EVREN's POV

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HOW MUCH I HATED it all.

The rush.
The piercing sound of countless voices.
The edginess and confusion of the environment.
The lingering, judgmental, raw looks.
The smirks and the fake-ass expressions.
The same old fashioned pointless jokes.
Even the fucking stupid popular groupies.
Hell, especially the damn groupies.

In one word: College.

THEY use to say nothing is really the same once you walk through the corridors of Highland Bricklane's Sports&Arts Degree School, the famous high top quality college every teenager would dream about applying to, if gifted with remarkable talents, an incredulously high GPA, a whole perfectly well-maintained reputation and a bunch of crazyass fan stalkers

- oh, not to mention loads of money by the way.

When you're the local rich brat or the hottie jackass of the century why would yourself care about scholarships, to begin with, right?

You see, almost everything that high school is (terribly) known for, doesn't cease to exist in college. Not in Highland Bricklane, at least. Here, there's not a single thing that changes for the better.

Maybe that's the reason why I haven't put a foot in this town for two complete years. Don't mind me though, it's not like I want to be back anyway, at all.
In fact, I loathe this place more than I could ever put into words, it never really showed me any love, appreciation or even the tiniest bit of luck.

Yet, here I was.

Back to hell, again.

I had sworn my last days in this town had come to an end, when two years ago I decided it was my time to leave for good.

Enough with seeing the same toxic people every single day, the chitchats, the whole drama stunts and pull up shows. Enough with the pity lies, shady secrets and a great dose of daily injustices.

If only the reason I had to come back wasn't as bad as the excuse to go away, I'd have stayed hidden in some old village, studying in a creepy school, working in some rotten nightclub, just like I had been

- and, please, do not get the wrong idea, I was doing just fine (you know, considering the circumstances).

Since a very long time, ironically, things had finally started to work out for me, which was unrevealing surprising on my behalf, because they never actually did.

Disappointedly, and much to my despite, fate had brought me back to the place I now call the very own city of my nightmares.
Highland Bricklane is where I had left behind the regretful, shameful, egoistic sad life I had before.

I did believe it was just a matter of time until I came crawling back to the same shitty hole, to the place that had me completely trapped, lost and out of breath. I knew it had to happen sooner or later.

People have dark souls, yes, yet they sometimes tell the purest truths. There's no possible avoidance when our very own flaws are obvious as the light by day, as to, one way or another, the past we run from will catch and hunt us.

Yeah... I just quoted this on my mind but I'm sure you got the memo.

I, too, had a haunting past, I, too, was just as tired from running from it. It simply wasn't in my blood. To run away. Still, I should have guessed it.

After all, I wouldn't quite say I had changed much...

Fun fact, I still loathe sob stories so let's put mine out of the display for a while. Before we get there, let's start with the basics, shall we?

My name?
For starters, people call me Maddox, I, for some odd reason despite first names, whereas sticking with last name basis sounds better, plus weirdly exciting in some badass level.

Though feel free to know in junior year, some douchebags had the nerve to name me as "Mad Evren".

They said I had a triggering temper. How unfortunate for them that was.

I guess I've always been a bit of a pain in the ass, especially during high school. Believe it or not, 30 detentions and 12 community services didn't really stop me from finishing school, or from putting some egocentric pricks in their place.

In all honesty, not keeping my mouth shut was the one thing I didn't regret, I was never the type of kid to hide what I felt, if something wasn't right, or fair, I would speak my mind.

Take Mr. Perfectly Perfect, for example - In 9th grade, Sean Windsor had miraculously discovered puberty, his quirkiness had been replaced by a tall figure with broad shoulders and a straight jaw, so his newfound confidence led him to ask blondie Camila Tarell for a kiss, which had him beg all day long for me to corner her, giving him time and space to do it.

I didn't do it of course. As far as I could tell, he could suck it.

Too bad she wasn't really into guys. Well... or girls, if I might add.

I probably should have told him that though, he would've left it alone, if it wasn't for my will to defend my girlfriends, instead of punching him square in the face;

it just wasn't a nice view to watch - him, sitting in the back of the class, alone, with a full black eye and a busted opened lip. I must've perhaps exaggerated, you know, just a little...

Whenever the name Evren echoed through the corridors, they knew it had to do with trouble.
I was trouble. And I accepted it.

The thing I hated the most though wasn't the attention I received, or the nasty comments that unfolded from their disgusting mouths, their lies or the stupid rumors.

In reality, all of them, they knew shit.

What bothered me was their provocative mind games, the need for them to be evil, to feel greater than others which had them throwing Carly in a trash contender in 2nd grade, leaving Andrew alone in a parking lot at the middle of the night with his hands tied in third grade, and don't even get me started on Sean again.

He became the ultimate prick, a repulsive twat. How did he get out of jail after raping Page Welfare back on eleventh grade was still a mystery to me.

Guess the black eye I gave him didn't really make a difference after all.

Unfortunate enough, most of the students from Highland's Bricklane high school would end up coming to the town's prestigious college.

And when I mean most of them, I'd say pretty much every guy and girl with high social standards that belonged to the "golden HB circle", which obviously included the sons of family members who had companies that invested money in Highland's most recognized businesses, the rich dolls with huge followers on social media and, of course, the school's football team members.

All in all, the protected ones.

The golden circle had remained intact - all twenty-five of them decided to stay in town instead of going abroad or looking out for some other universities to attend to, which I found pretty odd, just to begin with.

Something wasn't right. Hell, nothing was ever right, but for some reason, I had a bad feeling that there was something coming on its way to ketch all of us by surprise.

I was not wrong on this one.

Colber Foster was the leader captain of the school's football team, also the guy who had, not only the favorable looks, the smartly confident but humble personality, but also ridiculous talents that no other possessed.

People cherished him more than anyone in this town, he was the golden boy of Highland Bricklane, our future most gifted athlete. Although when fame gives people money, cars, love, it can also very much destroy them.

I just wish it hadn't been him of all people, because I knew him, I knew him better than anyone else.

So, just as I entered through the glass doors on the main hall ready for another stupid day of classes, I could only imagine how badly this week could possibly get. I had been in college for three days and a bunch of crazy shit all already happened.

My eyes trailed to where my locker was, only to find a familiar figure standing right next to it with his arms crossed, waiting for my arrival.

Rhys.

There was he, fully dressed in black, messy blond hair, a sharp jaw, and eyes that could kill, mirroring me with his cold stare.

"We need to talk." He mouthed, I rolled my eyes instantly.

Yep, the craziest part of coming back was finding myself allied to no other than football team player and rebel Brendan Rhys, the guy whom I had made a pact with to find out the truth, and whom, much to my surprise was the closest friend of Colber, when I wasn't around.

Just to be clear, I had never heard of him before since I talked to him two days ago. Odd.
His triggering temper wasn't easy to deal with at all, though it was worth the try.

Big question: could I trust him? That was something I was still trying to figure out.

Oh man, and the first day? That was simply horrifying...

My feet lazily made their way to the main entrance. My hand was curled on the side of my black backpack, the sound of my boots clicking as I walked was noisy and irritating.

Chewing a gum brought me some peace of mind, though I was sure the numerous glances I would get once I went for the lockers were going to get me on my nerves.

I wasn't on for a modeling sidewalk, I tell you that much. Black tight ripped jeans, a wide length white t-shirt, and a pair of rings on both hands was my usual asset.

The only thing I changed was my brown hair, which was now slightly curled and (surprisingly) not tied up.

The bags under my eyes didn't quite help me to look any better. Glad I never forget to bring my black glasses with me, it was time to put them on.

The freaking show has started.

"Wait, is that-"

"No, it can't be"

"It is her!"

"What the hell?"

"Camy, am I seeing right?"

"Honey, what are you talking ab-"

"Hey bro, uh-"

"Shit. It's Maddox."

"So she's back uh?"

"Wow, wasn't expecting that"

"That's Evren, I'm telling you!"

"Maddox?"

"Oh look, his ex-puppet just came to pay him a visit!"

"Where has she been?"

"Right, he dies and she comes back."

"Fucking hilarious."

"She's still hot."

"Like she ever cared about him"

"Why she's here anyway? To pity Colber?"

"Don't you remember her? She pities no one but herself"

"She should've stayed away."

"Evren Maddox. What a surprise to see you here." A famous voice said behind me as I approached my locker.

My bored face might have not given him my full displeasure towards his presence since he came closer. "Isn't that wonderful! What took you so long uh?"

I quickly moved my glasses from my face, my eyes making contact with his blue ones.

He seemed curious while I showed him my most annoyed expression.

"You can cut off that stupid smile from your face, Windsor. Save yourself if you don't want any problems."

"Still feisty, I see." He said with an opened smirk and an arched eyebrow.

"I'm not here to disturb you. Just thought I could say hi. It's been years, haven't you missed me at all?"

The edge in his soft voice just aroused me more, he was just looking for attention, like he always did.

"Go fuck yourself, Sean. We were never friends. So leave me the fuck alone."
I answered to his face, preparing to turn my back on him when he opened his mouth again.

"I know why you're here. Actually, I lied, I wasn't really surprised to see you back. I mean, Colber died right? So that means you're free. A bit suspicious, no?"

He insinuated while touching the locker with his upper arm. I so lost it right there.

In a twist, my hand was holding his shirt and my face was mere inches away from his, I'm sure the venom that was pouring out from my words was enough to scare this motherfucker.

"Wrong choice of words, Windsor. Next time, I'd be careful if I were you. You don't know anything about me and Colber and you never really did."

"So you better go back to your maniac friends and tell them that Mad Evren just came back to haunt them all over again. I'm not here to play games, Sean. I'll discover the bullshit you all hide. And maybe, just maybe who knows what I could find about you on the way."

I looked him dead in the eye and just as I pulled away, a whole bunch of familiar faces were looking back at us.

Jonathan Pierce approached his mate Sean and touched his arm, his eyes penetrating on mine.

"Leave it Sean. Let's go."

He stayed silent for a minute, the smirk on his face had vanished but then he followed Jonathan, not sparing me one more glance before saying,

"You won't do shit."

You won't do shit. Those words were imprinted on my mind like a song that plays over and over again. He was so fucking wrong.

I had come back to Highland because of loyalty, and loyalty only, for I had finally understood what could never be broken once professed.

Loyalty, it remained imprinted, carved on one's hearts, even if our actions might have shown otherwise, marked by regret, infidelity, lies. But being loyal is so much more than what meets the eye.

It never really ends, not even after death.

No one ever really understood the nature of our relationship, but they never really needed to, at least not in our minds.

What I and Colber shared was very old and pure. We were loyal to each other since the day we met when we were kids.

And there were times when things changed drastically, yes. Maybe we did the wrong choices, yes. Maybe I was idiotic, egoistic and naïve and failed him without even realizing it. Maybe he failed me too.

What I did know was that he didn't deserve to die, not now, not like that.

And so, I had been too late, yes, too late to help Colber, to save him. For justice, however, I wasn't that late, as I promised myself, in the name of our friendship:

whoever killed Colber Foster, has to kill me too, or I shall be the one to hunt him down, and kill him myself, destroy him, for my last whisper would always came out as my will to be right by his side

My time had come to show how much loyal I was to him. And I was ready. Damn, I'm so fucking ready.

So here I am. Nervousness is creeping my whole body. My mind is racing. My heart won't stop beating. But my eyes, oh, they're wide open. There's this look on them that shows no mercy, only the need for revenge.

I promise I will avenge you Colbe.Your Maddox is here has come back home and she will find out exactly what happened to you four days ago. Last Friday night was a mistake, it should have never happened.

Everybody keeps calling it "the horror party", and it was indeed a horror in many ways:

For me, it was the night I was left out without my best friend, the most caring soul I had known. The night I was forced to say goodbye to him.

For the rest of them, it was the night Colber Dylan Foster was found brutally murdered on his own bedroom.

The night the town lost its golden boy.

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Hi new readers and ghost readers! I love you all❤️ If you're enjoying this book by now, please tag as many people below as you can, so your friends can enjoy this ride too, all the help is needed and I'd be very grateful ❤️