Chapter 2

5.

I was speechless and glared at Kellan.

These troublesome admirers had always been around him, from childhood to now.

Crossing my arms, I demanded Nora, "Which part of you saw me bullying a schoolmates?"

Nora, filled with righteous indignation, retorted, "I can see it perfectly well."

She thought things weren't chaotic enough and tried to drag other students into it as witnesses, scaring them off in the process.

Nora wasn't the least bit embarrassed, shamelessly pulled out a pink band-aid and gently offered it to Kellan, "Kellan, I'm apologizing on behalf of Jenessa. She's just like that, coming from a small village and all, not used to the ways of the world. She probably didn't mean to hit you, maybe just wanted to get your attention. Don't hold it against her."

Her words were dripping with sarcasm, and Kellan's face darkened.

He didn't take the band-aid, his face going cold as he narrowed his eyes, "Sorry, who are you?"

He was about to walk away.

Nora's face froze, and she awkwardly blocked his path with a forced smile, "I'm Nora, remember? We met at the celebration party. I was the one who gave you flowers."

Kellan responded with a drawn-out "Oh, " deliberately stretching the tone, "No impression."

It was as if he was teasing a pet.

Nora's face alternated between anger and embarrassment, a whirlwind of emotions.

I leaned against the wall, enjoying the drama with ease.

The next moment, Kellan's deep gaze landed on me.

A sense of unease struck me, and before I could react, a warm hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me close.

I froze as warm breath tickled my ear, "Jenessa, that clueless person is even angrier now. Aren't you mad at her? Then don't reject me, okay?"

A tingling sensation spread through me, my consciousness fading.

Oh my, my body was completely powerless. I could only lean against him for support.

As we left, angry shouts followed us. But Kellan's chin pressed against my head, preventing me from seeing Nora's twisted and furious expression.

7.

I didn't expect that when I returned to the dormitory, I was even more angry than she was.

The lock on my wardrobe had been pried open, my clothes shredded into rags and thrown onto the balcony. My skincare and makeup products were smashed to pieces on the table. The bed was covered in hair and dust.

After taking a full three minutes, I realized something clearly.

This was Nora's revenge on me. Yet, the three of them acted as if nothing had happened, scrolling through TikTok, munching on chips, occasionally laughing loudly on purpose.

Especially Nora, who kept giving me sidelong glances and rolling her eyes provocatively.

Not only did they isolate me, but they also deliberately disgusted me. Did they really think I was a pushover?

I rolled up my sleeves, tied up my hair, and lifted the mattress. In front of their smug faces, I swiftly poured the trash all over them.

"Ah... " They screamed and jumped up, shouting angrily, "Jenessa, are you crazy?"

"Yeah, if you're crazy, go get help." Rita added.

Nora couldn't stand it, grabbing my collar and raising her hand to slap me.

I kicked her in the calf, shouting as I fought back, "Nora, give me a break. I know you look down on me for being from the countryside, but we're classmates."

Rita and Sallie were stunned, frozen in place.

I cried even harder, "You threw away all my things, destroyed them. Why? I came to school to study hard."

Nora's hand was pinned by mine, and she could only glare and curse, "You bitch, a country bumpkin, I won't let you off."

She then shouted at the other two, "Quick, let's all beat her up."

I choked out, "Please, let me go."

But my feet moved faster, kicking their stomachs, waists, and backs.

They grimaced, dodging back and forth, wailing in pain.

I shouted my last, heart-wrenching line, "Are you trying to push me over the edge? Fine, I'll do as you wish."

I cried, pretending to be scared, as I grabbed my phone with the recording, and dashed out of the dormitory. To ensure they wouldn't sleep well, I even locked the door from the outside.

Good riddance.

8.

As I went down the stairs, I had already booked a hotel.

But I didn't expect to see Kellan at the dorm entrance. He had his hands in his pockets, his figure blending into the shadows, with the faint glow of a cigarette at his feet.

He had learned to smoke!

Anger surged within me, and I rushed over, pointing at the cigarette butt, demanding, "When did you learn to smoke? We haven't seen each other for two years, and now you've picked up smoking?"

How did such a promising young man end up like this? I practically watched him grow up.

Kellan didn't respond to my question, instead picking up the bag at my feet, "Let's go, I'll take you to the hotel."

He remained utterly silent on the way, a stark contrast to his demeanor earlier in the day. In my memory, whenever we were together, he was always talking non-stop, annoyingly.

The quietness of him felt like the eerie calm before a storm. It made me fearful, and even more worried.

I tugged at his sleeve, "Kellan, if something's bothering you, just tell me. You're making me anxious like this."

My shoulders slumped, and he buried his head in the crook of my neck.

After a few sighs, he finally spoke, "Jenessa, my twentieth attempt to resist has failed. My dad still won't let me change majors. I don't want to inherit the family business, nor do I want to study economics. I just want to be a doctor who saves lives."

Though his tone was calm, my throat tightened with emotion.

In the Lambert Family, Kellan, as the only son, had no say in his future. From the moment he was born, his future was already planned out for him.

Currently, the Economics Department at the University of Fosheolor was the best in the nation. It was established to groom heirs for family businesses.

Unlike him, I genuinely loved economics, which was why I was here. Kellan, however, was being forced into it.

"If there have been twenty attempts, then try for the twenty-first time, " I said, ruffling his fluffy hair. "Kellan, the hardest part is the first time. Since you've already tried twenty times, a few more won't hurt."

He murmured a low "hmm" and nuzzled against me again.

It tickled. And it was warm.

I patted my cheeks, feeling them heat up. My heart was pounding wildly.

I thought I might actually have some feelings for him.

Before I could think it through, I quickly pushed his head away, "Alright, not everyone can lean on my shoulder. When you get back, stop smoking. You reek of smoke, it's awful."

He quickly moved away from me, nervously sniffing his T-shirt like a big golden retriever, just missing the wagging tail to please me, "I'll quit tonight. If you don't like it, I won't smoke anymore."

"Alright, if you quit, I'll give you a reward."

His eyes sparkled with anticipation, waiting for the rest of my sentence.

"After tomorrow's concert, I'll tell you." I said.

9.

The concert started checking tickets at 6:30 PM.

Kellan and I entered at 7 PM, and the seats behind us gradually filled up.

The tickets I had seen in Nora's hand were all occupied, but neither Nora nor her followers were there.

At 7:15 PM, the broadcast suddenly called my name, "Ms. Jenessa Palmer, please come to the concert entrance."

It repeated three times.

After giving Kellan some instructions, I hurried over.

The line at the entrance was long, especially at one spot crowded with people.

As I approached, a figure lunged out, grabbing my hair and forcing me to the ground with brutal force.

It was Rita, and she was going all out.

I kicked her over, clapped my hands, and stood up. Did she really think all my those years of taekwondo training were for nothing?

A group of her followers looked on, indignant.

"Jenessa, do you really like stealing things so much that you took our tickets and went in yourself? Hand over Nora's tickets now." One followers said.

"Yeah, those tickets are worth a lot. Since we're all classmates, if you return them, we'll persuade Nora not to pursue it." Another said.

The situation was spiraling out of control, and more people were gathering to watch.

This was Nora's trap. Her tickets were taken, and not wanting to lose the bet, she had to frame me for stealing them.

I had to admit, it was a cunning and ruthless plan.

Nora, with tears in her eyes, pleaded weakly, "Jenessa, we're all in the same dorm. The money for the concert tickets was earned by my parents. I've tolerated all the small things in the past, but this is theft. Please, just give them back, I'm begging you."

As she spoke, she collapsed to her knees, crying in front of me.

This move incited the bystanders to start accusing me.

"How can you be so brazen after stealing something, young lady?" One bystander said.

"Exactly, this isn't your home. Taking things without permission is theft." One bystander added.

"Oh my, this poor lady, she's so pitiful." Another bystander said.

I stayed calm and asked a question, "Do you have any evidence for what you're saying? If there's no evidence, it's slander!"

Nora lowered her eyes, trembling with feigned disappointment, and tried to persuade her followers, "Forget it, let's just go back. The money's gone, the tickets are gone. I'll just chalk it up to bad luck. Don't get into trouble for my sake."

Her followers grew even angrier.

Then, someone threw out a suggestion, "I saw her hide the tickets in her bag. Just search it, and you'll find them."

Sallie's eyes flashed with anger as she said, "Yeah, everyone, help me grab the bag."

A sea of hands reached out, countless faces twisted with malicious smiles.

I deliberately didn't resist, and my bag was quickly snatched away, ending up in Sallie's hands.

The moment she got it, she dumped its contents onto the ground.

A thick stack of concert tickets spilled onto the floor.