True Heart of A Bad Boy

Tyler's POV

Once again, I forgot to wake up. It was my first day in high school and I was already late. In fact, I wonder why I had to go to school when my future was already mapped out.

My name is Tyler Hale, I am 16 years old and I am the head of The Serpents, a gang in Los Angeles.

My father is none other than the boss of the Los Angeles mafia of which I am the sole heir.

That morning, I put on one of my blue ripped jeans with a black T-shirt and my black boots. I ran my hand through my hair, grabbed my leather jacket and my keys, and left the villa.

My mother had taken the Mercedes, so I went for the Yamaha parked under the porch.

Despite being obviously late by the time I got to school, more than three hours, I didn't bother to be discreet with my big bike. The roar of the engine was so loud that the whole school must have heard it. As I walked to my classroom, the principal stopped me in the hallway.

"Mr. Hale! You're off to a bad start!"

This guy with his glasses like telescopes and his belly that didn't fit well in his crudely-tucked-in shirt was already getting on my nerves

"Well, I'm here now!" I said with a smirk.

"Your class is in Room 1A. Hurry up now! I won't take anymore late coming of yours!"

"Alright, chief!" I gave him a salute like in the army before heading to my class.

Once I reached the room, I entered without knocking. I was already late, so there was no need to make my arrival noticed.

"Mr. Hale, you have finally deigned to honor us with your presence." I pretended not to have heard the teacher and continued to walk towards the back of the class, without looking back once.

I then took a look in search of a seat. A blonde girl at the back of the room motioned to me. I quickly recognized her by her provocative outfit. It was Brenda, my father's best friend's daughter.

I had a pair of sunglasses which, despite being classy, prevented me from seeing clearly. It wasn't until I lowered those glasses a little that I finally saw a friend of mine, Jackson. I went to join him immediately, completely ignoring Brenda.

"Mr. Hale, we are in class and there is no sun." The teacher handed the exam papers to the students in front and to me.

"Damn it!" I mumbled as I took off my glasses.

School was just as I thought it would be, extremely boring. No wonder I was the first to leave the class when lunch time struck.

I was seated on the guardrail near the cafeteria and was busy lighting my cigarette when Evan, Edward and Jackson joined me.

"Hey dude, you left the class like a rocket. I am not sure you even noticed the new girls." Jackson gave me a pat on the shoulder.

"I must admit that there are some really cute babes this year," Evan said.

Edward didn't say anything. He hung out with us out of habit but was not at all interested in our stories. What he actually liked was to go to the gym. That was where he spent most of his time. He was just a no-fuss guy. Ever since he was a kid, he always wanted to become a bodyguard, and he had been working a lot for it. Despite his 6 foot 2 inches height and his athletic build, he was very calm and gentle.

As a matter of fact, I could already see him in the future being my personal bodyguard.

"Look at the girl over there!" Jackson pointed at a group of girls entering the cafeteria.

I looked in the direction he was showing me and saw a little Chinese girl with a tall, curly-haired mestizo. The latter had big, muscular thighs and a beautiful butt molded into her slim jeans.

"Damn! I would pay to see her topless!" Jackson was drooling.

The ever-so-silent Edward opened his mouth for once.

"I will advise you not to mess up with her. She hangs out with Dylan and his gang."

Dylan was the most popular guy in high school. He was tall, blond, just the kind of guy I hated.

"Exactly, she would be a prime target," I said, stubbing out my cigarette.

A swift glance at Edward made me notice he didn't seem to agree. However, he didn't say anything as he knew very well that when I made up my mind to do something, nothing could stop me.

Tara's POV

We went to get our trays and sat down at the table. Isabella had informed us that she would not be coming to eat with us, so we were just four of us at the table.

"Did you see who we're in class with? Are we cursed or something?" I said.

Shin Oh, who was sitting next to me, didn't seem as shocked as I expected her to be. Unlike her, I had never seen that guy before, though I had already heard about him and his gang. After all, apart from my sport activities, I didn't go out much and spent most of my time at the orphanage.

"You're right. I mean, bumping into the famous bad boys in Los Angeles..."

Shin Oh stuffed the shrimps from her dish in her mouth so much so that she could hardly chew them.

"Hey, you shouldn't rush like that, you might choke on them." With that, I handed her a glass of water. Her eyes were red and she was coughing.

"Hi girls!"

I looked up and saw Jackson in front of us. Beside him was that famous bad boy Shin Oh was talking about.

Jackson, who had repeated the class, was older than us. He looked like a brawler with chains hanging on his jeans. He was wearing a black jacket and a cap so low you couldn't see his eyes.

I then turned my eyes to the famous bad boy. He was about five feet tall with black hair that hung down a bit. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses that covered his eyes, and he had a cold look on the face.

I lowered my head back to my tray and continued to eat, ignoring them.

"Well, you girls are not very nice," Jackson said, sitting on the table. "We come over to say hello and you just ignore us."

He leaned over to Shin Oh and took a shrimp from her plate.

"You're disgusting!" Shin Oh exclaimed, pulling back her tray as she stood up. Her face was red with anger.

Jackson looked at her with a smirk.

"What's wrong with the Chinese? She is not happy?"

In the meantime, his friend, the so-called bad boy, was smiling silently. They were just poorly educated kids in my opinion.

"First of all, I'm not Chinese but Korean, stupid!" Shin Oh shouted. One thing she definitely couldn't stand was people constantly deciding on her origins according to her appearance.

I saw Jackson's gaze turn dark at once. Before his hand could grab Shin Oh, I stood up and grabbed his arm.

"What the hell is your problem?" he yelled, pulling off his arm violently. He then jumped off the table and stood in front of me.

I looked at him and I saw his green eyes under his cap turn murderous.

I flinched. I was obviously no match for him despite my two years of Thai boxing. However, I could not let him bully us from day one.

His friend behind him didn't not move though. He was simply observing the scene with a smirk.

Dylan's POV

"What's going on here?"

Tara was up against the worst scoundrels in high school when Connor, Min Oh and I arrived in the cafeteria.

"Here comes the other Chinese!" Jackson said, turning to them.

"Do you want us to fix it now, you little asshole?" Min Oh was seething.

I put my arm in front of Min Oh to calm him. I always prefer to have physical confrontation as a last resort. I looked at Tyler, who was standing there with a smirk, watching the scene.

Jackson in turn smiled and walked over to Min Oh, ready to fight.

"It's okay, Jackson. Let it go," Tyler said finally.

Jackson turned to Tyler; the smirk had disappeared from his face.

"Yeah, better not get dirty by hitting shit!" Jackson exclaimed.

Min Oh, who was having a hard time holding back, couldn't stand this umpteenth insult. He walked furiously forwards Jackson. I saw Tyler take off his glasses, and I just had time to stand in front of Min Oh before he reached Jackson.

"Don't mind him," I whispered.

I knew if Tyler got involved, all this would end very badly.

"See you in class, cuties!" Jackson blinked at Tara and Shin Oh before leaving.

"Phew! You arrived on time," Shin Oh said, relieved.

I looked at Tara and saw her eyes black with rage.

"Seriously, Tara, what were you planning to do?" I asked, sitting down next to her.

She smiled and her beautiful blue eyes regained their glow.

"I knew you would come like always."

"Next time, try to avoid such confrontations," I said.

Min Oh and Shin Oh were talking in Korean. Knowing Min Oh's temper, I'd rather say he was yelling at Shin Oh.

We had been at the orphanage together with Isabella from a young age. Tara joined us in grade five.

At sixteen, we had emancipated from the orphanage, so for a year now, Min Oh, Connor, Isabella and I had been living in a loft since.

"So are the papers ready?" Connor asked.

"Yes, we just have to move in," Tara answered.

Tara and Shin Oh had their emancipation papers today, and they joined us at the loft. That was a good thing, but the bad side of it was that Tyler and his gang were in the same class with her.

Just thinking about it made me angry.

We left the cafeteria and only met again after school, since we were not in the same year.

I watched Tara leave, hoping that she wouldn't get into any trouble in my absence.

"Don't worry, Dylan, she will know how to handle them." Connor patted me on the shoulder.

I wasn't worried about Tara, she had quite a character. What worried me, however, was what Jackson might do. I also knew that if Tyler got into it, it wouldn't be good for anyone.

"Let's go to class. We're going to be late," Connor said as Min Oh had already joined his class.

Tyler's POV

I was slumped on my bench, watching this Tara who intrigued me.

When she stood up in front of Jackson, I had the impression that her eyes so blue had suddenly darkened.

One thing was certain though, and it was that she was fearless. No one in their right mind had ever dared to stand up to us without paying the price.

At the end of the lessons, all four of us went over to our motorcycles in the parking lot. While waiting for Evan, I took a cigarette and Jackson picked up the girls who were waiting for the bus.

My gaze fell on an Audi parked in front of it. Tara and her friend were waiting next to the car, smoking a cigarette.

Looking at her chest, I had to admit that Jackson was right. I, too, could pay to see her topless.

"What are you staring at?" Evan had finally arrived.

"My future prey," I said, smiling.

I stubbed my cigarette and took off my glasses to put on my helmet.

I slowed down as we reached where the girls were. However, when I saw Dylan and the others arrive, I started off again.

'I have all my time...' I laughed in my helmet.

We went to the hangar where the rest of the gang spend the day. We were the youngest but also the most intimidating.

I didn't need to tell everyone that I was the son of the boss of the Los Angeles mafia. I had already proven my worth more than once against other gangs in town.

Jackson was as crazy as me if not more. He had no limits and I was the only one who could hold him. Evan was the brain of our operations. He was fairly calm and preferred to avoid anything that had to do with physical confrontation.

Just as I took off my helmet, my mobile phone rung.

"Yeah..." I answered casually.

"Hello darling! Your father is coming back this evening. Hope you will be there for supper?"

"We'll see. I have things planned..." I answered.

"Make an effort. It's not often that he is around."

"Yeah, we'll see." With that, I hung up.

My mom was head over heels in love with my dad, who fucked with everything that had a bra. She had been on medication for depression for years now. In fact, I couldn't remember a single day since I was a child when she hadn't swallowed tons of pills.

I put my mobile phone away and joined the others, grabbing a beer in the process.

"Jackson, what are you going to do with Tara?"

I looked up at the mention of Tara's name. What the hell were they still talking about?

"I'm going to ruin the life of that bitch! She will regret having ridiculed me," he said threateningly.

"How about having fun?" I said.

Jackson turned to me. He scanned my eyes and understood right away.

"Seriously? Are you going to do that again?" He couldn't hide the excitement in his voice.

"Well, she has a damn good body!" I chuckled.

The guys laughed at the idea.

"Do you really think you can do it?" Evan asked me.

My eyes darkened as I saw he was doubting me. 'Has he forgotten who I am?' I wondered.

Understanding my cold look, Evan added, "What I mean is that with those her friends around, especially Dylan, it definitely won't be easy."

"The game will be all the more exciting." I chuckled.

Dylan's POV

I got into my Audi with Shin Oh and Tara after picking up their bags from the orphanage and we headed to the loft.

Tara and Shin Oh were excited as hell to start their new life.

But to tell the truth, Shin Oh had a hard time separating from her brother a year ago. Luckily for him, Tara was there to support her.

Shin Oh and Min Oh had been taken in at a young age when they arrived in America. The authorities had found them with other immigrants in a container in Los Angeles to be sold.

The good news in their story was that they were able to join us in this orphanage where all of us had created a very strong bond.

Tara joined us after her parents were murdered by a gang when she was 10 years old.

When she arrived at the orphanage, she was a real bundle of nerves and kept to herself. She didn't talk to anyone, and when someone bothered her, she would throw a tantrum and break everything in her path.

I was the first one to get close to her when we found this puppy abandoned on the way to school. That was when I met sweet Tara, cute and sensitive, and I loved her.

"Are we there yet?"

Shin Oh asked, snapping me out of my daydreams.

"We arrived," I confirmed.

So I stopped in front of the 10-story building where the loft was located.

"Wow!" The girls shouted in excitement as they got out of the car.

"Wait, let me help you."

"No, thanks, I'm fine. Help Shin Oh with her bags instead."

Tara took her three bags and walked towards the front door while I helped Shin Oh with her six bags. 'Damn! This girl has a real wardrobe.'

We took the elevator to the 10th floor where the loft was located.

"Welcome!" Isabella shouted as she opened the door. Her excited shout startled Tara, who was standing closer to the door.

"You're crazy!"

Isabella grabbed a bag from Tara's hand and hugged her before letting us into the loft.

Tara's POV

"Wow, it's super big!"

I exclaimed as I admired the place.

There was a small hallway that led to a kitchen and a large living room, not to mention the large windows that lit up the entire room.

"So girls, how do you like your new home?"

Isabella asked.

"Great! I love it!" Shin Oh shouted.

With her small size, she looked like a child in awe of her Christmas present.

"What about you, Tara?" Dylan asked me.

His blue eyes were waiting for me to confirm that I was as amazed as Shin Oh.

"Great! There's nothing to say! You managed!"

"Dylan was the one who found it. Besides, we have eight rooms, so there's plenty of room," Isabella completed. "Shin Oh, come on, I'll show you your room,"

Dylan said as he ran his hand through his beautiful blonde hair. He was really embarrassed, I could confirm that.

I smiled when I saw him like that.

"I don't get any credit for this; this loft belongs to my mother. It's part of her legacy."

Dylan's mother died when he was one year old. He had no memories or photos of her. He had been dropped off at the orphanage with no information.

That day, he was left in his car seat outside the door with documents and an account book that he could use when he turned sixteen.

Dylan's face scrunched up for a moment at the memory of his mother. Noticing this, I walked over to him and gave him a hug. He hugged me in turn and we stayed like that for a while.

It was our way of comforting each other, but it was mostly him who had been comforting me like that since I was a little girl and even though I didn't like it before. Now, I couldn't help hugging him. I felt calm in his arms.

"When are you going to show me my room?"

I asked.

"Fine, miss!" he said, while stepping back.

"Gotcha again, chief, not miss!" I laughed as I grabbed my bags. Then I followed him to the door where Shin Oh and Isabella walked through.

The rooms were beautiful as one could have imagined. They hadn't decorated them, and explained that they had to stop Isabella and her desires to decorate them.

Isabella had studied decorating and was working part time at a club as a waitress.

Connor and Min Oh joined us for dinner and we made the decision to have a housewarming party over the weekend now that the six of us were finally together.

Tyler's POV

It had been two days since I had been to school.

My dad didn't come home as planned, and my mom had a breakdown, so I had to stay with her to calm her down.

On the third day, I finally showed up at the school. I parked the Yamaha in the school parking lot and joined the class.

"Mr. Hale, you finally deign to show up."

Disregarding the professor's remark, I scanned the class without answering and removed my glasses.

Tara didn't even spare me a glance. Instead, she seemed absorbed in contemplation by the window. There was an empty seat behind her. I sat there under the hateful gaze of her Korean friend sitting next to her.

My phone buzzed. It was Jackson, who was sitting on the opposite side of the classroom.

"Ready to attack?" he wrote.

I put my cell phone away, turned around, and upon noticing my smirk, he and Evan started laughing.

I spent the first hour with my head propped up on my bench, staring at the back of my new prey.

Her brown, curly hair glistened in the glow of the sunlight streaming in through the window. She was propped up on her left elbow, listening to the teacher without noticing my presence.

I took my pen and gently grabbed one of those long curls hanging down her back. She flinched on the spot and turned to me. She looked at me with her big blue eyes and turned away again, as if she wasn't interested.

"Pssss..." I whispered.

She didn't react, but my action earned me a hateful look from her friend who turned furiously to me.

"What?" I snapped. Then she turned back to her.

I picked up my pen and grabbed a curl of that hair again. Once again, she flinched, but she didn't turn around.

She grabbed her elastic band attached to her wrist and pulled her hair into a wild bun.

It wasn't long before I heard Jackson laugh. Embarrassed, I put my head back on the table.

"Psss...Psss...Why are you ignoring me?"

Her friend pretended to turn around, but she put her hand on her arm, looking at her and shaking her head.

I straightened up and decided to give up. I had to try something else. Maybe I needed to attack head-on.

Later, the bell rang. I waited for them to move, and when her friend got up, I got in between them and faced her.

I was surprised by those beautiful blue eyes that looked at me again without fear.

This girl was not shy.

Tara's POV

I didn't expect Tyler to be so close to me all of a sudden. In response, I raised my eyes to glare at him.

'Damn, look at those intense green eyes! I need to get my act together, ' I reminded myself inwardly as I was already losing my mind.

"What are you doing? Move!" I blurted out.

"Why are you ignoring me?" he asked me.

Just then, his green eyes became really intense. They were really beautiful. 'I must look away quickly.'

With that, I turned my head looking at Shin Oh and tried to duck out of the way, but he interposed his arm to stop me.

"I just wanted to excuse Jackson's attitude," he explained as he leaned closer to me.

We were really too close at that moment.

"He doesn't have to apologize to me," I answered without looking up. 'And I don't care about your apologies!' I said inwardly.

I pushed his arm, joined Shin Oh and we hurried out of the classroom.

"What did he want?" she asked me, worried.

"To make excuses," I replied briefly while rushing to try to be farther away from him as much as possible. As I was rushing, we heard the sound of a chair moving in the classroom.

We went to the hall where the smoking room was located. There were Dylan and Connor.

I didn't even try to look Dylan in the eye, because he was reading me like an open book and I didn't want to worry him.

"Tara, what do you want to eat for dinner?"

Connor asked me.

I didn't answer. I just tried to calm down. Tyler was really going to ruin my life. Yet for a moment, I almost fell for his intense green eyes.

"Tara..."

Dylan's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Yes?"

What a mistake! I looked up and saw Tyler staring at me behind Dylan. Despite his dark glasses, I could clearly see from his posture that it was me he was looking at.

I flinched. Even Dylan, who was approaching me, stopped dead in his tracks and looked back at Tyler and the others. Then his worried blue eyes turned back to me. 'I have to get my act together, ' I reminded myself.

"What happened?" he asked me as he placed his hand on my arm.

"Nothing serious; don't worry,"

I tried to answer with a smile. But since I didn't believe what I was saying myself, it was clear that Dylan didn't believe me.

"He apologized," Shin Oh intervened.

Dylan and Connor looked at each other for a brief moment, before the former's blue eyes returned to me. Tyler was also staring at me.

"Stay away from him," Dylan whispered in a worried voice.

I looked at him in amazement. 'Does he really look worried? But why?' I couldn't help but wonder.

He ran his hand over my cheek and in an instant, his warm hand soothed me.

"It's time to get back to class. See you in the cafeteria."

"Let's go to gym class!"

Shin Oh exclaimed cheerfully.

Tyler's POV

"What kind of relationship does he have with that Dylan?" I asked.

Edward lowered his head like he wasn't interested in the question and walked towards the gym class without us.

"That's his girl, I bet!"

Evan exclaimed as he jumped off the low wall.

'It's possible. They're really close and he's touching her without a care in the world, ' I concluded inwardly.

Jackson stubbed out his cigarette and jumped off the wall too.

"You want me to find out? It'd be nice if you could steal his girlfriend away from him!" He smirked.

Indeed, his pretentious handsome face had been bothering me since the first day.

We had gym class with the girls. That day, it was volleyball. I had no desire to play these stupid games. With that, I stood in the back of the room, my phone in my hand.

"Mr. Hale, we're waiting for you!"

yelled the teacher.

I raised my head, ready to screw him up when I saw Tara on the team, waiting for me.

"Interesting!" I said as I stood up.

Jackson and Evan were on the other team. It was already looking interesting.

So I settled in the back to start delivering the ball with one eye on Tara, who was standing in front of the net between Brenda and Kelly.

'Those little black shorts really show off her shape, ' I remarked inwardly.

Indeed, I was very good at sports. I delivered the ball cleanly, without any problems, but on the return of the ball, Kelly and Brenda sandwiched Tara from getting the ball and she dropped it.

"Sorry," they simply said.

I laughed as I watched her get up and clench her fist against her hip.

Then I began to imagine how it would all end.

We played for fifteen minutes without a care in the world until Jackson sent a smash straight to Tara's shoulder.

With that, Jackson got a bad look on his face, which was not a good sign. He hadn't processed what had happened in the cafeteria, and knowing him, Tara still had more bullets to take in her face.

I watched Tara take four smashes from Jackson and throw them back at him, which made Jackson even more upset. Brenda and Kelly were laughing their asses off in front and backing up as soon as I delivered the ball to make sure they didn't take Jackson's cannon shots.

At the side change, I glanced at Tara, whose wrists and hands were quite red.

I looked in Jackson's direction. His eyes were still raging and knowing him, he wasn't going to calm down anytime soon.

We played again for ten minutes, during which time Tara continued to receive Jackson's cannonballs but could no longer contain them. I slowly began to get fed up with his attitude.

"Sir! Can I switch places with Tara?"

I yelled.

Everyone looked at me, surprised, except Tara, who didn't even bother to turn around.

"Go to the back!"

I told her.

"What are you meddling with?" she spat.

Her blue eyes were filled with tears and rage. I noticed her lip was bleeding.

"Don't mess around; he's really going to hurt you!"

"Well, let him do it. I'm not chickening out," she ranted.

I was surprised. Was she really stubborn or did she really want to die from his blows?

"Brenda, move!"

I said, looking at Jackson.

"But if she..."

I turned around and she understood right away and shut her mouth.

We resumed the game where I interfered with all of Jackson's smashes, which started to irritate him.

"Damn it, Tyler. You're a pain in the ass!" he yelled, furious.

Then in the middle of the game, he switched places before I had a chance to understand. Then all of a sudden, Tara caught the ball in her face and collapsed in shock.

Tara's POV

"Silly girl, you could have held out longer!"

I heard Jackson snicker as the teacher yelled back and forth.

"Tara, you need to go to the infirmary. Your nose is bleeding," Shin Oh said to me as I tried to stand up.

I saw Shin Oh become surprised as I took off from the floor suddenly.

"Come on, go to the infirmary!" reiterated Tyler.

Suddenly, his face appeared close to mine, much too close. He picked me up off the floor to take me to the infirmary.

"Get off me right now!"

I shouted.

"Your friend isn't going to carry you to the infirmary, so be quiet,"

he told me.

His green eyes took on a serious look as he continued to walk.

Then I heard Shin Oh grumbling to the teacher to go with me, but the teacher refused.

Then I lowered my head not to look at her and kept my hands on my chest to avoid touching her.

"You put up a good fight. Jackson was serious. He really wanted to hurt you."

"I know."

"You should avoid pissing him off more in the future. Well, that's just a tip. Your boyfriend is no match for him."

'My boyfriend? Who is he talking about?'

I raised my head a little. He still had his serious look. He strode purposefully toward the infirmary, crossing the courtyard with an unflappable air.

"Hello, what's going on?"

asked the nurse as we entered the infirmary.

"I have a nosebleed,"

I explained as Tyler finally put me down on the floor.

"Please take a look at those wrists and her lip as well."

I watched him leave, still surprised by his action. Maybe he wasn't a scumbag after all.

Dylan's POV

Connor and I waited for the girls outside the cafeteria. Min Oh and Isabella were already inside.

Shin Oh came in all out of breath.

"Tara...Tara's in the infirmary," she said breathlessly.

"What? What happened?"

"Jackson targeted her in volleyball and Tyler took her there."

When I heard her mention Tyler's name, I tossed my bag and ran to the infirmary.

This guy had no manners; he could do anything to her.

I ran up to the front of the infirmary building and came face-to-face with Tyler smoking his cigarette.

"I figured as much," he said when he saw me.

"Where is she?"

Tyler straightened up and faced me, his green eyes glaring at me. They were frightening at that moment, and his face tensed.

"Maybe you're planning to keep her, just for you," he said to me.

I knew right away what he was referring to. But Tara and I didn't have that kind of relationship. With that, I thought for a moment before answering.

"Don't tell me that with all your harem, you aren't getting enough?"

A sly smile appeared on his lips.

"Stop your show right now,"

I cut him short. "Tara will never fall into your trap! We all know you just play with girls!"

I was sure I understood his intentions, and the fact that he grabbed me by the collar was proof that I was right.

Tara was his new target in his game.

We fell silent. I was still waiting for him to put his fist in my face when the door slammed behind us.

"In your dreams, Tyler!"

Tara was standing three feet away from us and heard our conversation.

As a result, I caught a weird flash in Tyler's eyes that I didn't have time to fathom, because he let go of me the next second.

Tara grabbed my hand without sparing Tyler a glance, and we left.

"I have to go get my stuff. You can go tell others that I'm fine," she told me when we were halfway to the gym.

"I'll wait for you."

Her lip was swollen, she had a nice bump on her forehead and her wrists were bandaged.

"No. I'll be fine, don't worry. Tell Shin Oh to join me."

She smiled at me, kissed me on the cheek and left for the gym.

Tara's POV

When I got out of the infirmary, I went to the gym to shower. There were still a few girls left when I got back, which had helped me not to break down.

My lip stung when it came in contact with the warm water. Also, my wrists were on fire. How much I had suffered under his bullets!

Tears came to my eyes. Why was he attacking me?

Why were he and Tyler coming after me?

I crouched down in the shower and began to cry silently.

After I calmed down, I turned off the shower, put my towel around me and twisted my hair before stepping out of the shower.

But all of a sudden, my blood ran cold. Tyler was sitting across from me on the bench, staring at me behind his dark glasses.

I shivered and backed up against the shower wall.

"What are you doing here?" I stammered.

He got up and walked over to me.

"What the fuck are you playing at now?"

He stopped three inches away from me and took off his glasses, revealing his green eyes peering at me with a smirk.

I flinched, but then clenched my fists, ready to fight back; he wasn't going to get me that easily.

"Do I scare you that much?"

he asked, tilting his head a little.

I didn't answer. What was he thinking? Was he seriously thinking that any girl would be happy to find a guy in the girls' locker room when she got out of the shower?

"Look at me and tell me if you're afraid of me!"

he insisted.

His green eyes became intense, but his look wasn't scary at that moment.

'What the hell is he playing at?' I asked myself.

"I'm not afraid of you right now. I'm sorry."

He smiled and put his glasses back on.

"That's already a good start!"

he said as he walked back to the door and disappeared.

From that day on, he never spoke to me or even Jackson.

Dylan's POV

Shin Oh managed to persuade her brother to go to work at the club where we worked. Actually, it was kind of convenient for him, because then he could keep an eye on her.

Tara hadn't decided if she wanted to work there or not. With her classes, the Thai boxing class and her job at the local supermarket, she was already well busy.

Isabella went to help Shin Oh choose her clothes. After all, she was the fashion pro, as she liked to say, although she was studying decoration.

I hadn't seen Tara all day; she was probably working.

"What time will Tara be home?"

I asked Min Oh.

"She's not working; she hasn't come out of her room yet today.

I'm surprised. Would you mind checking on her?"

"Tara?" I said at the door.

"Yes!"

I walked in. Tara was lying in her bed, the comforter pulled up to above her ears.

"Is something wrong?"

She sat up halfway and her blue eyes were bright.

"I think I got a virus..." she whispered.

I put my hand on her forehead. She was indeed burning up.

"I'll bring you some meds!"

I left the room and went to the bathroom to find the first-aid kit with the fever meds in it and also find a towel. Then I finished my run to the kitchen to get an ice pack.

When I returned to the bedroom, I found her still covered with the comforter.

"Here take some medicine."

I helped her sit up and gave her medicine. She was shivering, so much so that she was cold.

I helped her back to bed and covered her with the comforter, putting the towel with the ice inside.

"Have a rest. Are you sure you'll be okay tonight? Because we all have to go to work."

She murmured a yes and fell back asleep just as quickly.

Tyler's POV

I hung out on my motorcycle with the gang on the streets of Los Angeles. That night we were doing the bar crawl. Well, we were mostly there to look for the pennies some people owed my dad. With that, we stopped at one bar before heading to the next. As soon as we got there, Jackson was already in pickup mode.

I sat at the bar with Evan as the rest of the gang dispersed.

"What are we drinking?" Evan asked me.

"Order me a whiskey; I'm going to take a leak."

I headed for the bathroom. On my way, I passed two girls from school.

One of them dressed in a little black leather dress.

"Did you come to have fun?"

she asked me languidly.

"That depends. What do you have to offer?"

I said with a smile.

Immediately, she brought her hand down under my belt and began to caress me.

"I was just going to the bathroom," she whispered in my ear, in a voice full of desire, before entering the women's room.

Her friend looked at me, and after understanding her friend's gesture, she went back to the bar.

In turn, I entered the women's room to join her.

I landed on the toilet and she straddled me without question.

Once the deal was done, I got dressed, lit a cigarette and opened the door as she put her dress back on.

"Do you want my number?"

she asked me.

"What for?" I blurted out with my sly smile and walked out of the bathroom.

I joined Evan, only to find that Jackson was missing.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in an hour," I informed as I sipped my drink in one go.

Tara's POV

I woke up around 1 a.m. with a craving for ice cream. After noticing that there was none in the freezer, I decided to put on a big hoodie and head to Night and Day, a place two blocks away.

I emerged from Night and Day when a red motorcycle sped past me. And for a long time, the sound of the motorcycle kept echoing in my head.

So, I decided to cut through the park so I wouldn't hear the noises that were giving me a headache again.

I walked forward quietly, looking at the sky when I spotted something in the distance near a bench.

As I moved forward, I realized that it was a motorcycle, the famous red motorcycle from earlier.

A man was lying on the bench, probably sleeping.

I shifted to the left so as not to pass by.

"Man, no, I'm going home. I'm telling you I'm going home, stop crying!" he said.

That voice sounded familiar. I glanced towards the bench. It was true, I was not dreaming. It was Tyler.

I pulled my hood up and hurried on, hoping he didn't recognize me.

Then I heard the motorcycle start up and pass me by. I sighed with relief that he didn't recognize me.

I was celebrating too fast. The next moment, he turned around at the end of the road, came back to me and stopped in front of me.

I stopped too and kept my head down, clutching my bag with my ice cream against me. Then I heard him raise his visor.

"Oh, it's you!"

I didn't look up. I just walked past him, quickening my pace. In my condition, I didn't need to put up with this guy.

"Wait!" he shouted.

I heard the foot of the motorcycle click into the ground.

'No, no, leave me alone, ' I prayed, but he was already in front of me.

"You didn't say hello," he told me in a honeyed voice.

"I'm in a hurry; my ice cream will melt," I replied, trying to move forward again.

He landed right in front of me, less than a foot away. I could smell his perfume, a girl's perfume, actually. It was Joy by Dior. Isabella was wearing the same one.

"You have strange cravings at two in the morning."

I didn't answer, and kept looking at the ground. My head was starting to spin more and more and my legs were shaking.

"Gotta go," I said in a weak voice.

I took a step to the side, but my legs failed me and his arm caught me.

"Are you okay?"

he asked.

While he was still holding me, his free hand touched my forehead.

I felt like an electric shock from his touch and looked up at him with blurry eyes.

"You have a fever!" he exclaimed. "Are you crazy hanging out like this at this hour?"

Suddenly, he looked furious and his green eyes looked at me sternly.

"Are you serious? You didn't talk to me for months and now you allow yourself to get angry because I came out with a fever!" I shouted in response.

I pulled away from his arm and left. I expected him to catch up with me, but nothing happened.

When I got to the exit of the park, I heard the motorcycle start up and go away.