Lea’s point of view:I felt stares on me the moment I walked inside the school cafeteria for lunch. Instead of glancing down, I remembered the conversation I had with Aubrey this morning. I tried my best to hold my head up high in confidence.Just keep calm, Lea! You can do this. I encouraged myself before walking over to the guys.They would not let me sit alone by myself.I have been having lunch with them since last Tuesday.Aubrey waved at me when she saw me walking over to their table.I smiled slightly when I reached their table before sitting down beside Ryder. Last Tuesday, the girls made me sit between them just so they could speak to me.Shelly would not stop rambling about Max while Aubrey complained about some lanky guy being her biology lab partner. The guy almost caused two flasks to explode from mixing two completely incompatible fluids without even consulting the biology professor. Aubrey looked

They considered me one of their own and welcomed me with so much love that I couldn’t let anything bad happen to them. If I was right in my calculations, I will hate myself if Cassandra managed to do something bad to them. I will have to get to the root of her thoughts and what led her into believing that she could harm the guys. It was high time that I step out of the cocoon I had woven around me as a protective shield. It couldn’t stop people from bullying me and my father from beating me as much as I had used it to retain myself within it. I was under the pretense that if I stayed away from other people, they would leave me alone but I was proven wrong all these years. They continued to crush me under their feet and stripped me of my self-worth. Layer by layer until there was nothing left of my true self. I became someone I could no longer recognize. If I was to step out of my misery, I would start with unraveling Cassandra’s intention towards the guys to

I was going through my notes when my phone pinged with a notification. Shelly bought a phone for me while we were out shopping last time. I refused to accept but she insisted that I keep it if I considered her my friend.It was a message from Aubrey.“Hey! Do you want to hang out with us? Shelly and I are heading over to a café to get some donuts.” – Aubrey.I pouted while my eyes shifting between my notes to my phone screen.I was still not done with my home works.For almost every class, I had additional home works to do since I was already lagging behind.I kindly messaged Aubrey that I will not be able to join them.I really wanted to have some donuts though.Focus, Lea, focus! I can always have donuts when I was done working.I smiled when I read Aubrey’s reply.“Don’t worry, girl! We’ll get you some donuts.” – Aubrey.Before I could tell her

Lea’s point of view:I gasped when the door boomed against the wall and then everything literally froze in motion. I felt as if I couldn’t hear anything. I could only hear the pounding against my chest... thump thump thump...My heart beating frantically and making me heaved out deep breaths which would sometimes make me feel like I’m breathless. And then, all of a sudden, I heard everything.It was almost like I had gone deaf for a while before I got my sense of hearing back. I just kept my eyes tightly shut and waited... waited for everything to be over.It almost felt like I’m being drowned by someone and I did nothing to escape from the hands pushing me underwater. I simply waited in the darkness that comes from under my eyelids, breathlessly in pain and waiting to be rescued which I highly doubt to be possible right now.But still, I had hope... something which I had forgotten about long ago but still w

Lea’s point of view:“Are you okay?” he asked, breaking the silence. I nodded but he just emitted a long, deep audible breath in relief before slowly pulling me in a hug.My chin rested on his left shoulder. This was the first time someone’s invading my personal space, hugging me in such a gentle way. The earlier hugs that I shared with him or with the girls were not like this. Those were friendly hugs. This one was not a friendly hug.His gentle touch on my arms as his fingertips grazed my skin in a gentle way. I’ve never been hugged like this before. Since my mom left, I’ve been craving someone’s shoulders to cry on but there was no one. I’ve always been alone.I’ve been hugged as a child by my parents, my friends but everyone turned their backs on me since that day. I was left on my own, no one to share my feelings with.Even though I was feeling grateful for this hug, I coul