Shaking with fear, I began to question my actions. We were in a secluded corner, hidden from prying eyes. If she decided to harass me, I was clueless about what to do. Then, suddenly, I thought of the system.
"System, help me. How do I escape this situation?" I silently pleaded in my mind.
But the much-anticipated response from the system never came. Raven was already beside me, nonchalantly sitting down and unpacking her breakfast. She started eating next to me, and I was so terrified that I dared not breathe too loudly, nor did I touch my own meal. After a few seconds, Raven began to speak.
"Why are you just staring at me? Eat," she said with a stern look.
I started to eat quickly, under Raven's intimidating gaze. I couldn't fathom why she had chosen to sit next to me. After all, I was the one who had pushed her away. But her next words disrupted my thoughts.
"Don't think for a moment that I want to be your friend. I'm only here because this is my usual spot, and you've taken it," she said, averting her gaze.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. Next time, I'll find another place," I replied apologetically as I stood up to leave.
But before I could walk away, Raven grabbed my arm.
"I haven't forgotten when you pushed me, Jade," Raven's voice cut through the silence, her words sharp as knives.
Hearing Raven's accusation, my heart pounded like a drum, fear gripping me with icy fingers. "This is it, I'm done for," I thought, as Raven continued, her tone dark and foreboding.
"It's my turn to mete out punishment now," she began, but I interrupted her, desperation lacing my voice.
"Please, not my family. If you must, take it out on me," I pleaded, grabbing her hands, my eyes brimming with tears.
But before I could say another word, Raven released my hands, her expression softening, a hint of guilt flickering across her face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. I just wanted to scare you a bit. I was only joking, no need for tears," Raven said, her voice a mix of panic and remorse.
I was momentarily stunned. Wasn't she portrayed as a heartless villain in the book, interested only in the hero? But at that moment, I realized she wasn't just a character from a story; she was a human being, and more than that, she was still a child.
"So, you're not going to exile me and my family?" I asked, a hopeful tremor in my voice as I wiped away the last of my tears.
"Why would you think I'd do that? I'm not cruel, and I've never done such a thing," Raven replied, and I thought I heard her mutter under her breath, "Damn those cursed rumors."
That made me laugh, a sound that seemed foreign in the tense atmosphere. However, my laughter didn't seem to sit well with Raven.
"Are you mocking me?" she asked, her cheeks tinting with a blush.
"I'm sorry, it's just... you're quite endearing when you're like this," I said with a smile, which only made her blush deepen. For a fleeting second, I thought I saw a smile dance across her lips, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Then silence fell over us, a comfortable blanket that smoothed the edges of our earlier confrontation. We continued to eat in peace, the absence of the usual cacophony of shouting students was a balm to my frayed nerves. While I was relieved that Raven had no intention of exiling me, I couldn't help but wonder if the book had gotten it all wrong. Was it really Raven who had exiled Jade, or was it someone else entirely?
As we sat in silence, the earlier tension slowly unraveling, I pondered over the enigma that was Raven. The girl who, according to the book, was supposed to be the antagonist of my story, yet here she was, contradicting every written word with her actions.
Before I could delve deeper into my thoughts, the bell rang, signaling the end of the break. Fortunately, I had finished my breakfast, but Raven hadn't. She caught my glance and snapped, "What are you looking at? Go to class. You don't need to wait for me," her voice laced with irritation.
I stood up and left without looking back, but her reaction made me chuckle. On my way to the classroom, I called out to the system in my mind.
"System," I said.
[Yes, host. What do you need?]
"So, you respond now? When I thought I was doomed earlier, you conveniently stopped working," I thought angrily.
[Do not worry. I knew you wouldn't be in danger, and sometimes you need to handle these situations on your own.]
"Yeah, sure, I believe you," I replied sarcastically.
I arrived in the classroom and took my seat. Then, a group of girls approached me, their faces twisted into malevolent smiles.
Oh, look, they're the spitting image of bullies. I guess they're here to harass me, especially since Ms. Pauline hasn't arrived yet.
The clique of girls, a vision of affluence and disdain, stood before me. Their attire was a parade of high-end fashion, each piece more extravagant than the last, while I stood in my humble, worn clothes. Their hair, a cascade of perfect waves and curls, framed faces adorned with makeup applied with an expert touch, contrasting sharply with my own unadorned features and simple hairdo.
They towered over me, their sneers sharp and cutting. "Here comes the charity case," the ringleader, her eyes a piercing green and her hair a halo of golden curls, mocked. Her entourage echoed her cruelty with their laughter, a sound that was meant to intimidate and belittle.
I braced myself, ready for the familiar sting of their words, knowing that my family's financial situation was about to be the subject of their ridicule. They thrived on making others feel inferior, and I was, in their eyes, an easy target.
But as they prepared to unleash their verbal assault , just then, a shadow fell over us, and the air seemed to grow colder. Raven stood there, her presence commanding and her gaze fierce. The girls' confidence waned under her intimidating stare.
"What's going on here?" Raven's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that sent shivers down my spine.
The girls exchanged nervous glances, their bravado crumbling. "Nothing, we were just leaving," the leader stammered.
"Don't mess with her; that's my job" Raven said, her voice low and menacing as she fixed the group of girls with a glare that could freeze fire.
The girls, who moments ago seemed like towering figures of intimidation, now appeared small and meek under Raven's imposing presence. Their designer clothes and perfect hair, once symbols of their superiority, now seemed like nothing more than a flimsy facade.
Raven stepped closer, and the girls recoiled as if she were a storm about to break. "If I hear even a whisper of you tormenting Jade, you'll answer to me," she continued, her tone leaving no room for argument.
The leader of the group, her confidence shattered, managed a feeble nod. "We... we were just leaving," she stammered, and with that, they turned and scurried away, their retreat as hasty as it was silent.
Raven turned to me, her expression softening ever so slightly. "They won't bother you again," she assured me, then without another word, she walked away, leaving a trail of whispered speculations in her wake.
As I watched her go, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe mixed with a dash of fear. Raven was an enigma, a girl who wielded her power like a sword, cutting down threats with a single look. And yet, she had used that power to protect me. It was a complexity I had never considered, and it made me question everything I thought I knew about her.