Chapter 3

But Harrison couldn't hear my shouts. He looked right past me, his eyes landing on Monica's face—pale and helpless—lying there on the hospital bed.

"One day. If I don't see Jennifer by then, I'll make sure Samuel rots in jail. And her whole family will pay for what she did," Harrison said.

Monica was so worked up that she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

This wasn't the Harrison I knew. Back then, even when Monica had given him the cold shoulder, Harrison was always gentle.

Sometimes, when I couldn't stand it and argued with Monica, he would comfort me instead. "She's your mother. You have to respect her."

"But she's so mean to you," I'd say.

"She's your mom, which makes her my mom too," he'd reply.

"Harrison, don't you remember all those things you used to say? How could you turn so cruel now?" I murmured.

Harrison and I were university classmates. At first, we didn't have much to do with each other. He was good-looking, a top student, and quickly became the talk of the campus.

Rumors started that he was the son of a wealthy family from Maerine. But later, I saw him working a part-time shift at the fast-food restaurant where I worked.

Harrison was still aloof and distant. Even though we were on the same shift crew, we never really spoke.

The manager teased us, "Aren't you both students at Maerine University? You don't seem to know each other at all."

Harrison and I both stayed quiet. I wanted to say we weren't just at the same university—we were actually in the same class.

But looking at his calm, unreadable eyes, I figured he probably had no idea who I was. So we maintained this lukewarm acquaintance.

It continued until one evening after our shift, when I saw a well-dressed girl, Natasha James, corner him in an alley.

"Harrison, if you agree to be with me, I'll have my dad fund you. You won't have to bust your ass here for peanuts every day," Natasha said.

Her tone was pure arrogance. I was tempted just listening to her offer, but Harrison remained unmoved.

Finally, Natasha flew into a rage. "I'll make you pay for this!" she snapped, then stormed off in a huff.

I figured that would be the end of it. But the next day, the whole university was buzzing with rumors that Harrison was being kept by some rich woman, involved in shady business, and sullying the school's reputation.

The whole mess just kept snowballing, getting bigger and uglier by the day. The campus bulletin boards were filled with insults directed at Harrison daily.

They dug up that his father was a murderer, his mother was mentally ill, and that he had been sent to the police station for theft in high school. Finally, the university administration moved to expel him.

Hearing the rumors, I came forward as a witness to Harrison. I provided our work schedules, showing we were on almost identical shifts.

My testimony was compelling. Our part-time jobs took up all our free time outside of classes, and Harrison had perfect attendance. The rumors fell apart. In the end, Harrison was cleared.

"Why did you help me?" Harrison asked outside the dean's office. It was the first time he'd ever spoken to me.

I was still clutching a stack of work schedules, mimicking his usual aloof vibe. I shrugged, "Just stating the facts."

He looked at me calmly, his eyes deep and unreadable. My act of bravery didn't earn me any praise, though. Soon, I became the target of Natasha's retaliation.

My bed got soaked, my desk was covered in graffiti, and I got tripped up for no reason when walking down the hall.

But the worst was when I was walking along and suddenly a bunch of thugs dragged me into an alley. Harrison showed up and saved me.

I was crying, a complete mess. "This is all your fault. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess," I blurted out irrationally.

For the first time, that usual coolness cracked on Harrison's face. He pulled me into a hug, his voice soft. "Don't worry. I've got you from now on."

It was the first time Harrison ever held me like that. In that dark alley, we were like two blades of grass straining toward the sun—small, but resilient.

Later, Natasha, who had been bullying me, got expelled. Word was that someone anonymously exposed her for cheating on the SAT.

It led to an investigation into her family, too, and apparently, they got tangled up in tax evasion and all sorts of stuff.

I asked Harrison if he was behind it. He didn't say anything. He just made me an ice cream cone. "It's sweet," he said.