Adrian helped me up from the ground and asked me, word by word, "Tell the class president, did you fall on your own?"
"I don't believe it. Jim, did they bully you just now?" the class president asked, looking at me. After a moment of consideration, I shook my head.
"Just now, I fell on my own..." I barely finished my sentence when they burst into laughter. The class president was so frustrated she stamped her foot. I knew I was being cowardly, but compared to losing face, I was more afraid of them continuing to beat me.
Adrian took out a dollar from his pocket and told me to buy two bottles of cola. I obediently took the money and left the classroom. However, I had no idea where the school's supermarket was.
"Bill, take Jim and show him the way. From now on, let him handle things," Adrian said with a knowing smile. Bill didn't hesitate and pulled me along.
Being beaten on my first day after transferring, I knew the days ahead would be tough. But I had no other choice; as long as I avoided getting beaten, anything else was bearable. My stomach still burned from the pain.
We quickly reached the school supermarket. I grabbed two bottles of cola, even though I usually wouldn't treat myself. Luckily, I still had the living expenses my uncle left me. When I paid, Bill watched me closely, his eyes shining.
"I didn't realize, Jim, that you had three hundred dollars in your pocket. Let's not say anything more. Buy me some game skins after school. I'll help you out if you need anything."
I smiled without saying anything. I thought if I bought game skins for him, I'd probably have to go hungry this week. And, giving him money wouldn't prevent me from having to pay Adrian as well.
Just as I stepped out of the supermarket and pushed the cloth curtain aside, my hand accidentally pushed against something soft. Instinctively, I squeezed it, and it felt surprisingly comfortable. When I looked closer, I was stunned. Three girls were facing me, and the only word to describe them was beautiful!
One had short hair, and the other two had long hair with some strands dyed in different colors. Back in my hometown school, I had never seen such beautiful girls before.
But I realized my hand had accidentally landed on the chest of the girl with short hair. In an instant, I retracted my hand as if nothing happened, lowered my head, and walked away quickly.
"Stop!" a delicate voice called out. The short-haired girl grabbed my arm tightly. Her face was made up, and despite her beauty, she looked like she was about to devour someone.
"What's going on?..." I stuttered, taking a few steps back and looking at Bill for help. Honestly, it wasn't intentional, and I certainly didn't have the guts to do that.
To my surprise, Bill suddenly transformed. He was all smiles, constantly nodding and respectfully addressing the girls as Monica and Shirley. It was clear he was doing his best to please them. My heart sank halfway; I knew I was in trouble.
"You wait! After school, you're not allowed to leave!" The short-haired girl pointed at me aggressively. I thought if I were a girl, she'd have slapped me for sure.
The three girls entered the supermarket angrily. My mood was heavy, but I couldn't help but remember the soft sensation in my hand…
Those three girls were really beautiful. They had great figures, beautiful faces, and a seductive style. But Bill's words pushed my heart to the bottom.
"Jim. You're in trouble because you've offended Shirley. You're about to face a storm...."
Hearing the name Shirley made me shiver. I knew she must be a popular girl at school. What was I going to do after school?
My thoughts were a mess, but I knew that school had its share of top students and underachievers, as well as troublemakers and popular girls. However, I never dreamt that I would get into trouble on my very first day after transferring!
With two bottles of cola in hand and a heavy heart, I returned to the classroom. I had always been timid and afraid of trouble, but seeing Adrian gave me a glimmer of hope. As long as I could resolve this issue without getting beaten up, I was willing to pay the price!
"Jim, you useless idiot. You couldn't even buy a drink without something going wrong on the way?" Adrian started criticizing as soon as I walked in. I hanenched my teeth, and pulled out two hundred dollars from my pocket.
Adrian's eyes widened as he saw the money. His gaze became much gentler. It seemed my uncle was right; nowadays, people recognized only one thing—money!
"Adrian, this is protection money.You need to watch out for me at school and make sure I don't get beaten up." I handed him the money, thinking that I might have to go hungry this week...
Adrian grinned and pocketed the money. He put his arm around my shoulder like a true brother and said, "No problem! In this school, there's nothing I can't handle!"
Seeing Adrian's confident demeanor, I felt a lot more at ease. They say money can make the devil turn millstones, and that's absolutely true.
"That's great, Adrian. I actually need your help with something. Just now, a girl asked me not to leave after school. Her name is Shirley..."
Adrian's expression changed suddenly. He immediately pulled out two hundred dollars and stuffed it into my hand, saying, "I can't help you with this favor. If you've angered Shirley... you're as good as dead!"
Holding the two hundred dollars in my hand, I was completely bewildered.
My uncle used to say that there's hardly anything that money can't solve. But now, facing a situation where money couldn't help, I realized that things were getting serious.
Upon my pressing, Adrian told me that I shouldn't mess with Shirley and her group of girls at school. There were five of them in total, and each had connections. A single phone call from them could summon a lot of people, even the school's top dog, Charles, had to give them face.
The girl who asked me not to leave after school was Shirley, the most beautiful and also the most fiery-tempered one among them. She was connected to the internet cafe managers around the school and had some solid backing.
The entire afternoon, my mind was blank. Once people heard I'd gotten on Shirley's bad side, nobody paid me any attention. Adrian told me that if I had any older siblings, I should reach out to them quickly, or else it might be too late...