Chapter 13

"Yes, Ms. Jenkins?" the lecturer asked as my hand was raised.

"May I use the restroom?"

"Sure. Please, make it fast. We're having a quiz today." I nodded, and she remained silent. I felt like vomiting, so I wasn't sure I'd be able to return shortly.

My knees trembled as I walked to the bathroom. I wanted to go to Iris' room to tell her what I was feeling, but I knew I'd just interrupt their class.

When I entered the restroom, the first thing I did was go to the sink and puke. The ones I ate earlier were dispersed due to the high quantity. There were numerous meals and even a few blood.

"Oh my God," I murmured. I was not sure why I became abruptly ill. I ate properly and was not poisoned. Why now, while still in school? Someone might see me here.

I closed my eyes before washing my mouth. I was dizzy, but not as much as I was previously. Perhaps it was simply due to vomiting.

I locked my gaze on myself in the mirror. Ms. Kernel was right; I appeared to have no blood in my body. I had the appearance of a white lady. If I was pale before, I was considerably paler now. I resembled a deceased person who had awoken from her grave.

I fixed my uniform before exiting the bathroom. I almost yelled when someone pushed me as soon as I opened the door.

"Ouch!" I whimpered as I collapsed to the floor. For the love of God, I was still dizzy!

"Oh! I only pushed you and you're acting as if you're going to die? You know, I've observed how different you and Iris are. You're so insignificant in comparison to her! I'm not sure how she came to be your friend. Wait a minute! I know! Perhaps because both of you are a flirt?" Nellie burst out laughing and booted my foot with her high heels. I was not sure where her friends were, as she was the only who entered the restroom.

"Ouch! What are you saying? Are you insane?" I stroked my foot softly where she kicked it. Her heels were so pointed that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to walk later.

"Crazy? Ha! Am I the insane one? Perhaps you are! What rational woman would court a man with such zeal? Of course, it's you! You even pretended to stumble in order to convince Pierre to take your useless gift? What a flirt!" she shouted, filled with jealousy. I rolled my eyes at what I heard. What purpose did this bullying serve? Was it because Iris was a friend of mine, or was it because of Pierre?

"Why are you doing this to me, huh? What's your issue this time?" Despite my dizziness, I stood and confronted her.

"You! Iris and you! You are my issue! Both of you, stop being a flirt!"

"Huh? Why is it always us? You don't own Pierre! He's not yours! You are far too fictitious! You're gonna bully me simply for making a peace offering to him? Who else is as desperate as you are? You're acting as though I'm robbing you of him. However, even if I am, why are you concerned? Do you own him? Of course not! You have no reason to be furious, as your emotions are invalid. You frantic witch!" My indignation crept into my chest because of her ridiculous explanation. I never done wrong. I was not taking Pierre or any of her men away from her. The last time I talked to Pierre was last week.

"Why are you even bringing Iris into this? She came nowhere near Pierre. She even hate that man! Perhaps it's because you're feeling so threatened? Because Iris is more attractive than you are? She's more popular too! Am I right, Nellie?" Her face, which was earlier disgusted, was now filled with tears.

Oh, she was crying?

She shoved and hit me without speaking a word. I wanted to chastise her for the discomfort I felt when my side collided with the sink. I was unable to talk due to the searing pain; I had the distinct impression that I would die at any moment.

"You scumbag! Why did you come here at all!" She continued hitting me while she spoke those things. As a result of my rage, I pushed her hard.

"Ah!" she cried out as she collided with the floor.

"Don't try me, Nellie. I don't care about people like you; don't wait for the day when I am." I made a hasty exit from the bathroom. I was extremely pissed. I hated it when people bully me for no reason. Did she think that I was not going to fight back just because I was always silent? My mother never taught me to fight that way.

My mother was a lawyer, which explained why I was so adept at arguing with words. Dad taught me self defense too. I was just not a fan of catfights due to my frail body.

As I returned to the classroom, I grimaced. I noticed Nellie's friends scrutinizing me from head to toe, as if they were expecting me to enter the room full of bruises.

I returned their glances and rolled my eyes. I was sure they were aware of what Nellie did; else, they wouldn't be bestfriends. I sat in my seat calmly and simply listened to the professor.

"Ms. Jenkins, have you seen Ms. Karino, by any chance? She also stated that she was going to the bathroom; perhaps you were in the same room as her. She hasn't returned yet," the teacher asked a few minutes after I returned to the classroom. When I heard Nellie's name, my fist tightened in frustration. I was still pissed. My waist was still throbbing in pain.

"I don't know. Maybe she's dead?"

"Ms. Jenkins! Please don't say things like that!" I didn't say anything and just rolled my eyes. It was a good thing the teacher didn't ask any more questions.

I was the first person to finish the quiz, which meant I was also the first person to go. I had no idea where Nellie had gone because she hadn't returned since I came back.

I didn't bother waiting for Iris in their classroom because I was desperate to go home. A sharp pain radiated down my left side, and I felt as if a part of me was broken. I could still endure my diziness earlier, but now that my side was throbbing, I couldn't take it anymore. While I was waiting for the uber, I furiously stomped my foot on the ground out of frustration.

It was too early to go home so there were only a few students around the corridor.

"What happened to your arm?" I looked over to the person who spoke next to me, and it was Pierre, who was carrying his backpack. He was holding on to a bag strap and staring straight out the gate, as if he was waiting for someone to arrive. He was alluding to Nellie's scratches on me, which were so many that they were very noticeable.

"None of your business." I rolled my eyes, my face contorted with irritation. He was the reason for Nellie's earlier confrontation with me, and I didn't want to see his face right now.

"Tch." I didn't pay attention to him till the uber that I had called arrive. I hurried up to the car and gave the driver our address.

When the engine started, I looked out the window to see Pierre, who was now staring straight ahead at the uber I was riding in, as if he could see me inside despite the fact that the entire vehicle was tinted.

When I got home, I collapsed onto the sofa. I was so exhausted that I was not sure I'd be able to eat dinner since I couldn't move my body.

#

"Get up. We need to talk." I slowly opened my eyes when I heard Iris' unclear voice.

"Why?" I asked, my mind still sluggish. She was still dressed in her school uniform, so it was possible she had just arrived.

"What happened to your arm?" For a few period, I remained silent as I closed my eyes tightly.

"I had a catfight with Nellie earlier. Don't worry, I won."

"What? Why didn't call me? I wish I could have helped you!" I shook my head and opened my eyes. I didn't have the opportunity to call her because of Nellie's aggressiveness, so how?

"I'm going to sleep. Don't wake me up, okay? I'm really tired."

#

The day ended and everything returned to normal. Nellie never approached me again. Her friends were unconcerned about me. Sometimes, I could hear them talking about me. However, I was indifferent. I was just waiting for their eyes to turn white.

"Form your line," Pierre instructed us. Almost everyone of us had just returned from the restroom. We were all dressed in our PE uniforms because we had a thing to do in the field. I was not sure what it was; our professor made no mention of it.

"Jenkins." When I heard Pierre's voice, I looked up. My brows raised as I noticed his brow furrowed as he glanced at me.

"Yes, Cardinal?"

"What are you doing?" he asked. I observed my entire self. I was about to trample on the bubble gum again. It was glued to my rubber shoes.

"Nothing." As his brows lifted, I averted my gaze. Clearly, I was taking the gum off my shoes. Wasn't obvious? I stepped on the bubble gum that had adhered to my shoe once more in order to keep it on the floor. Seriously, it was uncomfortable.

"Stop being so loud." Pierre approached me and placed his hand on my foot. He used a pencil to scrape away the gum. When it was removed, he also threw the pencil in the trashbin.

"Put an end to your loudness. Tell me if you need help," he remarked impolitely and glared at me. I quickly mocked him when he turned his back on me.

So arrogant. He really believed he was the university's most handsome student, huh?

"Let's proceed." He established the line, and we simply followed. I was at the back of the queue because it wasn't based on height.

There were girls that were taller than me, yet they were positioned in front.

When we arrived on the field, we saw that we were not the only section present. I saw Iris and Alister's section on the opposite side of the field; they appeared to be having PE.

"Sleeping beauty!" I heard Iris shouted from a distance. Other sections turned their heads toward her because of her shout. I giggled as I waved.

"Introduce us to Iris, Jenkins. You two are close, aren't you?" stated a male classmate. He was with two other men I was unfamiliar with. They differ from my other male students 'cause they were not famous. They were a low-key group of teenagers.

"Even if I introduce you to her, she won't like you. You'll only get some scolding," I exclaimed, laughing. He scratched his head lightly and laughed.

"That's okay! At the very least, we had the opportunity to talk to her," one of his buddies stated. He encircled his arms on my neck and touched my shoulder.

"Come on, Jenkins! We'll treat you later!" I burst out laughing once more. They were extremely eager to speak with Iris, huh? As if Iris wished to speak with them. She was a woman who despised men a lot.

"Bañes, Jon, and Huson! Put an end to your games! Go back to your respective queues. Leave her alone." When they heard Pierre's ice-cold voice, they rushed to go back up their lines. I didn't know if I should be thankful that Pierre did that. I still didn't like him.

"Good afternoon, students!" said the freshly appointed professor who just arrived. We were having an agility test. I was a little nervous since I was concerned that I would get the lowest score. Despite my best efforts, I still didn't think I could do it better.

"It's organized by group. There are three groups, each with ten people. You can begin putting together your group right away." Friends began to gather as a group. I didn't have any idea how to approach somebody because I didn't know anyone in our room. All of my classmates despised me.

"Do you already have a group?" a woman asked. I shook my head before taking a few steps back. It was just I who didn't have a group yet, as the rest of them were perfectly formed.

"Come with us, we're down to one." When she yanked me away, I had nothing I could do. The group consisted entirely of women, with only a few men.

"All right, students. Let's get this thing started." Before beginning the test, we took a quick lap around the field. Even though I hadn't been called yet, I was already feeling exhausted.

I was feeling dizzy and wanted to take a nap.

"Y'all should do well. The teacher will give the group that has the highest score a bonus score for each member," our leader reminded us. All of us nodded and didn't say anything else.

My sweat increased as the teacher called our members to the front one by one. I was feeling cold, and I was afraid I'd vomit at any given moment. Suddenly, a part of my body began to hurt, and I had to close my eyes tightly again.

"Ah," I groaned, my voice cracking with the pain I was feeling. When I felt something dripping from my nose, I touched it. I wiped it away with a cloth as quickly as I could when I saw that it was blood.

I hoped no one saw it.

"Jenkins will be up next." I wiped away the sweat from my brows and took a step forward. I could see the teacher repeating some words, but my mind was unable to cope with them, and I couldn't comprehend what he was saying.

"Jenkins, are you okay?"

That was the last thing I heard before collapsing to the ground. I heard Iris and Alister's voices calling my name from a distance before everything went black.

#

"Please, Iris, we need to take her to the hospital right away. Something else might happen to her."

"No, uncle. I'm afraid I won't be able to. You understand her condition, don't you? I'm sure she'll be furious when she wakes up at the hospital. If I'll be the one to decide, I would have transported her there a long time ago." I slowly opened my eyes. I could hear a lot of whispers, and I was quite sure one of them was Iris' voice.

"She's awake," I heard a voice that sounded vaguely familiar. I took a glance around the room, which was all white; I could tell I was in a clinic because I could smell the medicine.

The dean was talking to Iris, they were with Pierre. They were both looking at me with no expression on their faces. "Girl, how are you feeling? Why did you faint? I'm sure you ate a lot for breakfast."

What was he doing here? I couldn't recall being his friend.

"I really don't know," I admitted. The truth was that I had no idea why I was prone to weakness frequently. I understand that it was because of my condition, but I was not like this before.

"Pierre, son, you must leave us first," the dean instructed him. Pierre nodded and walked out of the clinic, despite his curiosity. What was he doing here, by the way?

When Pierre walked out the door, the expressions on the faces of the two people in front of me changed.

"I think we should call your mother, Aurora," dean said seriously, making me shook my head multiple times. That was the last thing I wanted to do before I die.

"No, dean. I'm okay. I'm just weary, alright? It's natural for me to feel tired," I said and tried to keep a grin on my face even though I was on the verge of crying. The likelihood that he would call my mother to come pick me up was considerable.

"Look at you, Aurora. You look like a ghost and your skin is so pale. Are you still taking your medications?" he asked, his tone was grave. I closed my eyes tightly and gently shook my head. I should have remembered to bring medication with me before I ran away.

It was then that I broke down and sobbed, "Please, dean, don't call my mom. I still don't want to go back. I'm happy here. I'm free. She'll most likely just lock me up at home, and that is something I don't want." I was terrified of coming home. I was having a great time here, despite the fact that Iris was my only friend. He took a deep breath and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"All right, all right. I'll let this slide this time, but if something like this occurs again, I'll contact Aliana." The worry I had earlier vanished almost instantly. My tears stopped quickly.

Of course, this would never happen again. I couldn't die at school. Maybe at home, yes.