Chapter 5 - Emily

The days were going by so fast, it made me worry a bit.

I didn't want to blink one day and be done with everything. I wanted to go … explore the city. And that's what I told Ava, but she told me she was unavailable for it.

It was ironic how she'd always force me to go out and I'd begrudgingly go, but the moment I wanted to do something, she's busy.

I made no complaints, happy that it was a Saturday. I hated going out in the public because of how the human population made me feel overwhelmed. But before coming here, I'd promised myself that I'd explore and try new things.

And I was going to do that with or without Ava.

So I walked out of my dorm, dressed in a simple sunny dress, a cute necklace, and sandals.

I took in deep breaths with each step I took away from the building, reassuring myself of my decision. To me, it felt like everyone was looking at me-judging me. I knew they weren't and probably didn't give a fuck about me, but that's what you start to think in every situation when you had a terrible childhood.

Because of how large the school was, I had to take the bus to leave the environment- it was odd doing this all alone. Then I walked a bit, looking at the map on my phone, occasionally glancing up.

Nobody seemed to care what I was doing, and that's just how I liked it.

Then I almost jumped out of my skin in fear when a sleek black car pulled up beside me. I walked a few steps forward, and it kept following me.

Then it horned at me.

Looking around, and back, I was a bit scared. But I reassured myself nothing would happen to me in the daylight if I just looked at who it was.

So I leaned closer.

The windows revealed Julian's face. “ Hi," he said charmingly.

I let out a sigh of relief. “ Hi. I thought you were some sort of kidnapper.”

“Sorry about that. I saw you walking, but I didn't know how else to reach out.” A hint of a smile played on his lips as he pushed the door open for me. "Get in. The hot sun isn't good for you."

The sun-kissed streets seemed to come alive as his smile widened.

He 's so hot.

I knew my eyes probably sparkled as I slid into the passenger seat. It was so comfortable, clean and so obviously expensive.

“So where are you going?” he asked. "You got family outside school? Or just want to do some shopping?”

I squeezed my hands on my dress, trying to avoid looking into his eyes.

“ I just … I’m new around here, not just the school. I've never been to such a place before, my home isn't that great, and I wanted to explore," I admitted.

Julian's smile grew wider. "Well, let me show you the real city, then."

I was surprised. I never expected him to be so willing.

"Y- you don't have anything else to do?” I asked curiously.

He shrugged. "Not really. I drove out of my place because I was bored and like you … I want to explore.”

I wasn't sure if I believed him, but he was offering me a free ride. While I didn't like accepting freebies, something told me to.

“Okay," I accepted.

So he started the engine and took me around.

I looked out the window, trying my best not to look at him. My body was tense, and my hands clammy. I didn't expect to feel so uncomfortable with him, but it was already too late to regret it.

“So where are you from?" he asked.

I glanced at him. “You don't want to know," I spoke.

He sounded surprised. “What? Why would you say that?"

"It's just because... it's small. No one really knows the place, to be honest. And it's very far away,” I explained.

"That doesn't matter. I love learning about new things. And places.”

I didn't know why he was so interested. I'd researched him online to understand just how

different we were. How we're not even supposed to be in the same space, and how any of my experiences are insignificant to him.

But I still told him what he wanted to know.

“The name is Glowsmore," I said. “ It's a very tiny town." He hummed in interest. “Why's it called that?"

I shrugged. “ I don't know. I don't really think I care either. My main aim from the beginning was to leave the place. And I did."

He let out a soft laugh.

I glanced at him again. He's not so bad. He seemed relaxed unlike how I saw him in his pictures or around people. Was that just some sort of shield or did he not think I was that important to

guard himself around?

“That night," he said, stopping by the driveway of a quaint cafe. “You don't remember it, do you?"

I shook my head, locking eyes with him. The air in the car suddenly didn't feel like it was enough. I was torn between liking or hating the way he was staring at me.

“ No,” I said, my voice low.

"Okay, that's fine. I had a feeling,” he accepted. "I don't either. I do have some flashes, but it seemed we were really out of it."

I nodded. “Yeah."

This was so awkward.

“ Do you want to be friends?" he blurted. I blinked, shocked.

He continued. “ Do you want to be friendly, at least?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat felt dry. I was too shocked by his question to speak. He smiled. “ Maybe we'll talk about this later then, alright?” he asked, to which I agreed.

I needed to arrange my thoughts before giving him a response.

We got into the café where we sipped coffee and devoured pastries. It was all still weird, but I could handle it a bit, trying to ignore the double takes all the women and girls did whenever they saw Julian. It was kind of annoying. But to his credit, Julian didn't seem to care, which was quite surprising yet pleasing.

Next, we strolled through to an art gallery. I was an English major, but one of my best subjects ever was the creative arts. It was a shame I didn't know how to draw for shit.

As the afternoon wore on, Julian declared it was time for shopping. I protested, not expecting the change, but he was insistent. "Consider it a welcome to the city gift. And a gift for being a freshman," he said, his eyes twinkling.

I sighed, agreeing after a few pleas. I knew he would pay, because he'd already done that the first few times. But I couldn't help but feel like I was some sort of sugar baby.

Maybe I'd just protest whenever I was uncomfortable.

I snapped out of it though when we arrived at our destination.

At the upscale boutique, I tried on outfit after outfit, Julian acting like a kid in a candy store. He sat on the couch, watching me with an amused expression, offering critiques and suggestions. It all felt so bizarre, and it also felt like something I should be doing with my friends or boyfriend, of which he was neither.

But like a lot of things, I didn't protest. Julian was nice, the same way Ava was. Being rude would be stupid and disrespectful.

Saying no always got me the short end of the stick, and in a new environment with new people who actually seemed to not detest me, I had to make the most of it all.

When I emerged in a stunning red dress, he stood up, his eyes locking onto mine. "You look beautiful," he said, his voice low.

My cheeks flushed as I quickly changed out of the dress. Looking at the dress one more time, I accepted that he was right. It's so beautiful. But …

"You can use mine," I said, trying to hand the sales associate my credit card.

Julian simply laughed, snatching the card from her hand. "I think I can handle it," he said with a polite smile, handing the associate his own card.

Despite my protests, he paid for everything, insisting it was his treat. And I gave up, deciding that it’s dumb to try to stop a literal billionaire from paying for my stuff. As we left the store with the bags, I felt a mix of gratitude and frustration.

As we drove back to school, the silence between us was comfortable. Which was unexpected. We had exchanged good conversation, and it was all nice.

My phone buzzed, and I took it from my purse, curious. It was a notification of a short post. By The Whistleblower.

I clicked on it, expectant. But I didn't expect what I found.

[Mystery Girl Found With Julian Blackwell?] I froze.

It was a photo of Julian and I leaving the café . “ Holy shit," I whispered.

“What?"Julian asked.

I forced a smile at him. “ It's nothing. I'm just checking the time.” He nodded, easily accepting my excuse. "Alright.”

My hands shook, and my heart rate increased the closer we got to my dorm. I looked back down at it to read.

[According to our sources, her name is Emily, a freshman, and she 's from the English department. It's not confirmed yet, but it is interesting.

Despite this, I bet the Julian Blackwell fangirls have probably found her dorm room and full name.

Stay tuned for more gossip from ‘The Whistleblower’!]

My hands shook, shocked and suddenly scared.

I didn't know whether to tell Julian. Was there anything he could even do? What do people who get on the news usually do? Ignore it all, right?

Minutes later, still none the wiser, Julian was about pull up to my building, but I directed him to drop me off a block away. He appeared confused, but did as I asked.

"Thanks for today," I said, reaching for the door handle.

"Wait," Julian said, his voice low. "Give me your number at least, until you come up with a decision."

I raised an eyebrow but couldn't deny the spark of excitement I felt as I gave him my number. I watched him drive off, waving goodbye, before I walked to my dorm.

My phone buzzed with a message from Ava, but just as I was about to respond, I saw a group of girls emerge from the shadows of the dorm building. Their eyes locked onto me, and their faces twisted in anger. "You're the one, huh?" one of them sneered.

My eyes widened, scared, as I took a step back, but the girls closed in, their heels clicking on the pavement.

The girls didn't give me any space. They pushed me, their words insulting and threatening. I

raised my hands, trying to defend myself, and took another step back. I felt the edge of the curb behind me, and my foot slipped off the sidewalk.

Then I heard Ava's panicked voice shout from afar, "Emily!"

My eyes darted towards the dorm, and I saw Ava sprinting towards me. But before I could react, I heard the sound of screeching tires, and suddenly I stumbled backward, my arms flailing wildly because I was hit. Hard.

The world went dark, and then my vision snapped back into focus. I laid on the ground, my

head- my body pounding in agony. Blood trickled down my face and Ava's face hovered above mine, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Emily, oh my god, Emily!" Ava sobbed.

The screaming grew louder. My gaze drifted towards a sound, and I saw the car, its front

bumper crumpled, its windshield cracked. The driver's door swung open, and a figure stumbled out, their face contorted in terror.

But my vision began to blur again, and everything went dark.