"Not so arrogant now, are you?" Alex looked at Bruno like he was a stray dog. "So, I assume Mr. Woodsworth told you what to do, right? So, get started."
"Yes." Bruno bit his lip so hard that it started bleeding. He straightened up, took a deep breath, and then lowered himself to the floor in front of Alex. "Master," he said. "I beg your forgiveness."
He grovelled again and said, "Master, please forgive my stupidity."
And then, "Master, please forgive me."
None of the bystanders mocked Bruno. Confused, they watched Alex with a mixture of respect, envy, and adoration. This handsome young man was so powerful. But who was he? And why was such an important man like Mr Woodsworth so respectful toward him?
Alex looked down at the bleeding Bruno with a faint smile. He glanced around at the dirty floor that Bruno would have to lick clean with his tongue, and he felt a little sympathy for him.
Still, Bruno had no one to blame but himself.
Alex wasn't in the mood to watch him lick the floor clean. Instead, he returned to the kitchen. Debbie had already changed her clothes, so he took her hand, and they left the restaurant.
Reunited now, they were happy to be together. They chatted and laughed, and everything seemed to be good again.
Alex held Debbie's hand as they strolled along the streets of New York. Noticing how much weight she had lost recently, a trace of tenderness rose in his heart.
"Debbie, I won't allow you to suffer anymore." He lifted her hand to his mouth and lightly kissed it.
"Okay," she replied meekly. Her heart filled with joy, but her stomach picked that moment to rumble loudly.
"Your stomach really knows how to spoil the mood, Debbie," he teased her. "And here I am, being all romantic…"
She pretended to glare at him and lightly punched his chest. "Don't laugh!"
His lips twisted, as he tried to hold back his laughter.
"If you laugh again… Well, if you laugh, I'll stop liking you." She tossed her head and began to walk away.
"I'm just teasing," he said. "Come on, let's go and get dinner. There's a great place just over there." He wanted to drag her somewhere nice and feed her properly.
She lightly smacked the back of his head. "Do you still intend to repay me?" she asked. "Then you need to save your money."
"Debbie, I really am rich," he said, rubbing at his head. But she just watched him helplessly, clearly not believing him.
Eventually, they decided to go back to the university.
"Alex, can we eat by Ramsey Lake?" she asked. Looking at the campus after being away for a while, she felt a little anxious about being back. He agreed, and they walked over to her favourite spot by the water.
"Okay, sit here and wait for me. I'll go get some food and return in a few minutes." He smiled and ran off toward the cafeteria.
"Wait," she called. "I'll go with you." But he had already run off and was too far away to hear her. She shook her head and sat down on the big rock. She looked out at the rippling surface of the lake, and for the first time in days, she managed to relax.
"Well, if it isn't that little bitch Debbie," came a cold female voice.
Debbie shivered. She turned around and saw Maddison and her two friends, Linda and Georgia, walking toward her. Alarmed, she quickly stood up.
"It really is her," Maddison said. With disdainful smiles, the girls moved closer. "Little bitch, I thought you quit school, so why did you come back? Did you miss us too much? Do you want us to look after you again?"
Debbie didn't dare to provoke Maddison. She just wanted to get away as soon as possible.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Maddison moved to block her path. "Is this how you treat your roommate?" Without Debbie around, they hadn't had nearly as much fun. Now that she was back, how could they resist toying with her?
"Maddison, do you think she came to find Alex?" Georgia asked.
When Maddison saw Debbie's expression, a trace of panic flashed in her eyes, and then her gaze turned vicious. "She really is looking for that jerk!"
When Alex had burst into their dorm, he had insulted Maddison, and she wasn't going to forget that.
She had originally considered getting someone to beat up Alex when he was off-campus, but she hadn't expected him to hide in the dorm for so long and not come out. And she hadn't dared to go into the dorm after him.
She smirked as her gaze swept over Debbie, and she realized she could use her to lure Alex into the open.
She took out her cell phone, made a call, and asked for someone to come to the university.
"You bitch," she said, glaring at Debbie. "You're with that loser who dared to hit me when he burst into my dorm. No one gets to do that to me. No one bullies me. I'm untouchable. And yet he actually dared to hit me." She grabbed Debbie by the hair. "This is how he grabbed me the other day. And yet that loser treats you like something precious? Well, let's see how he feels once I'm finished with you."
She slapped Debbie's face. Seeing Debbie try to get away, Maddison felt extremely powerful.
"Alex!" Debbie shouted.
"Hey, the little bitch is calling for her dog!" Maddison laughed as she viciously tugged at Debbie's hair. "Come on, yell louder. I'll let you go if you scream. Do you think I'm afraid of that loser boyfriend of yours? Well, I'm not. To prove it, I'll beat him up in front of everyone."
She slapped Debbie's face a few more times. Then she let Linda and Georgia hold Debbie, leaving Maddison free to beat her.
The commotion began to attract the attention of other students.
Maddison was well known at school. Everyone knew that she was connected to a gang, so they didn't dare to interfere.
"Stupid bitch," Maddison taunted. "This is all because that loser of yours hit me." She turned to her friends. "Bring her over here." She watched Georgia and Linda pull Debbie toward the lake, and then they pushed her face into the water.
"You stink. Let me help you get washed." Maddison signalled what she wanted from Linda and Georgia, who sneered at Debbie. Both girls exerted force to push Debbie's head further into the water.
After ten seconds, they pulled her head back up. Before she could even take a breath of air, Maddison slapped her.
"Do it again!" Maddison ordered.
Once again, the moment Debbie came out of the water, Maddison struck her hard.
Between the cold water and the stinging slaps, Debbie's face hurt. Her entire body was drenched, and water was inside her ears and nose. She was suffering.
The other students couldn't bear to watch any longer, but none of them stepped forward to stop it.
Poor Debbie has pushed into the water again. Time passed. Ten seconds… twenty seconds… thirty seconds.
Georgia and Linda began to pull Debbie out but stopped when Maddison yelled, "No. Not yet!"
Forty seconds… fifty seconds… sixty seconds.
Little bubbles appeared on the surface of the lake, and Debbie's hands frantically thrashed, sending water flying everywhere.
"Keep going," Maddison yelled, her eyes bright with excitement as she watched. She was enjoying every moment of this.
One minute and ten seconds… one minute and twenty seconds…
Debbie stopped thrashing about and turned her head to look at the two girls holding her down.
"Maddison, we have to let go," Georgia said. "She's really in trouble!"
"Keep going," Maddison demanded. "Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll take the blame." She felt giddy with happiness.
Debbie went still.
"What happened? Is she dead?" someone whispered.
"If we didn't help her, does that make us accomplices?" came another whisper.
"A normal person can hold their breath for two or three minutes," someone said. "She won't die. And if she does, then it's her fault for having weak lungs."
As the crowd talked among themselves, a deafening roar came from nearby.
"Let her go!"
Alex threw away the burgers he was carrying and ran toward the lake, knocking over a few of the onlookers as he rushed into the water.
He punched each of the girls who were holding Debbie, and then he dragged her out of the water.
"Debbie? Are you okay? Answer me." Alex stared at Debbie, anxiously waiting for her to speak. Her face was pale and there were no signs of life. Alex couldn't stop shaking. It seemed as if she had already… He gulped. She looked as if she was already dead.
"Debbie!" Alex held his hand below her nose, checking to see if she was breathing. A chill travelled down his spine, and his heart skipped a few beats.
He couldn't feel a single breath.
Feeling numb, Alex carried her over to the grass, put her down gently, and began attempting to resuscitate her.
He breathed air deep into her mouth and pressed against her chest.
Debbie, you can't leave me, he thought. You haven't eaten the burger I bought for you, and I wanted to sit by the lake and watch the sunset with you. You haven't met my family yet, and I haven't taken you to Chez Laurent for dinner…
He breathed for her again.
Then again.
His face was turning red, and he started sweating. Even his veins had started to bulge from the strain.
He kept going for ten minutes, but Debbie still wasn't breathing. She just lay there on the grass. Not moving.
He refused to stop. Tears flowed from his eyes, but he still kept trying. If she didn't wake up, he would simply continue until he died of exhaustion.
"You idiot, the little bitch is already dead. It's time to give up." Maddison hadn't intended to kill Debbie, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Luckily, Debbie was just a nobody. Maddison's family would pay someone a little money, and she would avoid jail. It would all just go away.
Alex stopped, finally realizing it was hopeless. He looked down at Debbie's face, a strange sense of calm settling over him. He gently put Debbie on the ground, stood up, and turned around to look at Maddison. Then he began to walk toward her.
"What are you doing?" Maddison looked at him. His expression was completely devoid of emotion. She retreated step by step in fear. "Don't come any closer. I'm warning you: if you touch me, you'll regret it!"
He continued to advance on her with murder in his eyes.
No one noticed that Debbie, who was still lying on the grass, had moved one finger.