Chapter 13: Returning to School

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

I turned on my phone and found eight missed calls and a few messages. I looked at them one by one. They were all from Emma. It was only then that I remembered that I hadn’t been in touch with her since I was taken away by Ravi at the school’s baseball field that day.

I pulled off my black clothes and changed into my usual jeans and T-shirt. I rushed out of the room with my finished book. Ravi saw me at the top of the stairs and he looked puzzled.

“I’m going to return the book.” I glanced at the book in my arms, then said to him as I went downstairs, “I’ll be back on time.”

The school was still a quiet, peaceful place. They definitely couldn’t imagine what I’d been through the last few days. As I walked in, I called Emma, and she hung up on me. Shortly after that, I got a message from Emma. It said, “Don’t come back.”

I thought she was probably still upset that I left without a word and hadn’t been heard from in the past few days.

As I walked down the long hallway, I wondered how I would explain the whole thing to Emma.

Suddenly, a person appeared and blocked my way. I didn’t know the girl in front of me, but she seemed to know who I was because her eyes were filled with hostility.

“Excuse me.”

“You’re Irina?”

“What can I do for you?”

She turned and waved her hand. Several other girls walked over and surrounded me. They seemed hostile and I could see the anger in their eyes.

“Who are you?” I asked calmly.

“I’m Suzy, and we’re Brian’s fans.” One of the girls spoke up with an expression that made me uncomfortable. “You b*tch, you toyed with Brian’s feelings and even got someone to hurt him. He couldn’t participate in the competition yesterday!”

“Firstly, I’m not toying with his feelings. I just know him. We’re not even friends. Secondly, he was beaten up because of me, but I didn’t tell anyone to beat him up. Thirdly, I just found out from you guys that he didn’t participate in the competition. I’m very sorry about that. That’s all I have to say. Please make way. I still have to see my friend.” I walked straight forward, but my path was blocked by these girls.

Just then, I saw Emma running over. I gave her a look to tell her to leave. Instead of leaving, Emma came running over and stood beside me.

“I can testify to what happened that day. It was purely an accident, and Irina was a victim.” Emma took my arm, and her voice was anxious.

“I was there that day too. You ignored him after he was hit and let Brian lie on the ground in pain. You will pay for the pain he suffered that day.” Suzy gritted her teeth and tried to slap me.

Instinctively, I dodged to the side and avoided Suzy’s palm. She quickly slapped me again. This time, I wasn’t so lucky. After my cheek was slapped by her palm, I felt a burning pain. I gritted my teeth and looked up at Suzy. Her smug look was really detestable. I clenched my fists and punched her in the face. She staggered and fell on the girl beside her. I saw blood flowing out of the corner of her lips. Suzy was shocked too. Perhaps she didn’t expect me to hit her so hard. The other girls rushed forward. Emma tried her best to fight back with me, but we were outnumbered. Emma and I were at an obvious disadvantage. They forced me to a corner and kicked me. I hugged my head and Emma hugged me. They pushed Emma to the side, pulled my hair, and tore my clothes. Through the cracks, I saw many people coming over and some even took out their phones to take pictures.

I didn’t cry. This was nothing compared to what I endured at home before. I keep gritting my teeth and waiting for a chance to fight back.

Suddenly, I heard a gunshot, along with a lot of terrified screams. The girls who hit me stopped moving. It was quiet around me, and I heard a lot of hurried footsteps. Slowly, I dropped the arm holding my head and looked up in the direction of the footsteps. A familiar tall figure was striding toward me. It was Ravi. There were about twenty people behind him, and he was in the lead.

He stopped when he reached me, then took off his jacket and covered me. He carefully scooped me up and looked at my face. I saw heartache and anger in his eyes. He carried me in his arms and turned to leave.

“Wait.” I tugged at Ravi’s collar, and he stopped immediately. “Please get someone to take good care of my friend Emma.” I looked at Emma, who was still squatting in the corner while covered in wounds.

Ravi said a few words to his men, then carried me away alone.

I didn’t want to say anything, and I sat in the car for a long time. Ravi kept his arms wrapped tightly around me, and my head leaned against his chest. We sat like that during the ride home, and we didn’t say anything the whole time..