During the lunch break, Rhedeus couldn't help but notice that Harper sat alone in the cafeteria, silently munching on her food as she gazed into the distance. Despite the chatter of other children around her, she seemed completely isolated.
'Finally, someone has graduated from eating nonsense to good food'
'Maybe she finally accepted that she was a human and decided to eat like the rest of us'
'I still can't bring myself to approach her, she's scary as hell'
'Yeah me too. She's that bad'
Since Harper had been going to school, her classmates and others knew her for always bringing forbidden food. Once, a girl had tried to befriend her and in the process of following Harper around like a dog, she had seen the latter eating what looked like raw meat with blood dripping in the box she used to package her lunch. The food smelled foul and she couldn't help but scurry away from Harper, disgusted.
She gossiped around, telling everyone that Harper was a monster. And since then, everyone steered clear away from her.
Rhedeus clutched his plate tightly as he cautiously made his way toward her table. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but he felt like he had no other choice. The other children had been so unwelcoming. He had attempted to engage with boys his age, only to be harshly rebuffed and pushed away.
He finally made his way to her side and settled into the seat across from her. Harper's expression darkened with frustration as she watched him nervously fumble with his food. It was clear that he was struggling to connect with others in this place and was sticking close to her. Well, it was a matter of time before he discovered her peculiar habits and distanced himself from her.
As she sat there, she returned to her former course of absentmindedly picking at her food and gazing off into the distance. The boy, observing her behavior, interpreted it as a signal that she wasn't bothered by his presence.
He couldn't help but notice that she was having a simple meal consisting of bread, baked beans, and eggs. As he looked down at his plate, he pondered whether to offer her some of his delicious meat, which had been lovingly marinated in a flavorful sauce. However, before he could even extend his plate toward her, she promptly interjected, "I don't eat leftovers"
Rudeus furrowed his brow, "They're not!They were packaged freshly by my mom this morning," he explained to her.
Harper silently gazed at his face, the word 'Mom' stung heavily at her heart, causing her to recall the figure she had missed her entire life. It made her heart grow heavy. She stood up from the table without finishing her food and began heading out of the cafeteria.
Rudeus simply stared, feeling a pang of regret. Quickly gathering his lunch box, he went after her, thinking that he must have said something he wasn't supposed to.
They exited the cafeteria together and stepped out onto the bustling streets. "Where are you going?" Rudeus asked as he followed the briskly walking girl, struggling to catch up.
Harper didn't ask him to follow her; it was simply none of her business.
She quietly said, "Going to get an ice cream" She began to lead the way toward a popular shop around the school. 'Snack Bar' was written boldly on top of it.
"Perhaps you could fetch one for me," he said playfully, but Harper didn't respond. When they finally arrived, the little girl eagerly wanted to order ice cream.
As she looked around, her blue eyes locked onto a woman - the same woman whose shirt she had accidentally stained that morning. Her eyes widened in recognition, and she quickly turned on her heels and hurried towards her school, heading straight to her classroom.
Rudeus stood in disbelief as he witnessed her sudden change of heart. "Why are you leaving, Harper? We haven't even gotten the ice cream," he exclaimed.
"You must really enjoy getting things for free," she replied, her tone devoid of emotion.
As the school day came to an end, she lingered outside the gate, tightly clutching her bag. She observed the other children hurrying to reunite with their parents, but one child in particular caught her attention. She couldn't help but fixate on the sight of a child running joyfully into their mother's arms, and she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to experience such a warm embrace.
As the sleek Maybach car glided to a stop in front of the grand school building, Harper made her way towards it. Just as she reached the car, Rudeus called out to her, "Harper, do not forget to bring my ice cream tomorrow" He yelled at her. He then waved in her direction and dashed off.
Seems like his parents weren't here to pick him.
Harper silently settled into the plush passenger seat and closed the door. She turned her attention to Roman, the driver, who was engrossed in his phone. Letting out a soft sigh, she leaned back in her seat and gazed out of the window.
"I didn't forget what you did this morning" Roman stated, his voice sharp as he put away his phone and gazed at her.
Feigning innocence, she peered at him with her round eyes, "What might that be?"
"Tossing chocolate drink out of my car when you could have simply put it aside and disposed of it later. Did you have any idea what you did? You ruined someone's shirt"
Julian!
Harper sat there silently, her hand clasped in front of her, as she listened to the man speaking. "I'm sorry," Harper said softly.
Roman continued, "By the looks of it, she doesn't seem to have the means to purchase another one."
She felt a sense of unease as she realized the gravity of the situation. She knew she should take responsibility for what she had done, but the idea of someone shouting at her was daunting. Throughout her life, she had never been on the receiving end of such anger.
Roman drove away from her school, he kept his hand firmly on the steering wheel. She looked up at him and whispered, "You're not mad anymore, are you?"
"I wasn't," he replied.
"Then you'll let me braid your hair when we get home, I'm pretty bored," she said.
He glanced at her with a hint of displeasure in his tone. "The last time you braided it, I almost got my head shaved because of how tangled they were."
"I promise my skills have gotten better," she assured him with a small smile as they headed towards their villa.
****
Roman Golden made me realize I got nothing at all.
I thought I had everything under control. I thought I could handle Mr. Roman as he was just one teacher, but little did I know that he was like five different persons.
This definitely must have passed just the chocolate drink that spilled on me.
He was picking on me for an entirely different reason and my hate for him grew larger in my heart. And He also didn't conceal his hatred towards me.
During the first week of resumption, he had turned my life into a living hell at school. Although we had history class just twice a week, during those moments, I suffered so much.
I just had one wish during that period. To go back home.
Was it lifting heavy books or cleaning cupboards till there was nothing left to clean? I was asked to wipe his shoe, the glossy black leather shoe, until it turned white, which was impossible. He kept on assigning unachievable tasks like he could do it even when he was told to.
I contemplated telling my brother about it. He was right to hate Roman Golden. The man didn't deserve to be loved at all. He was supposed to be hated by everyone on this planet!
I couldn't count the amount of times I cursed him inwardly for what he kept doing.
Still, I refrained from telling my brother. I wouldn't seek any help but get to the bottom of this myself. I'm not giving up easily if Roman Golden thinks I would.