Even though he treats me like dirt, he can be so charming with other people. I can't help but…Lea smiled at Hadyan.
He smiles back hesitantly.
"This is a good group. And I'm not even saying that because I'm in it "
"I agree. It's because I'm in it " everyone giggles at her joke. The mood lightens.
"So, what do we nee?"
"First, we need our flag and team motto"
"What about Ravenclaw's flag and motto?"
"What, a mascot of an eagle? "
"Their motto seems apt. 'wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure' "
"A lot to live up to, but I have every faith that we shall. Alright then, let's get to work"
Her new group busies themselves with plotting out her long-term strategy.
For the first time, no one is laughing at me or calling me names. This is almost.. fun.
"Okay, so we can use 1 out of 3 main strategy methods. What's everyone thinking?"
"Let's go cost leadership. We keep the cost down. And we win by staying in the game longer than everyone else "
"Spoken like someone who grew up on a farm. Well, articulated, Lea "
"Alright team, great work. We'll pick back up next class "
On cue, the bell rings. Everyone begins to file out of the classroom. She watches Hadyan stand. She nervously follows the crush of students leaving class.
"Hey! Lea! " call a male student
One of the students from her group approaches her. The same one who made the threesome joke.
"I just wanted to say, it was fun working with you. You're not what I thought. You're cool "
" Uh, thanks. You, too "
***
She returns to her dorm, changing for lunch. Amira is already waiting for her. " Lea! I'm glad you're here " Amira slaps a new access card into her hand.
"What's this? I still have my access card. "
"It's a replacement card, just in case. And honestly, Boots, I would prefer you use this for now. "
"What would using this card mean, exactly? "
"The only real difference is you'll have lunch in a special dining room as opposed to with us. This is just until things die down, Boots. I promise "
Disgruntled, she makes her way to the new dining hall. She uses her replacement card to enter. She stops suddenly, staring in awe at her surroundings.
When Amira said special dining room, I didn't realize she mean it. This place is stunning.
She heads over to the empty table in the corner of the room, settling in. Hmmm. Doesn't smell as good as the restaurant, but I guess Amira's right. It's better than nothing.
She leaves her bag at the table and headed over to the food bar with her plate. At the food bar, the options are limited to Vegan-only.
Tofu burgers, tofu sandwiches, tofu, tofu, tofu! This is horrible. She flags down one of the waiters.
"Hi. Is there any chance I could have a burger? "
"Um, we're not allowed to do that. I'm sorry "
"Um, no problem. Thanks though " she clears her plate, just as her stomach rumbles loudly. She flushes with embarrassment.
"A little birdie told me you were going hungry today, " says Hadyan
She whips around to see Hadyan standing above her, grinning.
"Hadyan, what are you doing here? "
"Keeping an eye on you "
"How did you know I was hungry? "
"I keep telling you. Nothing on this campus happens without me knowing. Now, let's do something about that stomach before the whole school hears it. "
Her cheeks are on fire. Hadyan unwraps a granola bar and lifts it to her lips.
God, I'm so hungry. And I can smell the caramel in the granola. She parts her lips and takes a big bite out of the bar.
"Mmmm, that's delicious "
"See? I knew you were hungry " she take another bite, speaking while chewing.
"Of course I was! They don't serve meat, Hadyan! No meat! Some cow has to live another day because people in there eat tofu! What is tofu even made of? Rotten cheese? "
"Dried soybeans"
"Soybeans?"
"They're soaked in water, crushed, and then boiled "
"That is disgusting "
"You'll find no disagreement from me on that "
He pulls back his hand. She didn't even realize she finished the granola bar.
"Are you going to say thank you? Or do you not know how to do that? "
"I know how to say it. I'm just choosing not to "
"Just like you chose to spend the night with a random stranger? "
He's never going to let the Vidi thing go, is he?
"Oh, My God.. are you jealous? You sound jealous "
"Please! As if I would be jealous of that loser. He may be the captain of the football team, but I run this school "
"What do you want from me, Hadyan? "
"I just want a thank you, woman! "
Thank you? does he seriously want me to thank him for what happened to me in the last 24 hours? Wait. He wasn't even there at the end of the party!
"Hadyan, when you left the party.. where did you go? "
"I told you. I had business to take care of "
"What business? "
"But I gotta run now, Lea " he starts to leave.
"Whatever, Hadyan " that stops him in his tracks. He turns to her.
"You were the one who didn't want my protection anymore. Remember that " he leaves the dining room in a hurry, the remaining lunch crowd parting for him as the red sea.
This just keeps going from bad to worse.
***
She leaves the dining room and heads back to her dorm when a sweet-looking girl approaches her in the hallway.
"Hi. I was told to give you this " she hands her a note. It says, 'Meet me outside her dorm room'
"Thank you for passing along the message " the girl bows her head and runs away before she can say anything else.
Strange.
A second later, her phone pings with a message from an unknown number. "Urgent. I'm waiting outside your dorm, "
Is that Hadyan? What does he want?
She has just received a message from an unknown number, asking her to meet them outside her dorm.
I have so many questions. If this was Hadyan, why would he send me a text from an unknown number? And if it's not him, who is it? What do they want?
She hurries to her dorm room. Once she has inside, she sees students abruptly lining the hallway. Apprehensive, she tries to rush past them. But they suddenly started chanting at her.
"Slut! Slut! Slut! " a mean girl said harshly at Lea
"At least I'm not an asshole! "
"Whatever slut! "replied her, she starts to run, trying to get away from the chanting. But the crowd quickly blocked her. Suddenly, she feels something wet hit her head. Yellow slime drips down her face. She looks up in disbelief, as another egg whizzes by her head. She bends down, grabs the cracked eggshells off the floor, and volleys them at the crowd. The shells make contact with a loud, satisfying thwap!
"What the hell, farm girl! "
"Two bulky male students hurry towards Lea, carrying a bucket of water between them.
"Better get you clean. Elite doesn't like dirty whores. But since we're feeling sorry for you.. " says a random resident
"We'll be nice and let you pick " reply a random hot guy
"Are you serious? "
"How do you want to get clean? Head or feet? "
"What are you, 10 years old? " an angry flush creeps into their necks.
This is all so childish. But fine, if they want to play games.
"I'd prefer staying dirty if you don't mind "
"Oh, but we do mind, farm girl. We mind very much " a second later, they upsend the bucket over her scalp, soaking her to the bone.
"Look at that. Farmgirl finally getting clean " She shivers with cold, grey water dripping down her front.
"What are you gonna do now, farm girl? "
Ruined! Everything is ruined! My clothes, my bag, my dignity! I should push past the crowd and pretend that I'm fine. She takes a deep breath, looks her tormentors in the eye, and stride past them.
"Damn, farm girl's spine is made of steel. " but a second later, she slip into a puddle of water and fell with a splat! Everyone watching bursts into laughter.
"Come on, farm girl. Just quit. You don't belong here! "
"Yeah, you're spending so much time on your back that you're gonna get sores! "
She takes a shaky breath, trying to calm down. Then, in the distance, she sees a familiar face approaching.
"Leave her alone! " says Hadyan angry
The crowd quickly disperses around her, letting Hadyan through. He bends down, placing his arms around her.
"I'm so sorry, Lea. This wasn't supposed to happen. Let me help " she nods at him. Relief floods his face.
"Are you hurt? "
"A little. But nothing I can't handle " he hands her a kerchief.
"Here, for your face " she takes the cloth with trembling hands. She use it to wipe the egg and water off her face. He starts to lift her in his arms. " Bette? " said Hadyan
She nods, finding it difficult to speak.
He smells so good. I know I shouldn't be thinking that, but it's all I can think about.
"You wanna get out of here? "
"Yes. Please. " the crowd parts like magic for Elect's leader. Hadyan takes Lea through the school hallways, eventually leading her to a secluded area on a separate floor.