I blinked, unsure if my mind was playing tricks on me.
"Bryan?" I said, more like a question than a greeting.
He looked… different. Calm. Composed. Like someone who had been plotting something big — and was finally ready to reveal it.
"Get in," he said casually, tapping the passenger seat.
My legs didn't move.
He smiled — that annoying half-smile
"Get in the car, Pearl," he said, voice low but firm.
Just as I reached for the car door, about to slide into Bryan's ride, I heard it.
"Pearl?"
I paused mid-motion, my hand still on the door handle.
That voice... It dragged a thousand memories behind it.
Turning slowly, my eyes locked with someone I hadn't seen in two years — *Fredrick.*
My high school classmate.
My debate rival. My lunch-table companion.
But this wasn't the same Fredrick I remembered. Oh no, this version was taller, leaner, and disturbingly more attractive. Dressed in fitted jeans and a designer shirt, the guy was dripping confidence, like he knew exactly the effect he had on people.
That same *toothless grin* he used to flash when stealing the last meat pie.
"Fredrick?" I blinked. "Wow, is this really you?"
"In the flesh," he laughed, taking a few steps closer. "Still dramatic, I see."
"What are you doing here?"
He smirked. "Same as you. Just wrote the exams. Crazy, right? Never thought we're going to end up in the same uni."
I chuckled nervously, heart thudding as I noticed *Bryan's cold eyes* watching from behind the wheel.
Fredrick stepped closer. "And here I was thinking today couldn't get any better…"
Just then, *Bryan's window rolled down*.
"Are you done catching up?" he asked, voice laced with venom. "We have somewhere to be."
Fredrick turned slightly, clocking him for the first time. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't realize you were with someone."
"She's not *with* me," Bryan snapped. "I'm just doing her a favor. Or were you offering to drop her off in that taxi he said pointing to the taxi waiting behind frederick.
Fredrick's smile twitched — and died.
I stood awkwardly between the two — feeling like a prized possession neither wanted to lose in front of the other.
"I'm sure Pearl knows who she wants to go with," Fredrick said, eyes fixed on me.
Bryan revved the engine lightly. A warning.
My hand trembled. My throat dried.
I instinctively stepped back from both men.
"Pearl?" Fredrick asked, voice softer.
But before I could speak, Bryan got out of the car, slamming the door so hard it echoed. He walked over, stepping right between me and Fredrick, the tension sizzling like a live wire.
"I don't care who you are," Bryan hissed. "But don't stand in my way again.
"Pearl get in the car" Bryan said
I stood frozen.
Bryan's words echoed in my head: *"Get. In. The. Car."*
His eyes — cold, unblinking — locked on mine like I was a possession he refused to lose. But Fredrick was still there, watching, waiting for a sign, anything.
Fredrick stepped forward. "Pearl, are you okay?"
I didn't answer.
Bryan was already walking back to the driver's side, muttering something under his breath. Something sharp. Something cruel. He yanked the door open, but didn't get in.
He was waiting. Testing me.
Looking at this usual behavior of Bryan, I suddenly remembered I had lot of questions to ask him, and who was that girl Sammy and him were talking about in the factory that day.?
Why did he leave all of a sudden?
What is because of her?
I forced a smile. "Fredrick, it's okay. I'll… I'll talk to you later, alright? I have something to discuss with him"
His face darkened for a split second. He nodded, but his eyes didn't trust my words.
He walked off, slowly, casting one last look over his shoulder — a look I'd remember.
I climbed into the car. Slammed the door.
Bryan didn't speak. Not at first.
Then — "Old friend?"
I stared out the window. "Yeah. From high school."
"He looked hungry."
I turned. "Excuse me?"
Bryan smirked, but it wasn't the charming kind. It was venom dipped in sugar. "For someone who claimed she's not interested in boys, you were pretty eager to catch up."
"Don't start."
"I'm not starting, Pearl. You already did — back there, with your little reunion."
I snapped. "You're the one who humiliated me in public! Dragged my parents into your tantrum! And now you think you get to act like some jealous ex that never existed?"
Bryan slammed the brakes — in the middle of the road.
Silence.
Then, in a dangerously low voice, he said, "Don't ever call me that again."
The car was still. My breathing wasn't.
Before I could speak, he added, "You think you know how games work? Pearl… you haven't even learned the rules yet."
Goosebumps.
We drove the rest of the way in silence. But in my chest, my heart pounded like it knew something was coming.
As I stepped out, Bryan leaned closer, voice cold and quiet. "Tell your little classmate to keep his distance… before things gets ugly."
Then he sped off.
Leaving me wondering
if he's possessed ?
What game was he playing?
And where did he get that car?