The Snake in the Garden Of Eden [Yandere Arlo]

Prologue

Arlo is obsessive.

Though, no one knew about this side of him, not even Arlo himself. It was like a snake waiting for the right time to strike down on his prey. But he was missing a crucial thing. He had no prey. Not until he found the boy who interested him greatly. He was a cripple, through and through, but Arlo wouldn't be batting an eye at someone like him, yet what pulled his attention to the boy was the rumors circulating the school.

"Why does Seraphina hang out with a cripple like him? Do you think they're dating? God, she has terrible taste." A girl spat, "Just thinking about him makes my skin crawl. Ugh—especially with that ugly hair style..."

Seraphina is the school's ace. Why would she date some loser like John? What would he provide that others couldn't? This was something that wouldn't leave Arlo alone, a frantic itching inside his chest that makes his thoughts go wild. He couldn't have someone ruining the hierarchy just like that, high tiers are supposed to belong with high tiers, yet, Seraphina's hanging out with a cripple?

No, he couldn't have that. He needed to understand what the ace saw in him to progress further with his plans. When he arrived at the rooftop, he encountered Seraphina alone, who was on her phone playing some kind of game—he could tell by the cartoonish noises that left her phone. Since when was Seraphina playing games all day? Before befriending the cripple, all she did was study or attend turf wars, never once had Arlo seen her spend time on useless leisure apps that didn't benefit her in any way.

He saw her eyes flicker up to meet his, before staring back at her phone. "Arlo? What is it? You're not up here for fresh air, are you?" Did she read him by his expression?

The king scoffed, "Of course not." And he shut the door behind him with a sigh as he makes his way over to her, with his hands in his pockets. "I've heard you've befriended a cripple? I thought you out of all people must know not to show your weakness to them." He noticed her pause ever so slightly. Perhaps he's hitting a crucial spot? Arlo smirked.

This flicker of surprise didn't last long before Seraphina then relaxes back into her comfortable seat, before dragging her gaze upwards to stare back at Arlo. "Hmph, I guess rumors have been circulating. Who I befriend is none of your business, Arlo." She's always been cocky towards people like Arlo, but this time, it was simply worse.

It used to be that she just might listen to Arlo, but now that sliver of chance has disappeared within an instant. They've only exchanged a couple of sentences, but it was already apparent that Arlo can't get through to her.

"That being said, you've never actually met the man in person, have you?" She was spot on. Despite the fact that his rumors constantly circulate the halls like a fly's buzzing, he's never actually interacted with the boy. "Well, let's call today your lucky day, because he's right behind you." Arlo's attention was focused on Seraphina, so focused, in fact, that he didn't even hear the creaking of the door behind him. Caught off guard by Seraphina's words, Arlo whips his head around to meet the male eye to eye.

He was probably a couple centimeters shorter than him, hair slicked back like a helmet of some sort, a timid smile on his face to see that Seraphina was acting somewhat chummy with someone other than him.

"Sera, I didn't know you had friends other than me—"

She stifled a chuckle as John made his way over to her side, "He's not a friend. More of an annoying colleague, if I must say." She earned herself a glare from Arlo. The male in question confused Arlo, he was confident in every way. In the way he walked, in the way he stared at Arlo, and in the way he spoke, he resembled nothing of a cripple who had to constantly suffer the brutality of students at Wellston. Something clenched inside of Arlo's chest, he wanted to know who John was. What his past was like. Everything about this mysterious person, he wanted to understand.