CHAPTER 4: ANONYMOUS
1253 Words
Camila's pov
The girls exchanged funny looks.
"You should be."
"Why?"
"Because apparently he noticed you, and that is a big deal."
I rolled my eyes. These girls are horridly boy-crazy. What the actual hell?
"You're all insane. Seek the services of a f*****g psychiatrist."
Their smiles disappeared instantly.
The blonde girl threw my bag on the ground beside my feet.
"Stay away from him," she retorted, as she brushed past me and deliberately slammed her shoulder into mine, knocking me off balance.
The other girls followed her, laughing as they walked away.
My hands were shaking, not because I was scared, but because I was angry.
Very angry.
I adjusted my bag and continued walking home, but deep down, I knew this wasn't over.
The next morning, I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped through the school gates. Students were staring again, only this time, they weren't even trying to hide it. Whispers followed me through the hallway.
"The scholarship girl."
"That's her."
"The one Adrian partnered with."
I groaned, and in that moment I felt like screaming.
"Camila?" I turned to see Isabella approaching.
The smile on Isabella's face disappeared immediately.
"What's wrong?" She asked with a worried look.
"You were right. Having Adrian for a project partner is a crime."
"Don't pay any attention to them, baby girl. You have your actual project to worry about," She said reassuringly and hugged me.
I nodded and hugged her back.
As Isabella and I walked toward class, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me.
The sensation crawled across my skin, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I glanced down the hallway.
Natalie Sinclair was looking directly at me. Our eyes met.
Then she smiled and walked away. Something about that smile made my chest tighten.
Across the school parking lot, three girls stood behind a row of parked cars. The blonde girl rolled her eyes.
"I don't understand why we're still doing this."
"I paid you girls, didn't I?" a voice spoke through her phone.
"We tried, but people were around."
"And?"
That single word was enough to make them fall silent.
"You had one job." The person continued.
"To make her understand she doesn't belong here, and yet she's walking around as if nothing happened."
"We'll handle it," the blonde girl said quickly.
"You better."
The call ended.
The girls stared at the phone screen for a moment.
"Who is she anyway?" one of them muttered.
"No idea," the blonde girl replied.
"But whoever she is, she really hates Camila."
Back inside the school building, I suddenly shivered.
"Are you okay?" Isabella asked.
I forced a small nod.
"Yeah."
The word left my mouth too easily.
The truth was, I wasn't okay. I couldn't explain it, but an uneasy feeling settled deep in my chest.
It felt like something was wrong. Like something terrible was waiting just around the corner.
And no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
The rest of the morning passed slowly.
Every class I entered, students stared.
Some whispered. Others openly pointed at me.
By lunchtime, I was completely exhausted.
"This school is insane," I whispered behind Isabella.
She laughed. "You get used to it."
"I doubt that."
The two of us entered the cafeteria and joined the lunch line.
I had barely taken three steps with my food when someone suddenly crashed into me.
Everything happened too fast.
Before I could react, cold juice and food splashed all over my uniform.
The cafeteria fell silent. My lunch tray hit the floor with a loud crash.
A few students gasped.
Others immediately started laughing.
Slowly, I looked up.
The blonde girl from yesterday stood in front of me.
"Oh my God," she said without sounding sorry at all. "I'm so clumsy."
The girls behind her burst into laughter.
Humiliation burned through me.
The blonde girl smirked.
"Maybe you should watch where you're going, scholarship girl."
I clenched my fists.
Across the cafeteria, Natalie watched silently.
From another table, Adrian slowly stood up. The laughter died down, and the blonde girl's smile disappeared.
Adrian walked toward us calmly.
I stood frozen, juice dripping from my uniform.
He stopped beside me.
His eyes moved from the spilled food on the floor to the girls standing in front of us.
"What happened?" he asked.
Nobody answered. The blonde girl smiled awkwardly.
"It was an accident."
I looked at the tray on the floor, then at the mess covering my clothes, and then back at the blonde girl.
"Really?"
For the first time, she looked nervous.
"It was..."
A long silence followed. Finally, Adrian spoke.
"Clean it up."
The blonde girl's eyes widened. "What?"
"The mess. You made it."
Her face turned red.
"But..."
"Clean. It. Up."
Slowly, she bent down and started gathering the food from the floor with her bare hands.
The entire cafeteria watched.
I could hardly believe what I was seeing.
Apparently, neither could she.
When the mess was finally cleaned up, Adrian turned to me.
"Come on." I blinked.
"You're covered in food."
Without another word, I followed him out of the cafeteria.
The moment the doors closed behind us, I let out a shaky breath.
"Thank you."
Adrian stopped.
He leaned back against the lockers, folding his arms across his chest, but the relaxed posture didn't match the sharp, deliberate way he watched me.
The silence stretched between us for three long heartbeats.
"You didn't need my help," he replied.
A small frown creased my forehead. "What do you mean?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of amusement breaking through his bored expression. "You looked ready to fight her yourself."
Then he pointed to the bathroom.
My heart skipped a beat as I gave him a grateful wave and scurried inside.
Later that afternoon, I was organizing my locker when my phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
I frowned before opening the message. It was a text from him.
Adrian: Mr. Benson gave me your number. We should start the project.
I stared at the screen. Why was my heart beating faster over a text message?
Me: Okay.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Adrian: Meet me at the library after school?
Me: Okay.
The school library was almost empty by the time I arrived.
I spotted Adrian sitting at a table near the back.
A girl stood in front of him, holding out a letter and a box of chocolates.
He reached out and took the letter from her, and before I could make sense of what was happening, she turned and ran away.
He stood up, walked over to the trash can beside the table, and threw both the letter and the chocolates inside.
"That wasn't very nice." I looked at him disapprovingly.
Adrian glanced at the trash can before looking back at me.
"It would've been worse if I accepted it."
I dropped my bag onto the chair opposite him.
"Why?"
"Because she doesn't know me."
I raised an eyebrow.
"That's your reason?"
He nodded.
"Let's talk about the project now," Adrian said before I could say anything else.
I stared at him for a moment, trying to understand how someone could be so strange.
I gave a small nod.
"Right. The project."
He opened his notebook and slid it across the table toward me.
For the next two hours, neither of us noticed the time passing as we studied.
- Writer
