Chapter 3
However, life didn't seem to give him a break.
There were thirty-five days left until the SAT. That afternoon, after finishing his studies, Samuel was walking past a quiet alley when someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind.
"Well, isn't this Samuel?" someone sneered.
Samuel's heart sank instantly. He recognized the voice. It was Harry.
He tried to wriggle free, but two guys pinned his arms. He was shoved against the wall, his chin slamming hard into the rough surface as a sharp pain shot through him.
"Let me go." Samuel struggled, but they were too strong, keeping him pinned.
"Let you go?" Harry stood right in front of him with a mocking grin on his face. "Samuel, weren't you acting tough at the café last time? Why so quiet now?"
Samuel clenched his fists, shooting Harry a glare. "What do you want?"
"What do I want?" Harry scoffed. "I'm here to teach you a lesson. Do you think good grades make you special? Do you think getting into college makes you better than everyone else?
"Let me tell you. Nerds like you get pushed around everywhere they go."
Then Harry punched Samuel right in the gut.
Samuel curled up from the pain but gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.
"Still not giving in, huh?" Harry sneered, kicking him again. "Guys, teach him a real lesson."
Fists and kicks rained down on Samuel.
Samuel curled up on the ground, shielding his head as the pain nearly made him black out. He could feel his lips split and his eye swelling, but none of it compared to the despair inside him.
This was the first time Samuel had ever been beaten up so badly.
He used to be the top student whom everyone respected. Now he was like a stray dog, held down on the ground with no dignity at all.
"What are you doing?" a familiar female voice rang out.
Samuel struggled to lift his head and saw Gemma standing at the alley entrance. She was wearing a short skirt and heavy makeup, her expression complicated.
A bit of hope rose inside him.
He thought, 'Gemma is here. She'll save me. We've known each other since we were kids. She wouldn't stand by. She'll come running, help me up, and stand up for me like she always did.'
However, what happened next crushed Samuel completely.
Harry let go of him and walked over to Gemma, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "Hey, babe, what brings you here?"
Gemma pushed his hand off, looking indifferent. She glanced at Samuel, who was on the ground, hesitated for a second, then quickly hid it.
"What are you guys doing?" Gemma asked, sounding a little annoyed.
"Nothing much. I'm having a chat with Samuel here," Harry said with a smirk. "He keeps saying I don't understand you, so I'm showing him who really does."
Gemma glanced at Samuel.
Samuel had split lips, a bruise near his eye, and his clothes were covered in dirt and blood. He was curled up on the ground, looking completely beaten, but still didn't give in.
Gemma turned away, unable to meet his eyes.
Samuel looked at her, fighting back tears. He knew he looked awful, but he couldn't stop himself from looking at her.
They had grown up together for twelve years and gone through so much. He believed Gemma wouldn't stand by and do nothing.
"Gemma," Samuel choked out.
Gemma trembled slightly.
A bit of hope rose inside Samuel. He thought she still cared.
However, the next second, Gemma's words hit him like freezing water, draining all warmth from his body.
"Samuel," Gemma said coldly. "You brought this on yourself."
Samuel was stunned. "What?"
"You kept bothering Harry," Gemma said, turning away from him. "You knew he had a bad temper, but you kept picking fights. Now that you got beaten up, who can you blame?"
"I didn't bother him," Samuel choked out, barely able to speak through the pain. "He started it."
"Do you have any proof?" Gemma sneered. "There are no cameras here. Who knows who started it? And even if he did, are you totally innocent?
"You always act like you're above everyone else, lecturing people all the time. Don't you realize how annoying that is?"
Samuel stared at Gemma, his head spinning. He thought, 'Is this really Gemma? The same girl I grew up with?'
"Gemma, how can you say that?" Samuel said, his voice breaking. "We grew up together."
"So what?" Gemma cut him off. "Samuel, people change. I'm not the same Gemma you knew. I'm happy now. I don't need you in my life."
"But—" Samuel tried to protest.
"Enough," Gemma said impatiently, waving him off. "You're always so self-centered, like everything should revolve around you. No one is going to tolerate and wait for you forever, Samuel. You're kind of pathetic right now."
Samuel lay on the cold ground, tears finally falling. He couldn't believe Gemma really said that.
"Alright, stop wasting time on him," Harry said, wrapping his arm around Gemma. "Let's go."
"Sure," Gemma replied, planting a kiss on Harry's cheek and turning away without another glance.
Samuel watched her leave, feeling completely numb. He knew he had lost her for real.
Right then, Gemma stopped and turned around.
A faint hope rose in Samuel's chest again. He thought, 'Does she regret it? Is she coming back to help me?'
However, what Gemma said next shattered Samuel's last hope.
"Oh, Samuel," Gemma said, standing at the mouth of the alley with a mocking smile. "Do you know why Harry hit you?"