Lily Chambers sat quietly at her desk in the classroom, lost in the pages of a book. It was break time, and while her classmates gathered in groups, chatting and laughing, she chose to sit alone, engrossed in her reading. Her short blonde hair fell slightly forward, partially covering her face.
She lifted her head when she noticed a group of boys approaching her desk. Her heart started to race, and her palms became sweaty. It was clear they were heading towards her, as they often did.
Gerald, the leader of the group, wore a smug expression. He walked with two other boys who followed him like bodyguards. Gerald seemed to be assessing Lily as he approached, making a mental calculation of her worth. He had an air of superiority, acting as if he was better than everyone else in the room.
He took a step forward and spoke in an authoritative voice, "Hey, why are you sitting by yourself? Do you need a companion, or is there no one willing to be your friend?"
Lily tried to divert her gaze, searching for the right words to respond. She felt uncomfortable with all her classmates' eyes on her.
Gerald was popular and well-liked by many girls in the second year. Even though he wasn't in the same class as Lily, he had recently been coming to her classroom just to greet her. The idea of conquering a girl like Lily intrigued him. He thought Lily's beauty was something extraordinary, despite her not wearing overly fashionable clothes or having a large social circle, which made her seem less popular.
One of her peers sneered, "It's obvious that Lily is trying to attract Gerald. What a manipulative witch!"
"What do you mean?" another girl asked. "Do you think Gerald would be interested in such a poor girl?"
"She's probably looking for money, so she's pretty much selling herself," the first girl replied with contempt.
"I just want to yank out her hair. She really doesn't deserve to share the same air as us," said another girl with a scowl.
"I can't understand why such an exclusive school has to accept someone like her," chimed in a third girl.
The other continued, "I think we shouldn't have her here. She's bringing us all down."
Gerald sat down beside Lily and pulled his chair closer to hers, invading her personal space.
"I want you," he said, looking directly into her eyes. "I'm offering you a chance for a date—one that you shouldn't turn down."
Lily felt her heart pounding in her chest, and she tried her best to avoid making eye contact with Gerald, fear evident in her eyes. His words were so blatant that they left her no room to think or respond. Did he really think she was an object that could be desired by anyone at will?
But then, she knew public opinion would favor Gerald, the popular one. Regardless of what she did, she would remain the target of others' sneers, with no one to defend her.
What should she do?
She knew she needed to refuse his offer but was too scared to say anything. She could feel her classmates staring at her, waiting for something to happen.
Gerald's face hardened as he realized Lily wasn't responding to his offer, and he threatened her with a warning. "You're going to regret this if you don't take my offer, Lily. Saturday night, you and I are going on a date. Don't even think about refusing this opportunity," he said. "I want you, you're cute."
Lily gulped and glanced down at the floor. She knew that no one else in the room would come to her aid if Gerald started making any unexpected moves.
Gerald flashed her a confident smile and said, "I'm handsome, rich, and popular, so you should appreciate and treasure what I'm offering you. Don't be scared—you won't regret it, I promise."
Lily felt frozen in place; she had been through similar situations before, but never one as intimidating as this. She knew it was time to stand up for herself, even if it put her safety at risk. With all the courage she could muster, she finally took a deep breath and boldly stated, "Sorry, I can't. I have something else to do with my family."
Gerald's face contorted into a menacing scowl as he slowly rose from the chair. His gaze was heavy as he considered Lily for a few moments before turning away with a low growl of warning. "You'll regret this," he muttered before stalking off, followed closely by his entourage.
Lily watched him leave, her heart still racing. She felt a mix of relief and fear. She knew she had made the right decision, but she also knew this wasn't the end of her troubles.
When the bell signaled the end of school, Lily made her way out of the classroom amidst taunts from her classmates.
"You think you're so special, don't you? You treated Gerald like crap, and now you're just walking away!" they whispered as they passed by Lily, not even bothering to look at her.
"You're such a slut. You don't even know what you're doing!"
"Well, we all heard what happened. You were so disrespectful to Gerald, and now you're just acting like nothing happened!"
"You were swearing and yelling at him! You're so rude!"
As Lily walked away, she could hear her peers mocking her, calling her a slut, and saying she didn't know what she was doing. She felt desperate, but she kept her head high and continued walking.
The hateful stares had started as soon as Gerald walked away, and it got worse when they had the chance to speak directly, making sure she could hear them. More of her peers passed by, some of them deliberately bumping her shoulder, causing her to stumble slightly.
She needed to get away. She felt a surge of emotion building in her chest, something she could no longer contain. She quickened her pace, wanting to escape from those who continued to judge and ridicule her.
Once she was out of the school grounds, she faster her walking, even breaking into a small run. She wanted to reach home quickly, where she could cry in her room without anyone seeing her.
She desperately tried to suppress the tears that were beginning to swell in her eyes. She refused to let the sorrow engulf her, clamping down on her emotions with an iron will. She bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, forcing the tears to stop.
But with each step, the effort to remain composed grew more difficult, and soon she could feel hot sobs welling up inside of her.
She stopped for a moment, trying to force a smile on her face and wipe away the evidence of her grief. Clenching her fists, Lily pushed herself forward — she didn't want Leon, her brother, to find her in such a distressed state when she arrived home.
Lily's heart raced with excitement as she approached the entrance of the house. She could hear laughter emanating from inside - it was her brother Leon and their uncle Ben. A wide smile spread across her face as she knocked on the door and stepped inside.