After the exercise, some students ran back to their dorms to quickly get ready for the cafeteria.
Jiya, with the support of her brother, got to the front of the female dorm building. Ayaan asked her to go in herself. However, Jiya was too tired to walk on her own.
With her aching body, she had jumped, ran, and peddled a wheel with those types of equipment. Although they were far better than those exercise equipment around the world because they require almost no effort to use, however, the results from the machines in five minutes are way more than what anyone can achieve in hours.
She wasn't the only one who needed to be supported though. Other students also got supported to their dorms, however, Jiya seemed to be the only person who couldnot walk and looked deadly tired. How would she not, when she had never gotten the opportunity to go to the gym before.
"It seems you cannot walk by yourself and guys are not allowed in your dorm. What do we do?" Ayaan asked worriedly.
"I don't know either," Jiya answered dejectedly.
"If only I could see your dorm mate, I would have asked help from her"
"She won't offer a helping hand. She was very angry at me this morning for waking her up. You should have seen how scared I got when she spoke to me. She didn't sound angry at all, but with the way she said the words. Gush, I almost peed my pants. I don't want to be the one to wake her up ever again." She pouted.
"Waking her up was never your duty. That is the work of the school alarm. You should be happy she didn't kick your ass." Ayaan laughed.
"I only wanted her to get up before the alarm sounded because at that time, there might not be enough hours for her to be fully awake and besides, I would also be punished if she was late to the field. It's unfair," she pouted.
"It's okay, stop looking dispirited, you did the right thing as a good dorm mate. I believe she's not so shallow-minded as to hold it against you" Ayaan said.
Well, the not shallow-minded Vicky was standing in front of Mrs. Jefferson, staring back at her right now.
"Student Vicky, you are not allowed to change your dorm mate no matter what they did. The only thing you can do is, report them for their misconduct or challenge them in a duel." Mrs. Jefferson said sternly.
"Do you know how difficult you all have made my life? Now you won't even allow me to change a dorm mate? I read the past students' activities and found out some students changed dorm mates. Are you guys targeting me? The last time I fought I wasn't allowed detention and now this?" Vicky spoke calmly like she wasn't talking about herself. However, those who knew her knew her insides were burning in rage right now.
She was never the type to raise her voice or frown when angry, except it was a case where her emotions were completely out of control, which has never happened before.
"That rule has long been changed. Student Vicky, like I've said, report your dorm mate for her misconduct or challenge her to a duel. If you will excuse me, I'm busy." Mrs. Jefferson picked up the pen that was lying on an open book in front of her and started writing.
Vicky stared at her one last time before turning and walking out of the office.
Immediately after she walked out the door, Mrs. Jefferson exhaled, dropped the pen back on the book, and rested her back on the rolling chair. "Hope I haven't dug my grave?" She asked herself.
******"
Vicky sauntered towards her dorm and saw the girl she would like to give a smash-down and her brother standing in front of the girls' dorm, looking restless.
She looked at the time on her watch and saw it was already 6:35 am, 25minutes to cafeteria time. She wondered whether they were glued there, but that had nothing to do with her, so she strode towards the gate.
After passing by them, Jiya, like she just woke up from sleep, immediately called on her. "Vicky, please, can you help me out?"
"No," came the reply and she kept walking.
"I know I was wrong for waking you up, you would have been late if I hadn't. Moreover, you were still going to wake up a few minutes later after all."
Vicky stopped and turned to Jiya and her brother. "I would have woken up by 4:50am on dot. Isn't that the time allocated for waking up? Did you have to shorten my time just because you were scared of being late? Why don't you ask for a change of dorm mate if you hate me so much?" Vicky asked.
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. How do I make it up to you?" Jiya asked timidly. Talking to Vicky tends to bring out the timidity in her.
"Go ask the principal to make a swap," Vicky demanded.
"I...I can't do tha..."
"Girls, we only have twenty minutes before cafeteria time. If we delay any more than this, we won't make it to class and you know what comes after. Let's save this fight for later," Ayaan intervened.
"Uhm, apartment mate, can you please assist me inside, my legs hurt and I can't walk," Jiya laughed nervously. If Vicky refuses like every other girl she had asked help from, then it's over. Nothing will be stopping her from getting two weeks of detention and her dream of helping their mother and godmother out of suffering might be compromised. Thinking about her mother and godmother, her face went downcast.
Vicky looked at the sad girl and couldn't bring herself to reject her. Well rejecting people wasn't a big deal for her, but somehow, she couldn't do that to this weak butterfly in front of her. Her body aches too, but she can't appear to be weak. If there's anything she learned from her sister it's to maintain a strong front.
She strode towards Jiya and held her by the shoulder to support her.
"Thank you." Jiya smiled. As usual, Vicky ignored her. Not that she was expecting a reply though.
"See you in the cafeteria," Ayaan said and ran off to his dorm.
******
On getting to his dorm, it was already fifteen minutes to the cafeteria time. As he was about to run into his bathroom, his dorm mate, Simeon walked out of his bathroom door.
"Country boy, where are you coming from?" He put his right hand in his Army camouflage uniform and asked.
Today is Friday which is a war strategies class, so they would be wearing Army uniforms. The uniform was a combination of shades of blue.
"I don't have much time Simeon, we will talk when I'm done," he proceeded to enter his bathroom.
"Don't you dare walk out on me!!" He yelled. "You country boy, what gave you the right to talk back to me? Huh?... Why are you staring at me like that? Do you want to fight? What right do you even have to be here in the first place?...What? You get to go to Povich country after graduating and a rich kid like me goes back to my country?... as what? " Simeon took small steps toward Ayaan who took small steps backward.
"Simeon, what do you want from me? It's not my fault that I'm here, nor is it my fault that I will be going to Povich country after graduating. It's not that you won't get benefits too after graduating from Hassride," Ayaan tried to talk him out of his anger, however Simeon was hellbent on making life difficult for him.
"So? What if I will gain benefits from being a graduate of hassride? What if my whole country bows down to me after going back? Will it change the fact that you get to work in the palace? You might even get to serve the richest person in the world. The person whom the most powerful people all over the world hadn't been able to see. Tell me, is my anger not justified?" He asked as he stood in front of Ayaan with a wicked smile on his lips which made his already average-looking face look even ugly.
Ayaan who was already standing with his back to the wall had nowhere else to run and just resigned himself to fate. This has been happening every day ever since Mr. Li Tan announced that two poor students would be sent to work in the palace of the Emperor of Povich country after graduation.
Although he had told his sister that he would fight back when bullied, he only said that so that his sister would keep viewing him as her strong brother whom she could rely on.
That has always been how they were. He had always endured being bullied ever since young and never spoke about it to his sister. For that, his sister had always viewed him as her strong and confident brother, which also gave her the courage to stand amongst rich kids with her head held high.