Chapter Three

PRESENTLY...

My biker Boy Fantasies, that was what everyone was calling it. 

Everywhere Elias went, people's gaze followed her. She was the hottest topic in school right now, and she's never felt more vulnerable in her life. 

People made fun of her as she walked by. They called her all sorts of names and a few stood out to her especially 

'Pervy Nerd'

'Hardcore Hottie'

'Kaelen's number one fan'

'Miss XXX rated'

'Secret slut' 

Meanwhile, she hadn't seen Chloe anywhere for the whole day. She had hoped there would be someone by her side to hold her through this hard time, but Chloe was nowhere to be found. She had called her several times, but she wasn't picking up her calls. 

Nowhere in school was safe, not even the bathrooms. Elias tried to remember the last time she had seen her notebook, which was yesterday when she had rushed home to pick up her regular jotter instead. 

She was quite sure she had dropped it at home, so who could have gotten their hands on it and leaked it out? 

She had managed to attend a few of her lectures, but she could not concentrate on a word the professor was saying. The whole world kept stealing glances at her, and at this point, she just wanted to go back home. 

She wanted to be back in the solitude of her home and cry her eyes out. 

.

.

.

After class, Elias clutched her bag to her chest with her head down as she navigated around campus, trying to get to the exit as fast as she could. 

The stares followed, along with the nicknames which prickled her back. She rounded a corner of the student union building, hoping it was less trafficked when she saw him. 

Alex. 

He leaned against a stone railing, surrounded by his athletic friends and a few girls whose giggles made her want to pull out her ears. Alex was smiling back at them, a carefree smile that made her wonder if he even gave a damn about her current school situation. 

Their eyes met, and Alex's smile vanished, replaced by another look. Was that guilt? Annoyance? No, she didn't care. 

"Hey guys, look! It's Miss XXX rated!" One of his friends jeered, loud enough for everyone around him to hear. 

"Still writing those books, Pervy Nerd?" The girl closest to Alex added, "Don't forget to send us the advanced copies, alright?"

Everyone around burst into laughter, and Elias's cheeks burned from embarrassment. Some stupid part of her hoped Alex would step in and stand up for her, but he just stood there, silent. 

Suddenly, a foot stepped into her way and Elias tripped over it. Her balance failed and she fell on her hands, grazing her palm on the concrete floor. 

She looked up to see the smirking face of another mean girl on Campus, Bethany, with her perfectly straightened hair and expensive-looking sneakers. She was also with her cronies, Tiffany and Emily. Bethany was also Kaelen's ex, but she and Alex had a thing once in the past. 

"Oopsie," Bethany sneered, a fake look of concern on her face, "Looks like someone's a little clumsy when they are not busy writing about their crush. What happened, Elias? Did you trip on your own fantasies?"

Emily chimed in, "Honestly, you need a real boyfriend to trip over instead. Tell me, are you really a virgin like you wrote in the book?"

"She must be at least twenty-two. Aren't you like suppose to lose it since highschool?" Tiffany added, then gave her a mocking once over, "But well, I can see you're still a Virgin. Boys aren't attracted to loser nerds like you,"

"Such a wild imagination she has, with nothing to offer," Bethany sneered once more. 

Something snapped inside Elias. The humiliation and everything else made anger rise within her, and she pulled up back to her feet and faced the girls, ignoring the sting on her knees, "At least I have a wild imagination," Her voice was sharp, "What do you have, Bethany? A burrowed personality and a full-time job trying to decide who to date between Kaelen and Alex? Or is it trying to cover up that ugly face underneath layers and layers of make-up?"

 Elias took a step forward, covering the distance between her and Bethany with an unflinching gaze, "And yes, Bethany, I do have a crush on Kaelen, and I wrote those fantasies. They're all mine and frankly," Her voice gained some strength and she surged with confidence as a lazy smirk danced along the edge of her lips, "They're a lot more interesting than anything you've ever done or thought in your pathetic life, and that is why you cannot get it out of your head,"

A stunned silence fell over the whole place. The girl's smile faltered, and Bethany's eyes widened with a furious, but genuine surprise. 

At the stone railing with his friends, Alex smiled and a look of shock and pride flashed across his face. 

Elias didn't wait for a reply, her heart hammering with adrenaline flushing through her as she walked away, bumping her shoulders into Bethany who stood in her way. 

Leaning behind the building of the student union government was a familiar statue, wearing a black hoodie this time instead of his usual leather jacket. The second Elias walked away, a light smirk touched his lips and he also slipped away. 

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.

.

Elias went straight to Chloe's apartment, and reached down to take out her spare key but she couldn't find it under the stone. She knocked several times, but there was no reply or any form of noise that she was home. 

Again, she tried Chloe's phone but she wasn't answering. What the hell had happened to her best friend?!

On getting to her own apartment, Elias flung her bag away and began searching for her Fantasy Jotter. In an hour, she had turned her apartment upside down trying to find the book, but it was gone. 

Someone had really gotten their hands on it and exposed it to the entire school!

Overwhelmed with emotions, Elias threw herself on the bed and hot tears ran down her cheeks. She cried for hours, till her face was swollen and her head was pounding. 

At nightfall, she got something quick to eat from a nearby convenience store and then left for her part-time job at Ivoire Table, the name of the restaurant she worked at.

The Job was from Monday to Saturday, and she always began her shift from 6:30pm to 11:30pm during the weekdays and 10:00am to 4:00pm on Saturday. She easily got along with her work colleagues. 

The restaurant was very busy that evening. Elias was in her uniform of a tailored charcoal waistcoat and a pair of long, dark pants as she moved carefully between the swinging doors, delivering meals and returning empty plates.  

As she returned to the kitchen once more, her eyes found Zayn's, a Young chef she knew and his eyes lit up and he waved at her. 

"Hi," Elias waved back at him.

Zayn was a few years older than Elias, maybe twenty-four or twenty-five. He had graduated from Northwood a few years back while Elias was just a fresher and was currently living his dream as a chef, and he had a very vibrant personality. 

He also had a soft spot for Elias and would often sneak her an extra bread roll after a hectic day or help her lift a heavy tray. 

"Table seven needs more water, Elias, now!" A gruff voice barked from behind. It was Mark, the head waiter. 

Elias nodded, grabbing a water pitcher. She was about to push through the doors when Zayn's voice cut through the noise in the kitchen, "El, hold up,"

She turned to him as he stood by the main grill station, a soft glint in his eyes as he looked at her. Zayn had intense dark eyes, which complemented the white colour of his uniform very much. Also, he has a smudge of flour on his cheek. 

"I'll get another waiter to handle table seven. You look like you're about to pass out," He said as he approached her. His gaze swept over her face, and then it fell on her hand, "What happened to your palm?" He asked, noticing the slight scrape from when she had fallen earlier at school. 

Elias's head snapped up. She had forgotten that Zayn possessed a keen radar for everyone around him. He easily noticed the smallest of things, and was also quick-witted, "It's nothing. I just tripped and fell," she replied.

"You don't just trip and fall, El. Something must have tripped you,"

"What? No no, it was just one of my clumsy moments,"

"Huh," His eyes narrowed, not believing her one bit. 

"Chef! Order for table three coming up!" Someone called out to him, pulling Zayn's attention back to his station.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a second," He yelled back, before returning his eyes back to Elias. They were firm, yet soft, "You seem quite...out of it today. I saw you polishing that water glass for five minutes straight, and your eyes look...kinda swollen," He leaned in a bit closer. 

"I'm just tired from school and all," She said anxiously, pushing her glasses up her nose. 

"She just needs more caffeine, or more drama in her life!" Maria, another waitress said playfully as she walked past them. 

"Probably," he said, his eyes never leaving Elias. He could tell something was wrong, but she wasn't willing to talk and he was not going to push her. He could see the pain in her eyes, and hated that he couldn't just solve or throw out whatever was hurting her. 

"Get something to eat during your break, Ok? And remember to get some rest. I will close early today, so I'll walk you home," He suggested.

"What? No, it's fine," She shook her head. 

"See you before midnight, El," He said, withdrawing as he walked away to tend to his new order. 

Just as Zayn promised, they walked together toward her apartment after work. The night air was a bit cold, and the streets were less busy. 

"So, how's school?" Zayn began, glancing at her. 

"As always. Busy, demanding, alright," She replied. 

"Nothing new in your life?"

She recalled her mother's call last night, and of course, the book leaking, "Nothing new," 

"You seem stressed about something. Would you like to talk about it?"

"I'm fine, honestly," She forced out a smile, trying to make it look natural, "I just tripped a bit today, and I got school work to catch up on and work at the restaurant was a bit more hectic than usual. I guess it was all getting to me," She shrugged indifferently, "That's all,"

Zayn didn't believe a word, but he didn't push either, "Alright then," He said as they stopped in front of her apartment. 

She turned to face him, "Thank you for walking me,"

"Of course," He answered, gently patting her arm. Then, he stared at her with an intensity that went beyond just friendly concern. It was a look Elias could not decipher. 

"Goodnight, then," She murmured. 

"Goodnight,"

He turned around, walking away and she watched him leave for a few seconds. She wondered what he would think of her if he found out about the book, and let out a deep sigh. Apart from Chloe, he was the only other person she could call her friend. 

Elias had just inserted her key into the keyhole to unlock her door, when a voice said, "Your Boyfriend?"

And her heart almost stopped. 

Slowly, she turned around and it was then she noticed a familiar looking bike parked just across the street, with the owner walking up to her in a black hoodie. 

Kaelen.