Lamia watched as Abigail took her seat, unknowingly choosing the desk of Catherine, an outcast at Ivory High. Catherine had long been the target of bullying by the sadistic students and, most notably, Lamia's own sister, Lucinda. Known as the "Grim Reaper" due to her appearance and reserved nature, Catherine was despised by almost everyone. Lamia had always felt a twinge of pity for her, but he preferred to keep to himself, spending most of his time either in the library or at the school garden. His reclusive habits had earned him the nickname, "The Quiet One."
As Lamia observed Abigail, something about her seemed strangely familiar. Had he seen her somewhere before? He couldn't quite place it. Yet, the determination in her eyes betrayed her strong will, and Lamia found himself silently questioning why she would let herself be affected by the charade orchestrated by Lucinda and her foolish clique.
Abigail, meanwhile, noticed the sudden hush that fell over the class as she sat down. Confused by the odd stares directed at her, she turned to the girl next to her, offering a friendly smile. "Hi, my name's Abigail, but you can call me Abi."
The girl, Catherine, didn't even glance at her, her face stoic and hardened. It was then that Abigail noticed the scars on Catherine's neck and chin. Shocked, she gasped inwardly, her mind racing to comprehend what kind of school allowed such cruelty. As she glanced around the room again, her eyes locked with a boy who had vibrant red hair and a curious expression. He didn't look disgusted, as most people did when they saw her face—quite the opposite. This boy looked fascinated.
"What's going on here?" Abi thought to herself, bewildered by the unusual attention. Only two guys had ever looked at her like that—Damian being the first. As if on cue, her eyes found Damian sitting across the room, and to her astonishment, he winked at her. Her heart fluttered, though she didn't notice Lucinda glaring daggers at her from the other side of the room.
Lucinda, however, was not pleased. She instantly recognized Damian—the guy Emily and Sylvia had been raving about earlier. His body was the epitome of perfection, with his chiseled jawline, beautiful hazel eyes, and dark raven hair. Lucinda had made up her mind the moment she laid eyes on him: he would be hers.
The atmosphere shifted as a male teacher entered the room, introducing himself as their new government instructor. The lesson moved swiftly, and before long, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Abigail gathered her things, eager to thank Damian for standing up for her earlier. But before she could reach him, Lucinda, ever the vengeful queen bee, stuck her leg out, sending Abigail crashing to the floor.
Lucinda's cruel laughter echoed through the classroom, drawing everyone's attention. Without hesitation, Lamia rushed over, helping Abigail to her feet. His voice was gentle, filled with concern. "Are you okay? I hope she didn't hurt you."
Abi was taken aback by his kindness. The girls who typically fawned over Lamia shot her venomous looks, furious that he had shown any interest in her. Whispers of "slut" and "bedwarmer" began to circulate, but none were louder than Lucinda's seething anger. Emily and Sylvia exchanged worried glances, unsure of what Lucinda might do next.
Lucinda, fueled by rage, pushed Lamia aside and stepped on Abi's toes with malicious intent. Abigail winced in pain but, having reached her limit, retaliated. With a swift motion, she slapped Lucinda across the face—hard. The entire room froze in shock. Even Damian, who had been watching from a distance, smiled to himself, proud of Abigail's bravery.
"That's my girl," he thought, leaning back in his chair with satisfaction.
But Abigail wasn't done. She landed two more resounding slaps on Lucinda's cheeks, her voice low and dangerous as she hissed, "I know you're an icon around here, but I don't give a damn. Watch your back."
Her words hung in the air like a thunderstorm waiting to break. Lucinda, still rooted to the spot, was too stunned to react. Abigail shot her one last look before storming out of the classroom, leaving a wave of murmurs in her wake.
Lamia, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but smirk. It was rare to see someone stand up to his sister, and the sight of it was nothing short of refreshing. Perhaps this term was going to be far more interesting than he had anticipated.
Lucinda still felt the sting of the slap on her cheek, her rage simmering. How dare that worthless girl touch me? She was determined to make Abigail pay dearly for it. The bathroom door creaked open, and Slyvia and Emily entered, looking concerned.
Lucinda stopped midway, glaring fiercely at her reflection in the mirror. "That bitch thinks she'll survive here. I'll personally be her end."
Slyvia hesitated before voicing her thoughts. "Seriously, Lucy, you need to stop this bullying. I don't like it."
Lucinda whipped her head toward Slyvia, feeling utterly betrayed. "Are you taking that wench's side? Slyvia, why?" she spat out, her voice trembling with rage.
Slyvia, seeing Emily signaling her to apologize, sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to provoke you. Please forgive me."
Lucinda smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She pulled Slyvia into a hug, whispering in her ear, "Never bring this up again unless you want to be out of this group."
Slyvia gulped. Did Lucinda just threaten her?
---
Abigail sat quietly in the school garden, replaying the day's events. She sighed, lost in thought, when she felt an overwhelming presence nearby. Looking up, she was met by Damian, his striking hazel eyes gazing down at her.
"Hey," he said smoothly, "I hope you're not feeling bad about what happened earlier."
Abi forced a smile. "No, I'm just thinking… it's my first day, and already half the girls in our class despise me."
Damian leaned in closer, his voice a low whisper. "Don't beat yourself up. You don't have to care about what they think. The only thing that matters is that you have it in you to survive here. Trust me, they're intimidated by you."
Abi froze. Intimidated by me? With this face? But before she could reply, Damian was already walking away, his hands tucked in his pockets, leaving her speechless.
Nearby, Lucinda watched the scene unfold, her eyes darkening with jealousy. This girl is overstepping her boundaries. She's going to get destroyed. Seething, Lucinda stomped off, consumed with rage.
Meanwhile, Lamia was packing his books at his locker when he saw Hadrian approaching, with Alexa practically draped over him. Great. Lamia had hoped to avoid Hadrian all term, but now the guy was heading straight for him.
Hadrian stopped right in front of Lamia, his voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. "You wanna join me? I'm about to have some fun. Why don't we make it a threesome?"
Lamia chose to ignore him, but Hadrian pushed him back, causing a scene. A crowd quickly gathered.
"What are you, a monk? Or are you gay?" Hadrian taunted, smirking. "I've never seen you with any girl, so what are you, huh? A faggot?"
Lamia froze at the accusation. This guy has the audacity to block my way and call me that? He tried to stay calm and brush it off, but Hadrian kept pushing.
"Should I bend you over and show you what you've been missing?"
Lamia, fed up, clenched his fist, ready to punch Hadrian, but before he could, someone else beat him to it. Damian appeared out of nowhere, landing a powerful punch on Hadrian's face that sent him stumbling back in pain.
"You're a jerk. He said no, so leave him alone, freak."
Hadrian clutched his bleeding nose, glaring at them. "This isn't over, boys," he snarled before storming off, shoving Alexa aside in frustration. Alexa, who had been silently daydreaming about Hadrian, huffed in disappointment.
Lamia was speechless. He hadn't expected the school's heartthrob to step in for him. "I guess I should say thanks. Hi, I'm Lamia Alexandria."
Damian grinned, flashing his perfect white teeth. "No need for thanks. I already know your name—you're pretty popular around here. Red-haired guy with emerald eyes, right?"
Lamia blinked in surprise. Popular? How? "Uh… I guess so."
Damian moved closer, his voice soft but firm. "No one has the right to question your identity or your choices. We'll probably see each other more often anyway, not just because we're roommates, but we're in the same department too."
Lamia's eyes widened. "Wait… roommates?" He had been assigned a new room, but he never saw his roommate and had no idea it was Damian.
Before Lamia could respond, Damian was already gone, leaving him to process everything. "Great, just great. I'm screwed."
As he was about to leave, Lamia's phone buzzed with a notification from the school blog. He opened it and saw a trending video of Catherine, the quiet girl, being stoned by the sadists. His heart sank at the sight of her pain, and his eyes widened in horror at the cruelty displayed in the video.