One day later

 

"Why hasn't she shown up at school? I've asked myself this question countless times by now. The day before, she appeared reluctant to leave. It was only when I suggested meeting at school that her mood seemed to brighten. But she hasn't responded to my messages since yesterday. I wish I had the time to go to her house. Could something have happened? Maybe someone found out about something. Perhaps I should visit her house today if she doesn't come to school again."

 

Bump

 

Suddenly, I bumped into someone without even realizing it.In the last second, I attempted to sidestep the collision, with his assistance we could have avoided it, but he still ended up bumping into me like it was intentional.

 

As I glanced at the guy, he towered over me by about half a foot, and I'm already 6 foot 2. He had a muscular build, a Caesar cut hairstyle, and a menacing look in his eyes. Clad in designer clothes, he was accompanied by five others who were also black. I found myself alone in the area, with people scattered a few feet away from me. It was evident that everyone in the school parking lot was avoiding them.

 

"Watch where you're going, punk," he grunted.

 

“ I’m sorry, nigga”

 

"Damn," 

 

“Holy shit,”

 

"He really said it,"

 

As exclamations echoed around me, I even heard a few chuckles. I realized that many people were gathering the scene in the school parking lot, with some even starting to record it on their phones.

 

Suddenly, a tense warning cut through the commotion,

 

"Everyone who's turned on cameras, put them down now, or else we'll do it for you, and you'll wake up in the hospital." The voice belonged to a fat guy with braids in his hair, standing behind the person I was confronting.

 

"Do you even understand the consequences of saying that word?" the guy in front of me asked, his tone challenging.

 

"What do you think? Do you think I care?" I responded, matching his defiance.

 

Turning to his gang, he remarked, "Look at this guy, he's a tough guy, huh?"

 

"You know what, come here for a sec," he invited me towards the back of the school.

 

I heard some whispering in the crowd saying, “Don’t go”

 

But I accepted his request and walked with him.

 

Just as we were about to reach the back, the same fat guy shouted, "Don't come back here and don't tell anyone a word about this, or we'll find you."

 

With that warning, we all retreated back into the school.

 

After we were out of sight, he turned to me and said, "You think you can just say anything to anyone?"

 

He threw his fist at me and I did too,

 

We both exchanged a fist bump before Shake chimed in, "Of course you can, man. It's been almost two months since I met you."

 

"Yeah, you guys might've forgotten about school, but not me," I replied casually, greeting the whole gang.

 

—

 

As soon as they left the premises, students in the parking lot began to chatter.

 

"Shouldn't we tell the principal about this? What he said was wrong. We don't know what they're gonna do to him," one concerned student suggested.

 

"You guys are freshmen, right?" another student asked with a sigh. "They've been pulling this same prank for years now, and they still manage to get into trouble. Those two have been best friends since before high school. They just want to scare you guys and see the reaction. It's just that this time, Shake and his gang have been absent for two months."

 

The freshmen stood there, momentarily bewildered, but then they all shared a laugh and went on their way. Some senior students were angry as they lost the opportunity for more drama. 

 

Meanwhile, the group behind the prank still believed their plan was successful, unaware that one of their classmates had foiled their plan.

 

—

 

"Yo, Fat Dom, maybe we'll have to change your name to Fat Rock," I joked with the guy who shouted back then.

 

"Fuck you," he retorted, clearly not amused.

 

"Fat Rock, I like that name," Stick, Fat Dom's best friend, chimed in with a grin. Stick was tall and thin, the exact opposite of Fat Dom.

 

 "You should take some of his fat yourself, man," I added, teasingly.

 

"Yeah, I wish," Stick replied.

 

 "Nothing he eats sticks, they just go right through him, ha ha." the shortest but most ripped guy in the group said.

 

"Yo, King, at this rate, within a few years, you'll burst," I teased, looking at the muscular 5 ft 5 tall guy who spent most of his time in the gym. His name was King, a nickname we bestowed upon him after he expressed his dislike for being called "Shorty." To humor him, we settled on King as his nickname. Little does he know, the first part of his name, still original nickname.

 

"It won't happen," the most unimpressive guy in the group said. Show, a silent figure who often blended into the background, remarked suddenly. There was nothing particularly remarkable about him. He had a normal appearance, average scores, and average intellect—nothing that set him apart from the rest. So his nickname was the exact opposite of him.

 

"Your Presence was so high, It's getting hard to even notice you," I joked back. Show had a talent for blending in, and sometimes we wouldn't even notice he was around.

 

"Really?" he asked skeptically.

 

 "This guy is beyond saving," 

 

I heard others laugh in response.

 

“Let’s go we need to go before alarm”

 

We all began walking towards our classroom, taking a route that led us through a back window and entered the school. It was understood that every actor needed to take their role seriously. So we avoided the front door.

 

"So, why were you guys absent for two months?" I asked casually.

 

"Nothing special, just business as usual but a little busy," Shake replied nonchalantly.

 

I could tell he was lying; I had a knack for spotting his lies from a mile away. But I already had an idea of what they had been up to.

 

"By the way, I think we're gonna have to pay a visit to Bold Guy today. Those freshmen might have already told the teachers about what happened," I suggested.

 

"What even made you think that hard? You're starting to lose sight of reality," Shake questioned, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Oh, from my experience, intelligent guys like him only lose touch with reality because of a girl," King chimed in.

 

"No,No man, trust me," I insisted.

 

Suddenly, Shake stopped walking right in the middle of the busy hallway.

 

"He just lied," Shake declared.

 

"Damn it, I slipped up. I forgot this guy can also tell when I'm lying," I thought to myself, realizing my mistake.

 

"Oh, everyone, look at my brother," Shake suddenly announced loudly enough for the whole hallway to hear.

 

All the people in the hallway somehow stopped what they were doing and turned to look at me.

 

"He just lost his virginity. This guy could have had any bitch he wanted at any time. I know there were girls just waiting for a chance, but he waited for the one. So, tell me, my best friend, who's the lucky bitch?" Shake continued, putting me on the spot.

 

Everyone in the hallway was looking at me for an answer.

 

I started to explain “ I know I could have got  bitches any time buuut..”

 

Tap, tap, tap.

 

My speech was interrupted by a sound, and everyone turned to see what had caught my attention.

 

The reason was standing there.

 

Her name was Zara Evelyn Elizabeth.

 

Wearing a light blue frock, she slowly walked past me,not a glance at me and I could feel her anger like never before, sending goosebumps across my body.

 

All eyes were on her, but she ignored them all with a cold expression on her face.

 

"Ice queen is as beautiful as ever," Shake remarked after she was a few feets away.

 

Ring, ring, ring.

 

The alarm sounded, and Shake spoke loudly again.

 

"Listen up, To celebrate Max losing his virginity, I'm going to throw a party at my place. Anyone can come!"

 

"Dude, why don't you just kill me?" I wanted to scream out loud, but I kept it to myself, thinking it in my mind.

 

—

Third POV

 

Bam

 

Zara stormed into her private room, slamming the door shut behind her.

 

"So, he could have had any bitch he wanted, and I became just another bitch?" she fumed, her anger boiling as she remembered what she had endured the day before.

 

Yesterday,When Zara woke up, her whole body was sore, especially her legs. As she tried to get out of bed, she nearly tripped and fell to the ground, only managing to catch herself in time.

 

Having to call the maid in the morning meant she couldn't even make it to school. Determined to teach a lesson to the guy who showed no mercy to innocent girls like her, she didn't respond to any of his messages or calls yesterday.

 

Desperate to meet Max today, she had suffered enough after promising herself not to respond to him for a day. And yet, the first thing she heard as soon as she entered the hallway made her angrier than ever before.