Chapter 4

A piercing pain shot through my bones, and I couldn't suppress a muffled groan as I struggled desperately.

The other two girls yanked my backpack away and hurled it into a puddle of filthy water.

The rosary Zachary had prayed over for me tumbled onto the steps. One of the girls raised her foot and stomped on it, snapping the cross.

The sight of the broken rosary sent a sharp pain through my heart, and my eyes instantly reddened. "Don't touch my things!"

I twisted and fought with all my strength, but they were too strong. They pinned me firmly against the wall, and I couldn't move.

Cassie bent down and picked up the broken rosary. "So what if I did?"

She casually tossed it into a mop bucket filled with filthy water, then fixed me with a sinister glare. "Some worthless piece of junk from the country, and your family treats it like a treasure? Valerie, do you really think a few good grades mean you can get above me?"

She stepped forward, grabbed my long hair, and violently yanked my head back.

I had no choice but to look up at her malicious face as searing pain tore across my scalp.

She shoved me by the shoulder and slowly dragged me toward the window. The sharp, rusted metal edge of the windowsill drew closer and closer to my head.

Another half step, and my head would probably slam straight into that jagged edge.

Despair swept over me. My limbs went weak, and my entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Tears burned my eyes as I shouted at her, "Cassie, I've never done anything to you. We have no grudge against each other, so why do you keep bullying me?"

At my accusation, the spite on Cassie's face gave way to intense jealousy.

She gritted her teeth and finally revealed what she'd really been planning. "No grudge? There's only one guaranteed spot at Kingsley University, and it was supposed to be mine! Do you really think I'd let you take first place and get it?"

Her anger intensified. She dug her fingernail into my shoulder so hard that it nearly broke the skin. "You're just some country bumpkin. What gives you the right to compete with me for an opportunity that was supposed to be mine?

"I've had the best resources and connections my entire life. That guaranteed admission spot can only be mine!

"I just need to get rid of you, my competition, and make sure you lose your chance at that spot!"

I froze. So all those public humiliations had happened simply because she'd assumed I would steal her guaranteed admission spot.

I had never even dreamed of getting something like that. All I had wanted was to study quietly and mind my own business.

The girls behind me continued to shove me until the back of my head pressed against the cold, sharp edge of the windowsill.

A deathly fear seized me. I trembled as I felt inside my school uniform pocket until my fingers found my phone. I frantically swiped across the screen and dialed Zachary's number.

The call connected, and Zachary's calm, gentle voice immediately came through. "Valerie, why are you calling me at this time?"

Hot tears streamed down my face. I was about to cry out for help when Cassie suddenly grabbed my wrist.

With tremendous force, she ripped the phone from my hand, raised her arm high, and slammed it against the hard concrete steps.

The deafening crack of shattering glass echoed through the empty stairwell.

The phone bounced into the murky puddle, its screen fractured into a dense web of cracks. Pieces of the casing and internal components broke loose and scattered across the wet concrete.