There was a rush of movements around her, everyone moving in panic. Her shouts were drowned by the commotion. Her eyes widened in terror as she watched everything unfold.

Dara pressed herself against the wall as the students crowded the hallway, pushing each other as they dashed toward the stairs while the guys tried to block the outside gangs that were wreaking havoc inside the Arts Building.

"Riko!" she shouted again to catch the attention of the girl who stood rigidly at the end of the hallway, unable to move because of fear. Riko's face was becoming pale as she darted her eyes around in fright, not knowing what to do and where to go since almost everyone was running in every direction.

"Riko!" Dara struggled to get to her. When she finally reached her, Dara grabbed Riko by the shoulders and shook her forcefully. "Riko! We have to get out of here!"

"D-Dara," she mumbled in a breathless voice.

"Follow me. Let's go to the rooftop instead of going down. I heard the outside gangs are blocking the entrance of the Arts Building."

Riko did not utter another word and followed Dara, their hands linked together as they dashed toward the empty hallway to the left. Her chest constricted in panic whenever they passed by brawls in the hallway and in those moments, she felt Dara's grip on her hand getting firm, as if assuring her that everything would be fine. When they were about to reach the stairs going to the rooftop, Riko finally let out a sigh of relief, but her relief did not last long.

As they turned to the corner going toward the stairs, the two girls yelped when Hawk suddenly blocked their path. Still gripping Riko's hand, Dara was about to run in the opposite direction, but Hawk suddenly lunged toward her and grabbed her neck, forcibly pushing Dara against the wall.

"Found you," he said menacingly. "After what Montecillo did to me, I've been itching to do this," he muttered between gritted teeth. The scar across his face from the wound that Jiro caused made him more frightening.

"Dara!" Riko screamed in horror as Dara let go of her hand and tried to pry the guy's grip on her neck. "Let go of her!" she yelled, hitting him in the face and to whichever part her fists could reach.

"SHIT!" Hawk released Dara, who slid on the wall and coughed while nursing her neck. "YOU BITCH!" He stepped toward Riko and punched her on the stomach, her body jolting back with the impact, causing the girl to kneel on the floor. With a satisfied smirk, Hawk turned toward Dara again.

Dara gasped in fright, her eyes widening in horror when the guy rapidly approached her. He strangled her again, pushing her against the wall, his fingers digging into her skin. She tried to fight – clawing his face and throwing punches at him, but the guy was strong. A mixture of helplessness and terror crept inside her, but with the last ounce of logic left in her fading consciousness, Dara struggled to fish out her phone and threw it at Riko.

"O-One," she mumbled.

Still kneeling on the floor, her other arm wrapped on her stomach, Riko immediately hit her speed dial.

***

At the bottom of the stairs of the Arts Building, a crowd of outside gangs were terrorizing the students. When Jiro together with the Black Dragons finally arrived, a roar of approval and cheers filled the air. Picaro and Bonsai immediately made a move, punching the gangsters out of the way.

Jiro delivered an elbow strike to a guy who tried to block his path and kicked another one who dared to attack him. There was a dangerous air surrounding him as he urgently ascended the stairs, his eyebrows mashed together.

He rushed toward the room where Dara's last class was, ignoring the ongoing brawls around him. His heart hammered hard inside his chest as he sprinted along the hallway, panic and worry engulfing him. Hawk is here. What if he did all this to get back at him for what he did? What if Hawk uses Dara to take revenge? Shit.

When he finally reached the classroom and did not find the girl there, Jiro rushed outside and darted his eyes around in alarm. He was about to go downstairs again to search for her when his phone rang. His chest constricted when he saw who the caller was, and he immediately hit the answer button before the second ring.

"Ramirez—"

"Room 3J! Help us! Hawk is—"

He heard a loud grunt and the line was left open, but nobody was answering anymore. Without wasting any more time, he hastily made a move, ascending to the third floor and running toward the direction of the stairs going to the rooftop near where Room 3J was.

When he turned in the corner, Jiro's eyes immediately squinted in tiny slits, his face contorted in pure rage after seeing Hawk pushing Dara by the wall, his hand gripping the girl's neck while Riko lay unconscious on the floor, her face bruised. His expression was instantly shrouded in darkness as he charged toward them.

"HAWK!" he yelled, catching the guy's attention. Upon hearing Jiro's enraged voice, Hawk grinned evilly, pressing his fingers on Dara's neck harder. The girl grunted in pain as she struggled to remove his grip from her, but to no avail.

Dara heard his voice, but she wasn't sure if she was just confusing reality from the lack of oxygen. Riko was able to make the call before Hawk kicked the girl and knocked her cold, but Dara could only pray that Jiro understood what Riko told him over the phone. She could feel her consciousness slowly fading, but she refused to succumb to it, still trying to fight Hawk and struggling to wiggle free. But when Hawk put more pressure on her neck, her arms hung limply on her sides and blotches of black swam through her vision.

Before Dara lost her consciousness, she saw a fist with a dragon tattoo slamming hard on Hawk's face, then everything became dark.

***

Dara's eyes slowly fluttered open, her mind still a bit hazy. She stared at the ceiling and realized she was in InterSAT's infirmary. Slowly, everything that happened forcibly registered in her mind and she instantly sat up. She blinked in bewilderment when Stone parted the curtains of the divider, noticing a couple of band-aids on his face.

"You're awake," Stone stated and approached her. "You have a bruise on your neck, but the nurse already applied cream on it. Are you alright? Do you want to be admitted in the hospital?"

"What happened? Where's Jiro?" she asked, ignoring his question.

Stone pulled a chair and sat beside the bed, directing his gaze at her. "The profs called the cops, and some of the InterSAT gangsters were also taken for questioning, including Jiro. Wait!" Stone gripped Dara's arm when the girl was about to get out of the bed, her face drawn with concern. "Spade is already taking care of it. Do you know Spade from Sparrow Gang? He's like the oldest brother of all InterSAT gangsters. Spade's parents are lawyers and his brothers are cops. So, you don't have to worry. Besides, we were the ones who were attacked and we just defended ourselves. The school will back them up and they will just settle it."

"W-What about my friends? Bullet? Namee? What happened to Riko? She was with me when Hawk found me."

"Bullet was also taken in, and his parents are already there. Namee and Picaro are with Bonsai because his dad is throwing a fit. Riko is at the bed by the wall. She's fine, but a bit shaken. She doesn't want to call her parents, so I asked one of my gangmates to drop her home. I wasn't taken in because I was in the infirmary with you when the cops came, and I bet no one ratted on me, that's why they didn't come back for me. We found you and Riko unconscious on the floor while Jiro was beating the shit out of Hawk. So my gangmate and I took care of you two and I let Picaro handle Jiro."

"Oh my God," Dara buried her face in her palms, her voice trembling a bit. She lifted her gaze again, her eyebrows deeply furrowed with worry. "Will Jiro still be able to graduate? What will happen? What happened to Hawk?"

"Dara, this is InterSAT. This isn't the first time that this happened and I assure you, everything will be alright. Even if this school is messed up, the professors and the management values their students. And everyone here knew Ice Lord and they know he isn't the one who started this chaos," he informed her. "Hawk will not press charges, so don't worry about Jiro's records. You're the one who has the right to press charges because he assaulted you. Hawk is in the hospital but the cops are on guard."

"I-I want to go home," she mumbled weakly, as if her energy had been drained. Too much had happened and she needed the comfort of her place to get herself together.

"I'll take you home."

"No, I—"

"Jiro asked me to do this, Dara," he said with finality.

***

DARA

It was already dark when we walked out of InterSAT. I was still a bit shaken by the recent incident, but despite what happened to me, my mind was filled with my worries for Jiro. As Stone and I walked toward my house, the restlessness I felt was bubbling up inside me. I wanted to see Jiro and make sure that he was fine, but I knew I didn't have the right to since I told him that we should end everything between us.

When I agreed to break up with him and started avoiding him, I was hoping that he'd come to realize things – not only the issues between us, but the issues with himself that he had to sort out. Perhaps I was just too naive before, thinking that my strength alone could fix things between us. But when we separated and when I pondered over things, I realized I had a lot to learn too. There were a lot of mistakes and struggles along our way and I failed to see that no matter what I do, Jiro should be the one picking up his own broken pieces because nobody could do that for him...not even me.

"He will rise from this, Dara."

I swung my head toward Stone who was walking beside me.

"Yes, I hope so. You said the school will back him up and Spade is also helping him out. I'm really grateful that there are people helping him."

"I'm talking about you and Jiro," he said. I remained silent and eyed him in surprise. "Jiro sought me out before, and he looked devastated. It was because of you."

Hearing that bit of news about Jiro, I dropped my gaze and watched my footsteps. "I see. He told you," I mumbled.

"I'm not saying your decision of ending your relationship was wrong. That's between you and Jiro. But I know he'll rise from this. I hope you'll listen to him, just like how I listened to him when you asked me to," Stone sighed heavily and halted his steps, so I stopped walking too and faced him.

"You helped him break out of his shell, Dara. And I'm really grateful for that because I was able to get back the brother that I once lost. Jiro is emotionally damaged since we were kids and he has a lot of issues that he had to bear, but I know he'll be able to sort himself out especially that he found someone like you."

"I don't create miracles, Stone," I said somberly. "Even when I was with him, he refused to listen to what I was telling him."

"He heard you. He just doesn't understand you yet."

"He still believes he's worthless."

"He's struggling to prove himself wrong. Please believe in him, Dara, because nobody does."

I stared at Stone, the last guy I expected to hear those words from. And despite everything that happened thus far, we both managed to smile.

***

Dara stepped out of her bathroom in her pajamas, ready to sleep, when her eyes landed on the balcony. Her heart raced rapidly when she saw the familiar figure lounging there, his back facing her and his hands shoved inside his pockets. Dara took a few tentative steps toward the balcony door, staring at Jiro who was seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

She opened the balcony door, meeting Jiro's gaze when he turned around to face her. "It's cold. Come inside. I'll prepare something warm to drink."

Jiro silently stepped inside her room, his expression remaining impassive, not giving away whatever it was that he was thinking. Dara looked at him momentarily before heading toward the door to go to the kitchen, but she stopped when he finally spoke.

"How are you?" he asked, taking a few steps toward her.

Dara turned around to face him. "I'm fine," she responded flatly. Her eyes widened in surprise and she took a step back when Jiro suddenly leaned down, his gaze focused on something. She flinched when she felt his fingers tracing her neck, his expression becoming dark as he looked at the bruises that Hawk left.

"Damn it," he hissed as he drew back, averting his gaze.

"I'm fine, Jiro. You should be worried about what the school's decision is."

"Everything has been settled. Hawk is not going to press charges especially since we have a witness when he assaulted you. And I'm still going to graduate."

She fell silent and just stared at the guy. "Well, that's good," she mumbled after a while. "I'll just go to the kitchen," she said and turned around, dropping her gaze to the floor.

She headed toward the door and pulled it open but Jiro suddenly reached for the knob and closed it again. She could feel his chest behind her, his presence making her heart flutter. Dara flinched when Jiro dipped his head and whispered hoarsely. "Just give me a minute, Dara," he said in a pleading voice. She froze on her spot when his arms suddenly wrapped around her tiny frame, her heart squeezing painfully as he pulled her closer to him, hugging her tightly from behind.

Jiro inhaled deeply and bit his bottom lip, pain searing his heart. God, he missed her so much. He missed her so fucking much. It felt like years when he last held her. Every ticking second without her almost drove him insane. He thought everything would be alright if he stepped out of her life; he thought it was the right thing to do. But when he almost lost her, when chaos broke and he was blindly searching for her, he realized how much of a fool he was. He was looking ahead, to a future that might never come, instead of cherishing the precious moments he has with her.

"Why is this happening to us?" he asked in a strained voice, his arms tightening around her. "All I want is for you to be happy. All I want is for you to be safe."

Dara did not respond and listened to the guy, letting him hold her as he poured out everything that he had been trying to hide. "I let you go even if it almost killed me, because I couldn't bear to see you go through all those hardships because of me. I thought it was the right thing to do. I didn't realize my way of loving you hurts you more."

"I told you, didn't I? I'll cry when it's too painful. You should've just let me cry, Jiro...instead of pushing me away."

"I'm sorry." Dara stiffened when she heard those words coming from the guy. "I'm sorry. I was wrong," he repeated and slowly turned her around, entwining his arms on her waist, startling the girl. She lifted her gaze and stared at him, surprise and confusion passing through her eyes.

Jiro brushed the strands of hair away from her face and tucked them behind her ear, roaming his gaze on her beautiful face. "I almost lost you," he whispered, the torture he was experiencing coated in his voice. His gaze was drilling through her, her skin tingling with the familiar sensation that only Jiro could cause.

"You shouldn't do this," Dara hung her head low, resting her forehead against his chest while her arms hung limply on her sides, her eyebrows creasing with a mixture of emotions she was feeling.

"I already talked to Riko. She will not pull that kind of shit again."

Dara bit her bottom lip before lifting her face to look at him again. "Riko is not the problem, Jiro."

"I know. That's why I'm fixing myself too," he said. "I asked Stone's help in getting a list of possible companies I could apply to from his dad. I realized what I wanted to do and I'm now aiming for that. I want to be secured of myself not only for you, but also for me. I got to think about a lot of things when you left me, Ramirez. And I realized I was too focused on who I was instead of who I can become...and it fucked up things between us. You were struggling to get the point across, but my fright blinded me. I was always scared that we're just going to end up like my parents, that I'm just going to end up like my dad, that I'll just hurt you, and it prevented me from moving forward. And I was blinded by the future that I painted for you, without asking what you want and without considering that you can achieve it with your own strength. I was scared that I'll slowly break you...but I realized it was me who was broken all along."

He paused and stared longingly at her. "I promised your father that I would protect you, but you were the one protecting me from the very start. I was an emotional wreck with all the baggage that you had to carry," he said hoarsely. "I'm sorry for being a fucking idiot," he whispered, his eyes becoming gentle as he continuously held her gaze.

The corner of her eyes brimmed with tears after hearing what he had to say. Finally. He realized what she was telling him all along. "Yes, you're an idiot," Dara mumbled. "Idiot."

"But this idiot still loves you, Ramirez."

A smile curved on Dara's lips and unwittingly, she began fumbling the hem of Jiro's shirt. "The idiot is a sweet talker," she remarked. The corner of his lips tugged in a tiny smirk as he watched the girl awkwardly fumbling with his shirt.

"Go drink your warm milk, kid. I know you want one before going to bed," he said, removing his arms from her waist and gently pushing her toward the door. "Don't bother giving me a glass."

She staggered back in surprise and stared at him. Look at this guy. His sudden mood shift was driving her nuts. "Don't you want to know my answer? I haven't told you if I'm accepting you back or not."

"I don't need to confirm it," he stated lazily. "I'm not a girl."

Dara glared at him and pouted. She stuck her tongue out at him before marching out of her room, failing to see the guy smiling affectionately while watching her.

When Dara went back to the room, she saw the guy lying on her bed with one arm across his eyes, seemingly asleep. She climbed on the bed and sat beside him, staring at Jiro while pondering over a lot of things. What he told her earlier echoed in her mind, and the heavy feeling in her heart started to melt away.

She lay on her back beside him and stared at the ceiling, her heart pounding hard with the emotions swelling up inside her. They've been through a lot – going in circles, stumbling multiple times and trying to get up desperately, letting go of each other...but all of those were necessary pain that changed them.

Her eyes fluttered closed as sleepiness slowly overcame her, but she blinked in surprise when she felt his hand gripping her hand, interlocking their fingers. Dara turned her head towards the guy and saw that his arm was still rested across his eyes, preventing her to confirm if he was awake or not. She was about to call his name, but her words froze on her lips when she saw tears streaming down the side of his face.

He was careful not to make a sound, biting the bottom of his lips as the bitter tears continuously fell. It had been too long, but he found his place at last...he found himself at last. He had been an idiot not to realize things sooner, but he was glad it was not too late. After years of misery and bad decisions, he finally found the