Fallen For My Bully

Chapter 5— My rival’s brother?

I screamed myself awake.

My chest rose and fell heavily with beads of sweat on my forehead, while my fingers were gripping the sheets tightly. I have just had a bad dream. A bad dream about being bullied in the most tormenting way.

And this wasn't the first time it had happened. I'd had several frightening dreams like this ever since high school, when it all started.

"It was just a dream....Just a dream." I mumbled shakily to myself.

I quickly looked around the room, wondering if my scream had woken anyone up.

But no one was around.

My gaze slowly shifted toward Caroline and Maya's beds and my chest tightened slightly when I noticed they were already neatly arranged.

They had left without me.

I sighed, looking down at my hands in defeat. I couldn't believe that my roommates had sided with Tristan without hearing me out.

Last night, I had left the party very early. Getting pushed into the pool was a clear signal that no one wanted me there.

Andrew drove me back to this dorm, and after cleaning up, I slept off. That's why I couldn't talk to them about it last night.

I thought maybe this morning things would be different. Maybe Caroline and Maya would at least ask for my side of the story...

But I guess I expected too much. Though, it hurt to know that despite how nice they seemed, they were ready to treat me like a nobody because of Tristan Reed.

It took me a few minutes to bury my sadness and lift myself off my bed. I couldn't miss my first day of class because of that jerk. I had already promised myself not to allow him to limit me again.

I didn't take long to shower knowing that I was already late, but when it came to my dress, make-up and hairstyling, I put in an extra effort.

I wanted to have a comeback look— a look that would show how undefeated I was.

I styled my hair in a sleek ponytail in a way that exposed my cheekbones and jawline, while leaving a few loose strands to frame my face softly. Then for my dress, I wore an emerald green bodycon dress that my mom gifted me on my birthday.

I loved it because it hugged my figure and the off-shoulder neckline made the dress look effortlessly elegant. I paired the dress with a strappy nude heel and since I didn't like being heavily made up, I went for a nude makeup.

As I stared at my reflection, confidence surged through my body. I hadn't dressed this well in a long while. I liked what I saw.

As I walked into the school hallway, I could feel a thousand eyes staring at me while students mumbled things to each other. But this time it didn't feel entirely bad knowing I looked nice while my name swirled around everyone's mouth.

I lifted my chin slightly, pretending not to notice the whispers as I walked past groups of students. But ignoring them was harder than I thought because this time they weren't even lowering their voices.

"That's her,"

"The girl from the pool party,"

"She really kissed Andrew in front of Tristan?"

"I heard she was into Tristan before switching to Andrew,"

I paused in my steps as I clenched my jaw tightly. Me? Into Tristan? What are all these rumours? Well, that's the bad thing about situations like this, you would definitely hear wrong things about yourself.

A few girls standing next to the lecture hall for my second class looked me up and down as I walked past.

"Well, at least she cleans up nicely," I heard one of them say and as I dashed into the hall, I leaned against the door, taking in a deep breath.

I was so glad to be away from the stares, glares, and mumbling. And thankfully, I still had a few minutes before the first class that I skipped finished.

The lecture hall was almost empty, with only two students seated at the far back discussing something quietly among themselves.

I slowly walked to one of the middle rows and sat down, then I pulled out my introduction to jurisprudence textbook and began reading it.

I tried to focus on the words in front of me rather than the wrong statements flying around about me and soon enough, I became so absorbed in reading that I didn't think about it again.

"You look very serious for someone reading this early morning."

I flinched slightly at the sudden voice beside me and turned quickly, only to find Andrew sitting next to me with an amused smile on his face.

"When did you get there?" I asked shocked and he chuckled softly.

"About five minutes ago."

"What?" I whispered, surprised that I hadn't noticed him.

"You looked so focused and I didn't want to disturb. Besides, I enjoyed staring at you." He continued as his eyes flickered over me.

"You look beautiful." He added and my cheeks turned bright red.

"Well... thank you," I said smiling and he smirked.

"That smile. You should smile more often. It makes you more gorgeous." He said and I bit my lip.

Oh gosh! I was trying not to be caught blushing while he flirted. That would literally give people more bad things to say.

There was a minute of silence between us before he spoke up again with his expression turning serious.

"How are you feeling though?" He asked with concern etched in his tone and I sighed.

"Better than yesterday." I lied smoothly and Andrew studied me for a few seconds like he could see through the lie, but thankfully, he didn't push further.

"There's a hockey game tonight. I think you should come." He suggested and my stomach tightened.

I knew that Tristan would be there, and the last thing I needed was to experience him getting praised for his skills on the field.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to." Andrew quickly added, noticing the hesitation on my face and a part of me wanted to instantly refuse.

Yesterday was humiliating enough.

Showing up at a hockey game filled with people who hated me sounded like voluntary torture.

But then I remembered that I had promised myself I wouldn't let Tristan Reed control my life again.

Avoiding places because of him was exactly what the old Lydia would do and I was tired of being that version of myself.

So instead of refusing, I slowly nodded. "Okay," I answered and Andrew looked genuinely surprised.

"Okay?" He confirmed and I rolled my eyes lightly.

"Don't make me change my mind." I responded and he chuckled.

+

The rest of the day sadly went by slowly. No matter where I went or how silent I tried to be, people stared. And the rumours became worse.

Half of the school believed that I had left Tristan for his rival. They believed I had kissed Andrew to degrade him and gain attention.

Well, I hadn't even known that Andrew was Tristan's rival nor had I done it for their petty attention. Gosh! I wish I could just yell the truth on a megaphone for everyone to hear.

I stood outside the hockey arena staring at the massive crowd entering and I felt so anxious.

'Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I should just leave before anyone noticed me.' I thought, but before I could second-guess further, I remembered my promise to myself again.

Taking a deep breath, I walked inside. The arena was already loud with music blasting through faint speakers while students filled the seats excitedly.

The moment people noticed me entering, they started talking about me again.

"She dares show her face here?"

"Does she even know what she's doing?" I heard, but I ignored them.

I scanned the crowd until I spotted Andrew waving at me from the front rows. Just like he had said, he kept a seat for me.

As I made my way toward him, I noticed the strange looks people kept giving me. Not just judgment. Almost warning. Like they thought I was stepping into something dangerous.

"You came," Andrew said with a grin as I sat on the seat he kept for me and I sighed.

"I almost didn't." I admitted and he smirked.

"Well, I am glad you did."

Before I could reply, loud cheers filled the room as the hockey players entered the rink and Andrew winked at me before leaving to join his team mates.

My eyes searched for Tristan and when I finally saw him, I clenched my jaw. He was in his hockey gear smiling with his teammates, whereas my image was once again being ruined because of him.

Girls screamed Tristan's name while cameras flashed around the arena. I could also hear some girls screaming Andrew's name, but neither of them acknowledged any of it.

I guess that's why everyone was more pissed off with me. They thought I was playing their two golden boys for fun.

The moment the referee blew the whistle, the atmosphere inside the arena completely changed.

The crowd went quiet as the players skated aggressively across the ice, but my eyes were only on two people.

Tristan and Andrew, and I could finally see the tension that people had been talking about.

They played like enemies and not teammates. The first clash happened barely five minutes into the game.

Andrew stole the puck smoothly from another player and began skating across the rink with impressive speed, going past defenders effortlessly while the crowd screamed loudly.

But before he could make the shot...

Tristan intercepted him hard. Their bodies slammed against each other and I flinched.

Andrew shoved him back immediately with a cold glare while Tristan smirked arrogantly beneath his helmet.

"Oh my gosh. They're starting already!" A girl beside me said and I frowned. Maybe I should have chosen another person to kiss apart from Andrew.

I hated the idea of being involved in whatever was going on between them.

The game went on like that with both of them trying to overpower each other, and despite the fact that it was causing more harm than good for their team, they didn't mind.

And of course, I had heard whispers beside me that they didn't usually do it this much and it was definitely because of me they were like this today.

The second period finally came to an end after Andrew scored a goal that sent half of the arena screaming.

The loud buzzer echoed through the rink and players went off the ice for intermission, most of them were breathing heavily and had sweat all over their bodies.

I let out a breath of relief. Watching Andrew and Tristan go against each other was quite exhausting.

Since people's attention was off hockey now, whispers about how aggressive they were on the field and how it tied to me began to erupt. I sighed, grabbing my phone to distract myself.

I was scrolling through i********: when Andrew appeared in front of me with damp hair and a small towel over his shoulders.

"I am starting to think you always get carried away with whatever you're doing." He joked, and seeing how tired he looked, I passed him the bottle of water I had bought for myself.

"You look like you're dying," I teased lightly and he chuckled breathlessly before taking the bottle from me.

"Thanks, you just saved my life." He replied sarcastically and we both laughed, but just then, the devil himself showed up.

"Well, isn't this cute?" Tristan said from behind and my whole body stiffened as I heard the familiar voice.

As I shifted my gaze to him, my eyes met his cold gaze with a dangerous smile on his lips.

"Good job playing the supportive little girlfriend." He stated with his gaze flickering over to the water bottle in Andrew's hands and I couldn't hide the irritation I had been suppressing all day any longer.

"Oh, please." I scoffed. "Is your ego really hurt because I chose your rival over you?"

But the moment the words left my mouth, the atmosphere around us changed. Andrew stilled beside me while Tristan laughed humourlessly.

"You think that's why I am angry?" He asked quietly and I raised a brow.

"Isn't it?" I retorted and he stared at me for a while, then he stepped closer.

"No, it's not because he's my rival," he began calmly, then his jaw tightened.

"It's because he's my brother," he added and my jaw dropped and my eyes widened.

What the f**k?