Chapter 3
My head was buzzing. Maurice had no idea, but I had fallen for him the moment I saw him.
There was something familiar about him that made me unable to look away whenever our eyes met.
One time, Cora tried to make me clean up for her. I refused, and she deliberately dumped dirty water all over my backpack.
It was Maurice who stepped in to stop her, saying softly, "Let it go."
Just that once, he stepped in. Maybe he didn't even mean to help me, but I remembered every single detail of that day.
"Georgia, what are you waiting for? Apologize to Cora!" Maurice demanded.
He looked at me like I was a piece of trash. But I didn't move. He suddenly stepped forward and shoved me hard to the floor.
The back of my head slammed hard into the corner of a desk. I reached up and felt something sticky running down my hand.
I knew that metallic, rusty smell all too well. I didn't even need to look to know what it was.
The entire classroom erupted in an uproar—everyone was startled.
Maurice frowned.
He sneered, "Drop the act. You didn't even try to dodge it."
With those words, he put an arm around Cora and walked her out of the classroom.
I remained sitting on the floor. No one even tried to help me, and everyone thought I was faking it, too, refusing to stand up.
But the truth was, I was in real, searing pain.
My head throbbed, and my stomach ached too.
The pain was so overwhelming that I couldn't even scream for help or make a single move.
In the end, it was Glen who took me to the school clinic to get my wound treated.
She sat by the clinic bed with a sigh, her eyes full of sympathy.
"I know what's been going on," Glen said softly. "And I believe you—this isn't your fault, either."
I looked up at her, my eyes welling with tears.
Suddenly, I wanted to cry so badly.
Glen gently brushed her hand over my hair. "Sweetheart, listen to me. There are many chances in life. You'll never be stuck in just one moment.
"What you've lost, you can pick back up again. And people who bully others with their power? They'll eventually face consequences.
"Trust me—there will always be someone out there willing to love you completely, without holding back."
After school, Glen took me to buy a new dress, brought me to her home, and cooked a proper meal for me.
She said that whenever she wasn't working late, I could totally crash at her place for a meal.
Even years later, I still remember how she held my hand, led me to the clinic, and gave me a ride home on her bike.
I held out my fingers, dipped them in the glow of the sunset, and traced her outline, stroke by stroke.
Having a good teacher like her during one's school years can truly save a person's life.
Because of Glen, I completely gave up the idea of dropping out.
I was still so young. I wanted to live well—to live with all my strength.
But Glen couldn't walk me to and from school every day. Eventually, the day came when Cora cornered me with a group of her friends.
"Evening, Georgia," Cora called out, her tone playful but sharp.
She clutched a lit cigarette, flicking her fingers at me like she was summoning a pet.
I instinctively turned to run, but someone grabbed me right away and dragged me back.
Maurice was there too. He stared at me, his face blank, as Cora's friends forced me up against a wall.
"Georgia, word is you got the top scholarship this round. Give it to Cora—make up for what you did," Maurice said.
He spoke with a tone that was all high and mighty, oozing impatience toward me.
Cora grinned. "Because of you, my parents chewed me out again when I got home. So, what are you gonna do to make it up to me?"
Gritting my teeth, I shot back, "You were the one who picked this fight, not me."
Smack! A slap landed right across my face.
My cheek stung and swelled up at once, burning with pain.
Pinned tightly against the wall, I couldn't move. Cora took a deep drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke right in my face.
"You bitch, so you think you can defy me now?" She sneered.
The next second, she pressed the burning tip of the cigarette into my arm.
"Ah!" I screamed.