Chapter 128: Misguided Attempt

A single tear threatened to escape as she realized the contrast from her usual appearance. She blinked it away hurriedly. She couldn't pull this off if she didn't fully commit.

It wasn't just about changing how she looked; it was also about gaining the confidence to be this new version of herself.

The dark style she usually had conflicted with the innocent image she was trying to show, exposing the inner battle between whom she truly was and the persona she put on.

Taking a deep breath, Nicole turned away from the mirror before she could lose her nerve. She had to focus on the goal.

One way or another, she was going to make Brandon see her today, the girl behind the heavy makeup and bad attitude.

The girl who secretly longed to feel beautiful and desired. His attention was worth the discomfort of this foreign look, even if it only lasted for a day.

She just hoped she could keep up the act long enough to get what she wanted.

She waited until after football practice was over and cornered Brandon. He was ready to leave with some of his friends.

"Hey Brandon, can we chat for a minute?" she greeted.

"Do I know you?" Brandon inquired.

"Are you a student here? Where have you been hiding?" one of his friends chimed in with a smile.

She shot him a disapproving look.

"It won't take long," she assured Brandon, dismissing his friend.

"Sorry, I'm tired. Maybe another time," he declined, walking past her with his friends.

"It's about Sharon," she called after him.

He halted, excused himself from his friends, and approached her.

"What about Sharon? Are you her friend? Did she mention anything about me?"

"Can we sit?" she requested gently.

"Sure," he agreed, placing his bag down. They moved to the bleachers and sat with an empty seat between them.

"What about Sharon?" Brandon asked eagerly.

"Sharon is not who you think she is..." Nicole started.

"How do you mean?" Brandon asked.

"What everyone sees is just a facade, she is not the sweet, innocent person everyone thinks she is. I know her very well..."

"Why are you telling me this?" Brandon asked impatiently, skeptical of her words.

"She's been crying a lot lately, hasn't she?" Nicole continued, sidestepping his question.

"Yeah…" he responded with furrowed brows.

"That's because she was…raped."

"What?!"

"By four men!" Nicole said, eyes widening.

"Oh my…what?!" Brandon exclaimed, standing up, struggling to grasp the unimaginable scenario.

"She was badly mutilated. Her entire body is scarred. You will be disgusted if you see her naked."

"How…when did this happen?" Brandon inquired.

"Two weekends ago," she responded, not thinking it through. She didn't expect him to ask questions.

"Two weeks ago? And she didn't miss a day of school?" he questioned, skeptical of her account. "She doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with her."

"She recovered quickly…because she's used to it," Nicole said.

"Used to being raped?" Brandon questioned, finding it difficult to believe.

"No…I mean…used to sleeping with boys." she stammered.

"But I've never seen Sharon hanging out with any boy."

"She does it secretly," Nicole insisted. "She's always in and out of the hospital getting treated for infection."

"Okay, wait, if she was raped, doesn't that make her the victim?" he interjected, sitting back down.

"She…"

"Does the police know about this? Who are these men? Where did it even happen?"

"It happened…in an alley. She said they wore masks. She doesn't want the police involved. She doesn't want anyone to know. She said she feels ashamed."

"Then she needs me, I have to be with her," Brandon declared.

Things were not going as planned.

Nicole found her manipulative tactics falling short in her attempt to poison Brandon's thoughts about Sharon. Rather than succumbing to hatred, Brandon felt sympathy for Sharon.

As Nicole sensed her deceit unraveling, panic gripped her, compelling her to dig deeper within herself in search of additional lies to salvage and maintain the illusion of her deceptive plot.

"No, she doesn't want anyone to know. The last thing she wants is your pity. That's why she is staying away from you," Nicole said in recovery.

Brandon shook his head in shock and struggled to believe it. His body language showed his confusion, furrowed eyebrows, tilted head, small shakes as if trying to shake off his bewilderment.

In conversation, Brandon seemed skeptical. His eyes kept searching for the truth as more details were explained.

He had many questions, and his tense posture showed his internal conflict between disbelief and accepting the story.

Brandon's facial expressions revealed his doubt and determination to uncover inconsistencies that would show the story wasn't true.

"I'm telling you the truth," Nicole insisted.

"I've heard everything you have to say. Why are you telling me, though?" Brandon asked.

"I just wanted you to know what kind of person she is. She isn't good enough for you."

"It doesn't matter, she rejected me. I have no use for this information," he said and made to leave.

"Wait…" Nicole said. "There's something else I need to tell you…"

"What is it now?" he asked, looking like he'd had enough.

Things were definitely not going as planned.

Nicole took a moment to weigh her words, contemplating whether the timing was right. But, he was a young man, living and breathing, of flesh and blood.

He was unlikely to resist the allure of a girl making a bold offer by offering herself to him.

Being alone together in that field was the perfect opportunity, an ideal moment for her to express her desires and make her intentions clear.

"I was thinking, considering things didn't work out for you and Sharon..." she began.

"Yeah?"

"Perhaps…you and I…" she suggested, her tone gentle, her gaze softening. "...could be together."

The entire situation became crystal clear to Brandon, and he grasped her intentions perfectly. That was the end result of the rape story.

What a misguided attempt.

"I promise…" she pledged, moving to the vacant seat between them to close the gap. "...to do anything you want."

He looked at her, stunned at her impudence.

Leaning in, and whispered in his ears

"Anything."

"I'm sorry I have to decline. Sharon is the only girl I'm interested in," Brandon stated.

He then picked up his bag, leaving her sitting alone on the bleachers in the solitude of the field.