The nearer I get to the apartment, the harder it is for me to breathe. My chest is in pain, my heart keeps on pounding so much like it wants to come out from it.
The apartment is now darker from my perspective. It seems like no one is still here but I will keep my guard up. I don't have any phone to call for help on the authority since I moved here because the phone I used to have was never mine to begin with.
When I went upstairs, there's no sign of Lyndon coming here. I thought about my room, what if he's already inside my room waiting for me? He'll do it inside my room so no one will see his crime.
I swallowed hard as I reached out my shaking hand for my doorknob. Just when I was about to turn it, the sound of a door creaking open behind me drained the blood inside my body.
"Suzi?" Sir Richard's voice followed.
I turned around to see him, his eyes widened in bewilderment.
"What happened?" He tried to approach me but he stops and scrunched his nose. "What's that smell? Where the hell did you go?"
I remembered hiding behind those large trash cans and the words I heard earlier clearly because of his question. If I tell him what happened will he believe me? Will he help me? I need to tell him now before it's too late. I don't want him to be in danger too so I should warn him about Lyndon.
"L-Lyndon..."
He frowned at the name I mentioned. "Lyndon? What did he do again this time?" He said like he's ready to scold him.
I opened my mouth to speak about what happened earlier but the words were blocked when I saw him walking towards the apartment. Instead, I excused myself to sir Ricky so that I could hide from him.
"No, sorry. Please don't mention this to him." I pleaded with fear.
"Are you sure? That kid needs some beating if he treats a woman badly you know? Even if he stands almighty himself already."
"Please?" I'm afraid that if he scolds him because of me, he'll be in danger too.
He stares at me worriedly for a second and nodded. As soon as I get the response I needed, I went hurriedly inside my room and locked the doors and windows completely.
His furious expression from earlier makes me more anxious. If I ever get to survive tonight, I won't suggest my place to my members anymore.
Despite resting, I still feel exhausted because of what happened last night. I am not able to sleep peacefully because of worrying that he might appear suddenly somewhere inside my room as most murderers do. I get to wake up before he plays his rock music too so I should prepare and leave much earlier than usual but even as I was about to leave the apartment, I didn't even hear a single sound from his room.
This is the first time that he's silent and not nagging me, is it because he will finally wrap up and finish me today? That deal, I'm sure it was me they're talking about. If not me, then who could it be? I haven't seen him grow hatred towards other girls. I didn't even do anything to him other than hitting his head with papers and yet he's planning such murderous intentions on me? I guess rumors about him aren't an exaggeration.
"Suzi!" I almost jump out of my seat, shocked because of Sean's loud voice early in the morning.
"Sean..." I acknowledge his presence calmly.
The classroom earlier was empty when I went in and now he's here too.
"What the hell? I've been calling out your name repeatedly but you're too spaced out to answer. What happened to you? You look stressed. What are you thinking? Did that Lyndon do something terrible to you after we left?" He throws questions one after the other.
"He didn't..."...yet but he will.
'If I tell him that, will I be safe? Will he be safe?'
Lyndon's expression flashed through my mind.
'No, he won't.'
He furrowed his eyebrows like he doesn't believe me.
"But about Lyndon..." With the name I mentioned, he lifted his brows. "The rumors about him, are all those true?"
"Which rumors?"
Right, I should state it to be specific. There's a lot of rumors going on about him such as he's an addict, a drug dealer, a playboy, a nymphomaniac, he oppressed people, a mad dog, a gang leader, etc. But I chose to state the worst rumor.
"That he almost kill someone?"
He stayed silent for a while as if remembering something, "I didn't know exactly what happened but I can tell that it's somehow true. After all, he won't be suspended last year if he didn't do it."
My eyes widened.
"Suspend?" The school is pursuing him to go to school though?
"Yes." He nodded. "He was almost unable to move up to senior high but he unexpectedly excels in his academics so the school reconsiders it, the parent's victim wasn't able to accept it so they transferred their son to another school. But even if the school wants Lyndon to attend the moving up ceremony last year, he didn't show up until now."
Isn't that favoritism? And more importantly, he 'excels' in his academics?
I stared at him ridiculously. He laughed.
"I know it sounds absurd but that's the story I've gathered so far." He shrugged. "Why? Are you...interested in him?" He jokingly said.
"No way." I quickly answered.
"He got the looks though."
"I don't care about whatever looks he has." I furrowed my brows. "Oh and about our place later, I don't think my place will be a good idea today." I said expecting him to know why because of the incident yesterday.
He told me no worries because we still have Katy's place to count on so as soon as they arrived, we mentioned the plans and the change of place. Luckily, Katy's place is occupiable.
I performed poorly today in school because of my thoughts but I'm still able to learn something somehow. Thinking about it, my knowledge will be useless if I die today.
"Shall we go to Katy right away?" They asked before leaving.
"I have my extra shirt here with me so I'm fine." Angel replied.
I was contemplating whether or not I'll ask Ma'am Rebecca again for Lyndon's outputs and in the end, I did. I don't know why. Ma'am Rebecca seems so happy I did.
Katy's place is farther from mine that's why I'm quite relieved from my worries. I can't stay in this kind of situation for so long, I need to ask for some help but what if I'm just overthinking things and it's not me that they're talking about? Even so, they will do such a horrible thing so I must inform the authority because that's the right thing to do. The only problem will be the evidence.
"Oh, we don't have enough glue." Angel notified us.
We're currently in Katy's place doing our activity. We've been here for quite some time and used up the remaining glue from earlier.
"There's a shop for school supplies near here, we went through it before we get here." Katy reminded.
She's cooking dinner for us since her parents aren't here yet and she's the only daughter. The other members seem busy too while I'm only cutting papers for the design since we already did the brainstorming.
"I'll go." I volunteered to buy.
We already have a monetary contribution for the supplies we will need so I didn't have to spend my own money on it.
"I'll go too. You're not familiar here, right?" Sean also volunteered to help me despite his still unfinished part.
"You're not familiar here either and it's fine, I saw where the shop is earlier."
I'm more comfortable going out here because I know I will never encounter him.
That's what I thought.
I was about to head back after buying but a loud bang from my left stopped me from my walk. It's a narrow passage leading to I don't know where with a very messy piled-up garbages. Among the large plastic bags, I found a familiar man whom I never wish to see.
"Fuck." Lyndon hissed when our eyes met.
He struggled to get off and approached me so I quickly turn and was about to run but he held my arm suddenly and tightly. He pulled me away with him using his fast pace that I can't keep up with.
Is this my end?
No, I need to shout for help. I opened my mouth to scream but his other hand covered it immediately.
"Scream and I'll shut you for good." He warned.
His ferocious eyes were darker than usual. My whole system obeyed him like a prey pleasing the predator so that she won't be killed immediately.
I thought something had changed after a whole week with him, I thought I can finally tame this one when he mentioned his outputs yesterday but I was completely wrong.
Maybe it's only in my mind. After all, who would change for such a short time?
Change is inevitable? I think not.
Because if you never have the will, you will never change.