Defender's Heartbeat 2

Chapter 45

Diego

As I sat beside Enzo, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of empathy for my best friend. Life hadn't been kind to him, and the weight of his past seemed to hang heavily on his shoulders. Enzo's mother had passed away when he was just two years old, leaving a void in his life that could never be filled. It was a loss that shaped him in ways both visible and invisible.

I had always suspected that Enzo was being abused at home, but he managed to hide it for so long. It wasn't until last year that the truth finally came to light, and my heart broke for him. No one deserved to endure such pain and suffering, especially not someone like Enzo, who had been shaped by his experiences into a person filled with anger and aggression. He had become a bully, lashing out at others and causing trouble wherever he went. In his mind, he was never at fault; it was always the other person's doing. This mindset had been forged by the abuse, neglect, and abandonment he suffered at the hands of his family.

As I watched him sitting there, his jet-black hair falling softly over his forehead, I felt a familiar pang of sadness. Whenever there was a school event that involved parents, Enzo would find a way to isolate himself, hiding from everyone. All I could do was be there for him.

Ava

It was another parents' meeting day, and as usual, I noticed that Enzo's parents were nowhere to be seen. It was like clockwork—they never showed up to these events, which made me wonder what kind of parents they were. Were they even alive? Or perhaps they were divorced and couldn't be bothered to show up for their son. Maybe they were just too busy with their own lives to care about Enzo's education and well-being.

As I mulled over these thoughts, my eyes wandered over to Enzo. He was sitting alone, as always, his jet-black hair falling carelessly over his forehead in a way that made him look effortlessly attractive. I hated myself for even thinking about it, but there was no denying that Enzo was good-looking. His dark brown eyes, always filled with a mix of anger and mystery, seemed to draw me in even as I tried to resist their pull.

But I quickly pushed those thoughts aside, reminding myself of all the reasons I hated Enzo. He was a bully, always causing trouble and hurting others without a second thought. It was as if he didn't even realize the damage he was causing, always playing the victim and blaming others for his own actions. As I watched him sitting there, his strong jawline clenched in a way that made me want to simultaneously slap him and kiss him.

"So no one knows about his parents?" I asked Arie, who had been at this school for a long time. I couldn't care less about Enzo's family situation, but I was curious nonetheless. Any information I could gather about him could potentially be used against him later.

"Not really. He doesn't even have social media or anything like that," Arie replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe his best friends have seen his parents. Oh, do you know Pam used to be one of his friends? She said she sometimes went to his house when she was a kid, and even she had never seen his parents."

I raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on my lips. "Well, well, well. Looks like Enzo's got some secrets," I said, my voice dripping with disdain. "Not that it matters. He's still the same arrogant, bullying jerk he's always been."

My eyes drifted back to Enzo, sitting alone across the room. His dark hair fell in perfect waves, framing his annoyingly handsome face. I hated myself for noticing how his shirt clung to his toned body, hinting at the muscles beneath. It was infuriating how someone so despicable could look so good.

"He's just a pathetic loser who takes out his daddy issues on everyone else," I said.

Arie gave me a sideways glance, a knowing smirk on her face. "You sure seem to pay a lot of attention to someone you claim to hate, Ava," she teased, nudging me with her elbow.