The Genius They Bullied Is The Queen They Can’t Touch

Elara's POV I winced as Nicole's hand wrapped around my hair in a pull. "What was that?" She breathed fire down my face and tightened her grip. "I... It's nothing," I managed to say despite the aching pain that seared down my fragile frame. "Just what I thought" She hissed, and violently pushed me away from her like I was garbage. My face reddened as the sound of snickers and laughters from the students behind her dominated the pool area. I swallowed the groan that threatened to erupt from my mouth and parted the hair covering my face, not daring to look at her as she brandished her index finger in my face. "Now listen and listen good," She snarled, "My boot is stuck down there, and I need you to go find it." My gaze shifted from the floor to the swimming pool by the side. I did not need a soothsayer to tell me that Nicole had deliberately thrown the boot into the pool, just so I could take the pains of bringing it to her. Because I had no choice. I either do that or prepare to face the heat of her wrath. She would turn the entire school against me if I declined, and I wouldn't only have to deal with her and her minions, but the whole school at large. The thought of diving into the chlorinated pool scared me to death. I had no swimming experience, just like I was hopeless in every other thing a normal Lucent kid should know how to do, and I'm allergic to chlorine. Nicole knew that damn well because she has access to my file, yet she is ready to put my life on the line to get a boot. "Elara Montgomery, you know better than to keep me waiting." She chuckled mirthlessly. I felt a dreadful shiver run down my spine as I started crawling towards the pool. Tears filled my eyes as I let myself go into the cold water. For a moment, I wished that I could let the calmness of the water lead me to where life ends. Take me away from a life of constant bullying and humiliation. But survival instincts kicked in, and I struggled against the water, flailing my hands around me and trying to get the water out of my face. The laughter grew louder and soon, they were recording. They were having fun until Adrian Crowe stormed into the area. He jumped in and pulled me out of the water. I coughed out water, shivering like I had been thrown into a drumful of snow. Adrian pressed a dry towel to my face and exchanged a few angry words with his sister before bailing out of the area with me in his arms. The impact of chlorine kicked in, and my eyes slowly closed then. Being the precious daughter to the Dean of Lucent Academy, an academy for the wealthiest elites in the whole country, Nicole could afford to do whatever she liked without giving two hoots about the repercussions of her actions. She had always disliked me from the moment she set eyes on me. From the moment I appeared in class with a thick rimmed glass seated comfortably on the crook of my nose, oversized plain dress, and my bag tightly clung to my chest. She would push me around to elicit reactions from me, would humiliate me in the cafeteria by spilling drinks and throwing snacks at me, would shush me whenever I attempted to answer a question, and would set me up for punishment whenever she had the chance. To my surprise, Adrian Crowe, the school's hottie and Nicole's elder brother, was the opposite towards me. He would care for me after I had been bullied, would comfort me when I wallowed in misery after school and would buy any lunch his sister ruins. My stomach always seemed to do a lurch then, because I had a fickle crush on him. I never really knew why she detest me so much, and I don't intend to ask. It was my final year in Lucent Academy, and I planned to leave the school without revealing my true self. But that might have to change soon. *** Six months trudged by with me having to bear the harsh treatment meted out to me by Nicole, my classmates, professors and even the school disciplinary committee. There were not many changes except for the fact that I and Adrian were in a secret relationship now. He insisted that he would let everyone know when the time was right, and I really did not think much about it. He loves me, and I love him too. And that's what matters, right? I sat in the lab, scribbling down the conclusion of my project work when Adrian breezed in, with his usual easy smile plastered on his face. I could see the charming dimple that graced his face now that he was closer. "Hey pretty," He drew a seat behind me and touched the tip of my nose. "How are you holding up? You've been in here for like, forever." I laughed at the ticklish sensation of his finger upon my nose and shrugged, "I'm almost done." "The academic symposium is tomorrow, think you're ready?" He prodded. "As ready as I can be," I smiled warmly at him before turning back to the book, memorizing the intricacy of what I had created. "You're going to be the world's latest genius when you introduce this in the event, you know right?" I chuckled "Maybe." He fell silent, letting me bask in the beauty of my brain work. I had been researching an invention for about three months, hoping to share it with the world at the school's academic symposium event, and Adrian has been utterly understanding. Bringing me drinks while I racked my brains while staring at the calculations on the board and driving me back to the old cottage I lived in when I was done for the day, usually hours after everyone had left. "I'm done." I pressed the ballpoint pen shut and closed the enormous book before facing him. "I can see that," He said coolly "I have a surprise for you though." "Really? What's that?" I gazed at him with love shining in my eyes. "You have to close your eyes first." He teased. I did so, eager to see what was in store for me. Adrian led me to the rooftop of the school building. There, a band waited, and they started playing as soon as we arrived. I was ridden with happiness as Adrian gave me a bouquet of roses. "Cheers, to our undying love." He poured out wine for me and picked his filled glass, before clinking it against mine and downing the content. I followed suit, the content burning against my throat. "More," I slurred, and my darling Adrian poured out more glasses as I ordered. Letting myself get lost in the moment, I wined and dined till I lost count of time. I woke up the next day, with a parched throat and a migraine. When my eyes landed on the clock, I gasped. I was 2 hours behind the event, and my project research? My project research work, where was it?