Chapter 4 Asher, The Saviour?

Evelyn Hart's Point Of View.

"The motion is oscillatory, as the body moves to and fro repeatedly about its mean position," I read from my physics textbook, my eyes moving across each line while my pen continued making notes in the side. 

Final term exams were approaching, and unlike most students at Kingsley Academy, I could not afford to take them lightly at all. Good grades were my only chance at earning scholarships in college and building a future beyond the life I had been born into. 

I rubbed my tired eyes, stretched slightly in my seat and let out a yawn before leaning back in my chair for a few moment. My neck ached from sitting in the same position for hours, and my eyes felt dry from staring at textbooks all day. 

My gaze drifted toward the library window for a moment, seeking a break from the endless pages of formulas and definitions.

Outside, the field was still crowded with football players, and my eyes immediately landed on Asher Collins. He ran across the field with the football before kicking it straight into the goal. He threw both arms into the air victoriously and ran across the field with a wide grin on his face. His teammates rushed toward him, cheering. 

He grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pulled it over his head and swung it in a circle. The girls watching him lost their minds and started screaming his name as if he had just won a national championship instead of scoring a goal in a school match. I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous reaction. 

Only then, I noticed the reason, more specifically, the annoyingly well defined abs. I stared for half a second longer before I immediately looked away, feeling annoyed with myself.

I reached for my water bottle and took a few sips, hoping it would help me focus at the right place. Then, I lowered my eyes back to my textbook and tried to continue studying but unfortunately, the words on the page no longer seemed to register in my mind.

I let out a frustrated sigh and lowered my head toward the table, fully intending to slam my forehead against it out of pure exhaustion but before I could continue, a hand reached out and held me back. 

Startled, I looked up and the moment I saw who it was, my heart performed a ridiculous little dance inside my chest.

Damian Pierce. My crush. 

He stood beside my table, his left hand was on my forehead, while the other was tucked inside the pocket of his jeans. Meanwhile, I was pretty sure every sensible thought had completely abandoned my brain.

"You know, most people take a break when they are tired," He said with an amused smile while his blue eyes held obvious amusement as he looked down at me. 

"I uh, uhm," I whispered while nervously tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as  I struggled to form a proper sentence under his gaze. Heat immediately rushed to my face as embarrassment settled inside my chest.

"I heard about what happened in class today," He continued, his expression looked serious as he pulled out the chair across from me and sat down. "To be honest, I am proud of you."

"Y -you are proud of me?" I repeated as I stared at him in disbelief. 

"Yeah." He nodded, his gaze remained steady and sincere. "Most people would have stayed quiet after being humiliated like that. You didn't, you stood up for yourself."

"Thank you," I said, my voice was barely above a whisper. For a few seconds, neither of us said anything, yet the silence between us felt surprisingly comfortable.

"Aren't you supposed to be playing football?" I asked as I tried to keep the conversation ongoing, looking toward the field outside before returning to him.

"Not today." He said with a relaxed smile on his lips, as he ran a hand through his hair. "My team's practice is tomorrow."

Ofcourse, unlike Asher, Damian played for the rival team in the interschool tournament.

"What made you come here, though?" I asked, glancing around the nearly empty library before gesturing toward the endless rows of books surrounding us. 

"Well, my grades are hanging on by a thread, and I want to save them before they officially die." He said while dropping his head backward and pressing against his chest dramatically, as though wounded. His exaggerated reaction made me laugh and it seemed to surprise him.

"There it is," He said while pointing at me with a playful grin, "I knew I could make you laugh."

"You are ridiculous."I said as I rolled my eyes and turned my head away, pretending to be annoyed. In reality, I was simply trying to stop him from noticing the smile across my face.

"I am serious," He complained, while pulling his eyebrows together and pointing accusingly at a textbook in front of me. 

"Come on," I said, as I laughed again and within seconds, it grew louder and more genuine. 

"You are literally the smartest student in our grade. Can you tutor me?" He asked, as he looked at me with a practically pleading eyes and pouting lips while I simply sat there staring at him, trying to process what he had just asked. 

The silence stretched between us for several long seconds until he raised an eyebrow expectantly. There was a hint of amusement on his face as he waited patiently for my answer, clearly aware that he had managed to leave me speechless.

"I mean, yes, sure," I said, offering him what I hoped was a casual smile. Meanwhile, his face instantly brightened, and a look of genuine relief crossed his features.

"Perfect." He said, while leaning back in his chair with a satisfied smile. My heart betrayed me once again, beating far faster than it should have. "You are officially responsible for making sure I pass."

"That's a lot of responsibility," I replied, shaking my head repeatedly while trying to hide how happy I felt. 

"I almost forgot, there's a small party tonight. You should come to this one, and before you say no, I am not accepting that answer." He said with a mischievous grin while glancing at his mobile screen before slipping it back into his pocket. 

"I will think about it." I said, avoiding his gaze while pretending to be very interested in the notebook lying in front of me.

The invitation sounded sincere, as though he genuinely wanted me there rather than simply being polite but the idea of attending a party filled with Kingsley Academy students sounded like a bad idea.

"Good." He said with a satisfied smile across his face, while standing from his chair and gathering the books he had come for. "I will send you the address later." 

I watched him walk until he disappeared beyond the shelves and out of sight. Near the front desk, the librarian let out an annoyed groan while organizing returned books. I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and it was already 8:17 PM.

I quickly gathered my notes and textbooks before stuffing them into my bag. After offering the librarian a soft apology and a grateful smile, I headed toward the exit.

At first, everything felt usual but after a few minutes, little by little, an uneasy feeling settled inside my chest. It felt like I was being watched. 

My steps slowed a little, and I tightened my grip on my bag. A shiver crawled down my spine as I glanced over my shoulder, scanning the empty street behind me.

I let out a slow breath and forced myself to keep walking, but I had barely taken a few more steps when I heard footsteps behind me. My grip on my bag tightened at once. I looked over my shoulder again, but there was not even a single person in sight.  

I started walking faster, hoping I was imagining things. A few seconds later, the footsteps behind me seemed to speed up as well. My heart pounded harder in fear with each and every step as I fought the urge to run. I glanced over my shoulder one more time and this time, I saw a figure.

Dressed entirely in black, standing farther down the path. In the dim light, I caught a glimpse of a knife stained with blood in his hand.

Fear took over my entire body as I tightened my grip on my bag and hurried toward the road. After a few steps, my foot caught on the uneven pavement, and I fell hard onto the ground. 

I let out a painful groan as I quickly pushed myself back to my feet. My legs felt shaky, and I nearly lost my balance  again as I stumbled forward. 

All of a sudden, out of nowhere I heard a loud horn beside me, my eyes widened in horror as bright headlights came rushing toward me at an intense speed. I froze.

The moment, it seemed like the vehicle was about to hit me, a strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me backward. I crashed against someone's chest as the bus sped past us, by only a few inches away. 

I looked up immediately, and found myself staring straight into the familiar face of Asher Collins.