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The air in the Brighton Wisdom School entrance hall was a familiar morning swirl of movement and noise. Students flowed in a busy stream, their voices echoing off the polished floors. Outside, a sleek car pulled up, and Gabriella emerged, her uniform impeccably neat. She walked into the bustling hall, took a deep breath, and a small, peaceful smile touched her lips.
It vanished instantly.
Across the hall, Lara was walking towards her.
Gabriella felt a jolt of anxiety and immediately angled away, heading towards the comparative quiet of the school garden path. But Lara was quick. "Gabriella!" Lara called out, her voice loud enough to cut through the din of the hall.
Dozens of heads turned, their stares momentarily fixed on Gabriella. She stopped dead, but as quickly as the attention was gained, it was lost, and everyone returned to their own business.
Lara caught up to her, a faint expression of gratitude on her face.
"What?" Gabriella asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Thanks, Gabriella," Lara said, glancing around nervously. Gabriella gave a small nod, urging her to continue quickly. Lara leaned in a little closer. "You're actually… fantastic. And your fight…"
Gabriella's eyes widened. She instinctively grabbed Lara's wrist, her grip firm. "Are you really saying you don't remember me?" She paused, her voice a low, intense whisper. "The pendrive too?"
Lara just looked at Gabriella, her expression genuinely confused. She slowly shook her head.
Is she acting? Gabriella thought, Did she actually forget everything? She released Lara's wrist, letting her hand drop.
"Actually, I have memory loss after the accident," Lara explained, her eyes full of a strange sadness. "I forgot the memories from the two years before it. Do you know me?"
Gabriella forced a practiced smile. "Actually, I do know you. I'm a Silver Storm member, right? I know everything about the situation," she said, giving a knowing, yet slightly uncomfortable, grin.
"Oh," Lara said, her brow furrowing slightly. "Then why did you ask me if I knew you?"
Gabriella was stunned into silence for a fraction of a second.
Lara continued, "But honestly, I don't seem to have seen you before in this school."
"I... I transferred to this school this year," Gabriella recovered quickly. To shift the focus, she plunged into a new topic. "Is Ronnie really your boyfriend?"
"Well, I lost two years of memories, but he says himself that he is my boyfriend," Lara admitted, looking troubled. "I don't really believe it, but my mother says he helped her a lot while I was in a coma. And he showed we have selfies together, too."
Gabriella was about to point out the obvious flaw in that logic, but Lara rushed on. "If he isn't my boyfriend, how could he be so kind to me?"
He believes her to be his girlfriend. She's being fooled by him. He's definitely planning something big, Gabriella thought, her mind racing.
"Are you here?" Lara prompted.
"Yeah," Gabriella nodded. "I have to go to class now. See you later." She leaned in, her voice serious and low. "And one more thing. Don't say anything to anybody about what happened on the rooftop of the Royalty hotel."
Anybody… including Ronnie? Lara thought, a sudden, cold wave of suspicion washing over her. Oh, no.
"Are you listening?" Gabriella pressed.
Lara nodded quickly. "Why did you fight with them? I know you helped me from Anitta, but still… were you being bullied by them before, so you…?"
Gabriella smiled, a spark of mystery in her eyes. "It's a big story. I'll tell you later." With that, Gabriella turned and walked away.
Lara watched her go, a million questions swimming in her head.
Above the Fray
High above the school building, on the secluded rooftop, a girl was watching the scene below. It was Raina.
"These days, Lara is so close to Gabriella, right?" she commented, not turning her gaze.
A boy appeared from the shadows behind her. He too was looking down at the two figures on the path. It was Ronnie. He gave a casual, unsettling smile. "Maybe it's because she helped her last night. That's why."
"Because of that?" Raina turned to him, her expression skeptical. "Are you really believing Lara's words?"
Ronnie raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. "Of course. She really lost her memories. That's why she believes I'm her boyfriend and told me everything that happened yesterday. Otherwise, she wouldn't have." He gave Raina a knowing wink.
Raina simply narrowed her eyes, deep in thought.
Suddenly, a voice broke the quiet. "Hey! You guys are here!"
Raina and Ronnie turned and smiled. Ronnie waved his hand. It was Jake. He approached them, a smirk already playing on his lips.
"Any update?" Raina asked, her impatience clear.
Jake's smirk widened. "Mmm. Erica and her friends are in the hospital."
Raina turned away with a look of utter disgust.
"Bro, we knew it," Ronnie said, rolling his eyes.
Jake smiled playfully, enjoying their reaction. "Then, you know this?"
"What?" Ronnie asked, his curiosity piqued.
Jake's eyes glowed with a dangerous intensity. "Gabriella won't interfere with us anymore."
Ronnie was genuinely shocked. "Really?"
Raina quickly turned back. "But how?"
"She's trapped in my net," Jake declared, his voice full of dark confidence. "She can't escape from it. Even if she tries, she can't."
Raina and Ronnie exchanged satisfied smiles.
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