For your sake, Darling, I hope it really was innocent, because if he ever touches you like that again..." he trailed off as he stopped and turned back to look at me. "...you might not have your 'friend' for much longer." And then he left, closing the door behind him.

I stood there, paralyzed in shock; not so much because he'd showing up at my apartment – visiting me in the dead of night was one of Lysander's favorite hobbies – but rather, I was shocked at the last thing he said. "You might not have your friend for much longer." Just what did he mean by that? What was he going to do to Chris if we upset him again? Great...now instead of threatening me, he's threatening my friends? I can't just let this happen! I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to one of my best friends, so I immediately ran to my phone and called Chris to tell him what happened. However, it was already three in the morning, so even after a few tries, Chris didn't pick up his phone. I thought nothing of it of course, as he had told me a few times that he was a really heavy sleeper, so I decided to leave a voicemail and a few text messages instead, telling him to meet with me about it the next day. I also considered calling the police, but without any proof of malicious intent, I knew they wouldn't be able to help me. Besides, Lysander was clever; he would probably find a way around the law. I had a feeling that calling the authorities would do nothing but provoke him, and the last thing I wanted to do was paint a big, red target on my back (or anyone else's, for that matter). All I could do was warn Chris and hope he'd take it seriously.

"Maybe he'll know what to do..." I sighed as I once again fell onto my bed, exhausted from the bizarre events of that day. I was so sure before that I wouldn't have to think about Lysander any more that night, but now, I couldn't think of anything else. He consumed my every last thought until I finally fell asleep. Perfect.

The next morning, I could not be in any more of a rush to get to Chris. As soon as I got to the school, I took off running in the direction of his locker. To my relief, he was there, just getting out some books. I walked up to him quickly.

"Hey, I gotta tell you something. It's important."

"Ahh! Oh, hey Julia, I didn't see you there. You scared me."

"Oh, sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just really need to tell you something..."

"Oh, yeah, that's right! And I'm sure it's important too, but before you say anything, there's someone I wanna introduce you to."

"What? But–!"

"It won't take long, I promise. You can tell me whatever you need to say right afterwards, okay? C'mon."

Chris closed his locker and led me to another. The locker door was opened towards us, blocking our view of its owner, but Chris was confident it was the right person.

"Hey there, stranger! I know you're probably busy getting ready for class and stuff, but since you're new here, I'd like you to meet one of my best friends."

The person behind the locker closed the door and turned to face us. That face...I knew it all too well.

"Julia, this is Nathaniel. Nathaniel, Julia."

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Nathaniel too? It just wasn't possible. And yet, here he was, standing right in front of me.

"Pleasure to meet you." he said, holding his hand out to me. His voice was a bit cold, which was rather unlike him from what I remembered. When I knew him at Sweet Amoris High, he was always kind and warmhearted – especially to me – but now, looking into his distant eyes and fake smile, I could swear he was an entirely different person. "N-Nice to meet you too..." I nervously replied as I shook his hand. After all this time, he didn't look too happy to see me again. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but I didn't have a good feeling about it. Just then, the bell rang, and students were emptying the hallways as classes were starting.

"Well," Chris said, "I'm glad I got to introduce you guys, but we gotta go now. I'll catch you later." Then he left, leaving me and Nathaniel to each other's company. I didn't really feel like standing there in the awkward silence, so I turned to leave too.

"Wait."

I turned back towards Nathaniel to see what he had to say.

"You and I both know we're not strangers. Are you really just gonna walk away?"

"Sorry, I just didn't want to make things any more awkward than they already were. I haven't seen you in a long time, and I know I didn't leave things between us in the best circumstances..."

"So you just ignore me altogether?"

"Uh..."

"Typical. You never did consider my feelings."

"That's not true, but I'd really rather not bring up our past right now. Was there something you wanted?"

"Never mind. I'll see you later."

"Okay..."

And then he was gone. What just happened?

I didn't really know what to make of the situation, and I didn't know what to do about it. All I knew was that there was something I was forgetting that I wanted to do before all of this happened, but what was it? What was it...?

…...

CHRIS!

I was trying to talk to Chris! I needed to warn him about Lysander, but...! It was too late now. Classes had already begun, and if I didn't get to mine soon, I'd be counted absent. Rushing through the hallways, I could only think of two things: get to Chris as soon as possible, and don't run into Lysander. My worries plagued me all throughout the morning. I could only hope Lysander's threat was just that – a threat. Nothing more.

I searched for Chris in the cafeteria at lunch, but I still couldn't find him. At this point, I was really worried. I didn't really feel like talking to anyone about it though, so I sat by myself today. I tried not to drive myself too crazy; we did have a class together later, after all. Surely I'd see him then. So, I took a deep breath and calmly ate my lunch. Eventually, physics rolled around. Jasmine was there. Chris was not. Really?! I thought to myself as I took my seat. I was starting to panic now. Chris was never late to class, so where could he be? I didn't know what to do, so I decided to try to relax and chat with Jasmine until class started; it was all I could do to keep myself from completely freaking out.

"Class, may I have your attention please?" the teacher called to us. "We have a new student here with us today. He would like to introduce himself, so please be respectful and listen to him."

"Thank you, sir. My name is Lysander. Lysander Darling. I look forward to sharing a class with you." He was looking straight at me with that devious smirk on his face.

Oh god, please no...wait...his last name is Darling? ...What? Now that ...that I had no words for.

"Very well, Lysander. Since you're a late addition to this class, I'll need some time to sort out which group you'll be joining. In the meantime, I see that group in the back is missing someone, so you can go ahead and join them for today."

Whyyyy?

"Sounds perfect. Thank you." Lysander walked over to our lab station and sat down in Chris's seat. "What's the matter, Darling? You look rather pale..."

"I'm fine!" I snapped at him. "But what was that? Your last name is Darling?"

"Yes, well...I was hoping for it be a surprise, for when we got married. It would be rather amusing to call you 'Darling Darling.' Surely you see the humor in it."

Darling...DARLING? That's terrible! ...but hilarious...but terrible! I hate you and love you so much right now!

"That's...clever. I guess." I muttered and looked away. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lysander smile at me and then look over at Jasmine.

"Oh, my apologies. How rude of me to ignore you like this. I don't believe we've met, but allow me to introduce myself personally. My name is Lysander. May I ask your name, dear?"

"Hi, my name's Jasmine" she said kindly, as the two of them shook hands. "Nice to meet ya."

Lysander smiled. "You as well."

Just then, the teacher began his lecture and class had officially started. Jasmine and I started on our work as usual, but Lysander was rather confused, so we spent the majority of our class time explaining the assignment to him. After a while, he got it just fine, which I had to admit was impressive since he had just started today. Nevertheless, I couldn't let him distract me from my mission (and yes, mission...is that too much?). This seemingly harmless young man sitting before me was, in reality, a serious threat to the one who was supposed to be here. So why wasn't he here?

Lysander...what did you do?

Before long, class was over, and I made sure I was the first one out the door. At this point, I wasn't even trying to stay calm. I didn't even go to my next class. My only concern now was Chris. Even if I was overreacting, I had to know for sure he was okay, so I made my way into the sea of students pouring into the hallway and frantically searched for him. However, no matter where or how hard I looked, I still couldn't find him. As the last students disappeared into their next classrooms, I fell against the lockers and slid to the floor in defeat. Chris was nowhere to be found, and at this rate, I was never going to find him. I was ready to give up entirely when I heard someone coming down the hall.

"Chris?!" I exclaimed as I turned to look at who it was.

"...No. It's rude to call someone by the wrong name, you know."

"Oh! Sorry, Nathaniel..." I looked up to see an unhappy face glaring at me.

"Fine. And for your information, Chris and I were just in the student council room. The principal wanted to meet with us about something this morning. It was only supposed to be for a few minutes, but it seems she forgot the concept of time. As a result, we never got lunch, but I'm just grateful I'm finally out that room."

"Grateful to be out of the student council room? You? Naaaaah." I said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. Instead I only made him more upset.

"That's not funny. Why don't you try talking with the principal for two hours and see how you like it?"

"Wow...sorry. What was your meeting about anyway?"

"It doesn't matter. Well, I would love to stay here and chat the whole day away with you, but I have more important matters to attend to. I'm sure you do too." He started walking away. "Oh, and from now on, please look before you speak. Not everyone is who you're expecting." And with that, he left.

Wow...when did Nathaniel become such a jerk?

Nathaniel's attitude bothered me a little; he was never like that before. Still, it was a great relief to know that my worries were for nothing and that Chris was safe and sound after all. I couldn't wait to see him later, but I did have classes to go to, and that would be a lot easier now that my mind was at peace. I was given a tardy slip and a lecture for being late, of course, but that didn't bother me. I just focused on the class activities and didn't care much about anything else. Finally, after the last class had ended, I saw Chris in the hallway.

"Chris!" I shouted as I ran up to him, full of excitement.

"Julia!" He shouted back.

"Hey, I've been looking for you all day! Nathaniel told me you guys had a meeting."

He looked away for a second. "Oh...yeah, that was brutal. I thought she'd never stop talking. I swear, some women are really annoying..."

I glared at him.

"I said some! I know you don't follow that "Chatty Kathy" stereotype, and I'm really glad you don't. In fact, you don't usually talk much at all. Usually I'm the one who does the talking."

"That's right. If anything, you're a Talky Tommy!"

He just laughed. "Haha, I guess you're right...oh, hey! Weren't you gonna tell me somethin' earlier? I totally forgot; I'm so sorry!"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" To be honest, I was so happy to be talking with Chris that I had completely forgotten why I wanted to in the first place. "I need to tell you to watch out for Lysander."

"...That...weird guy from yesterday? Why?"

"Because 'weird' is an understatement, that's why! He won't show it at first, but he's really dangerous! He came to my apartment last night and told me that if he saw us together in a certain way, you'd be in serious danger."

"Wait, he went to your apartment? And what do you mean danger?"

"I don't know! He just said that if he saw me with you again in a way that he didn't like, that I 'wouldn't have my "friend" for much longer.'"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I have no idea; that's why I had to warn you. It was all I could think about."

"Well if he's that serious, then what am I supposed to do? I can't report something I didn't hear myself! And even if I did, it's all just hear-say! What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be careful, and always keep an eye out for him. You never know when he's going to show up; he has a way of sneaking up on people."

"Oh, great. That's great. I'm so glad."

"I know...I'm really sorry about all this."

"It's not your fault. He's crazy."

"I know, but I'm the reason he's here. At the very least, I'm gonna try not to provoke him any further, and hopefully keep you guys apart."

"So what does that mean? We can't be friends anymore?"

"Of course we can. As long as it's just that."

"But isn't that already what we were...?"

"Yeah, but I mean like...no touching. Like no high-fives or pats on the back, or anything silly like yesterday. As long as we refrain from that, we should be fine."

"But that's ridiculous! Why should we have to stop doing any of those things because a new guy says so?"

"Because! Because god knows what he will do if we don't?!" I sighed. "Look, it will only be for a little while, alright? Just until I can calm him down or figure out how to get rid of him."

Chris shook his head. "This is insane. I can't believe you're going to put up with this guy."

"I said just for a little while. Everything's gonna be okay, I promise."

"Not while he's here. I don't even know the guy, but from what you're telling me, I'm scared to death of him, and I'm even more scared for you."

"I'll be fine. I know how his mind works, and I know what he's after. I'll figure out what to do, so please don't worry about me. Worry about you. Stay safe...please..."

"What good is it to keep myself safe if you're in danger? No, I'm going to help you. Demented guys like him always slip up eventually, and when he does, I'll be more than happy to put him away. On that note, I got work to do. I'll see you later."

Chris walked off, leaving me to myself. I thought so, anyway...

"'Put me away? Get rid of me?'" I heard a voice from right behind me. I didn't dare turn around, not that I had to, since he stepped in front of me anyway. "You make me sound as if I'm some kind of monster, Darling."

"T-That's not what I said..."

"Oh please, spare me. 'Be careful? Stay safe...?' It's not like I was planning on murdering him, you know. Or maybe I was! 'Only god knows what I will do,' after all."

"I didn't–!"

"And apparently, I sneak up on people...? Well, I suppose I do follow you a bit more than I should, but only because you never listen. You're always with the exact person I tell you to stay away from, and once again, I was right. Do you know how disappointing that is for me? Don't you think I wish I could trust you?"

"So...so now what, huh? What are you gonna do, Lysander?"

"Out of the kindness of my heart, I'm going to let you off with one more warning. And by all means, let me be clear this time: if I ever catch you flirting or conspiring against me with him again, I will make sure he receives a punishment he will never forget. You don't want that for him, do you, Darling?"

"N-No...of course not..." I barely choked out. I was so scared I couldn't speak. I didn't know exactly what he was threatening, but if it wasn't murder, it was the next worst thing, and I really didn't want to find out what. Why? Why did he have to be so cruel? I just couldn't understand...

"Then maybe this time, you'll finally hear me. Don't. Get. Close. To him. Understand?"

I nodded but could still say no words, and I couldn't bring myself to look at him; it was just too much. Not a second later, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him.

"I'm sorry, my Darling, but please remember I'm only doing this for us. Too much has gotten between us in the past, and I refuse to let anything or anyone keep us apart again. I never know who might take you away from me at any given moment, and it worries me to death. You remember what happened last time, don't you?"

"Yes..." I mumbled softly as I leaned into his chest. For as much as I resented Lysander's violence, I sympathized with his sensitive side. And last time? How could I forget? Three boys, three hearts, and I broke them all. I even broke my own in the process. What I did to them – to us – was terrible; that's why I left in the first place. But what good did that do, now that two of them were already here? The pain they must feel when they look at me...

I'm so sorry.

So there I stayed, in Lysander's arms, until he let go and escorted me home. We said our goodbyes there and went our separate ways for the evening. After making myself something to eat, I did my best to finish my homework quickly and went to bed immediately thereafter. My thoughts echoed around in my head. First Lysander, now Nathaniel? Lysander was his usual obsessive self, so no surprises there, but Nathaniel was cold and mean. And Chris...did I just put him in danger by telling him he was in danger? What was going on? My old life...my new life...it was like they were merging together into a life I no longer recognized. What was I to do in a situation like this? How far would this go? I felt completely helpless as I drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep. I just...couldn't think about this anymore.