Chapter 4 A New Classmate

Her knees quivered, both from the effect of them being glued to the ground for quite long and from the lashes that fell on her back. Her mouth remained sealed, not letting even a single whimper or sigh escape. Her brows creased each time the whip landed on her back and her mind counted the number of times it had. Finally, the whipping stopped but Aurelia didn't dare stand up just yet, not until her father helped her to her feet and made her sit on the bed and then grabbing the bowl on his bedside table, he squeezed a towel from the warm water and began to wipe her back gently.

"I hate having to punish you, Lia." He spoke, breaking the heavy silence that enveloped the room.

Aurelia nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She understood that all he did was for her own good. Her papa was a good man.

"I want to hear everything that happened. not one single detail missing." He told her. Aurelia knew he didn't give room for negotiations. She had no choice but to obey. Taking a deep breath to make the lump that had reappeared on her throat, she told him everything in a voice that she wished wasn't so shaky. How she had struggled with the strange emotion that had bubbled inside of her. She didn't recall twisting the poor girl's arm, neither did she recall throwing her to the ground. It had happened just so fast. Aurelia hated herself at that moment. She hated that she couldn't stop her voice from shaking as she told him everything. It was on very few occasions that her father had whipped her-so few that she could count them on one hand; and except from when she was little, she didn't remember crying for any of those. Her father had taught her that punishments were meant to correct an erring child, so the pain would remind them not to do it next time. Perhaps, that was why after whipping her each time, he would treat her back almost immediately and speak softly to her.

When she was done talking, the room returned to its quiet stage. "I'm sorry, Dad."

She watched him nod, along with a smile, "I know you are, Lia. Next time, when this overwhelming feeling comes again, learn to run back home no matter where you are."

She nodded.

He patted her hair, "Go to bed, princess. You still have to go to school tomorrow." Leading her to her room, he carefully tucked her into bed and stayed till he heard her even breathing.

Skipping school the next day was not an option. Aurelia knew even if she wanted to, her father wouldn't hear of it so meekly, she prepared for school, preparing her mind for whatever would happen. On arrival at school, it was just how she had predicted it. Students kept staring at her and even the ones walking near her moved away from her. Aurelia sighed. Now, she was getting the privacy she wanted but actually in a wrong way. she walked to her class and sat on her locker, not minding the sea of eyes that followed her every move. She brought out her notebook from her school bag and just then, a shadow cast on her book. Looking up, she saw Bella looking just fine except for her right arm that was bandaged and supported on a sling. Aurelia's heart raced, not out of fear of the spoilt princess in front of her, but because she scared that overwhelming feeling might return. She didn't want to do something stupid again.

"Surprised I'm not dead?" Bella taunted. It seemed she won't stop until she put her into trouble again. Aurelia withdrew her gaze from the girl, flipping her notebook open while doing a mental check-up on her insides so the raging feelings won't catch her unannounced. Almost immediately, her book was closed shut by a hand, so fast that Aurelia had saved her palm only by a millisecond. She looked up and of course, it wasn't Bella but one of her minions.

"Just so you know, my parents won't let you off. be ready to go to jail." Bella scolded, hoping the girl would finally kneel at her feet and beg for forgiveness under the watch of the entire class but as usual, she remained a walking statue, only staring at her closed book. It only pushed Bella to her limit. Such nerve!

"Tsk. Tsk." A voice chirped in from beside them, "Looks like someone is asking for another round of beating so early a morning."

Bella turned in anger to give the uninvited intruder a piece of her mind when she halted abruptly, her words dying in her mouth. It was a handsome stranger. She hadn't seen this face before at school.

Just who was he?

She feigned anger, "Who are you?"

He smirked, looking like a badass Adonis that popped out of those famous romance novels. "Does it matter?"

"Is she related to you in any way?" Bella questioned again.

"And if I said yes?" he replied nonchalantly. His reply made Aurelia look up to finally see who the intruder was. After all, it was the first time somebody was standing up for her in school. He was handsome, one fact she couldn't deny. His smile could make all the girls at school flock around him for the rest of his stay in high school and it made her wonder why he chose her whom everyone was scared of.

Bella looked at the guy with doubt running through her mind, "You are lying, aren't you?"

"Shouldn't you be thankful? I'm trying to save your ass here."

Bella squeezed her face. Did he really come for her and not Aurelia?

"Don't get it twisted darling. I'm not in any way interested in you." He said with a chuckle, making the entire class who had been watching the mini-drama play out to burst out laughing. Bella felt hot as a wave of embarrassment hit her. Did this guy just humiliate her in front of the entire class?

Just then, their class teacher entered the class and Bella quietly slipped into her seat, feeling both embarrassed and perplexed. The class stood up to greet their teacher.

"Ah! I can see you are socializing with your classmates already, Nicholas." She commented, looking in the direction of Mr. Stranger.

He grinned and turned to look at Bella, "The people here are most welcoming, I must say."

The teacher clapped, "Excellent. Class, this is your new classmate, Nicholas Lan."

Aurelia turned to look at the guy. Wasn't it weird that they were having a new classmate in the middle of a session?