The following day, Aoife found herself in front of the Dean’s office. Confused, she looked around before knocking on the door. The humiliation gifted by the seniors flashed in her mind.
It was not only what they did in the class, but what level they stoop to mistreat her. Being a girl who lived independently, she couldn’t accept this in justice anymore. She decided she would see no one else suffer for the same reason: “Am I doing right or wrong?” She quietly whispered in her mind.
At last, she gathered the courage to knock on the door.
“Come in,” the voice came from the other side of the door.
She entered and greeted the Dean with a smile.
“Good morning, sir,”
“Good morning. What brings you here? Miss....,” The Dean answered.
“Aoife Marshall,” she added.
“Sir, as you mentioned, your college has a strict policy against bullies,” her confident voice changed Dean’s expression.
“Yes,”
She took a step closer to his brown table.
“I am here to complain against Xander, Victor, and Zareena,”
Aoife expected more concern in Dean’s voice, but the words coming out of his mouth shook her core.
“Who?”
“Xander, Zareena, and Victor,” she repeated.
Dean’s jaw clenched at the mere mention of Xander’s name. He didn’t give her a chance to talk.
“Miss Marshall, I would suggest you calm down.”
“But, sir, yesterday after the class, he humiliated me in front of everyone. Who made these stupid rules for first-year students, and how...”
“Miss Marshall, I am sure you have done something wrong. Respect your seniors. And we will talk later. I have so much work to do.” The Dean replied, showing no interest.
“But sir,” she wanted to finish her complaint, but he didn’t listen to her and pointed her out.
With a heavy heart, she walked herself out.
As she came out, her gaze met Zareena and Victor, who were waiting outside to humiliate her more.
“Poor baby. Do you want to complain?” Zareena said.
Aoife kept her peer down and walked past them.
“We need to teach her a lesson,” Victor whispered in Zareena’s ear.
As Aoife reached her class, Luka and Clara came toward her.
“Where were you?” Clara asked.
“What happened yesterday?” Luka asked at the same time.
“Did you go to the Dean’s office?” They fired multiple questions.
She exhaled the cold air, thinking about how this system is crippled when confronting bullying activities.
“Yes, I went to the Dean’s office. I wanted to complain about Xander, Victor, and Zareena.”
“What?” Luka screamed.
“But why, Zareena?” Clara said.
~Aoife~
Flashback:
After that incident, I went to my dorm. I stayed in the girl’s hostel, which is ten minutes away by walking from my college.
It’s an enormous place where most of the girls like me used to stay. After I reached my room, I started arranging my stuff. Luckily, I placed all my stuff in no time, pulling up my posters, planners, and everything. Exhausted with the activity, I only wanted to have a hot shower before heading out for dinner. But before I entered the bathroom, I heard a knock on my door.
“Who’s this?” I questioned.
“Open the door.” A voice came from the other side.
I cracked open the door, but the girls busted it wide open and entered the room.
“What the hell is this?” I screamed.
“Look down.” A girl whispered.
That made me realize they are my seniors. “So, I heard what you did back in the canteen?” A brunette tilted towards me.
This time I made myself quiet; I didn’t want any drama from my side. I didn’t want to give them any reason to bully me.
“I am sorry,” I answered. They went through my stuff and started throwing my arranged clothes on the floor, ripped my planner., threw my books here and there.
But as I promised myself, I mummed and quietly gulped the busting anger inside.
“I am Zareena, and I will ensure you behave nicely here, too.”
She intentionally dropped her orange juice on my bed. My anger was roaring inside me as I wanted to break her jaw.
After a few warnings, she left the room with a cynical smile.
First, my anger and then my tears rolled down. Isn’t it strange when you can’t bust anger out? It knows how to make a way out of your eyes.
My planner, my books, everything was on the floor, and an empty bed for me to sit and scan this mess.
“Get back to work.” I sighed and started my job again.
Tomorrow, I need to talk to the Dean about these people. Otherwise, it would be difficult for me to survive like this.
****
I explained everything to Clara and Luka.
“Babe, you are in a big problem. You gave them a reason to torture you. And I know Xander will not forgive you for this.” Luka reacted to my situation.
“Shut up.” Clara jerked her hand.
“What do you want me to do?” “They ruined my room, humiliated me, and how much more do they want to bully me?”
My anger pulsated through my voice and my eyes. Luka’s eyes squinted when he saw someone coming from the back.
We three gulped the lump stuck in our throat when we saw Xander giving me an angry watch, followed by Zareena and Victor. It didn’t take time for me to understand they told him about my latest step.
Something told me I was dead now. The way these look at me gives me a vibe; the war has begun.
We hastily walked inside our classroom and ducked ourselves into the chairs.
******
After finishing our lectures, we headed to keep our stuff in our respective lockers, not to mention a continuous fear of getting encountered by these people was killing me inside.
Clara and Luka were busy chatting with each other. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Xander standing on the opposite side of the hallway, watching us getting close to our lockers.
Ignoring him was the best way I tried to dissolve myself. Keeping my head low, I tried to open my locker, but it seemed stuck.
I tried hard one more time. Finally, I pulled it hard with my total energy. Suddenly, I felt something sticky covering my head and shoulder. The smell was so bad I vomited the very next moment.
It was a mustard sauce with some rancid oil mixed with it.
Clara and Luka wanted to help me, but they stopped when they saw Senior walking toward me.
“What happened, miss?” They were laughing at me. The humiliation crossed its limit, and all I wanted was to run from there.
I stopped for a few seconds and gazed at Xander before running toward the girl’s room. He stood there with a blank face and looked at me.
Why did I do that? I don’t know. Maybe I wanted to ask him why he was not laughing at me. Is he not enjoying the show? Or maybe I wanted him to stop all this.
He wanted to teach me a lesson. And here I am, covered with stinky mustard sauce spreading all over my clothes.
Tears covered my vision as my body was sticky and stinky simultaneously. Clara followed me as she tried to calm me down.
“Calm down, dear,” Clara helped me to clean up.
“Wait, I have some spare clothes in my locker. Let me bring it for you.” She walked out.
I was shaking with anger and disgrace.
“How could they do this to me?” I said in a distorted voice.
“Calm down,” Clara repeated her words again and again.
And all I saw was Xander’s face in front of my eyes. I hate him.
He is a heartless man. One thing I was sure of, I hated him. I hate him for everything. I didn’t get the courage to face my classmates not when everyone saw me getting badly treated by them. On my behalf, Clara informed all the professors about my health. Once I knew the Dean couldn’t help me, how could I expect anything from my professors?
Nobody can help me with this mess.
Tears were rolling through my eyes by lying on my bed and watching the old ceiling of my dorm. I looked at my phone, where I could see a missed call.
“Hello, Auntie,” I said. She took some time to answer.
“My child, how are you? Is everything alright?” Aunt Jeena answered.
My mom, Nia Marshall, died a few years back of blood cancer. My dad left my mom for another woman. Strangely, after spending a few years in an orphanage, I was adopted by Aunt Jeena. She was my mom’s best friend, and she was like another mother to me.
“I am fine. Did you find something about Caleb?” I wanted to divert my mind.
“He is not here. No sign of him.” She sighed.
Caleb is Aunt Jeena’s only son, who was like a big brother to me. We grew up together as a family, but later on, he fell for drugs while I was busy with my studies.
We tried hard to stop him, but the day came when he ran from the house. It’s been six months since he is not home. We tried hard to find him, but no signs of him.
“Tell me, did he call you?” Aunt said.
I knew why she asked me this question. Caleb loved me with his life. The only person he trusted ever was me. But this time, he didn’t tell me anything when he left the house.
“Aunty, if he would call me, I will tell you first. But don’t worry. I am sure we will find him.” I whispered.
She asked me about my new life, which I was not ready to share. I told her all the good things, or should I say I lied to her because I didn’t want her to take more stress from me?
It diverted my mind from my present condition for a few minutes, but once I hung up the phone, all the flashes returned to me. What am I going to do? What more would these people do to me? All the questions bombarded my mind.
It was evening, and I felt a headache. I snuggled myself under my bed and slept eating nothing.
~Xander~I was alone in my classroom, watching stupid posts while scrolling my phone screen. The day seemed fine, as all my mates were out and I was waiting for Matt. I heard a knock and didn’t bother to look at it. I mean, who will knock before entering the class?Once again, my annoying ears heard the same sound, and this time I jerked my neck to rebuke the person. Out of my expectation, I saw her. It was none other than the new birdie looking at me. I stuffed the phone in my front pocket and walked toward her. With a blush, she lowered her peer.“What are you doing here?” I said, while scanning her beauty. She tucked her strands, and my eyes caught her tattoo again.“Can I see you?” She answered.What is she doing here? Didn’t she know others would insult her more than ever for entering the senior’s classroom? And why was she talking to me like that?Her cheeks turned red, and the composed breathing hooked my attention. Her voice was seductive, and I couldn’t say no even if I wante
~Aoife~ The morning was cold and foggy, just like my life going on these few days. I used to love this weather when mom made hot cocoa for me, and we watched movies together. And now she is gone; this weather makes me feel alone. I was awake, looking at her picture close to my bed. “Good morning, Mum,” I remembered she loved to kiss my forehead and never forget to mention, welcome the new day with fresh energy, but I didn’t want to get out of bed. Why would I? No motivation was left to make me stand out of my bed, nor was I eager to start my day. When I came here, I was ready to win the world. But in the last few days, everything changed. And all I wanted was to hide where these people couldn’t torture me anymore. I just wanted these days to be over. But what about the promises I made to my mother? I promised her to conquer everything, every fear in my life. I glanced at my tattoo, Love Never Fails. She used to call me the love of her life. She reminds me of her presence with
~Aoife~Well, that didn’t go well. How could I expect good from the wrong person? How did I hope he would let me go quickly?They plotted against me, and now they started being physical. Zareena pushed me hard, and I got scratches on my hand and elbow. But I was wondering why Xander behaved differently. He even said sorry, even when he knew he was behind all this chaos.After my strange meeting with Xander, I came to my class, where Luka and Clara were waiting for me.“Is everything alright? What did he say?” Clara jumped on her toes.I pressed my lips. What should I say?I told them everything, and I could feel they struggled to believe what Xander did for
~Xander~She left her innocent eyes on my soul. This moment reminds me of a story. Some folks who needed emotional rescue were trapped in icebergs that took many years to form. When you bring your gentle flame to their outer walls and melt a little, if they are brave enough, they will light their internal flame and allow the ice to melt. If they are afraid, they will add more layers of ice faster than you can melt it.Unknowingly, I felt the same. Aoife was an unknown flame that melted my heart, and I was not ready for the change.My playboy image wanted to bite every part of her delicate body, while my heart wanted to be with her. In this turmoil, when Zareena pushed her, it enraged my emotions.My angry look toward Zareena scared her off; she stomped outside.I didn’t understand the cause of my sudden anger. Is Aoife controlling me? Or does Zareena’s misbehavior towards Aoife affect me?All I knew was her teary eyes influenced me. With all this emotional roller coaster, I saw her l
~AOIFE~It’s been a few days since I saw Xander in the library. The last encounter with him was more than enough for me. I decided on the same day to stay away from him. His presence gives me shivers. Bad or good, I don’t know. But he suffocates me. His piercing eyes made me feel something else. Even though I could not look at him, from the corner of my eyes, I could feel his eyes traveling through my body, observing every bit of my emotions. Well, what amazed me was he took my side in front of his chick. He was like a mystery to me I could not solve.I would definitely keep a distance from a man who doesn’t respect a woman. Shaking my head, I want to drop every crippling thought of Xander coming into my mind. I am not here to study his behavior. I am here to fulfill my dreams. It seems my apology to Xander worked; the last few days went well;
~Xander~ It’s been a few days since I saw Aoife. I knew she tried her best to ignore me. Now and then, there were a few chances to see her in the library. But whenever I visited, she tried to make herself busy with other library chores. She made sure not to come in front of me. And I was damn sure Matt supported her. I knew my friend and how he respects women. But this time, I was feeling different. The more she ignored me, the more I visited the library. It’s like she was controlling me; it was against my nature to be owned by someone else. Tired of her hiddenness, I made myself busy with other stuff. But we had a strange encounter outside the pool area. Well, today, I was waiting outside for Matt. He came holding a bunch of books. “What? Are you going to finish the
~Xander~Waiting... Waiting... Waiting...My mind was so much like the ocean; I watched for the incoming ships of my thoughts drowning inside me.Is she going to be okay? What the heck were doctors doing with her?Why is there no information about her? How long are they going to take? I was continuously burning in anguish, and that troublesome moment didn’t let me rest for a second.But when I ask myself why this unsettled anger and on whom? Something told me it was me. Why didn’t I reach on time? Why was I not there to protect her?And the essential thing; Who the hell did this thing to her?That person would be dead from my hand.I will drown him the same way.On the next thought, I literally planned the slow death of that unknown person who tried to kill her.I was in constant pain
Heartbreak is a funny thing. It happened to the person you never expected. Xander never thought he would become the villain for Aoife, not when he was the one who saved her life.He became the last person she wanted to see in this world, and unfortunately, she was the only girl who drove him crazy.For the entire night, he fought with his feelings, hiding it underneath, thinking it was just a fling of unsettled feelings that would go with time. It became worse when the time came to see her. Her emotionless eyes towards him thrashed his spirit. She hated him for the crime he didn’t commit. She didn’t believe his words.His desperate eyes waited for a single glance, but she ignored him as if he had never existed for her. Above all, he controlled his possessiveness when he saw her hugging Matt