Chapter 4

The whole class turned to look.

"I didn't…" Oliver frowned and tried to explain, but Sabrina slammed her hand on the desk before he could finish.

"You seriously think dyeing your hair will make me like you?" Her voice was cold. "Even a dog knows its place, but you can't seem to figure out yours. Go dye your hair back. Now!"

Oliver looked at her angry face and decided there was no point explaining himself. He got up and headed for the door.

But as he passed the front row, one of Sabrina's friends stuck out a foot and tripped him.

Oliver stumbled and fell against a bucket of dirty mop water. The bucket tipped over, drenching his face in cold, filthy water that reeked.

The classroom erupted in laughter.

"Oops! Sabrina, look! He fell and got his hair all dirty!"

"Hey, dogs eat shit, don't they? A little dirty water should be nothing for your lapdog!"

Oliver clenched his fists. His face burned with humiliation as the laughter continued. When he looked up, he saw Sabrina standing a short distance away.

She hadn't been the one to trip him, but she hadn't tried to stop it either. Instead, she smirked.

"His hair's filthy," she said coldly. "Just cut it off."

Oliver went pale.

That was all the encouragement her friends needed. They rushed over with a pair of scissors and started hacking away at his hair.

"Get off me!" Oliver struggled, but several of Sabrina's friends were tall, muscular athletes.

They held him down so tightly he couldn't move and even stuffed a rag into his mouth to shut him up.

At first, only Sabrina's friends were involved. But soon, more and more classmates joined in.

With the SATs coming up, everyone was stressed and frustrated. Now, they had someone to take it all out on.

They even dragged Oliver into the bathroom and shoved his head into a toilet, laughing as they took photos and videos of him.

Eventually, word got out, and the school administration stepped in.

The vice principal, Mark Carter, was furious.

"This is completely unacceptable!" He pointed at Sabrina as he shouted across his office. "Sabrina Collins, tell me the truth! Did you put them up to this? Why else would so many students gang up on Oliver?"

Sabrina merely adjusted her bangs and ignored him.

Mark was shaking with anger. "Just because your family has money doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! This is a public school, and I won't tolerate this kind of behavior!

"And Oliver is our top student! He's got the best chance of getting into one of the country's top colleges! I'm expelling you!"

Oliver's head shot up.

Getting expelled this close to the SATs could jeopardize Sabrina's eligibility to take them. And if that happened, he could kiss his chance of studying abroad goodbye.

"Mr. Carter!" he blurted out. "Sabrina had nothing to do with it!"

The entire office fell silent. Even Sabrina looked up at him.

Mark stared at Oliver, both shocked and furious. "Oliver, did someone threaten you? You don't have to be afraid. We'll protect you..."

"No, sir," Oliver said firmly. "I did this to myself. Nobody hurt me."

With Oliver refusing to hold anyone responsible, the school eventually let the matter drop.

As they left the office, Sabrina's friends breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn't resist teasing her, though.

"Wow, Sabrina, you've really got him wrapped around your finger! After everything we put him through, he's still covering for you!"

Sabrina frowned. She glanced up and spotted Oliver standing at the far end of the hallway.

He stood tall and straight, his shoulders squared. Even after everything he'd been through, he refused to let his posture sag.

For some reason, the sight made her heart tighten. Her anger had already faded, leaving her with a strange sense of unease.

"This is ridiculous!" she snapped.

She headed toward him.

Meanwhile, Oliver had just left the office when he saw a message from Phoebe. The school had apparently contacted her too.

She was demanding to know what had happened, clearly worried about the situation. Oliver sent her a voice message.

"I've already sorted things out with the school. It won't affect Sabrina's entrance exams. Just make sure you keep your promise."

He had barely sent it when someone spoke behind him. "What promise?"

Oliver jumped, and his phone slipped out of his hand. He turned to find Sabrina standing behind him.

Panicking, he bent down to pick up his phone, but Sabrina beat him to it.

She grabbed it off the floor and glanced at the unlocked screen. The familiar profile picture in the open chat caught her eye.

She froze, then looked sharply at Oliver. "Why do you have my mom's number?"