Chapter 3

My upper back crashed right into the corner of the chair, and the pain made me see stars. For a moment, I couldn't even raise my head.

Emily whimpered, "My ribs hurt so bad, it feels like they're broken. Claire, do you hate me that much? You didn't have to kick me."

Jason held her up and kicked me. "Quit faking it. Get up and apologize to Em."

A bunch of students circled around, watching the drama unfold and whispering about me.

"You really can't judge a book by its cover. Who would've guessed Claire, always so sweet, could go full savage in a girl rivalry?" one student said.

"This is such a bad look for our school. Imagine how messed up the new girl's gonna feel after this." Another chimed in.

"The new girl's literally crying from the pain, and she's sitting there like nothing happened. Does she really think pretending to be dead will let her off the hook?"

My heart was still racing as I took a shaky breath and looked up. "It was her. She grabbed my wrist."

Emily wiped her tears and called out, "Claire, I was trying to help by giving you a massage to make you feel better. Please don't accuse me of something I didn't do.

"Did I mess up somehow and make you upset? If I did, I'll fix it, okay?"

Jason's brows furrowed. "Claire, I'm really disappointed in you. I was so worried about your heart, kept watching the schedule and counting down the minutes for your turn.

"But you had enough strength to kick someone? So you were pretending to be sick all along."

His roommate, totally enjoying the drama, piped up, "Ms. Parker's coming over. Kick her out already. She's such a buzzkill, spoiling the fun for everyone."

The pacemaker alarm started beeping. It was only 3% battery left.

My eyes were wide with panic, and I didn't care about anything else. I reached out, trembling, and grabbed a classmate's pant leg, my voice shaking as I pleaded, "My pacemaker's out of battery. I'm begging you, please, get me a charger."

But he backed away, not even looking at me.

"Claire, quit putting on a show. Can't you see the new girl's still hurting from that kick? Playing the victim won't get you out of this. You should own up already," he said, shaking his head with a sigh.

My hand dropped limply, and a tear of utter despair slid down my cheek.

"What's going on here? Why is everyone gathered around?" Penny Parker's voice cut through the crowd.

I jerked my head up, digging my nails into my palm to stay conscious. "Ms. Parker, help me."

Penny jumped in surprise and quickly helped me into a chair. "What happened? Someone call 911, now."

I was drenched in cold sweat, like I'd been pulled out of a lake. I tried to open my mouth, but not a single sound came out.

Even breathing felt like it was draining every bit of energy I had left.

Amid the chatter of the crowd, a shrill female voice cut through the noise. "Quit shoving. My ribs are killing me."

Jason stepped in, shielding Emily from the crowd, and walked up to Penny. "Ms. Parker, ignore her. She's totally faking it, trying to play the victim and mess with the new girl."

Emily, tears streaming down her cheeks, looked at Penny and choked out, "Ms. Parker, I'm really sorry. This is all my fault. I didn't want to mess up the show, so I borrowed Claire's charger for the music player.

"Maybe that's why she's mad at me."

Penny frowned at me and let out a sigh. "Claire, do you really have to make such a big deal out of this? Emily was only trying to help the show go well."

Emily put on her most understanding face. "Ms. Parker, you've done enough. Let me and Claire make peace, okay?"

As she spoke, she held her side, got up, and gave me a little bow, then gently lifted my limp hands with both of hers.

But as she lowered her head in that fake humility, a poisonous smile flashed across her face but only I saw it.

I tried to call out to Penny, but all that came out was a hoarse, raspy gasp.

Suddenly, Emily shrieked and jerked her hand away. "Claire. I already gave in. Why are you still digging your nails into me?"

She raised her pale wrist high, showing off a vivid red mark where my fingers had supposedly dug in.

Before Penny could even react, Jason stormed over and slapped me hard across the face, his eyes burning with rage. "Claire, you cold-hearted snake.

"You've got the guts to bully the new girl right in front of Ms. Parker? Hurry up and apologize to Emily."

My cheek was numb, but that was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. My heartbeat was fading, and my vision was starting to blur.

Someone nearby hurled a cup of milk tea at me, and the brown liquid with boba pearls slid down my hair and onto my face. I didn't even have the strength to lift my hand.

"Stop faking it. If you're really so weak, how could you dig your nails into her? You left a bloody mark," he snapped angrily.

Penny's face was stern. "Claire, you've gone too far. You're disqualified from this year's national scholarship.

"Take her backstage and keep her under watch. Tomorrow, I'll be having a serious talk with her parents myself."

The voices around me faded in and out, but I could hear the pacemaker's warning for only 1% battery left beeping. For a split second, my foggy mind snapped back to reality.

I clung to the chair with every ounce of strength I had left, refusing to let them drag me away.

"No. My dad's Ethan Grant. Tomorrow, I have to go to the base for the memorial ceremony." I blurted out, my voice shaking.

The crowd burst out laughing, mocking me.

"You must've watched too much boot camp, now you're losing it. Going to the base to lay flowers? Only the children of fallen heroes get that honor. You? As if." Someone laughed.

Another ridiculed, "Addicted to drama, huh? Why don't you check yourself? Even the security guard wouldn't claim you as his kid."

Emily put on her best fake-sympathy act, rolling her eyes. "Claire, acting like you're Ethan Grant's daughter won't save you from getting punished."

Jason snorted and grabbed a fistful of my hair. "Say whatever you want. There's no way you're dodging detention tonight."

With a sharp, piercing beep, my pacemaker finally died.

My heart seized up, like an old man who couldn't take another step. The rhythm faltered, then nothing. Bright red blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, and my head slowly dropped.

The next second, the auditorium doors were thrown open with a bang, and the music and dancing on stage came to an abrupt halt.

From outside, a furious voice rang out. "Let go of my daughter."

Paramedics rushed out of the ambulance, carrying a stretcher, and headed straight for me.