First Meeting

On the day the two of them interacted for the first time, it was snowing. Evelyn had been pushed into the sports equipment room and locked there by the fellow classmates. The occurrence wasn't a first time for her, so she wasn't exactly surprised or distressed.

Growing up, she could hardly recall a time she was well liked by her classmates. At first, it started with them alienating her, and then the matters escalated. They started to bully her physically and mentally.

At this point, instead of hoping for the harassment to stop, Evelyn's mindset changed to wish for the bullying to be lighter.

It was concerning how instead of being mad at her classmates for locking her up in the room, she felt grateful and pleased that they didn't beat her up

That night was particularly cold, and she was shivering. The thin jacket she wore did very little to provide her with warmth. Rubbing her hands together, Evelyn whispered to herself that it would be fine.

Just when her eyes were about to close, whether from the negative temperature or sleepiness, the door was pushed open. Opening her eyes, through her blurry sight, she tried to make out the figure in front of her.

Her vision felt limited, and she was dizzy. All she could remember was someone calling her name and picking her up. The embrace felt nice. The smell of citrus floated into her nostrils, evoking a sensation of peace. And then, trusting herself in those arms, she fell asleep.

And when she woke up next, she was on the hospital bed. Dressed in their school's uniform, a male student stood there, listening to the words from the teacher.

She recognized the teenager as Landon Parker— the student council vice president. Although in the freshmen year, he managed to create a deep impression in the entire school, and everyone looked up to him, admiring.

Not only was he talented, he had a handsome appearance, a charming personality, achievements that piled up to a great height, and a wealthy family background to support him. Someone like Evelyn could only watch him with envy, wondering how it feels to be so close to perfection.

She didn't expect anyone to rescue her. This was the first time in forever someone extended a hand to her with care, and this got her heart to skip a beat. A small smile was there on her face as she observed Landon.

On top of everything, he was even kind.

Can this man even get better?

Upon noticing that Evelyn had woken up, the doctor came over to her and asked her few questions. After checking her state and determining that she should spend the night here, he left.

Evelyn shyly smiled at the boy and expressed, "Thank you."

He nodded.

°°°

Once Evelyn was fit to go to school, she recalled about the help provided by Landon and knew that she had to properly show her gratefulness to him. With this being her first time to pack a gift for someone in a long while, she was lost on what to get him.

That's why, she chose what she liked the best.

Snacks.

Filling up a bag with all of her favorite snacks, she added a note, expressing her thankfulness, while giggling and placed it on his table early in the morning before sneaking away. Albeit foolish, Evelyn knew it wouldn't reflect well on him if the two of them were caught .

On that day, Evelyn had a smile on her face as she stepped into the classroom, wondering how Landon would react about it. Did he know her name at least?

However, the joy she felt was interrupted when Evelyn's knee had been kicked, causing her to immediately kneel down and lift her head to look at the perpetrator.

A teenager sat on the chair. With those blond curls, blue eyes, and fair skin, she was beautiful. However, a wicked smile sat on her face, and those eyes of hers lit up with maliciousness towards Evelyn.

"Care to share what is making you so happy so early in the morning, Loser. We too want to join in and laugh."

Evelyn's eyes fell on rest of her classmates, and she felt like a prey being stared at by vicious predators, who took pleasure in the sickening task of tearing her down.

What was the fun in harassing one girl? She never understood.

Evelyn silently stared at the blonde, having no words to say. Surely, they would target Landon if she told them the truth, and she didn't want the boy to be implicated.

"Where were you yesterday? You know, I quite missed you. The day was boring. That's why, you wouldn't mind indulging us more today, right?"

Evelyn shuddered under Annalise's stare. It was vicious. She tried to cower back, but a wince escaped from her lips when her hand was being pressed on, Annalise's heels digging into the back of her hand.

A cry left her mouth at the pain. Annalise bent down and grabbed on to Evelyn's hair, pulling it back. Seeing the distress on Evelyn's face, she wore a wide grin on her face.

"Now, that's better. Cry more for me to see."

"Please let go of me," Evelyn pleaded, but that crazy look in Annalise's eyes showed she was only getting started.

°°°

Evelyn jolted awake and pressed on to her forehead. She recalled the dream she had, and it made her frown. Those weren't the worst days of her life. They were nothing compared to what she had to face later on. But even so, although over a decade had passed, it still gave Evelyn chills.

"Fix your seatbelt."

"Huh?"

Upon hearing Landon's voice, she noticed that the plane was about to land, and this made her stare out of the window. After five years, she was finally back to this city which stayed as nothing more than a nightmare to her.

Her hand trembled involuntarily as her heart squeezed in her chest. That's when, she felt warmth cover her left hand, and upon glancing, she noticed that Landon had his hand on her.

Glaring at him, she questioned, "What do you think you are doing?"

"I don't need you to throw up here."

She won't do that. Offended by his words, she pulled away her hand from his grip.