Sub Rosa Ties ( A High School Dark Romance)

Gerard

When I was 10, I got into a fight with a boy who was the son of one of my father's business partners. It was a brutal fight, and I left him with a large scar above his left eye, even though we were just kids.

It was during a dinner party, and everything had been going smoothly-until the boy couldn't keep his words to himself and refused to shut his mouth.

I did what I thought was right at the time-I punched him in the face, which led to a major fight between us. It ended with my father locking me in my room for a whole week and giving me an earful.

I was always known as a troublemaker, but that fight was the first time I showed my parents just how intense I could get when someone crossed the line.

Mum was really scared and worried, while Dad said I'd grow up to be a street gangster and even denied that I was his son.

But I didn't care about any of that.
Why would I? I'd gotten what I wanted-I shut that boy up, and I didn't care about the consequences.

That's how I've lived my life. I give people three chances, sometimes more if they're lucky, but once they cross the line, that's it.

I make sure they know just how lucky they were to have those chances, and I make it clear they shouldn't push their luck again.

The same applied to Austin.

I'd given him multiple chances to stay away from Zera-multiple. And the last time I nearly knocked him unconscious, I made sure to leave scars to remind him not to mess with my girl.

But maybe I was too soft, or maybe he's just too hard-headed.

I tapped my left foot rhythmically on the cold tile beneath me, leaning back comfortably in the chair and casually swinging the short iron bar in my left hand.

Memories of Zera's bruises consumed my thoughts, and the rest was filled with plans on how to deal with Austin.

The anger coursed through me like a cold current, sharpening my focus.
The room was eerily dark and silent. My eyes swept across the shadows, straining to make out shapes in the gloom.

Unlike Zera, I'd never been afraid of the dark. It was my comfort zone.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, its vibration a jolt in the stillness. I pulled it out to see Bret's name on the screen.

He'd been calling me non-stop for almost two hours now. It was almost 11 p.m., and he still hadn't given up.

I cut the call and set my phone to silent mode, then slipped it back into my pocket. There was no time for distractions. I had a plan to execute, and nothing was going to stop me.

Though my body remained still and calm, my mind was raging with fury and pure anger. I had been waiting patiently for Austin, and there was no hurry to return home. Not until I was done with him.

My eyes, which I was sure were now bloodshot, shifted to the slightly open door across from me, where a red light seeped through the gap.

I'd ventured into that room earlier out of curiosity, but what I found not only darkened my mood but also doubled the intensity of my plan for Austin.

Pictures of all kinds-some from the club, others from her house, school, the library, even as she came out of the girls' bathroom. Every angle he could capture Zera from, he had taken and tacked them to the wall.

That bastard... if I don't kill him tonight-and I'm not ruling it out unless someone stops me-I will make sure he's rendered useless to everyone around him. To himself.

I heard a sudden shuffling sound outside and turned my head toward the source. It definitely came from the front door.

Another shuffle, followed by a faint creak, and then the door opened. A tall figure dressed in black walked in, closing the door behind him.