CHAPTER 79
**WINTER**
She was right. I walk into my first class, and it feels like stepping in front of a firing squad. Every set of eyes burns into me with disdain, and to make matters worse, I spot Ronald sitting near the back of the room, his expression hard and unreadable. So much for the friendly Ronald. I quickly slide into an empty seat, doing my best to avoid his glare.
Someone coughs, muttering under their breath, “Bitch.”
Another voice hisses, “Trash,” loud enough for me to hear. Anger surges inside me, but I bite my tongue.
Just as the bell rings, the girl I tried to help earlier—the one Zion was harassing—enters the room. For a brief moment, relief floods through me. Surely, she’ll be on my side? But when our eyes meet, she pointedly turns her head away, ignoring me as she struts to the opposite side of the room. My heart sinks.
Then, a crumpled piece of paper hits me in the head. I turn to see a red-haired girl smirking at me, flipping me off. Sighing, I unfold the paper. Scrawled across it in bold letters are the words:
DEAD BITCH WALKING.
I crumpled the note and tossed it aside, feeling my frustration rise. The rest of my morning didn’t offer much solace. In my next class, I found a brief respite—none of the Kings were there. But the general hostility from everyone else made it clear they’d prefer I vanished entirely.
Things took a turn for the worse in my Business class. As I walked in, Clark was waiting, a smirk on his face as if he’d been expecting me. I had once thought he was the charming one, but that impression was long gone. Like Ronald, Clark didn’t say a word, but his followers made up for it with a relentless barrage of taunts and insults.
By the time lunch rolled around, I was both exhausted and on edge, teetering on the verge of snapping at anyone who even looked at me wrong. The mere thought of stepping into the cafeteria made my stomach twist with dread. Normally, I'd be one of the first in line, blending into the crowd, but today was different.
Today, I had to stay alert, ready to dodge anyone who might see me as an easy target for some cruel joke or humiliating prank. Just one more class, I reminded myself. Two more hour and I'd escape to the solace of my self-study electives, far from the chaos and prying eyes.
But first, I needed a moment to breathe, to steady myself—so I slipped into the quiet, sterile hallway leading to the ladies' room. Just a quick stop, I thought, to gather myself before facing the crowd again.
As I pushed open the door, a sharp, familiar voice echoed off the cold tile walls, freezing me mid-step. The words were biting, dripping with mockery, and I instantly knew who they
“Well, look who it is—Royal’s latest outcast.”
I sighed and turned to see Cindy standing at the end of the row of green lockers. She had her arms crossed and her hip cocked, flanked by a group of girls who idolize her. It was such a classic mean-girl setup that I almost found it amusing.
“What do you want, Cindy?”
Cindy struck a pose, trying hard to look intimidating, but she only came across like a plastic doll.
“Well, I’d warn you to watch your back, but it’s probably too late for that,” she said with a smirk.
“Zion is out for blood. I was just with him, and he was so enraged that I had to help him work off some of that anger.” She licked her lips.
I almost gagged at her smugness.
“Sure, the blowjob helped him calm down a bit, but let’s be honest—you’ve got a target on your back that’s so huge, even the International Space Station could spot it.” She spread her arms wide for dramatic effect, drawing snickers from her entourage.
I took a deep breath, counting to ten to keep my cool.
“Wow, Cindy, thanks for the astronomy lesson,” I shot back, forcing a smile. “I’ll be sure to look out for the next satellite memo.”
“Haha, very funny,” she replied, her voice dripping with mock appreciation. “But I'll admit—watching you squirm is going to be so much fun.” Her smile widened, revealing a glint of something dark and calculating.
I forced myself to meet her gaze, refusing to show even a hint of the unease creeping into my chest. “Sorry, but I’ve been dealing with bullies like you my entire life,” I shot back, my teeth clenched and voice low, steady.
“It’s going to take a lot more than your pathetic insults to faze me.”
Her chuckle was infuriatingly patronizing. “Oh, sweetie, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not the one who’s going to break you.”
I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Cindy’s grin was both dazzling and sinister.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Cindy sneered, her lips curling into a smug smile that made my skin crawl. She took a step closer, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “You have no idea what you’ve just started, Winter. But trust me—you’ll be the talk of this school for all the wrong reasons.”
She leaned back, casting me one last contemptuous glance before tossing her hair over her shoulder. Her group of followers snickered in unison, perfectly timed, like a rehearsed performance, their eyes gleaming with the thrill of whatever plan they were concocting. Then, with a final, mocking look, Cindy lifted her chin, and together they strutted down the hall, their laughter trailing behind them, echoing in the empty space.
As Cindy’s laughter faded down the hallway, I leaned against the cold, unforgiving basin, gripping its edges until my knuckles turned white. My reflection stared back at me, looking paler than usual, my face tense and weary. My heart hammered, each beat rattling through me, and I couldn’t shake the sick feeling twisting in my stomach.
I forced myself to straighten up, turn the faucet on, and splash cold water on my face, hoping the shock of it might steady me, stop the faint tremble in my hands. I could still feel the icy traces of Cindy’s words, the promise of something lurking just ahead, but I forced myself to swallow down the panic that wanted to rise.
Straightening, I took a deep breath and looked myself in the eye, pressing my palms flat against the edge of the sink. “You’re not scared of him, Winter,” I whispered, voice wavering but firming as I went. “You’re not scared of Zion. He’s just another bully, just another jerk.” I repeated it like a mantra, like the words would root themselves somewhere deeper and erase the fear.
But as I tried to calm myself, the echo of Cindy’s words lingered, her threat circling my mind. Taking one last steadying breath, I splashed my face again, determined to keep myself together, to be strong.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
