It's been two days since I last left the house. Since it's the weekend, Della and some of the staff here don't expect me to go outside, and I refused the offers from Irin and Tytas. I don't have the energy to see anybody or talk to anybody. I have lain in my bed for two days straight, and I still don't have any strength to get out of it. I turn my eyes toward the half-open laptop. The project is waiting for me, my stomach is waiting for me, and the hospital volunteer work is waiting for me.
I let out a long breath.
Rolling onto my other side, I see the jacket that has also been lying with me all weekend. I grab the sleeve and slowly close my eyes again.
"Hello, Miss Serafinne." Miss Quinn greets me with her usual sweet smile as I sit down across from her. "How is it going?" she asks, waiting for me to say something or open my mouth. "How about your project?" She changes the subject.
"You mean for English class?" I ask.
"Yes," she replies, looking at me for an answer. "Mr. Wealth's project is pretty interesting, and to be honest, the topic is very relevant to our graduating students," she explains after noticing my question and my reaction.
I agree; the topic is 'What Made You Who You Are Today.'
"I think rewinding and thinking about your life before graduating will help you learn more about yourself, and you might discover something—a blind spot you haven't seen before," she says. "And it can lead you toward the distant future—what you would like to become, which job you are really interested in—or even the near future, like which college or which major," she adds with a smile.
I look at her and give her a tiny smile.
"Something like that." She feels a bit awkward. I can tell.
"I've been working on it," I reply.
"Great..." She starts to smile again. "How about the extra classes or activities we talked about? Have you found anything interesting?"
I nod. "Wow, that's great. What is it?" she asks joyfully.
"The hospital field, but I haven't asked or discussed anything yet."
"That sounds amazing. Do you mean Apollon Hospital?" she asks.
"Yes, it's the only one in town," I say.
"Sounds amazing. How about I help you with that? They've never opened their doors for students to learn or hired a high school student, and the only volunteering opportunity they offer is elderly care. You could join that too, but if you want to learn more about general hospital work or other departments, I can write a letter and give you my support. How about that?"
"That sounds delightful, Miss Quinn," I say with a smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm happy to help," she says happily, with more eagerness than I expected.
Then my face turns cold too quickly. Miss Quinn must sense something different.
"Are you all right, Miss Serafinne?"
I look at her. "There's too much to process—that's all," I say. "Thank you for asking," I add.
She smiles. "A little bit at a time, Miss Serafinne, and everything will be checked off that list in no time." She offers me comforting advice.
"Thank you," I say.
I leave the counselor's office and walk through the hall toward my classroom. I try my best not to search or look around for a golden-haired person. I don't want to give a fuck about him or wonder what happened to him after I left.
Then, suddenly, a tall figure creeps through the crowd and bumps into my shoulder. Before I can even glance at him, he pushes me against a locker.
Speak of the fucking devil.
I look at Vik and observe his face. There are bruises on both sides, and his right hand is wrapped in a splint.
"I told you not to come near me," I say.
"You're fucking crazy, you know that?" He leans closer, no longer begging like he was when he lay beneath me in the dirt.
"The one who waited for a girl at night... abducted her and forced himself on her... It seems like you're more likely to fall into that category yourself."
"Heh..." He chuckles.
I pull my arm away and try to walk away from him again. He grabs it and pulls me back toward him, ignoring our surroundings.
"I'll tell everyone what you did and what you are—you're not just a quiet girl, princess." He moves his face beside my ear. "You're a crazy, sassy little whore-princess, Letizia." He swallows slightly. "And I fucking love it."
I don't open my mouth or draw in a breath.
"Have you told your Prince Charming that I fucking licked your pussy so well?" he whispers.
This guy...
"Get off me if you don't want to be beaten up again—like the trash toy you want so badly to be," I say.
"I fucking love—this sassy side of yours, heh." He pauses and glares at me. "Should I warn Tytas that you're a fucking crazy girl, not the sweet, gentle, quiet little one anymore?" he says.
"Go ahead. Do you think I care? You're the one who was beaten up by a girl, golden boy. You're the rising-star athlete who did something disgusting to a young girl... Tell me, who will people be more disgusted by, and who will they pity more?" I raise an eyebrow.
He stares at me, not caring about himself. "Who the fuck was that guy?" he asks.
Did his brain fall out? Now he's asking about my creeper.
People are watching us, while others walk past with wandering eyes locked on the drama in the hallway.
"Vik, what are you doing?" Felicia comes over. I stare at him and aggressively pull my arm back. "I told you to keep your paws away from my boyfriend," Felicia says.
I can't believe these two. I glance back at the jerk. "Then you should tame your boy better," I say as I glare at Vik before turning toward Felicia, "before he gets out of hand."
As I walk past her, I don't care that my shoulder hits hers. Seeing the bruise on the right side of Vik's face, which looks more disgusting than the one on the left, makes me want to grab his head and smash the other side against the wall so they'll be equally perfect.