The school was never where Lisa could fit in, primarily due to the impact of the unusual rumors around her, which cast a shadow on her social life.
Even if Lisa wanted to fit in with the general crowd, Lisa did not have time and money to spend cultivating relationships with others.
It was easy to say that 'Friends' would not care about your social standing and would stick with you through thick and thin. The truth was that this friendship was cultivated by devoting time and money to relationships.
Lisa had always been busy trying to save and make money to spend by eating out or buying gifts. Because of this, the number of friends Lisa had could be counted on a single hand.
She did not feel lonely or even alone when surrounded by people. That was because Lisa had her beliefs and knew she had taken the right road.
But sometimes, the loneliness did get to her and made Lisa miss the warmth of the human touch.
"Hey, is that her? Looks like she broke up with her boyfriend again."
"I heard he cheated on her with his current girlfriend for a whole week."
"How many times does that make it? Lisa Grace must be cursed for real. Either that, or she's so bad under the sheets that her relationships don't even last a month."
Lisa was used to these jabbing words and these sharp gazes.
So, despite these people looking at Lisa as if she were a scum, she calmly sat down and pretended she could not hear anything.
Her classmates can gossip all they want, but their enthusiasm will plummet once they realize Lisa does not care.
This was the best way to keep people off her back for the time being…
Or so Lisa thought.
But her classmates had a different idea about harassing her today.
One of the males Lisa had never even talked to approached her with an arrogant expression, and Lisa could instantly tell he was in trouble.
"Hey, nerd! I heard an interesting rumor about you. They say anyone who goes out with you will find their soul mate. Is that true? Why don't we try this theory out?"
The bully proposed, and everyone stopped to look at Lisa for her answer.
Lisa had only one option left—to accept. Otherwise, her class would humiliate her and even cast her out.
'Would it be any different than my current condition? I already feel like a bird trapped in a cage. I don't want to be tormented anymore.'
Lisa was about to say 'no' to the bully when he lost patience and reached out to grab Lisa's hair in his grasp.
She did not know everyone was obsessed with her hair, but it was the first thing people reached out for whenever they wanted to torment her.
'Ouch! This hurts. Maybe I should cut my hair off. That way, people would stop grabbing it whenever they have nothing else to grab.'
Lisa had made an effort to cut her hair off before. But every time she tried to take that step, a phantom sensation of someone stroking her hair stopped Lisa.
She vaguely remembered her father stroking her head when she was young, and that sentiment was the only reason Lisa felt attacked by her hair.
"Ignoring me and now zoning out? Who do you think I am? Tsk, you're too gloomy for anyone to take notice, so I thought I could give you a good time. But it looks like you let my offer get to your head."
The more Lisa delayed, the angrier the bully got with her.
It did not help that everyone else looked at them with pity and glee.
People were excited to see what would happen next.
Luck decided to be on Lisa's side for the first time in forever, and the classroom door opened.
The bully instantly let Lisa's hair go and sat beside her.
It was going to be a miserable time for Lisa, but at least she was not in physical pain…yet. The bully did not look ready to let Lisa go just yet.
"Alright, settle down class! I know you are excited to be here, but you must be your best. We have a transfer student in class today."
The teacher stood in front of the class while ignoring what was going on in the class.
Lisa was sure the teacher had seen her get bullied, but the teacher did not intervene.
This was common for her, and she no longer bothered to check on everyone to see if they were all right.
The transfer student's story excited everyone. They all looked at the teacher with excited expressions on their faces.
Lisa was the only one not excited about this new addition to their class.
This new addition to the class would either be another bully who would torment Lisa to fit in, or she would ignore Lisa as most of the students did.
*Gasp*
"Oh wow! She's cute."
"Do you think she's a celebrity? What kind of make-up does she use?"
"Should I ask her out right now? But I don't feel I can ask her out."
People gasped in admiration at the new girl's beauty, which was the only reason Lisa chose to look up.
The new girl had black hair and a beautiful face that was small but not delicate. She was a vision to look at.
However, the most striking thing about the new feature of this new girl was her striking golden eyes that pierced through Lisa and made her gasp for breath.
Fear and anticipation swirled inside Lisa's chest, and she grasped it to ease her breathing.
Lisa kept her head down, but she could still feel those eyes.
"You can take a seat wherever you want. Get someone to show you around the school, and if you have any problems, don't hesitate to come to me. I will be here to assist you with anything you need."
The teacher sounded sweet and innocent, and she looked genuine, but Lisa knew better than to count on her.