Chapter 3

Third Person's POV

Bea was attracting a lot of attention due to her frantic rush. It seemed as though she was running with no clear direction as if someone was chasing after her with malicious intent. As she sprinted down the hallway, she found herself having to dodge students coming at her from the opposite direction, all while having her feet stepped on by those pushing from behind.

The chaotic scene resembled a herd of cattle being guided towards a pasture, with Bea desperately trying to escape the chaos. Intrigued and curious, some students began to speculate about her situation. "What's going on with her?" they whispered among themselves. "Isn't she the new kid?"

Suddenly, a girl gasped, recognizing another figure in the chaos. "Hey! It's Adrian!" she exclaimed. Adrian, known not only for his rebellious nature but also for his alluring charm, had become the heartthrob of their campus. Girls went weak in the knees at the sight of him, but their excitement quickly turned into shock as they noticed bloodstains on his face and clothes. "Oh my goodness, what happened to him?" they wondered aloud.

Ignoring the commotion around him, Adrian shouted in frustration, "Come back here!" His focus was solely on chasing after Bea, regardless of the curious gazes and questions thrown his way.

Puzzled, one student asked, "Is he really chasing her?" as Adrian rushed past without acknowledging them. Another girl, connecting the dots, blurted out, "Wait, don't tell me... are those two involved in something?" The speculation and assumptions started to run wild among the students. "Why is he running after that girl?!" one exclaimed. "That's impossible, Adrian is mine!" another argued.

Meanwhile, Bea's frantic feet led her to the highest point of the school - the rooftop. Exhausted, she collapsed onto a bench, desperately trying to catch her breath. It was her temporary refuge from the chaos below.

Adrian, realizing he had lost track of Bea in the sea of students, finally gave up the chase. Panting heavily, he took a moment to collect himself.

"Phew! I thought I was going to die," Bea exclaimed to herself, her voice echoing across the rooftop. Filled with apprehension, she contemplated the consequences that awaited her. "Oh my, I might need to find a new school again," she muttered, realizing that her peaceful life at the Academy would become miserable if she stayed. "But my parents will surely be furious with me. Or worse, they might disown me."

Bea found herself in a predicament, as her parents were both currently abroad due to the demands of their family's business. Consequently, she had taken the bold step of moving into an apartment that was conveniently located near her school. Although her parents were aware of her living situation, they still provided her with their unwavering support. They respected Bea's decision to venture out on her own and allowed her the freedom to live life independently.

As Bea sat on the rooftop, pondering her next move, she could not help but feel a wave of frustration washing over her. Burying her face in her hands, she wondered aloud, "What am I going to do now?" Her mind was consumed with thoughts of her afternoon class, and the presence of a certain individual made attending it seem like an insurmountable obstacle—Adrian.

Unable to shake off her anxiety, she sighed deeply, gazing up at the ceiling as if seeking inspiration. The mere thought of encountering him in class seemed to weigh heavily on her, casting a shadow over her desire to pursue her education. With a heavy heart, she whispered to herself, "I can't attend the afternoon class because he'll be there."

Lost in her dilemma, Bea knew she had to find a way to navigate through this challenge. She needed a solution that would grant her the freedom to pursue her education without any hindrance. Frustration and uncertainty consumed her, leaving her longing for guidance. In the silence of the room, she pleaded, "What do I do?"

Paul's POV

During our lunch break, my friends and I gathered at our usual spot in the school port. It's a private room since the school is owned by Jacob's family, so only the six of us have the privilege to access it.

As we settled in, we realized that one of us was missing - Adrian, the eldest among us. Our leader's frustration was evident, as he questioned the absence of our friend, "Where the hell did that fool go?"

I attempted to calm him down, suggesting that Adrian might have had something important to attend to for school. James, always the sarcastic one, laughed at my remark, questioning when Adrian had ever shown interest in studying.

Meanwhile, Daniel, engrossed in his comic book, suggested that Adrian might have been up to his usual mischief, bullying someone or stealing food and money for his own amusement. This was a common occurrence with Adrian, and we all nodded, knowing the truth in Daniel's words.

However, Kyle had a different idea. He proposed that Adrian might have been the one to get bullied this time. Surprised by his input, we all turned to look at him. Confused, Kyle questioned our reaction, not understanding why we found it so implausible.

With unanimous disbelief, we responded in unison, laughing at the mere thought of Adrian becoming the victim of a bully. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" we chimed in together, unable to contain our amusement.

Suddenly, our attention shifted to the entrance when we heard a familiar voice. It was Adrian, apologizing for his tardiness. All eyes turned to him, except for Kyle, who was still immersed in his phone.

Adrian's appearance was far from ordinary. His nose was smeared with dried blood, and he was catching his breath, an obvious sign that he had been running. Jacob wasted no time in asking what had happened to him, while Daniel expressed his suspicion that Adrian had picked another fight.

However, Adrian calmly denied both assumptions and shared the unexpected truth. "No," he replied matter-of-factly, "I got punched by some crazy transfer girl."

His words sparked another round of laughter among us. The idea of Adrian, who prided himself on his toughness, getting hit by a girl was simply absurd.

As we continued to laugh, a realization dawned on me. Could it be that the transfer girl who punched Adrian was none other than Beatrice Mendoza, known for her fiery personality? The thought only added to the amusement shared among us.

James, still chuckling, could not help but express his disbelief at Adrian's misfortune. "You got hit by a girl?! Ridiculous!" he exclaimed, joining in with the rest of us in our laughter-filled lunch break.

"Stop laughing. This is not at all amusing," Adrian said quietly, his voice tinged with anger. The room fell silent as everyone sensed his frustration.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I asked calmly, "Who is the girl, by any chance?"

"I don't know her name, but she's the new girl in our class," he replied, catching me off guard, and shock registered in my widened eyes.

This was a serious problem.

"Because of her, many students have started spreading rumors about me," Adrian continued, clenching his fists in anger. "And as expected, gossip spreads like wildfire."

Kyle interrupted, concern evident in his voice. "So, what do we do now?"

Just then, James stood up from the sofa, holding his phone in his hand. "Guys, check this out," he said, motioning for us to gather around. "The caption says: 'The bad boy gets punched by a newly transferred girl.'"

On his phone screen was a video clip of Adrian and Bea, where she had punched him square in the face.

"Ouch, that must have hurt!" Daniel exclaimed. "She's quite a fighter, huh?"

I glanced at Adrian, anticipating his reaction, and noticed his face turning red with anger.

This situation was going from bad to worse.

"We need to find that girl and bring her to the school gym tonight. She needs to understand the consequences of her actions," Adrian said firmly, and none of us dared to oppose him. As the oldest and our leader, his words carried weight. "We are going to make sure she knows who she's messing with."

Panic set in as I realized I had to find Bea and warn her. This was a dangerous situation.

I positioned myself near her locker, hoping she would pass by to retrieve something. The classes had ended, and the others were also searching for her somewhere out there.

"Paul?" I heard someone whisper-shout my name. "Paul!" It was a girl's voice. "Behind you, stupid."

I glanced behind me, and to my surprise, there she was, Bea, hidden behind a wall, her head peeking out, beckoning me to notice her. Without hesitation, I rushed towards her, only to be taken aback when she pulled me to join her in hiding.

"Help me," she whispered urgently, her voice tinged with fear. "Adrian and his crazy friends are searching for me. I spotted them lurking nearby," she continued, her grip on my collar tightening. "Paul, I'm scared."

I looked down and confessed, "Bea, they're my friends," causing her to step back in surprise. "But please understand, we're not crazy."

"What?" Bea looked at me, bewildered.

"And I would never harm you. I'm here to protect you," I assured her, hoping to regain her trust.

"What? Why? They're your friends. Are you betraying them?" she asked, filled with confusion.

"No, Bea. It's because you're my friend too, and you're in danger," I firmly held onto her wrist. "Adrian is ruthless when he's angry, he’s planning to punish you and I won't let him hurt you, especially since you're a girl and my friend."

"Punish me? What kind of punishment? Why would he even want to punish me? He's the one who wronged me first," Bea questioned, her voice filled with apprehension.

"There's nothing you can do, Bea. I know Adrian well. We need to get you out of here," I said, determined, as I started to guide her away. However, as soon as we stepped out from our hiding spot, a voice interrupted us.

"Good job, Paul," the voice echoed in the air, freezing us in our tracks. We spun around to face the source, and there he was, Adrian.

Oh no. The situation had taken an unexpected turn, and now it seemed we were caught in Adrian's grasp.