My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 97: Something Big This Way Comes

3rd Person POV

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The boys’ locker room buzzed with its usual pre-practice chaos, metal lockers slamming shut, rubber soles squeaking against the tile, and laughter echoing from the hallway.

Adrien stood at his locker, head down, pulling on his basketball jersey, but his moves were sluggish. His mind wasn’t on the game; it was tangled up in thoughts about Rachel, this mysterious woman who somehow had given his mom L.S.’s number.

He couldn’t recall his mom ever mentioning a friend named Rachel. Not once. Sure, she had coworkers, but none stuck in his memory. As he tugged the jersey over his head, his brows furrowed, and he couldn’t shake the nagging thought that maybe his dad would have some answers.

If not, he’d have to drive back to Clearwater to find out more. He didn’t want to, but the uncertainty ate at him, and he couldn’t shake the gut feeling that Rachel wasn’t just some casual acquaintance.

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice Liam sauntering over, spinning a basketball on his fingertip like he always did when he wanted to grab someone’s attention.

"Hey," Liam called, grinning. "Earth to Adrien. You still with us?"

Adrien blinked, snapping back to reality. "Yeah. Just thinking." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Dangerous pastime," Liam joked, nudging him with his elbow. "Anyway, Jace is throwing a party this weekend. Big one. You’re invited obviously."

Adrien let out a breath that was more of a sigh than a laugh. "Liam... every party Jace throws is the same. You guys get wasted, forget your names, then puke all over his mom’s garden on your way out. And the next morning, you text me with hangovers like you’re dying." He shook his head while grabbing his duffel bag. "No thanks."

Liam rolled his eyes. "Dude, seriously? You never go out anymore. People are starting to think you actually becoming a mysterious loner."

Adrien snorted. "I don’t enjoy watching everyone get trashed and cry over their exes."

"Fair enough," Liam admitted, dropping the basketball and catching it again. "But Jace swears this one’s different."

"That’s what he said last time," Adrien replied, his tone flat. Still, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Liam leaned back against the lockers, studying him. "You sure you’re not avoiding parties for another reason? You look... distracted, man."

Adrien hesitated, zipping up his bag a bit too slowly. "It’s nothing."

"That doesn’t sound like nothing."

Liam opened his mouth as if he wanted to dig deeper but then seemed to reconsider. Instead, he offered a small, crooked smile. "Well... if you change your mind about the party, Jace said you can bring whoever you want. Might make it less painful."

"Doubt it," Adrien said, though his tone softened a bit.

The coach’s whistle pierced the air from the gym, cutting through their chatter. Liam pushed off the lockers and started walking backward toward the exit.

"Think about it! One night won’t kill you."

Adrien slung his bag over his shoulder, letting out a slow breath as he followed. "You say that every time someone ends up passed out in the backyard."

Liam laughed. "It’s tradition, man!"

Adrien shook his head, but he couldn’t help the slight smile creeping onto his face. The gym noise swelled as they stepped outside, but a part of him lingered on that name, Rachel and the nagging thought that this weekend’s party was the least of his concerns.

As they walked out of the locker room and into the hallway leading to the gym, Liam lagged behind, casually dribbling the basketball. He glanced at Adrien with an expression that combined curiosity with something like worry.

"You know," Liam said, breaking the silence, "you barely hang out with us anymore. What’s going on, bro?"

Adrien didn’t respond right away. He adjusted his duffel bag’s strap and focused ahead as if there were hidden answers in the polished wood floor. Finally, after a moment, he exhaled through his nose. "I’m just... focusing on myself right now. Trying to sort some stuff out."

Liam raised his eyebrows. "Family problems?"

Adrien let out a humorless huff. "You could say that."

The way he said it felt heavy, making Liam slow for a moment, the basketball resting quietly against his hip. "Damn. If it’s serious, I get it. Just...man, don’t vanish. We actually like having you around."

Adrien shot him a sidelong glance, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Do you? I thought you kept me around so I don’t drink too much and can drive you home."

"That’s okay, partly true," Liam conceded with a laugh, "but really, we miss you."

Adrien stayed quiet, the smirk fading a bit.

Liam bounced the ball again and quickened his pace to walk next to Adrien. "Look, hear me out. This party? Gonna be different. For real this time."

Adrien shot him a dubious look. "How?"

"There’ll be hot girls. Not the usual crowd. Vanessa and her girls are going all out." Liam emphasized this with hand gestures. "They’ve got something big planned. Jace wouldn’t spill, but he was hyping it like crazy."

Adrien slowed a bit, giving him a skeptical look. "Vanessa always has something ’big’ planned. Last time, it was glow paint and half the team ended up neon green for three days."

"Okay, that was a fluke, but still. She claims this one will blow people away."

Adrien let out a soft sigh, sounding more weary than opposed to the idea. He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes drifting toward the gym doors where they could hear the muffled thump of a basketball.

"You’re not gonna stop bugging me about this, are you?"

Liam grinned. "Not a chance."

Adrien paused, letting the noise of the hallway envelop him. The weekend ahead felt heavy with questions, missed calls, and that trip back to Clearwater that he wasn’t ready for. A silly high school party wouldn’t fix any of that but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to take a break from the pressure that sat on his chest.

Finally, he exhaled and nodded once. "Fine. I’ll go."

Liam threw his hands up in victory, almost dropping the basketball. "Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!"

Adrien shook his head, but a reluctant half-smile played at his lips. "You’re too hyped for someone who’s just going to end up puking in Jace’s backyard again."

"Only once!" Liam protested, pointing at him. "That happened one time."

"Try three," Adrien shot back.

Liam groaned dramatically. "You’re never gonna let that go, are you?"

"No."

They pushed open the gym doors together, the warmth of the lights spilling over them as their teammates’ voices filled the space. And even though Adrien still felt that quiet knot of worry deep inside, the simple decision to go to the party brought a strange lightness like, for just one night, he could finally breathe.