2. The Swan Got A Broken Heart

Casey POV

My first day of college was pretty uneventful. I just tried to keep to myself and not talk to anyone, especially not that guy I ran into before class. After all my classes wrapped up for the day, I headed to the admin office to sort some stuff out. I still hadn't fully submitted my personal info or paid my tuition. My mom didn't want to use mobile banking 'cause she didn't want Dad to find us. So, everything's gotta be done manually. Such a pain, but I get why she's doing it.

I pretty much sprinted to the admin office. I went up to this lady who was totally engrossed in her music through her bluetooth headset.

“Excuse me, I need to pay my tuition,” I said.

She was still super into her music, though. I didn't wanna bother her, so I let her finish her song. I waited until she finally looked up at me.

“God damn it!” She jumped when she saw me standing there.

I gave her a shy smile. “I need to pay my tuition fees,” I told her.

“You scared the heck out of me, Pretty Girl. Do you know how many people are dropping dead from heart attacks lately?”

“I'm sorry.” I felt bad, but I had no idea how to interrupt her while she was so into her jam.

Suddenly, I heard something slam really hard on a desk. I looked to my left. It was that guy again. The one who always wears a jacket and jeans.

“If you're not gonna follow campus rules, you should just leave. I don't need useless students like you. You need to quit that biker gang!”

A guy in formal clothes was seriously mad at him.

“I'm not doing that,” he replied without hesitation.

“Noah Adam! Don't make me angry. You know those people are good for nothing and always cause trouble for society. Why are you trying to ruin your future?!”

“Shut your mouth!” This guy, Noah, yelled back. “You don't need to meddle. If you want to kick me out of campus, just do it if you can!”

I didn't get it. The situation was seriously messed up. I kept staring at him, and then suddenly Noah turned his head. His eyes landed on me. That made me totally panic.

“Don't mind him, Pretty Girl. Noah's a troublemaker. It's better to stay away from him if you want a peaceful life. Just do what you gotta do.” The admin lady said to me.

“Oh, yeah.” I was surprised. “I was just, like, shocked.”

The admin lady quickly processed my payment. She also re-entered my data in more detail.

“You should've gotten all this done before classes started, Honey. But cause you're pretty and innocent, I'm making an exception for you,” she said, handing me the payment receipt.

“Thank you so much. I just got to this town a few days ago. I had so much to do,” I replied. “See you.”

“Have a nice day.”

I quickly left the admin office and walked through the campus hallway. There wasn't really anyone else around, so I decided to head home.

“Casey!”

Someone called my name. When I turned, a guy in neat, clean clothes walked up to me. He was charming and seemed friendly, but I had no idea who he was.

“I'm Lucas. We're in the same year, same classes. You're alone. Wanna walk together?”

I smiled. It felt so awkward.

“If you don't wanna, I can just go by myself.”

“Oh, it's okay. We can walk together.”

Lucas motioned for me to go first. He was so nice and friendly. I liked how he treated me.

“You're not from this town, Casey.”

“Oh, yeah. How do you know?”

“Hm, this area is small. I could tell just by your vibe. You don't know this place. You're too quiet for this town.”

His explanation was clear, but it made me feel a little weird. We walked out of campus. Even though it was awkward, I was glad I at least knew one person. But that peaceful vibe suddenly changed when the sound of a motorcycle got closer to us. Noah and his bike rode alongside me and Lucas, and it looked like he purposely swerved close to Lucas.

“Go away!”

Noah yelled at him. His eyes were laser focused on Lucas.

“Why should I go?” Lucas shot back.

Suddenly, Noah sped up a bit, passed us, then turned around and aimed his bike right at Lucas. My eyes widened. He was gonna hit Lucas. I almost screamed because the bike was just inches from Lucas, but then he suddenly stopped. Lucas was shaking. Without saying anything, he just bolted, leaving me with Noah. I was terrified too. What did Noah want?

I wanted to bolt too, but he grabbed my hand quickly. I couldn't go anywhere.

“You're scared of me,” those words came out again.

Noah pulled me closer until our faces were right in front of each other.

“Am I like a monster? Why are you looking at me like I'm dirt?”

“I… I don't understand what you mean.”

His gaze got even fiercer. His grip on my hand became painful.

“I know girls like you act all innocent. You think I'm trash. Women who grew up in good families like yours look at me like I don't deserve to live!”

Why was he saying that? I'd never even thought anything like that. Why was he bothering me and scaring me?

At the absolute worst time, my phone suddenly rang. It was super loud. Why now?! I quickly pulled my phone out of my bag. When I looked, it was my friend Selina.

“Answer it,” Noah said.

With shaking hands, I answered Selina's call.

“Hey, Selina. What's up?”

“I don't know where to start, Casey, but I think you need to break up with Anthony. I'm gonna send you a video. He's cheating on you with Nathalie!”

I was shocked. Anthony cheating? It felt like being struck by lightning. A message came in from Selina. I quickly opened it. Selina sent a video of Anthony making out with Nathalie at a nightclub. In an instant, I felt completely shattered, and my phone just slipped out of my hand.

I couldn't think clearly. Anthony and I loved each other. He was the only one who stayed with me when I was at my lowest after my parents' divorce. We had a bit of a fight when I decided to move with Mom, but he'd promised me he wouldn't betray me.

“What's the hell with you?” Noah picked up my phone. He looked at it, then looked at me with a satisfied smirk.

“So, the swan's got a broken heart.”