Chapter 4

Samuel shook his head, tears streaming down his face.

"Because you're too weak," Gemma said with a cruel smile. "That's how the world works. Survival of the fittest.

"Do you think being smart makes you special, and getting into college makes you above others? It doesn't matter. Nerds like you get pushed around everywhere, like today."

Gemma paused, then continued, "And do you really think I'd turn on Harry for you? Don't be ridiculous. I'm doing great, and Harry treats me well. Why would I give that up for you? Take care."

After that, Gemma left and didn't look back.

Samuel lay on the ground, watching them disappear into the night. His whole body ached, but the worst pain was in his chest.

When he thought it was all over, Gemma suddenly called out, "Hey, Harry."

"What is it?" Harry paused.

"You weren't rough enough," Gemma said from the alley, sounding slightly amused. "Guys like Samuel need a proper beating, or they'll keep coming back. You need to teach him a real lesson."

Samuel lay on the ground, feeling like something had been torn out of him. He thought, 'Did Gemma actually tell Harry to keep beating me?'

"Alright, your call." Harry grinned. "Babe, you get me."

Then Harry turned around, walked up to Samuel, and kicked him hard a few more times.

"Did you hear that?" Harry crouched down, grabbed Samuel by the hair, and forced him to look up. "Your dear Gemma told me to hit you again. Don't you understand? She's done with you."

Samuel looked up at Harry's menacing face. He felt like a stray dog left on the ground for others to trample.

"Alright, let's go," Gemma called out. "Stop wasting my time."

"Sure," Harry said, brushing off his hands. "Come on, guys, let's get out of here."

Their footsteps slowly faded away, and Samuel lay there still.

After a long time, his body felt numb. He slowly moved his fingers, then pushed himself up from the ground.

The alley was dead silent, broken only by the occasional bark of a dog in the distance. Samuel leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

His face was covered in dust and blood, and his clothes were torn beyond recognition. He looked like a mess.

He looked down at his hands, which were still trembling slightly. Then he looked toward the alley entrance where Gemma had left. It was quiet.

"Gemma," Samuel muttered in a hoarse voice. "Are you really this cruel?"

No one answered. Only a cold wind passed through the alley and hit his face.

Samuel slowly pushed himself up, his legs shaking so much that he nearly fell again. He held onto the wall and walked out slowly. Every step hurt, but he didn't want to cry anymore.

Something inside him had completely shut down.

When he walked out of the alley, it was already dark. Streetlights shone on his ruined state. He kept his head down so no one would see him.

The security guard jumped when he saw Samuel. "Hey, kid, what happened to you?"

Samuel didn't say a word. He shook his head and staggered toward home.

*****

When he got home, his mom was shocked. "Samuel, what happened to you? Who hurt you?"

Samuel didn't say a word. He shook his head and went straight to his room.

"Samuel, tell me who did this to you." His mother followed him, crying.

Samuel stopped at his bedroom door, turned around, and looked at her. "Mom, I'm exhausted. I want to sleep."

"But—" She wanted to say more, but seeing the emptiness in his eyes, she stopped. She suddenly felt like her son had become someone else entirely.

Samuel closed the door and fell onto the bed. He closed his eyes, but kept seeing Gemma's smile, her saying "hit him harder", and her leaving with Harry. Those scenes kept hurting him over and over.

Then he sat up, turned on the lamp, and focused on studying.

He no longer allowed himself to think about Gemma or those painful memories. He simply flipped through his books mechanically, going over the formulas and theorems again and again.

He spent all his time studying, as if it were the only way to block out the pain.

His grades improved dramatically, rising from average to near the top. Teachers and classmates were all surprised, but Sophie was the only one who understood he was using studying to escape reality.

*****

There were twenty-eight days left until the SAT.

That night, after finishing his study session, Samuel passed by a quiet alley and suddenly heard a familiar voice.

He stopped in his tracks and looked toward the voice.

Gemma stood under a streetlight in a short skirt and heavy makeup, flirting with a guy.

It wasn't Harry; it was a stranger who looked more shady than him.

Gemma smiled happily, her hand on the man's shoulder with a flirty expression.

The guy was grinning, too, his hand wandering over Gemma's waist.

Samuel stood at the alley entrance and watched, feeling nothing.

He once thought he would feel pain, jealousy, or anger if he saw Gemma with another man, but now, he felt nothing at all.

Something inside him had shut down.