Chapter 4Not Your Typical Romance
About 1,216 characters (~220 words) — this is Chapter 4, the last of the 4 free chapters on EditWrx Reads.
The truth is, deep down, I’ve always been a little afraid of Julian.
To everyone else, he was the picture of a perfect student—refined, brilliant, and polite. But I’d seen the other side of him. I’d seen him corner a stray cat once, his expression anything but kind. And I’d seen him fight.
His own father, drunk and belligerent, had said something to set him off. The way Julian hit him was terrifyingly methodical, each blow harder than the last. The sheer violence in his eyes was a fury I had never witnessed in anyone before. If a security guard hadn't intervened, I think he might have actually killed him.
His face was splattered with blood, but his gaze found me hiding around the corner with chilling accuracy. He offered me a small, bloody smile.
“Enjoying the show?”
I ran. I ran and didn’t look back.
I never told anyone what I saw. Over time, it became this unspoken, twisted secret between us. Sometimes, when adults were praising him, he’d shoot me a look over their shoulders—a warm, polite smile for them, and a mischievous, taunting arch of his eyebrow just for me.
“Andy’s grades are excellent too,” he’d say once, his voice smooth as silk. “Why don’t you apply to Kingston with me?”
“…”
Like hell I would.