A TASTE OF CANDY POISON

CHAP 23🌸

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Monday couldn’t have felt more like a Monday if it tried. Between the early classes, council responsibilities, and my physics report to present, it was as if the weekend had never happened.

By the time I stood in front of the class, launching into my meticulously prepared explanations of Newton’s laws and energy conservation, I was in full “Council President" mode.

Everyone listened—some out of genuine interest, others out of politeness. And then there were my friends, Adam and Mark, giving me half-hearted thumbs-ups from the back with grins that I couldn’t help but return, even mid-presentation.

When class dismissed, I gathered up my notes, and sure enough, Adam and Mark headed over, looking way too amused.

“Physics master himself,” Adam teased, leaning against a nearby desk with his usual smirk. “Remind me again why you’re not teaching the class instead?”

“Maybe because he’s too busy running it,” Mark chimed in, grinning as he lightly punched my arm.

“Real funny, guys,” I said, rolling my eyes but smiling. “Anyway, what’s up?”

“We were thinking about heading to that café down the block instead—you know, the one with the pretentious vibe and even more pretentious coffee,” Adam said, raising his eyebrows. “You down?”

hm?I didn't know that

I glanced at my watch. I didn’t have anywhere else to be, and honestly, a break sounded good. “Yeah, let’s go,” I replied.

As we walked, the conversation naturally drifted toward the topic of P.E. class and, more specifically,(new teacher)Coach Reed.

The mere mention of his name set Adam off, ranting about last week’s “insane” fitness drills and how Coach Reed had basically turned the track field into a boot camp.

“Did you hear him say 'pain is weakness leaving the body’?' Like, excuse me, but I need that weakness to function,” Adam complained, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

Yeah,here we go,Adam being Adam.

Mark just laughed. “Yeah, ‘character-building,’ he calls it. Not like I need to build character through forced push-ups.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Character-building? More like trying to kill us.”

As they continued to chat, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Half-listening, I pulled it out and glanced at the message, my relaxed mood taking a sharp turn as I read the words on the screen:

'Meet me at the park at 7 later.'

That was it—no name, no explanation, just an anonymous invitation. A strange unease settled over me. I didn’t recognize the number, and nothing about it felt casual. I wanted to dismiss it as a prank or maybe a wrong number, but something about the timing felt too… intentional.

Should I go?

I quickly put my phone away, not wanting Adam or Mark to notice, but the message lingered in the back of my mind. It was unsettling, yes, but curiosity tugged at me, too, like a thread pulling me toward something I didn’t fully understand.

“Sebastian?” Mark’s voice cut through my thoughts, and I looked up to find both of them staring at me, clearly waiting for a response I hadn’t heard.

“Uh, yeah?” I tried to cover my distraction with a smile.

Adam raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Dude, are we boring you already? You seem… out of it.”