Chapter 2
Soon, the pain faded away.It was like my legs didn't even exist anymore.
The cold wind dried the tears on my face. There was nothing left but pure despair.
Luke only ordered his friends to stop once he was sure I couldn't stand up anymore.
He stood over me, looking down with icy indifference. "This is the lesson you deserve," he said.
Nora clung to his arm, laughing like nothing in the world could bother her.
I lay sprawled on the ground, completely defeated, unable to even try to get up.
Staring at my lower body, torn and bloody, my mind shattered completely.
Hatred erupted inside me like an unstoppable blaze, fueled by pain and grief, all exploding at once.
"Luke, I hate you! I'll never forgive you for this, not in this lifetime," I screamed.
Amid the chaos, I felt a pair of hands shove me hard from behind.
I went crashing down the rooftop stairs.
The back of my head hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Amid the chaos, I heard Nora giggle, her voice playful and sharp. "Oops, did we go too far? What if she really dies?
"Come on, Luke, Isla's been your childhood friend, and she's totally had a crush on you forever."
Just before I lost consciousness, I heard Luke's mocking reply. "If she dies, she will have it coming. She likes me? How gross."
Nora wasn't wrong. I really did love Luke for seven whole years.
We were born in the same hospital, and from day one, we grew up as next-door neighbors.
Growing up, our lives overlapped almost completely.
We went to school together, and did homework together after school. Even his mother, Alice Maynard, would tease that I was sure to marry her son one day.
It was inevitable that I fell for Luke.
Whenever I twisted my ankle during dance practice, he'd nag me for being careless, but then he'd always be the one gently helping with the medicine, taking care of my ankle.
If anyone ever threw shade, accusing me of wearing tight dance outfits just to get noticed by boys, he'd be the first to jump in and stand up for me.
He'd climb through my window at night, face all bruised and swollen, with a smile on his face. "Don't cry. You look amazing when you dance.
"I love watching you dance, Isla. You're just like a swan up on stage."
It was because he said that that kept me going.
Even when my hips ached and sweat poured down my face, even when stretching my legs hurt so much I couldn't make a sound, I never cried.
I trained like my life depended on it, just to stand on the stage one day.
I wanted to become the elegant swan he always praised me to be.
Even though Luke started drifting away from me for reasons I couldn't understand as we grew up, I kept dreaming that we'd end up together.
I always imagined us as the childhood sweethearts everyone envied, like something straight out of a romance novel.
But that dream was crushed when Nora showed up.
Nora was not like anyone else when she transferred in.
She smoked, rocked a perm, and wore heavy makeup every day. On her very first day, she boldly confessed to Luke right in front of everyone.
"Hey, smart guy, I've got my eye on you. Wanna be my boyfriend?" she asked.
As she spoke, she hooked a finger around Luke's hand, her spaghetti strap dress making her look even more bold and irresistible.
Luke was not just handsome and brilliant, he was the aloof genius everyone secretly crushed on. People were always lining up to confess their feelings to him.
He always shot them down with that trademark indifference.
Everyone figured Nora would crash and burn just like the rest.
I thought so too.
On New Year's Eve, a tipsy Luke secretly told me that he'd confess his love to me once I won the gold medal at the competition.
"Isla, I've liked you for so long," he whispered, his voice soft and a little drunk.
I could still picture his face, flushed red with bashful shyness.
But when I rushed back from out-of-town training, photos of Nora and Luke holding hands and making out were plastered everywhere in school.
Luke had changed. He only had eyes for Nora now.
He dyed his hair silver, got piercings, and even got a tattoo just for her.
He'd skip class, hit the clubs, and tear up the streets in his car.
He'd get drunk and get into brawls.
"Isla, you just don't get it. Nora's not like anyone else. She's bright and loud, and I'm sick of living a boring life," Luke said.
As he spoke, he skillfully blew out a cloud of smoke. The sight of him with a cigarette between his right fingers was so unfamiliar, it was like I was looking at a stranger.
I stared at him, my mind totally blank.
Luke used to be the golden boy in every teacher's eyes, the one everyone bet would ace every exam. Nobody wanted to watch him crash and burn like this.
But no matter how many people tried to talk him out of it, no matter how many times Alice broke down sobbing right in front of him, Luke just wouldn't give in.
Somehow, Nora caught wind of some rumor and instantly decided I was the one who snitched to Alice.
She walked right up to me and gave a derisive snort.
She sneered, "Isla, you must be crazy. Are you so desperate for a guy that you just keep haunting my boyfriend, huh? Can't stand not being the center of attention?
"Let me spell it out: Luke is my man. If anyone's dumb enough to try something, don't come crying when you regret it."
Luke was standing right next to her when she made her threat.
The two of them burst out laughing, jumped on a motorcycle, and sped off.
They looked just like those wild teens in the movies, living loud and free.
Little did I know this scene would haunt me for years to come, a nightmare I could never escape.
*****
Nora was always loud and reckless, never thinking about the fallout.
Eventually, she ticked off the school's tough girls.
They cornered her in the first-floor bathroom and started slapping her hard.
I had just finished dance practice and happened to walk right into the middle of it.