I can’t breathe.

After being slammed to the floor, I open my eyes to see one of my best friends, his hands around my neck, choking me.

How the f*ck did it come to this?

Part 1 : Chapter 1

Adriel

It’s 10pm and I realized that I finished my pack of cigarettes. 

Suck it up Adriel, I think, time to go face the cold for some smokes. There are times when I wish I hadn’t started smoking - it’s unhealthy and expensive. But it’s also an addiction that I decided not to fight. I’ve fought others before and I remember I painful it was.

I head outside wearing a grey hoodie with a stain on it - taco sauce -  red sweat pants, high socks and sandals, praying no one will see me. As I walk towards the convenience store, the snow crunches under my feet. It never snowed in my hometown - or very rarely. When it did, my brothers and I would build snowmen with the little snow that had fallen,  which was never more than ten centimeters.

The twins would also make a point to always piss in the snow at some point.

I enter the convenience store and head straight for the counter. The cashier, the usual beautiful blue-eyed brunette, smiles at me.

“Hello Adriel, a pack of Malbow I suppose?” she asks.

“You know me well,” I answer with a grin, which earns me a blush from the beautiful but nonetheless exhausted cashier.

I got two packs and a new lighter, as I also cannot find mine. I’m pretty sure my friend Malakai has it, keeping it away from me in the hopes I’d quit.

The convenience store faces a long dark road. It’s rare to see anyone at this hour - I live in a neighborhood known for its aged inhabitants. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all asleep by now.

I’m sprinting, trying to ignore the cold taking over my feet. What kind of dumbass goes outside in this weather with socks and sandals? 

But it’s not the only reason why I’m rushing back home - someone is following me.

I’d noticed them from the corner of my eye when I left the convenience store. I didn’t pay much attention until they started walking behind me, rushing their pace as I rushed mine. In a few minutes, they’ll have caught up to me.

What if they found me?

I push this thought away. It must be some late-night creep hoping to mug me - and I’m going to show them what happens if they try to mug me. 

I spot a little back alley on my left. All I have to do is turn around, grab them and confront them there. Easy peasy.

I slow down a little, wait for them to be closer to me and turn around, ready to grab them.

Who am I kidding? I haven’t confronted anyone in 2 years. I bet a grandpa could make me eat the concrete. My plan backfired in a matter of seconds. They end up being the one taking me into the back alley and… kabedon me?

With his 186cm (6.1ft), it’s like he towered over me. I tilt my head back to meet piercing blue eyes.

I’d recognize them in a heartbeat. “Liam ?” I say. Something in his eyes lit up. He studies me before calling my name.

My real name. 

It sends chills down my spine. I hadn’t heard anyone say it in two years and hearing it from him makes it feel like an old memory. My chest hurts at the sight of him, as our last moments together flash before my eyes.

His dad and mine have been best friends since high school. They started “working” together as soon as they finished university. With Liam being only 2 years older than me, our parents thought forced us to be friends. Liam was like a third big brother for a while, but as we grew up, we became complete opposites. During every gathering, I would annoy him, steal his toys, push him to sneak around with my brothers and I. Of course, we would always get caught. Somehow, Liam would defend me - saying I was young and only following them. No matter how much of an asshole I was to him, he always felt the need to protect me. I never really understood why.

Although we lived in the same district, we ended up going to different schools. Later on, our parents decided to send us to the same private school, where we would get a better education.

Extroverted, Liam made friends in no time. Moreover, no one knew who he was - but they knew who I was, due to my notorious family name. No one wanted to be associated with me. But he was the exception. He’s just too good.

So obviously, being the jerk that I was - or am? - I took advantage of him. I needed something to make me feel alive and loved.

“Or should I say Adriel?” he continues. “Like your mother had wanted.”

My mother had named me Adriel - but my father hated it and changed my name after she died. I’m surprised he remembered.

“Back off, you’re making me uncomfortable”. He was reluctant to do so, so I pushed him.

I get a better look at him. He hasn’t changed his hair, it’s still dyed silver. Although, he had the audacity to get a lot taller while I only grew a few centimeters. “Why are you here, Liam?,” I ask, although the answer terrifies me. If he’s here, it can only mean one thing-

His throat bobbed as if his name on my lips had become as foreign as mine in his. “They found you.”

A weight drops on my stomach.

I’m screwed.