4. Then You Defend Her

Julian shut his dorm room door firmly before slamming his backpack onto the floor. Frustration, anger, and disappointment swirled inside him all at once.

The scene of Elena Castillo staring at him with eyes as cold as ice, ruthlessly hurling their memory stone into the pond, kept playing in his head like a broken record.

"Damn it!" Julian muttered under his breath, gripping his own hair in frustration.

He glanced toward his nightstand, where a massive bouquet of lilies from Valeria Montes sat pretentiously. Remembering how Elena had lumped him together with Valeria only made his chest feel tighter. In a sudden burst of emotion, Julian swept the bouquet off the table, sending it crashing to the floor.

Rustle!

As the bouquet slid across the surface, its movement dragged something out that had been hidden behind it. It was a medium-sized, clear plastic box tied with a loose red ribbon.

Julian froze.

Could it be? he thought, picking up the box. Inside was a row of chocolate chip almond cookies, their shapes slightly messy and uneven.

A smile tugged at his lips.

It was Elena’s signature cookies.

Julian knew that exact shape by heart. It was still fresh in his memory how back in Solverde, Elena would only bake these for a very special occasion, or whenever she wanted to cheer him up.

So she didn't actually forget about me... She lied, but why? Julian’s mind raced, searching for the missing puzzle piece.

Oh... damn it, he cursed internally as the realization finally hit him.

Elena must have come to his room yesterday. And yesterday afternoon, Valeria had barged in uninvited and caused a scene by forcing a kiss on him.

"She saw it..." Julian whispered, the words catching in his throat.

No wonder Elena's attitude toward him had taken such a drastic, hostile turn.

Is she jealous? Julian guessed, and a sudden wave of hope flooded his chest.

Wait, I need to clear up this misunderstanding before it gets any worse, Julian thought frantically.

Clutching the plastic box tightly in his right hand, Julian spun around and sprinted out of his room, racing against time before he lost her for good.

Meanwhile, near the San Aurelio University cafeteria.

I sat at one of the long, isolated wooden benches. In front of me, assignment sheets were scattered everywhere as I forced myself to focus on completing them.

My mind was a complete mess, but I had to push through.

A wave of panic and a sense of threat because Julian had outperformed me in class consumed my thoughts. I had to get a perfect score. I absolutely could not lose to an easy-going guy who treated everything in the world like a game.

Splash!

"Oops! My bad," a painfully familiar, shrill voice rang out, followed by a loud, mocking giggle.

I froze, staring in horror at the table. A thick, dark brown puddle of iced mocha rushed across the desk, instantly soaking the entire report I had spent the last three hours working on. The black ink bled within seconds, turning my hard work into a pile of soggy paper pulp.

I looked up, locking my eyes onto Valeria Montes, who was smirking while holding an empty plastic cup with fingers sporting a bright red manicure. Behind her, her three sidekicks stood with their arms crossed, wearing matching sneers.

"Wow, it's totally soaked, huh? My bad, Elena. My hand just slipped," Valeria said completely without remorse, though the triumphant grin on her face proved the exact opposite.

I balled my hands into tight fists, fighting to suppress my raging anger.

"I know you did that on purpose, Valeria."

"And what if I did?" Valeria challenged.

Valeria took a step forward, leaning over the stained table. Her expression shifted into something incredibly venomous and condescending. "I'm just helping you realize where you belong. People like you belong in the gutter, no matter how hard you try. So just chill and relax."

One of Valeria’s sidekicks chimed in, "Yeah, that overly serious attitude of hers is so annoying. You're bringing down the whole campus vibe."

"Listen to me, Lenatic," Valeria whispered sharply, emphasizing every single word right in Elena’s face. "Don't even dream about keeping your scholarship at San Aurelio. You and your dad were born to collect Solverde's trash for generations!"

“Enough!”

I snapped, slamming my hands onto the table with all my might before standing up to confront Valeria. This joke had gone way too far!

She had dragged my dad's dignity into the dirt, and that was my breaking point. Pain, humiliation, and fury merged into one impulsive urge.

My right hand swung high into the air, aiming straight for Valeria’s pristine cheek. This girl needed to be taught a lesson.

Valeria shrieked, reflexively shutting her eyes.

However, the slap never landed.

A large hand with a grip like iron suddenly caught my wrist mid-air. The sudden jolt was so strong it caused my body to stumble back slightly.

I turned around in a fury.

Julian Vega.

His breath was ragged, while his free hand held the plastic box of cookies. Julian looked at me, his eyes filled with pure disappointment.

"Julian! Sob..."

In a split second, Valeria shifted her demeanor. She took two steps back, hiding behind Julian’s broad back while putting on a perfectly manufactured look of terror and fake tears. Her acting was flawless.

"Julian, I'm so scared... She just tried to hit me out of nowhere, Ju. I just wanted to say hi and ask about our class assignment, but she got mad and tried to slap me," Valeria whimpered in a trembling voice, clutching the edge of Julian’s shirt as if she were the victim.

Julian ignored Valeria entirely. His attention was locked onto me, his fingers still tightly gripping my wrist.

"How did you change this much, El?" Julian asked coldly. "You're really not the Elena I used to know. The Elena I knew would never raise her hand or be this cruel to someone else!"

Hearing those words leave Julian’s mouth made my entire world crumble.

I looked down at the hand Julian was gripping, then at my ruined report soaked in coffee, and finally, at Valeria, who was wearing a smug, victorious smirk behind Julian’s shoulder.

I didn't have the energy to defend myself anymore. What was the point? In Julian's eyes, I was a violent, emotionally driven girl, while Valeria was an innocent soul who needed protection.

A mixture of disgust and sorrow washed over me.

"Let go," I hissed, my voice strained.

Instead of letting go, Julian pulled my hand forward, causing my face to nearly hit his solid chest. He lifted the clear plastic box in his left hand, shoving it right in front of my face.

"You lied to me, didn't you, El?" Julian demanded in a raw, raspy voice. "You told me I was a stranger. You said you didn't care about me anymore and even threw our stone into the pond. But if you really forgot about me... then what is this, El?! This is proof that you made my favorite cookies and left them in my room yesterday!"

The once noisy cafeteria suddenly went dead silent. A few passing students slowed their pace, whispering among themselves as they watched our drama unfold.

Valeria’s eyes widened the moment she heard Julian's words. She glared at the cheap plastic box, and a second later, her mocking laughter erupted again—this time, much louder and more cutting.

"Oh my god... so that plastic piece of garbage belongs to this hillbilly?" Valeria sneered, glancing at her friends who joined in on the demeaning laughter. Valeria stepped forward, pointing at the box with her expensive, manicured nails. "Ju, are you seriously willing to hold onto something that disgusting? God, look at the packaging, it’s so cheap. Probably bought it at a thrift store or a flea market. Besides, are those cookies or rocks? The shapes are a total disaster," Valeria mocked sharply.

My tears were flowing freely now, and now Julian had managed to humiliate me even further.

"You should just spit it out or throw it in the trash right now, Julian. It makes me sick just looking at it. I'm worried you'll get food poisoning from whatever unhygienic stuff this girl made. Honestly, I bet she did it on purpose so you’d miss class, trying to poison you."

Every word that left Valeria’s mouth felt like a blade scraping repeatedly over an open wound. A heartfelt gift I had made with the last of my tight budget, cookies I had baked hoping to welcome my childhood best friend back, were now nothing but a joke to be insulted.

And the part that shattered me the most: Julian just stood there in silence.

He didn't argue against Valeria's words, he didn't defend my sincerity, and from the painful grip on my wrist, I knew that in his eyes, I was the villain.

"Just throw it away then..." I said in a quiet, broken whisper.

"El, you have it all wrong, I meant—" Julian tried to speak.

"I SAID ENOUGH, JULIAN VEGA!"

"I hate you! I absolutely hate you!" I screamed right into his face, my voice echoing across the massive space. "You and your girlfriend... you're both pathetic! Don't you dare ever show your face in front of me again!"

"Fine! I also regret ever knowing a rude woman like you!" Julian snapped.

I froze, then broken hearted, I snatched my backpack and turned on my heel, walking away.