Chapter 274: Peamah Having A Normal Time Before....
A few blocks away from Malo’s residence, teenagers were busy throwing a party. The music was blasting through the walls, shaking the glass windows while base tones vibrated right through the concrete floor.
A normal house party? Obviously not.
It was mainly the Oakland basketball team members. Red plastic cups were scattered all over the lawn, and loud, rowdy groups of players were shoved into the living room, shouting over the noise.
"They say when people go to jail, they get stronger than they were before, but it feels like you’ve gotten weaker after visiting prison. Instead of working on your strength, you just grew bigger for nothing," a blonde boy said as the others around him started laughing at the huge dude standing in front of him. He held his cup tight, looking up with a mocking grin while his friends nudged each other.
It was Peamah they were laughing at.
He happened to be at the party with his so-called friends. He stood there with his arms crossed over his massive chest, his jaw locking tight as he listened to them joke about his lockup time.
Ever since Henry started school at Oakland High School, they had all been comparing him to the boy who acted childish but was mysteriously stronger than anyone on the basketball team. The comparison was hitting Peamah’s pride hard, making the air around the group grow colder.
"Come on, guys. I told you he was cheating. There was no way that boy could do a thousand push-ups. He cheated," Peamah said to his teammates. He scoffed, rolling his shoulders back to make himself look even wider under the dim party lights.
"As the captain of the basketball team, you are no longer a member of our team." The blonde guy stated, his smile vanishing as he took a step forward to challenge him.
"You cannot kick me out of the team. I am the team," he said. Peamah’s voice dropped into a low rumble that cut right through the chatter around them, his green eyes flashing for a split second.
"You are nothing but a big guy with muscles, biceps, and rocky abs. Because of you, we didn’t play the game last year." The guy snapped back, gesturing toward Peamah’s chest.
Peamah moved closer to the guy.
Being a few feet away from him was intimidating, but being that close was terrifying. He stepped directly into the blonde boy’s space, shadowing him completely with his massive frame until the music in the room felt distant.
The boy was definitely afraid of the big guy, but he didn’t want his entourage to see him as weak, so he raised his head high and stared directly at him. His chest heaved as he forced himself to maintain eye contact, though his fingers trembled against his plastic cup.
"You can’t kick me out. Only the school has the right to do that, and my father donates a large fund to the school every year. What have your parents done for the school?" Peamah asked, tilting his head sideways with a cold smirk.
With those words, the blonde guy shut up. His mouth pressed into a thin line, the color draining from his face as his friends went completely silent behind him.
"Thought so. Be the captain while you can." Peamah muttered. He turned his back on the group, shoving his hands into his pockets as he pushed his way through the crowded, picking a red cup and drinking.
After the party, Peamah was heading home when he stopped. The gravel crunched softly down the dark street, the loud bass from the house finally fading into the background.
Someone was following him. His ears twitched at the sound of hurried footsteps pacing behind him on the pavement.
When he turned around, it turned out to be the blonde guy. He was jogging to catch up, his jacket unzipped as the cold wind blew his hair across his face.
"Really? Involving my parents? You were supposed to make me look cool in front of the team. Instead, you humiliated me by calling my parents poor." Nathan said, his breathing heavy as he came to a halt a few feet away.
"Nathan, your parents are poor..." Peamah said flatly, his voice devoid of any malice, just stating a fact.
"I can’t believe you would say that." Nathan muttered. A flash of real hurt crossed his features, and he turned and started walking away, his boots stomping angrily against the asphalt.
Peamah jogged toward him and stood in front of him. He cut across the grass to block the sidewalk, forcing Nathan to stop right in his tracks.
"Okay, your parents are not poor. I was wrong. I won’t mention your parents again." Peamah said softly, his aggressive tone from the party completely melting away.
"You were supposed to stay quiet and let me do the talking. I needed that moment. If everyone judges me because of my background, I’m not going to be a good team leader." Nathan explained, his shoulders dropping as he looked down at the dark road.
"You are a good team captain. No one should care about where you’re coming from, but where you’re going. That’s something I learned from my father." Peamah reassured him, reaching out to place a heavy hand on Nathan’s shoulder.
"You talk about your dad a lot."
"That’s because he’s my hero." Peamah said, a small, genuine smile forming on his face.
"Well... can I be your hero?" Nathan asked, lifting his head up to look at the big guy, his voice barely above a whisper.
"That depends on what kind of hero you want to be."
Peamah leaned closer and kissed him. He moved his large hand from Nathan’s shoulder up to the nape of his neck, pulling him in gently. Their lips met in the quiet darkness of the empty street, the heat of the kiss cutting right through the cold midnight air.
"Dating your teammate should be a problem..." Nathan said after the kiss. He pulled back just an inch, his breath puffing into white mist between them.
"It is for the school. We have to keep it a secret if we don’t want to get kicked out of the team," Peamah said, holding his cheek. His thumb stroked over Nathan’s skin, trying to keep him warm.
"More like I’m the one who’s going to get kicked out..." Nathan muttered, a small, sad chuckle escaping his lips.
He wasn’t wrong.
Peamah’s father had far more influence than Nathan’s dad, who happened to be a woodcutter. The social divide between them was massive, and everyone in Oakland knew who held the real power.
If they were ever exposed to the school, Nathan would be the one to take the fall. The board would protect the donor’s son and discard the woodcutter’s boy without a single thought.
But the boys were already too deeply in love to leave each other. They stood close, their bodies blocking out the cold wind as they held onto each other under the dim streetlights.
"So, my sister happens to be with her girlfriend at the convenience store. She won’t be home until midnight... Do you want to come over and eat ramen?" Peamah asked, a playful glint returning to his eyes.
Nathan easily understood what he meant and couldn’t help but smile. His cheeks flushed a deeper red, his arms wrapping tighter around Peamah’s waist.
Then his smile disappeared when he saw a dark, thick stream of crimson was suddenly oozing from Peamah’s hairline, dripping down his temple and tracing a line toward his cheekbone.
"Your head is..." Nathan stammered, his eyes widening in pure shock as he reached up to touch the wetness.
"Oh, it must be sweat," Peamah said. He had already felt something running down his face, a dull throbbing ache suddenly starting to bloom right behind his eyes.
"No, it’s blood."
Peamah didn’t believe him until he touched his face and confirmed it. He pulled his fingers back, staring down at the sticky, bright red fluid coating his skin in the pale light.
His expression immediately turned into one of disappointment. He let out a rough, angry breath, his posture instantly growing rigid as the dull throbbing turned into a sharp, piercing pain inside his skull.
"This is a fucking bloody curse. Being linked to that girl has made my life miserable. Last time it was labor cramps, and now it’s head pain. Why can’t she just stay away from danger?" Peamah muttered in frustration. He wiped the blood away with the back of his sleeve, his wolf instincts immediately flaring as the shared bond with his Sire sent a jolt of pure panic through his system.
"What are you talking about...?" Nathan asked, backing up a step, looking completely confused by the sudden outburst and the mysterious injury.
Peamah was about to answer when he felt a signal. A sharp, burning pull tugged at the very center of his chest, making his breath catch in his throat.
His Sire needed him, and she happened to be close. The psychic link was screaming at him, pointing him straight toward the residential area just a few blocks away where Faye had just collapsed.
"Good night, Nathan. We’ll have ramen some other time." Peamah said before hurrying toward the direction he was being called from. He spun around and broke into a full sprint, his heavy boots slamming against the pavement as he dashed into the shadows, leaving a bewildered Nathan standing alone on the sidewalk.
