4

Maybe it was guilt that made Asher personally drive Camila to school that morning.

For once, she didn’t try to cause trouble. That alone was rare enough to make even him suspicious.

A girl who usually bristled like she was covered in thorns had suddenly become quiet and obedient. Even Asher found it strange.

It wasn’t until they were both standing at the front gate of her high school in Riverside that he was finally convinced she wasn’t planning to run.

“Go in.”

His voice carried that unmistakable authority of a police officer. The slight lift of his chin as he motioned for her to head inside was oddly commanding. In uniform, cap still on, he had a kind of presence that was impossible to ignore up close.

This was the real kind of uniform appeal.

Camila pressed her lips together. After a long pause, she finally muttered, “I didn’t bring my backpack.”

Asher frowned.

He’d been out of high school for years. For a second, he had honestly forgotten students actually needed backpacks.

After a moment of silence, he asked, “Where is it?”

Camila lowered her eyes. “I don’t remember. I probably left it somewhere.”

She expected him to get annoyed.

A moment ago his brows had been drawn tight enough to leave deep lines in his forehead. She thought this would make it worse.

Instead, to her surprise, his expression gradually eased.

Her eyes widened a little as she looked at him.

“Borrow notes from your classmates,” he said simply. “It’s only half a day.”

Camila didn’t fully understand what he meant and opened her mouth to ask, but Asher had already turned and walked away.

He was so tall, far taller than the boys at school. His long strides carried him off quickly, and within moments he disappeared around the corner of the street.

A strange sense of emptiness rose in Camila’s chest.

It came out of nowhere.

She pressed a hand lightly over her heart, then looked back at the school gate.

After hesitating for a long while, she finally stepped inside.

She had arrived right during morning arrival, when students were flooding onto campus.

Camila had once been one of the most talked-about girls at school.

Back when her family was still happy, she’d been the school beauty, a top student, always near the top of every exam ranking. Plenty of boys had liked her, and plenty of girls had envied her.

But everything changed after the tragedy at home.

Her mother’s death after falling from the house had become local news. Her father remarried the woman Camila believed was most suspicious.

Since then, she had become the center of whispers.

Every day she endured rumors, speculation, and judgment.

Her refusal to come to school wasn’t only about getting back at her father or tormenting her stepmother.

A bigger reason was the invisible cruelty of school itself.

The kind of cold, quiet bullying that people who’ve never gone through it can never fully understand.

And now, seeing a police officer drop her off only gave everyone more to talk about.

“Camila must’ve ended up at the station again.”

“She probably got into another fight.”

“Look at her hair and uniform, she looks disgusting. Did she even shower?”

Camila’s brows tightened, but she kept her eyes forward and walked past the students whispering about her.

She quickened her pace toward the academic building.

She had thought that once she got back to the classroom, the comments would stop. There were fewer people there than out on the walkway.

But she’d underestimated how bad it had gotten.

She hadn’t been in class for a while. During her absence, the rumors had only multiplied.

The moment she stepped into the classroom, the chatter died instantly.

The entire room went silent. Almost every pair of eyes turned toward her.

Once, being looked at like this had been normal. But back then, it had been admiration. Now it was different.

The same people who had once envied her were staring with open disgust.

Camila instinctively glanced down at herself.

What exactly was so “dirty” about her?

She had combed her hair that morning and tied it into a neat ponytail. Her uniform had been dried and straightened by Asher. It hadn’t been washed after the rain, sure, but it definitely wasn’t dirty.

The rainwater in Riverside wasn’t exactly clean, but the city’s environment had always been good. At least after it rained, everything smelled fresh instead of muddy.

Still, if people wanted a reason to tear someone down, they didn’t need logic.

Camila ignored the stares and walked to her seat.

She didn’t have her backpack, so the only thing she could do was borrow a textbook from her deskmate.

Her seatmate, Emily, had once been one of her closest friends. Back then, Camila had helped her countless times, shared notes, given her gifts.

But now, Emily looked at her like she was contagious.

The moment Camila even glanced in her direction, Emily scooted farther away, clearly afraid of being too close. Forget lending her a book, she didn’t even look willing to say a single word.

Camila’s expression turned cold.

She looked away and stared at the desk, silently waiting for class to start.

She just wanted the teacher to come soon.

At least adults didn’t show their cruelty as openly as teenagers did. But the wait dragged on.

The classroom, which had gone quiet when she entered, slowly became noisy again. This time, no one was talking about homework, exams, or weekend plans.

The topic was Camila.

“She smells awful. When she walked by me, I thought I was gonna choke.”

“Seriously, I smelled it too. Poor Emily has to sit next to her. What if that gross smell rubs off on her too?”

Camila instinctively lowered her head and sniffed at herself.

‘What smell?’ she asked herself.

There was nothing strange about her at all. If they wanted to insult her, they didn’t even bother making sense anymore.

She wanted to turn around and confront them. She knew it would probably only make things worse. It would just give them more to talk about.

But she couldn’t keep letting people spread lies about her.

That was how rumors grew. And she was tired of being turned into some disgusting joke.

Just as she was about to speak, the English teacher for the first period walked into the classroom.

The moment the teacher’s eyes swept over the room, the whispering students instantly quieted, and Camila had no choice but to sit back down.

When the teacher saw everyone settle, she walked to the front of the room.

Right then, Emily suddenly stood up.

“Miss Jessa, I want to change seats.”

The teacher, who was also their homeroom advisor, set her books on the desk and looked at her.

“Why all of a sudden?” Miss Jessa asked. “There aren’t exactly any empty seats.”

Emily looked deeply uncomfortable.

“But I really can’t sit here anymore, Miss Jessa. It’s affecting my grades. Finals and college admissions are almost here, and I don’t want my chances at getting into a good university ruined because of who I’m sitting next to.”

That accusation was heavy.

‘I hadn’t done anything. How exactly did I ruin Emily’s chances at college?’ Camila thought.

She looked over at the girl standing beside her.

Emily refused to meet her eyes, staring only at the teacher.

Miss Jessa’s expression stayed neutral as she glanced once at Camila.

“What exactly is Camila doing that’s affecting your studies?”

Every eye in the room shifted between the two girls.

Emily swallowed hard and forced herself to continue.

“I… I don’t want to sit next to someone who fights, skips school, and acts like a delinquent every day. Please, Miss Jessa, I’m begging you to move me. My mom feels the same way. She’s probably coming in later to talk to you about it.”

Miss Jessa frowned.

As an adult, and as their homeroom teacher, she knew exactly what had happened in Camila’s family.

To be honest, she sympathized with the girl. But at the same time, Camila’s choices after the tragedy had deeply disappointed her.

The student who had once been one of the best in the grade had willingly thrown away her future and turned into the kind of student Miss Jessa hated seeing most.

She wasn’t as immature as the other students, but she also couldn’t defend Camila the way she once might have.