Chapter 1

I returned home and shut myself in the bathroom. I then ran the hot water at full blast, allowing the steam to cloud the mirror—and my vision along with it.

I stripped off my soiled school trousers and underwear and threw them into the very bottom of the trash, as though I could get rid of the humiliating odor and the thousands of gazes that had stuck to me earlier.

I scrubbed myself repeatedly, scrubbing until my skin rubbed raw and flushed crimson. I could still feel the weightlessness of the heights and the sound of the wind howling in my ears, no matter how much I scrubbed. I could also hear Lisa Thornton and Steve Baxter's jarring laughter echoing from the ground.

It was then that my mother, Talia Smith, suddenly knocked on the bathroom door and said, "Your father has an event this evening, and I have a card game with Renee later, so you're on your own for dinner, Dominic."

"Got it, Mom," I replied hoarsely, my voice drowning out in the sound of the rushing water.

I thought it was for the best, as I didn't want them to see me in such a state. I was in the bathroom for ages, only stepping out, trembling, once the water turned cold.

I noticed my phone vibrating nonstop on my desk and found out that I had been tagged countless times in my class's group chat. I opened the group chat, and the first thing that caught my eye was the bold headline. "The Event of the Year! Sky-Bound Action Scene!"

I looked like a puppet on strings in the video, with my limbs stretched out and suspended in midair. I was grimacing terribly as the shot zoomed in on my face. I scrolled down and noticed a sea of mocking laughter below the video.

"Dominic's expression is so meme-worthy!"

"Lisa is so impressive for putting in so much effort just to make the school heartthrob happy!"

"Dominic actually pissed himself! Does anyone want a close-up shot of that?"

"I'll pay good money for it as long as you send it to me!"

"He deserved it! He's punching way above his weight and doesn't know his place, constantly bothering Lisa!"

I quit the group chat, only to find that my Twitter feed was the epicenter of it all. Lisa had posted a status with a photo of me flailing midair and tagged Steven. "I got to make the school heartthrob happy again today!"

Steven instantly replied, "I'm really happy and grateful for the surprise, Lisa. I wonder if Dominic's going to be pissed, though."

There were a bunch of people fanning the flames in the comments.

"Steven's so nice to even care if Dominic's upset."

"Dominic should be grateful that Lisa is even giving him the time of day!"

"That's right! He's nothing more than a hanger-on!"

I turned off my phone, feeling as though my heart was crushed in an icy hold, hurting so badly that I struggled to draw a single breath.

I had known Lisa for exactly ten years. I had stayed by her side ever since my father, Jeremy Hunt, became her father's chauffeur.

I was entirely obedient to her. I would sneak out just to buy her food when she was hungry and stayed up all night preparing study guides and crib notes whenever she complained about exams. I brought her water when she was thirsty and apologized on her behalf whenever she quarreled with someone.

I had always heard people telling me that I was Lisa's lapdog. I believed it was love, but it turned out that I was nothing more than a pet Lisa kept for her own amusement.

…

I went to school the following day. I wasn't doing it because I was a glutton for punishment, but because there were things I had to reclaim.

I walked through the school gates, only to find everyone staring at me. I noticed the mockery and contempt in their gazes, clearly relishing my misfortune. I also found someone mimicking my airborne flailing from yesterday in the hallway, leading to an outburst of laughter from the crowd.