| C H A P T E R - 27 |

ANASTASIA:I walked out of the classroom, my energy completely drained. It had been an incredibly taxing day. Lara had been absent for two days now, and all my attempts to reach her had been fruitless.I hope she is okay.Lorenzo was also away due to his suspension. I missed him terribly, and it was a bit silly of me not to have his number. After our intimate encounter, I felt a bit too bashful to bring up such practical matters that night. As a result, the missing for his presence had been gnawing at me.I had asked Lara, before she left if she had his number, but she mentioned that neither Lorenzo nor his brother Mark had shared their contact information with anyone. It made me wonder about the reasons behind such secrecy. The possibility may be due to Mia. But the possibility of him being with a lot of girls before and they might give me information about his whereabouts. Possibilities? Well, with his reputation I am certain. Nonetheless, I shouldn't think like this anyway. I have more potential things to look into. Moreover, it's just a kiss. How can I even think we would be more than just...Wait a minute, what am I even thinking?Despite his absence, the lingering taste of that kiss continued to preoccupy my mind as I walked away, trying hard not to think about it. Or him. But the more I think about the kiss, I also think about last night when the masked men climbed into my room and...I think I am in deep trouble. On one side it's Lorenzo and another side... The Devil?I closed my eyes shaking my head to through them out for now. With a sigh, I tried to steer my thoughts in a more rational direction.****As I strolled past the classroom, a cacophony of angry voices pierced the air. Curiosity piqued, I followed the sound to a closed door.I hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open, my eyes widening in shock at the scene before me.There, in the center of the room, stood Hardin, flanked by two weak and petite fellow students – Kevin standing opposite to them, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, exuded arrogance, while Shawn and Sam, with a cruel glint in their eyes, callously hurled Hardin's food to the ground, attempting to intimidate Hardin and his companion into submission. Then opening a bottle he pours the whole bottle into their head."Pick it up and eat, you fools," sneered Shawns, the laughter of the others echoing around the room. Hardin and his companion, a slight figure, cast their eyes downward, enduring the humiliation in front of the jeering crowd. No one dared to challenge the tormentors."Did you not hear us?" Sam spat, his face contorted with rage as Hardin defiantly ignored their commands. The other two boys watched silently, witnessing the torment unfolding before them. Fearing Hardin's growing confidence, they seized him, dragging him down to the floor and forcing him to consume the food that had been callously discarded.Suddenly, once again, I felt a pair of eyes on me. The hair on my back rose. Turning back I found nothing again. I turned back at the scene.FLASHBACK:"Haha... Look at her, her mother left her... How shameful..." One of the girls said to me. I was in school, pretty young, maybe in fifth grade. They had always bullied me, mocked me, and made fun of me because my mother was nowhere to be found."Stop..." I replied in rage. "She didn't leave me..."They laughed again. "Oh, how silly of us. I'm sorry..." One of them said. "She died!" They laughed again. I used to stand behind the school gate and cry. But that was enough. I had had enough of their abuse. And when they said my mother had died, I had lost it...I lunged at them and beat her until..."Stop!" I yelled from the other side. Kevin, Sam and Shawn looked at me, including the two students being bullied and Hardin. I walked towards them and helped Hardin to stand on his feet. He was shaking and crying, and my heart ached for him.I turned to Kevin as I confronted them. "Who do you think you are? Trying to act cool while bullying others? Such a pathetic life you lead!""Shut your mouth, bitch... Or else...""Or else what? Under the law, Chapter 71, Section 370 in Boston law, bullying is a punishable offence...""And who will report us?" Sam scoffed. Mocking me."I will," I replied sternly, keeping my stare at him. There was no way I am backing up from this. Their faces paled a few shades. Good, that was the intention after all. "Even if people around here fear you, I will not." I looked at the students being bullied, throwing the statement at them. "And I will be the sole witness if required. I will make sure of that."Three of them stared at me with anger in their eyes, as if they wanted to kill me. But they knew they couldn't. I held their gaze. "You made a mistake!" Shawn whispered to me greeting his teeth."We'll see who's made a mistake!" I retorted defiantly as I turned to leave. But fate had other plans, and before I could take another step, I collided with someone, sending me tumbling to the ground. Pain shot through my forehead, and I let out an involuntary cry of agony. As I looked up, I realized it was Oliver."Well, well, well, little Miss Brown, what are you doing here?" he taunted, flanked by his three cronies. "Little Miss Brown, all over the floor?"Oliver extended a hand as if to help me up, but the moment I reached out, he cruelly yanked it away, and I fell again. They all erupted in laughter at my expense. I gritted my teeth, summoning all my strength to rise, trying to ignore their juvenile antics."Leave my way, Oliver," I demanded, my voice firm despite the turmoil within me.He shrugged, his smugness evident. "Oh, how can I do that, when little Miss Brown always craves the spotlight.""I am nothing like you, Oliver!" I retorted, my voice laced with disdain. " I do not crave anything more than Justice.""Yeah, true. You are just like your mother," he added with a sly grin. "I heard she ran away with someone, is that true, Ana? Although the news said she mysteriously went missing," he taunted, his words dripping with malice. "Is that why you've been feeling so lonely that you chose..."Rage surged within me like a tidal wave. Before he could finish his sentence, I slapped him hard across the face. "Don't you dare utter a single word about my mother," I seethed, my hand stinging from the impact. "Ouch," he mocked, caressing the spot where my slap had landed. "Did I just hit a nerve, Ana?"Oliver and his cronies chuckled at my expense, revelling in their cruelty. "Browns are masters at creating fake news for attention. Her dad's been doing it for a long time now," Shawn jeered, his words like venom.My anger reached its boiling point. I couldn't tolerate their heartless comments anymore. It was one thing for them to attack me, but when they dragged my family through the mud, it crossed a line. "What the hell is your problem, Oliver?" I snapped, my patience wearing thin. "I've had enough of your nonsense. Just because you have Russo's support doesn't give you the right to bully and hide behind that despicable face of yours. One day, I'll expose you for who you truly are."He shrugged nonchalantly, the infuriating smirk never leaving his face. I despised him with every fiber of my being. Whistling casually, he sauntered away, his minions trailing behind him, leaving Hardin and others behind along with me. But before they left, one of them deliberately shoved my shoulder, causing me to stumble. Another delivered a swift kick to my leg, and I collapsed to the ground once again, a low whimper escaping my lips."What are you going to do now, huh? Cry?" Their laughter echoed in my ears as they walked away, leaving me bruised and broken but determined to stand tall despite their cruelty.****"Ana... are you okay?" Nandini's voice echoed behind me. I bit my lip, steadying myself as I tried to stand. "Jesus, you're bleeding!"I glanced down, noticing a few scratches on the end of my elbow. "Uh, it's not too bad. It'll heal."Nandini looked at me, baffled. "Are you out of your mind? You should never leave a wound exposed. It could get infected." Nandini helped me to gather my scattered books and made our way to the doctor's office. Hardin and his companion left after saying thanks. During the short walk from the corridor to the infirmary, I couldn't help but hear hushed whispers and muffled gossip.If I had my way, I'd have expelled him from this college a long time ago. But until Russo's influence waned, I was stuck with him."Why would you try to battle with them?""How can I not?" I retorted. "They were trying to bully innocent people and I cannot take this anymore," I said. "Soon I will have them behind the bars."Nandini helped me to get back to the cafeteria and we sat at a table ordering some food."What happened to you?"The voice broke our conversation. As we looked behind, I secretly hoped it was Lorenzo. Nevertheless, it was not him. I sighed to see Song Tanaka standing in front of me—black hair, high cheekbones, and a cute smile. Song was one of the basketball athletes at Preston."I-Uh... I slipped," I lied. Not that I had to tell him everything. Song was one of Mark and Lorenzo's close friends, and I was scared that he would tell them about this, and Lorenzo would try to do something stupid.I knew he wouldn't hesitate to get into another brawl."It's a lot of bruises for just slipping, Ana," he said as he sat with us. Taking a look, he commented, "No broken bones or muscle injuries," he stated simply after a close inspection. I blinked at him, my face confused."How do you know?" Nandini curiously asked.Song cast a brief glance in her direction through his long, curly lashes before focusing back on my injury. "Years of practice in the boxing ring with Mark and Lorenzo taught me a thing or two."I was a bit hesitant, but I still asked, "Uhm, could you please not tell Lorenzo about it?"Song kept staring at me with a straight face. Nandini, too, stared at me with a confused face. "It just..." I tried to explain but failed. With two people staring at me like I had done something illegal, it made me feel worse. Thankfully, there was a water bottle in front of me, and I quickly took a sip."Are you guys dating or something, Lorenzo and you?" Nandini threw that question like a dagger at my throat, and the water spilled from my mouth. Song remained silent. "What?" I asked in utter shock. "Why would you ask that?"Did she see us that day? Or perhaps Lorenzo told everyone that we...Nandini shrugged as she replied, "I don't know..." She shrugged. "I mean the way you are talking about him and what I witnessed... I guess you two would look good together!"The comment left me in thought. Is that true? Would we look good together? Is there perhaps a chance between us? I don't know. Thankfully, Song didn't comment much on that, and I couldn't dare to ask about Lorenzo or his number after what happened there. It would be too obvious that I am into him and my lie will be caught.First, I need to know where we stand, and maybe then we can...Thankfully, before she could gather her thoughts and fire more questions at me, a jeep screeched to a halt in front of the campus, and David climbed down, his arrival diverting our attention momentarily.A/N: Thank you for reading this book. If you like the story please vote, comment and share.