As I explained everything to Clara and Luka, I struggled to contain my anger. "You're in a huge predicament. You gave them a reason to torture you, and I know Xander will not forgive you for this." Luka remarked on my situation before Clara waved off his comment.
"Shut up, Luka."
"What do you expect me to say? I'm not mistaken."
"They vandalized my room and publicly shamed me. What more could they possibly want?" My voice trembled with anger, and tears threatened to spill from my eyes.
Luka's eyes squinted as he noticed someone approaching from behind.
The three of us gulped as we saw Xander giving me an angry glare, followed by Zareena and Victor. It didn't take long for me to understand they had informed him about my latest actions.
Something told me I was in trouble now. The way these bullies were looking at me gave me the vibe that a war had begun.
Before that war could start, we hastily walked into our classroom and settled into our seats. It was best to play it safe for now.
***
After wrapping up our professors' lectures, we made our way to tuck our belongings into our lockers. The lingering fear of encountering certain individuals again gnawed at me as I approached my locker to stash a book. Clara and Luka were engrossed in conversation, oblivious to any lurking dangers. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Xander standing across the hallway, observing our movements as we neared our lockers. Doing my best to ignore him, I tried to distance myself from the situation. Keeping my head low, I attempted to open my locker, but it seemed jammed. After a bit of struggle, I exerted all my strength to pull it forcefully. Suddenly, I felt a sticky substance covering my head and shoulders. The smell was so repulsive that I vomited almost immediately. It turned out to be a mixture of mustard sauce and rancid oil, dripping from above.
Clara and Luka wanted to help me, but they stopped when they saw them walking toward me.
“What happened, miss?” I heard someone jeer, knowing full well what they had done.
They were laughing at me… again. The humiliation reached its peak, and all I wanted was to run from there. Before I did, I stopped for a few seconds and gazed at Xander before running toward the girl’s room.
To my surprise, he stood there with a blank face, just watching me.
Why did he do that? I don’t know. I wanted to ask him why he wasn't laughing at me. Wasn't he enjoying the show? I wanted him to stop all this, but I knew he wanted to teach me a lesson. And here I am, covered with stinky mustard sauce. It's dripping all over my clothes.
Tears blurred my vision as my body was sticky and stinky simultaneously.
Clara followed behind me, her voice soothing as she tried to calm me down. “Here, let me help clean you up. I have some spare clothes in my locker. Let me bring them for you.”
I was shaking with anger and disgrace. “How could they do this to me?” I cried with a shaky voice.
“It’s okay. Just calm down,” she repeated, trying to convince me.
Through the anger, all I saw was Xander’s face in front of my eyes.
I hate him.
He is a heartless man. One thing I was sure of, I hated him. I hate him for everything. I don’t even have the courage to face my classmates. Not when everyone saw how badly they treated me.
On my behalf, Clara later informed all the professors about my situation. Once I realized the dean couldn’t help me, I knew I couldn't expect any reprieve from my professors. Nobody can help me with this mess. A while later, tears streamed down my face as I lay on my bed, gazing at the aged ceiling of my dorm. When I heard a buzzing sound nearby, I glanced at my phone, noticing a missed call.
"Hello, Auntie," I answered.
"My child, how are you? Is everything alright?" Aunt Jeena's voice came through the line.
My mom, Nia Marshall, had passed away a few years ago from leukemia. Shortly after her diagnosis, my dad left her for another woman. Aunt Jeena, my mom's best friend, took me in as her own. She was like a second mother to me.
"I'm okay. Have you heard from Caleb?" I tried to shift the focus.
"No sign of him," she replied.
Caleb, Aunt Jeena's only son, was like an older brother to me. We grew up together, but he got involved with drugs while I was busy with my studies. Despite our efforts to help him, he eventually ran away. It had been six months since we last saw him.
"Has he called you?"
I knew why she asked. Caleb had always loved me. I was the only person he truly trusted. But this time, he left without a word to me.
"Aunty, if he calls, I'll let you know first. Don't worry. We'll find him," I assured her.
As our conversation continued, she asked about my new life, but I wasn't ready to share. I painted a picture of positivity, sparing her the added stress.
For a few minutes, I managed to distract myself, but once I hung up, the pain flooded back. What was I going to do? How much more could I endure? The questions tormented my mind.
Feeling a headache coming on, I nestled under my covers and drifted off to sleep, without eating anything.
~Xander~I was alone in my classroom, reading stupid social media posts while scrolling my phone. The day seemed fine, as all my mates were out, and I was waiting for Matt. I heard a knock and didn’t bother to look up. I mean, who would knock before entering the classroom?Once again, my annoyed ears heard the same sound, and this time I jerked my neck to rebuke the person. Beyond my expectations, I saw her. It was none other than the new birdie looking at me. I stuffed the phone in my front pocket and walked toward her. With a blush, she lowered her peer.“What are you doing here?” I said, while scanning her beauty. She tucked away a strand of hair behind her ear, and my eyes caught her tattoo again.“Can I talk to you?” she asked.What is she doing here? Didn’t she know others would insult her more than ever for entering a senior’s classroom? And why was she talking to me like that?Her cheeks turned red, and the composed breathing hooked my attention. Her voice was seducing me, and
~Aoife~The morning was cold and foggy, just like my life had been these past few days. I used to love this weather when mom made hot cocoa for me, and we watched movies together. Now that she’s gone, this weather makes me feel alone. I was awake, looking at her picture close to my bed.“Good morning, Mum.” I remembered she loved to kiss my forehead, and never forget to mention welcoming the new day with fresh energy, but today I didn’t want to get out of bed. Why would I? I have zero motivation, nor was I eager to start my day.When I came here, I was ready to win the world, but in the last few days, everything changed. All I wanted was to hide where these people couldn’t torture me anymore. I just wanted this to be over. But what about the promises I made to my mother? I promised her to conquer every fear in my life.I glanced at my tattoo: Love never fails.She used to call me the love of her life. If she were here, she would never want me to hide. While I was wrapped in the turm
~Xander~She left her innocent eyes on my soul. This moment reminds me of a story. Some folks who needed emotional rescue were trapped in an iceberg that took many years to form. When you bring your gentle flame to their outer walls and melt a little, if they are brave enough, they will light their internal flame and allow the ice to melt. If they are afraid, they will add more layers of ice faster than you can melt it.Unknowingly, I felt the same. Aoife was an unknown flame that melted my heart, and I was not ready for the change. My playboy image wanted to bite every part of her delicate body, while my heart wanted to be with her. In this turmoil, when Zareena pushed her, it enraged my emotions to a degree I’d never felt before.My angry look toward Zareena scared her off, and she stomped outside. I didn’t understand my sudden anger. Is Aoife controlling me? Or does Zareena’s misbehavior towards Aoife affect me?All I knew was her teary eyes influenced me deeply. With this emotiona
My big tears rolled down my cheeks, and I finally relaxed when he pulled away.“Are you okay?” My eyes were closed as I heard that voice. I thought it was Matt who questioned me, but when I opened my eyes, Matt was blowing air on my wound.I felt another presence beside me when I saw my hand had not flinched on the chair. My nails dug into someone's hand instead of the leather arm. From the corner of my eyes, I saw something unexpected.“You… Oh, I am sorry, sir.”Right out of the blue? What was he doing here?It was Xander. But when did he arrive? And why was he standing next to me?Lots of questions boomed in my mind as I jerked my hand away from his wrist that was now scratched from my nails. “What are you doing here?” Matt questioned.He didn’t answer because he was busy looking at my nervous, flushed face. I gulped down a lump in my throat and backed myself behind the chair, lowering my eyes immediately.“Xan, what?” Matt asked again.Looking at his scratched wrist, I somehow fe
That next morning, I rushed myself to the library. Once there, Aunt Agnes was busy talking to her husband. “Good morning.” I smiled.“Good morning, pretty girl,” Uncle answered immediately.“Good morning, dear. What brings you here so early?” “I hope I am not asking too much from you guys. Since you are looking for a helping hand, I need a job. My brother wants to admit himself to rehab, and he needs my help.”They furrowed their brows, listening to me carefully.“Do you want money? We can help you,” Aunty offered.“No, I want this job. Please accept my offer to help.”They smiled and nodded their heads, quickly in agreement.Before I even mentioned my paycheck, Uncle said, “I will talk to management. We will pay you biweekly if that’s okay?”I nodded with excitement and happy tears as I hugged them.“Thank you for helping me. I’ll come after college hours,” I said excitedly before leaving the library and walking out.As I left, my mind was busy scheduling my day with the additional
~Xander~Waiting... Waiting... Waiting...My mind was like the ocean, watching the incoming ships of my thoughts drowning inside me.Is she going to be okay? What the heck were the doctors doing with her in there? Why is there no information about her? How long are they going to take? I was continuously burning in anguish, and the troublesome thoughts didn’t let me rest for a second. I was starting to ask myself why I had this unsettled anger and toward whom? Something told me it was me. Why didn’t I reach her on time? Why was I not there to protect her? And the essential fact of the matter, who the hell did this thing to her?That person will surely be dead at my hands. I will drown him the same way he did her.In the next thoughts, I literally planned the slow death of that unknown person who tried to kill her.I was in constant pain at the thought of losing her. My body reacted the same as I thought, making me punch the wall before I yelled out threats to the doctors and the hospit
~Xander~Heartbreak is a funny thing. It happened to a person you would never expect. I never thought I would become a villain to Aoife, not when I was the one who saved her life. I became the last person she wanted to see in this world, and unfortunately, she was the only girl who drove me crazy.For the entire night, I fought with my feelings, hiding them underneath. I thought it was just a stint of unsettled emotion that would pass with time. It became worse when the time came to see her again. Her angered eyes toward me thrashed in my spirit. She hated me for a crime I didn’t commit. She didn’t believe I was innocent.My desperate eyes waited for a single glance of understanding, but she ignored me as if I had never existed to her. Above all, I became possessive of her when I saw her hugging Matt. No girl rejected me like that and never dared to make me feel vulnerable.I questioned myself about why I was craving for the warmth she gifted to Matt while I was the one who found her u
~Aoife~After Matt left, I settled on the chair next to my study table, thinking about the last words he left me with.How could Matt expect me to forgive his friend? He knew Xander was the biggest bully in school who liked to trouble other people. How could I forget he was the one who made my life hell since the day I landed at this college? First, he mocked me in front of everyone, and then that bucket.“Argh... I hate him!” I screamed, throwing cushions on the walls.Why should I forgive him? He doesn’t deserve my forgiveness. I looked in the mirror with a disgusted expression that filled my face with Xander’s thoughts.“Is he really so bad?” Thinking about him, the only thing that happened was my blood boiling, and my nostrils flared with anger. Hating someone is easy; the hardest thing was to forgive.I smiled when my mother’s thoughts popped into my mind. Even after her death, her thoughts help me in difficult times.What Matt told me—is it true? Did Xander save me? But why? W