Winning Her Heart Back

 Their High School Days

It wasn't hard to spot the arrogant boy because the basketball was in his hands. He definitely lived up to his

arrogance.

The opposing players blocking his path were like an impenetrable wall, trying to stop him at every turn. However, he seemed unfazed, casually dribbling the ball.

With a quick fake, he tricked his opponent, smoothly spinning and dribbling past them. His school jacket that was tied around his waist flared out in an arc.

The word "elegant" came to Emelie's mind. Who would've thought someone could make a sport as intense and aggressive as basketball seem elegant?

He had long limbs and a perfect build, and the look in his eyes as he focused ahead was like that of a leopard- determined, deadly, and unstoppable.

He leaped into the air, aiming the ball at the hoop.

The girls watching gasped, convinced that the shot was secured.

Unexpectedly, the opposing team had a skilled player too. He jumped up and blocked the ball, sending it flying across half the court. The trajectory veered off course, and the ball headed straight for the crowd.

The girls screamed and scrambled to get out of the way.

Emelie could have dodged too, but in the chaos, she got shoved and fell to the ground.

The basketball was hurtling straight toward her, and she instinctively covered her head with her arms.

The next thing she felt was a pair of arms wrapping around her head and waist, pulling her to the side as they rolled away.

She caught the waft of the fresh scent of grass mixed with a crisp, clean fragrance.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Unlike most boys, who carried the stench of sweat, he smelled fresh. That made her almost want to inhale more of his scent.

She looked up and met a pair of deep, dark eyes. There was a slight crease in his monolids, making his eyes look cold and distant yet strangely alluring.

Emelie wanted to keep looking. But, just then, their roll brought them crashing into the sprinkler head on the grass. Water sprayed out, drenching her face, and she quickly shut her eyes.

Then, she heard the boy chuckle lightly. "Idiot."

Her heart skipped a beat, and then-

A worker swung a baton at them.

"Watch out!"

William spun around, narrowly dodging the blow. He stomped on one end of the baton, pinning it down so that the worker couldn't swing it again. At the same moment, he kicked the guy square in the face.

The worker fell back hard, clutching his nose, which was now gushing blood.

Out of the corner of his eye, William saw another worker rushing toward them.

He kicked the baton up and grabbed it with one hand. At lightning speed, he jabbed it into the worker's abdomen. As the abdomen was full of sensitive organs, the blow left the worker gasping for air, dropping to his knees. The man clutched the spot where the blow had landed, and his face contorted in pain.

With one hand supporting Emelie on his back and the other gripping the baton like a sword, he still carried the same youthful arrogance and defiance from high school. It was as if nothing in the world could stop him. He turned his gaze to the third worker.

In the blink of an eye, he had taken down two men. The third worker was terrified and didn't dare approach.

William made a feint as if he were about to strike him in the neck.

The worker panicked and ducked while he covered his head, only to realize that William was already running toward the gate with Emelie on his back.

"Close the gate! Don't let them escape!" the worker yelled.

The patrol guards- the real security of the estate-were finally closing in, shouting as they ran. The gatehouse staff hit the button, and the gate began to slowly close.

Just a few yards away, Emelie watched as the gap between the gates grew smaller and smaller, soon becoming too narrow for anyone to squeeze through. Instinctively, she reached out to grab the gate.

In the nick of time, William made a final leap through the closing gate. As the gates slammed shut behind them, they lost their balance from the momentum, crashing to the ground. Emelie tumbled several yards

away.

They heard the guards yelling, 'Open the gate! Quickly, open it!"

They were going to chase them down.

William quickly got to his feet and ran over to help Emelie up. "Are you hurt?"

"No." Emelie shook her head.

William pulled her up and hoisted her back onto his back. "Let's go."

Their backup was waiting at the corner of the street. William took off running, with the guards in hot pursuit.

Emelie clung to his neck as his running jostled her on his back. She couldn't help but look down at his face. Suddenly, she was reminded of another incident from high school.