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4

On the way to school, Adam stalked down the pavement with his hands in his pockets, exuding the kind of confidence that turned heads—or cleared paths. He wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings until a group of lads nearly collided with him.

They were so engrossed in their animated, nerdy discussion that one of them stumbled, narrowly avoiding a full-on crash into Adam. The boy, a skinny kid with glasses that seemed too big for his face, turned and looked at Adam as if he’d just run into Satan himself, freshly emerged from the underworld to snatch his soul.

“Sorry!” the boy stammered, his voice cracking with panic.

Adam cocked an eyebrow. He recognized him as one of the ‘mega dorks,’ the kids who huddled in the far corner of the canteen at lunchtime, passionately playing card games with names Adam couldn’t even pronounce.

“It’s alright,” Adam said casually, shrugging. Then, with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, he added, “But trip me up again, and I’ll send you straight to the shadow realm.”

The boy froze mid-apology, his eyes widening as confusion replaced the terror.

“Wait… was that a Yu-Gi-Oh! reference?” he asked, his voice tinged with awe.

“Yeah… what? I watch TV,” Adam replied with a dismissive wave of his hand, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Before the kid could respond, his friend—another nervous-looking lad with a mop of curly hair—blurted out, “I’m sorry we don’t have any money!” His words tumbled out so fast they barely made sense.

Adam frowned, genuinely confused now. “What?”

“Ste said if we didn’t get thirty quid by the end of the week, you’d beat us all up,” the curly-haired boy explained, wringing his hands like a man preparing to be sent to the gallows. “We tried, but—”

“You don’t have to give that little fucker anything,” Adam interrupted sharply, his voice low and firm. “You get me?”

The boys exchanged wide-eyed glances, nodded in unison, and shuffled away as fast as their legs could carry them.

Adam watched them go, irritation simmering under his skin. By the time he reached the school gates, it had turned into a slow burn of anger. Spotting Ste and Gary lounging near the entrance, Adam felt his fists clench involuntarily. Ste had been getting on his nerves for weeks now—always running his mouth, always pushing boundaries. This little extortion scheme in Adam’s name was the final straw.

The others didn’t seem to notice his mood as he joined them. Gary greeted him with his usual nod, and Ste, oblivious as ever, started talking about some pointless drama from last night’s group chat. Adam tuned him out, his jaw tightening. He’d deal with him soon enough.

By the time Reece and his girlfriend Zoe arrived, the group was complete. Reece launched into a story about something ridiculous that had happened at the shop that morning, but Adam barely listened. His eyes were scanning the crowd of students filtering through the gates, searching for Jamie. He knew the kid would try to slip in late to avoid him, and Adam wasn’t about to let that happen. Not today.

Sure enough, Ste spotted Jamie first. The kid was attempting to blend into the flow of students, head down, shoulders hunched, but Ste’s sharp eyes picked him out like a hawk spotting prey.

“Aww, look,” Ste sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. “His mommy must’ve neatened up his hair.”

Ste made a beeline for Jamie, reaching out to grab at his freshly trimmed hair.

“Oi!” Adam’s voice boomed across the courtyard, stopping Ste in his tracks. The shout was so loud, so uncharacteristically commanding, that it turned heads. Even the teachers glanced up. Ste froze mid-step, looking back at Adam in wide-eyed confusion.

“You fucking touch him again, and I’ll smash your face into a bloody puddle,” Adam snarled, his voice low but lethal.

“What?” Ste’s voice cracked, his outrage mingling with disbelief.

“I think it looks good like this,” Adam said, turning his attention to Jamie. For the first time, he really looked at him. Without the long, scraggly hair obscuring his face, Jamie’s features were sharper, more defined. He wasn’t bad-looking—he actually bore a resemblance to his older sister. The thought made Adam smirk inwardly.

“I’m sorry I fucked with your hair,” Adam said, locking eyes with Jamie. “But honestly, it looks a million times better.”

The courtyard fell silent. Adam could practically feel the confusion radiating from his group. Ste’s mouth hung open in stunned disbelief, and Gary was staring as if Adam had just declared he wanted to join the drama club. Even Jamie looked like he’d been struck by lightning.

‘He probably thinks this is a trick,’ Adam thought. The idea amused him. The sadistic part of his mind briefly toyed with the idea of making it one, but he dismissed it. He had bigger plans for Jamie—and for Alice.

“That said,” Adam continued, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear, “it was a real shitty thing to do, so I’m gonna make it up to you.” He paused, savoring the way everyone leaned in, waiting for his next move. “You can trade places with anyone in my inner circle. Your choice.”

The tension was palpable. Jamie’s eyes darted to Ste immediately, confirming what Adam already knew. Ste had been the ringleader of Jamie’s torment, the most ruthless of the bunch. Of course Jamie would pick him.

“What the fuck?” Ste spluttered, his voice rising in indignation.

Adam rounded on him, leaning in so close their noses were almost touching. “You fucking heard me,” he hissed.

The group exchanged uneasy glances. Zoe bit her lip, looking vaguely worried, while Reece shifted uncomfortably. Jamie, meanwhile, looked like he couldn’t decide whether to run or pinch himself to see if he was dreaming.

“Well?” Adam pressed, turning back to Jamie. “Pick.”

Jamie hesitated. “Are you… serious?” he asked, his voice barely audible.

“Dead serious,” Adam replied. “Ste, right? You wanna trade places with Ste?”

Jamie nodded slowly, his expression a mix of disbelief and cautious hope.

“Great.” Adam clapped him on the shoulder, flashing a grin. “Welcome to the gang.”

Ste’s face twisted in fury. “You’re not serious… come on, bruv!”

Adam whirled on him. “Call me ‘bruv’ again, and I’ll end you. You’re out. I’m sick of your bullshit.”

As Adam led Jamie toward the school building, Ste trailed behind, sputtering protests. Their footsteps echoed down the hallway, the sound almost deafening in the otherwise empty corridor.

“You wanna beat him up?” Adam asked Jamie, throwing a glance over his shoulder at Ste. “I’ll pin him down for you.”

Jamie stopped walking, his eyes wide with surprise. “I don’t… I don’t want to beat him up,” he said hesitantly.

Adam sighed dramatically. “You’re no fun.”

Jamie hesitated, then looked up at Adam, a sly glint in his eye. “But I’d like to watch you beat him up,” he said, phrasing it almost like a question.

Adam’s grin widened into something feral.

“I knew I was gonna like you.”

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