As the countdown echoed in my ears, my lips did whatever they could to the target's mouth. He was yanking to get away, probably caught in the shock and unable to believe the rush of what was transpiring.
I didn't blame him because even I was equally fazed. I had not the slightest idea what I was doing at all.
Still, I already was risking it and couldn't bear to lose the countdown now. So, as he jerked to pull away, I held him back with all of the strength that I could muster.
I never knew I had this much strength in me. I was discovering a whole lot about myself that even I didn't know before since the system came.
"She's crazy!"
"What is she doing?"
"Yuck!"
The comments from the spectators kept flying into my ears yet, my only worries were that he'd slip out of my hold.
Why did two minutes seem like two years?!
[59—58—57—56]
The countdown was still rolling.
I told myself to hang on a little longer. I never knew forcing a kiss on a guy could be this hard. I thought they were always voluntary in terms of things like this.
Or— was I too hideous that a guy didn't even want a free kiss from me? But I knew I was looking much better than before so, I wasn't that bad anymore.
Oh, my! Oh, my!
I knew it couldn't have been so easy. The system would never be so nice to make a task this easy for me.
Firstly, a sound spank landed right on my sweaty back. The sound was so loud that even I feared the impact it would have caused.
The spank felt feathery at first until the pain shot in after. Before I could even have the chance to process the first pain, many came after.
"Oh!"
"Cripes!"
"Hasley is going to deal with her for sure!"
The mutterings from the crowd were what prompted me to realize that the younger country diva was back to fight for her man.
As though she weren't the one fighting him earlier.
"Get off him, you creep!" Were the squeaks I heard from her before...
Thump!
I felt the pointy tip of something hit me in my head. This time, the pain came in faster than the sound itself.
Time seemed to halt and only resumed its job when...
[2—1—0]
A rebooting sound followed by...
[Task status; Accomplished!]
The cheers and applause came then the balloons dazzling over my head. The pain from whatever the younger country diva had hit me with was already playing tricks on my eyes.
I was seeing stars right above my head and the system even aggravated it with its cheers and balloons.
That darn wicked thingy dared to cheer and celebrate when it just landed me in trouble.
[Crediting 15 points into host's wallet<>]
[Host's point balance= 24]
Embracing my punishment with shaky clenched fists, I released the target.
I saw him begin to wipe his lips immediately with a petrified look of distaste shot at me.
Before I could even mutter a sorry, "How dare you touch my man!" I heard a pained shriek before something — or someone tossed me right on my face and onto the ground.
The moment my body violently kissed the ground, laughter erupted shamelessly from the crowd.
They were watching an entertaining scene that they didn't pay for. The target was the pawn of the play at first until I came in.
Now, the kicks and swears from the younger country diva wouldn't stop as she pounced on me with more than enough aggression.
"You will pay for this, you stinky boyfriend snatcher!"
"You shameless granny!"
"I swear, I will fry you!"
She wouldn't stop the rants nor did she stop the spanks.
I was crouched on the ground with my hands shielding my face while I got battered by this silly little skinny brat.
It didn't help that the spectators would rather laugh and film the scene than come to help me out at all.
Well, I couldn't blame them. I was previously standing with these people and watching her harass the target before.
What could I have done?
What could they have done to help me?
She was a rich girl from a powerful family. They would definitely crush anyone who dared to touch a strand of hair on her.
My legs, hands, ribs— everything started to ache and I wriggled so much in discomfort, wondering when the pain would end.
Remembering why I had to endure this, I found myself feeling less and lesser of the pain. If the universe was trying to show how much of a pain beauty could be, I'd show it that I was more than competent in withholding this pain...
This beauty.
At least, my eyesight would get fixed and I just won myself some frigging 15 points!
It was all worth it and maybe even more than worth it.
Finally, the rains of bantering stopped and I heard her angry protests.
"Let go of me!" She was hollering and only then could I release my hands from my face.
My hands were sore and could barely be lifted. My body was yet to fully recover from the bullying of the loan sharks and now, I got another dose of bearings.
Life can be so tricky and cruel to the poor sometimes.
I saw the guy finally lifting the girl shouting...
"Hasley, that's enough. You shouldn't be doing this here!"
He was saying it with so much pinkness on his face that I knew he was concerned, alright.
Was he really concerned for Hasley or her money? I knew no sane guy— no matter how far in love he was could stand back and allow a woman to do that to him.
He was clearly a hypocritical leech. I hated that I kissed him.
Fuck the system!
I thought with my eyes following them as he struggled to get her into the car. However, she was still jerking and raining curses on me while hitting him wherever she dimmed fit.
I heard her say to him...
"You liked it, right? Is she the girl you are cheating on me with?"
"That classless girl?"
I wondered just how such a young girl had already hoarded so much negativity in her. She couldn't be more than 17 or 18.
Hell, a girl who isn't in my age grade just beat the hell out of me, and I couldn't even do anything to defend myself.
Money is power indeed.