The beams warm my face like lovely embraces under the beautiful spring sun. The crisps leaves are a parsley green, and the grass is strewn with vibrant blossoms, their petals fluttering in the breeze. Winter is my favourite season, but spring is a close second. It's something I could consume like lemonade. Therefore, I stretch my fingertips out and fan them through the sweet fresh air, much like I did when I was a youngster attempting to fly, except now I just have a smirk on my face.

"Wolf! Snap out of it!" Sam loudly let out as she snapped her fingers in front of my face.

Damn, can't a guy daydream?

As I continued to drink my coffee, I snapped in annoyance, "What is it, Sam?"

"You're meant to help me study for this stupid test!" she snarled as she frantically turned the pages of her textbook.

"I'm bored; we can do this later," I stated as I stood up and took my bag.

As I walked out of the library, I could feel Sam's eyes roll to the back of her head, but I simply disregarded it. I'm not her tutor, and I'm not even getting paid for it. As I walked to the dormitory I was suddenly surrounded by Jared and Dante, who strode beside me.

"Do you plan on attending the Winter House Games?" Dante inquired excitedly as he bounced a tennis ball up and down on his tennis racquet.

As if!

"Never in a million years would I think to do something like that. Sports aren't exactly entertainment, in my opinion," I remarked as I grabbed the tennis ball from the air and threw it between my two hands.

"Oh come on, don't you want to see me in action?" Dante smirked as he swung his racquet in the air.

"Yeah man, come and support ol' Dante with us," Jared grinned as he ruffled Dante's stiff hair.

"Fine, I'll come and support you, but only that one game," I reluctantly agreed as I threw the ball back to Dante again.

"Thanks for waiting up on me!" Sam yelled as she jogged to catch up with us.

"Sam the man!" Dante said as he smiled broadly, giving her a high five.

"She's not a man," I said while giving him a confusing look.

"It's just an expression," Dante said as he frowned at me.

"Hey Jared," she greeted as she took a bite from a granola bar, leaving trails of crumbs as we walked.

Jared didn't respond as his gaze was fixated on his watch. "Shit, I need to run to practice, see you guys!"

"How do you know these guys? Didn't you start at this university this year?" I asked as I remembered her asking me if Adrian was replaced by me.

She turned to face Dante and added, "Well, I know them through Quinn, we were friends before I transferred," she said, tossing the granola bar's wrapper into a nearby trash can. "Unlike you, I actually have a social life," she said with a smug grin.

"You're acting like it's a good thing," I joked, knowing that having a social life is probably better than being alone all the time.

I caught a glimpse of Ben and Arlo walking side by side, with Arlo tightly holding his hand. Ben glanced at me for a brief moment before looking away. His doe eyes grew scared and more pronounced. not at me, however. Arlo shoved him in the direction of the parking lot and as they got into his car he sped off. As we neared the dormitory, I wanted to react but quickly averted my eyes from them.

Ben's POV

Driving feels as natural as running free because this car lives and absorbs energy like it were a part of the surrounding flora. But I was still bound. I cherish Arlo. I always have and always will, but he has a tighter hold on my life now. Sam and I haven't spoken in a long time, and I miss her. We used to never be apart. People who grow up in the same small town prefer to keep their friendships for life, but Arlo had a different perspective. He was a shy person who disliked any kind of company, including new ones. I enjoyed making new friends and developing relationships with them, but Arlo cut down on my opportunities to do so. Which I mercifully accepted.

I rubbed my hand where he had held me and looked over at him. "Why did you grip my hand so tightly?"

"You know what Wolf did to me, I don't want him to hurt you too," he said angrily as he drove faster into the city.

I kept reminding myself that Arlo was there to protect me and to care for me, I mean, his family is paying for my tuition.

"Can you drive a bit slower? I feel a bit nauseous," I said as I cracked open the window.

"I'm not even driving that fast, just chill out," he groaned as he continued at the speed he was driving.

"What exactly happened when Wolf punched you?" I asked curiously as I looked out of the window.

"I was just finishing up in the bathroom and he started beating me," he lied as he pulled up to the pharmacy.

"That's weird. I know Wolf is a bad character, but I never thought he'd just struck someone without being triggered," I explained, doubting his story.

"What? You think I'm lying?" he growled as he gripped my thigh tightly.

"What? No!" I quickly said as my eyes grew wider.

"You better not think I'm lying, I didn't touch him," he snarled as he pushed his door open.

I took a second to catch my breath and then followed him towards the pharmacy. I didn't really know what we were doing here, but I assumed it was for pain medication.

"Go and grab me some aspirin, I need to meet someone around the corner," he said in a low tone and started walking.

"Can't I come with?" I asked confused by his abandonment.

"Just fucking do what I say, Jesus Christ," he yelled as he disappeared around the corner.

The green light from the pharmacy shines into the dawn, illuminating the rain-washed street like fresh spring leaves. I walked down the aisle in quest of the painkillers and ended myself in front of a poster board with the words "STOP DOMESTIC ABUSE" written in large letters, along with a brief explanation of what it is and a phone number to contact in an emergency. I sighed deeply and moved past it. I didn't consider my relationship to be abusive. Simply put, Arlo had a very strong mind, and I had to respect that.

As I checked out, I walked toward the car and waited for him to return. I didn't understand why I couldn't go along with him. We share everything and I doubt he would be hiding something significant.

"Let's go," he said as he unlocked the car.

"Who did you meet?" I asked naively as I climbed into the car.

"Not really any of your business," he said as he rolled his eyes.

"Why won't you tell me?" I said as I let out a chuckle.

"It's not important, only you are," he smiled as he held the back of my neck gently.

His delicate touch filled me with butterflies and made me feel incredibly loved. He had a gentle soul despite his occasionally tough demeanour. Even if it is solely directed at me.