I awoke with a sense of numbness coursing through my body, but I managed to muster the strength to drag myself to school. The prospect of remaining in that house was unbearable; I needed to escape to my sanctuary.

    It was the only place where I felt truly secure.

    Upon arriving at school, my eyes were immediately drawn to Dylan. Almost impulsively, I waved in his direction. Yet again, he responded with that look that seemed to silently label me as 'naive.'

   I began to make my way toward him, but my attention was diverted when I saw him turn around to converse with someone. I halted in my tracks. I knew that face; just like Dylan, he had matured, yet still retained traces of boyishness.

    It was Dylan's younger brother, Jeremy. That's when memories of the little boy who rarely ventured out came flooding back – he'd often walk past us to play with his other friends.

   Now he was undeniably handsome, his blonde hair cascading down to his shoulders. I was still gazing at him when his emerald green eyes locked onto mine, a mischievous smirk gracing his lips.

    Unlike his brother, whose eyes appeared vacant, Jeremy's gleamed with a different kind of intent.

   I quickly averted my gaze and turned to head to my first class, but before I knew it, he was beside me, that smirk still in place. Unlike his brother's leather jacket and rugged attire, Jeremy resembled one of those popular football jocks. Handsome, yes, but like Dylan, he exuded an air of danger.

    "Hey there, pretty, I noticed you were staring at my brother and me," he remarked.

  "Oh," I mumbled.

   "There's something about you that feels familiar, pretty. I'm Jeremy."

  "Okay," I replied, picking up my pace.

   Clearly unsatisfied with my response, Jeremy persisted, "Hey, pretty, you didn't give me your name."

   I didn't answer him; I just walked into my classroom, relieved that I wasn't late. Fortunately, he decided to walk away.

  Sitting in my desk, I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Someone's eyes were fixed on me. I turned around to find Dylan frowning in my direction.

   What had I done to incur this moron's displeasure?

   Throughout the entire class, the guy didn't stop staring at me.

   As the class concluded, he approached me.

   "STAY AWAY FROM MY BROTHER," he ordered.

  "What?" I asked, bewildered, but he simply ignored my question and walked away.