Chapter 31

I made her way around the school with my head held high, seeking solace in the warm embrace of the unseasonably bright sun. What a grave mistake that turned out to be. Mere seconds later, I found myself encircled by a throng of students whose angry glares bored into me like arrows. Their fists clenched tightly at their sides. Desperate to break free, I tried pushing through them, but they merely bounced me back into the center of their vicious circle.

"Murderer!" shouted a pug-nosed boy with bleached blonde hair, his face twisted in rage.

"Slut!" yelled another girl, her voice slicing through the air.

That single utterance seemed to ignite a chorus of insults, ricocheting off the walls of my mind. My eyes darted around the circle, seeking any gap, any moment of weakness that could allow me an escape. I knew the teachers had already congregated at the field, and any students wandering by would either ignore the spectacle, watch with curious eyes, or add fuel to this