~☆~
Two weeks had passed since Gou had stopped tutoring me and sadly, the drift between us was evident. It was awkward now.
Before we used to greet each other every time we saw each other in the hallway but now it's been narrowed to brief eye contact and smiles with not much words exchanged.
Another thing that's changed is Gou's skin. As weird as it may sound, he's started to get bruises on his body. The last time I saw a bruise on him was the first tutoring session we had. But going on from then till the last session his skin was untouched.
It irked me. The timing of the bruises seemed almost too coincidental.
The thought that someone may be hurting Gou made me furious.
I had hit my limit. My curiosity was too much and I ended up staying back after school, sitting a fair distance away from where Gou sat in the library, studying.
I lied and told Gary and Misty that I staying back to help a teacher who'd asked me, but as soon as they were out of my sight I made a run to the library since I knew Gou would be there.
The clock struck four o'clock when Gou stood up and packed his things. I waited till he was out of the door then followed behind cautiously to not get caught.
He walked at a very fast pace since when I looked out the doorway, he was probably a good ten meters away. I had to quicken my pace to catch up to him. He seemed to be in a rush.
He was about to take a turn to the entrance of the building when a hand pulled him forward by his shirt. Gou yelped as I heard a loud slam echo the empty hallway.
I stepped closer slowly and peered to see what was going on.
"You thought you could escape me huh?" The person said lowly. His voice sent shivers down my spine.
"I-I don't have m-money." Gou stammered. "Ow! Paul my shoulder!"
My eyes widened. Paul?!
I leaned more closely to finally see what was happening. Gou was pinned to the wall by his shoulder. I could see his pained face as he squirmed to move the hand that was pinning him back.
Paul was a delinquent that was infamous in school. He was sort of a complicated character. He'd often be seen walking around alone seemingly by choice since he would glare at anyone who even remotely breathes in his direction. Though he was a troublemaker, he was also incredibly smart in academics and one of the top students in school. So suspension was never a problem for him.
But I'd never expected him to actually bully someone since he always seemed to hate interacting with people.
But bullying Gou? That was unforgivable.
Pulled and shoved, Gou fell to the ground with a loud thud. He didn't yell or make his pain known through sound but his face told a whole other story. And the tears that feel from his eyes brought out a whole other side of me.
"Paul!" I roared, revealing myself from my hiding spot. The purple haired grouch looked up at me with a bored look but I could make out a slight sneer on his lips.
"Ash!" Gou's eyes widened when he saw me approaching. "Wait! Don't!"
I would have stopped at his command but my thoughts were clouded by rage and all I had in my mind was how much I wanted to punch Paul's face.
Paul showed no emotion, whatsoever from the moment he punched Gou to the ground or when I showed up. So I had no regret for what I was about to do.
I drew my arm back and swung with all my strength. I didn't care if I broke something of mine or his.
