Chapter 7 Nightmares

It was during the summer and that day was particularly hot. Harlow went back to her dormitory and took a long, cold shower to cool down. She had spent her entire morning crying and felt exhausted.

All the other girls started coming back to the dormitory.

A chubby girl, who was wearing glasses, rushed into the room yelling, "Have you guys heard? The most handsome guy from the finance department is dating Lainey, the hottest girl in our school! I heard it this morning."

"The most handsome man from the finance department is Michael, right? Why would he date Lainey?" a round-faced girl with a ponytail and bangs asked. "Isn't he Harlow's boyfriend?"

"Yeah, she's right! Stop talking nonsense, Michael is very happy in his relationship with Harlow. He can't be seduced by the likes of a girl like Lainey!" another girl said. A girl who was looking at her phone until then lifted her head and asked, "Speaking of Harlow, who has seen her today? I did not see her the whole morning."

The chubby girl adjusted her glasses and yelled at the top of her voice, "Who says it is nonsense? The whole school knows that Michael and Lainey are dating. Their photos are all over the school forum. If you don't believe me, you can see for yourself."

"What? Let me see..." one of the girls said as she reached for her phone.

They all formed a group and began to talk among themselves.

Harlow had not slept for almost a whole day. She was having nightmares of her rapist pouncing on her like she was a prey and Michael's disgusted expression as he dumped her. Thinking of those horrifying things, she broke out into a cold sweat.

"Oh, you weren't lying! What is wrong with Michael? Why would he be with a girl like Lainey?" one of the girls said.

"Oh my god, what an asshole! How could he be with a slut like her?" another girl said.

"Does Harlow know about this? If she learns about this, she will be heartbroken."

Women were always the ones who gossiped the most. At this time, the news of their broken relationship had spread to the entire school.

"Hush, now! Listen carefully, I can hear someone crying," the girl, who was holding her phone said.

She was very attentive and stopped their chatter.

Jesse Bai was the leader of the four girls in the dormitory and also the eldest, so naturally the other girls always listened to her. The second eldest was the round-faced girl, Elin Wang. The third one was the chubby girl, Molly Mo. Harlow was the youngest in their group. Among the four of them, Harlow had the best looks. She was also the best in studies as well as mannerisms, so the three of them liked her. However, they were also jealous of her because she was the only one who had a boyfriend. And the fact that Michael was the most handsome man in their department only made them envy her more.

All the girls listened carefully and they heard a girl wailing in a low voice. Although it was not very distinct, they could still hear her sniffling.

The three girls looked at each other with a puzzled expression. Elin was the first to react. She quickly closed her phone, walked to Harlow's bed and pulled open the mosquito curtain.

Harlow had wrapped herself in the blanket, covering her entire body as she cried. Shocked, the three of them tried to pull the blanket off her body. After struggling for a few seconds, they succeeded, only to see Harlow miserable and in tears.

Her face was flushed and swollen as she trembled and screamed, "Don't come near me! Go away! Help..."

Elin touched her forehead and withdrew her hand. "She is burning up! Looks like she's having a nightmare."

Molly squeezed in, adjusted her glasses, and shook Harlow. "Harlow, wake up!" she said.

"Don't touch me!" Harlow screamed.

She then tried to push her away in her sleep and accidentally pushed the glasses off Molly's face.

With a loud roar, Harlow woke up from her sleep and sat up, her whole body shaking.

"My glasses! Ah! I can't see anything without them, please help me," Molly cried out anxiously. She had a very severe case of myopia, so as soon as her glasses were removed, she was unable to see anything.

Jessie quickly found her glasses and handed it to her. She then sat on the bed, next to Harlow, who was covering her face with a blanket on a hot summer's day. "Did you catch a cold, Harlow? It's so hot! Aren't you afraid that you're going to suffocate yourself if you wrap yourself in the blanket so tightly?" Jessie asked as she pulled the blanket off Harlow.

Harlow finally felt awake and wrapped the blanket around her body even tighter for she feared that her friends might notice the bruises on her body if she did not. "I'm fine, thanks. I just have a slight fever, if I wrap myself in the blanket, it will keep me warm," Harlow said with a smile.

"You don't look so well, Harlow. You need to see a doctor. It's not a good idea to hold on if you're sick, right?" Jesse said. Elin took a towel and wiped off the sweat from Harlow's forehead. "You didn't come to school today, so I told the teacher that you were sick. I never thought that you were actually ill," she said with a concerned look.

"Don't tell me that you're hurting because of Michael, Harlow," Molly joked. As soon as the other two heard those words, they glared at her.

"Just ignore her Harlow," the girls said. They then ganged up on Molly.

"No, I am not hurting because of him, Molly," Harlow said, forcing a smile. Michael's name felt like a thorn in her heart, but to him she was nothing. Their relationship was over and she was a thing of his past, not his present.

After a moment of awkwardness, Harlow reassured them with a smile, "I'm really fine, guys. Life has to go on, right? I can't make a big deal out of a break up."

Elin patted her on the back and praised, "You're the most beautiful girl in our eyes, Harlow. Don't cry over a man who left you for that bitch. He was blind to go after Lainey, but you are smarter than him, so move on!"

"Yeah, girl! You need to move on," Jessie said. "Look at me, Harlow. I'm fat and I can't see shit without my glasses, but I am happy. You need to know that you don't need a man to make you feel good," Molly said with pride.

All of them instantly burst into laughter, seeing Molly's adorable performance. Although Harlow felt good for just a second, she felt miserable a second later.