Breathe with me cole

M.A.D

*Chapter 4: Over My Dead Body*

Andrea chose dinner.

Not because she wanted to. Because Marcus Ashton Drake was looking at her like he would actually do it. Kiss her in the rain, in front of the whole restaurant, while her umbrella shook in her hand.

"Dinner," she whispered, her voice barely heard over the rain. "Fine. I'll buy you dinner. Now let go of me."

Marcus Ashton Drake's eyes stayed on her lips for one more second, then he slowly released her wrist. A small, victorious smirk touched his mouth.

"Good choice, Andrea Cole."

"Don't call it a date," she snapped, stepping back, suddenly very aware that her white t-shirt was soaked and clinging to her. She crossed her arms. "It's an apology. Nothing more. And after tonight, I'm never speaking to you again. That's my mental note."

"We'll see about that," Marcus Ashton Drake said, and pushed open the door of La Rose for her.

It wasn't romantic. It was awkward. She ordered the cheapest pasta on the menu because her account was crying. He ordered steak and watched her the whole time. People inside the restaurant were staring, taking photos through the glass.

She paid with her father's money and hated herself for it.

"I told you," she said as she stood up, "never again."

Marcus Ashton Drake just smiled that arrogant smile. "Never is a long time."

She left him there and ran home in the rain. She blocked his number.

---

She thought it was over.

It was just starting.

Saturday morning. Andrea woke up to her phone vibrating non-stop. 127 missed messages. 43 missed calls from Ashley.

She opened the school group chat.

Her blood froze.

The first picture was of her and Marcus Ashton Drake at La Rose last night. But it was edited. The angle was twisted so that it looked like he was leaning over the table kissing her. Her eyes were closed in the photo - but she had been blinking.

The caption: *OMG! Andrea Cole KISSED Marcus Ashton Drake on their first date!!! Scholarship gold-digger secures the bag!*

The second one was worse.

It was a video. Grainy, dark, but clearly her face. In bed. With a man whose face was blurred, but the room looked like La Rose's VIP lounge. Moaning sounds that were obviously dubbed.

It was fake. So badly edited. But no one cared if it was fake.

Then the comments:

_She trapped him with coffee and now this? Slut._

_Let's teach her a lesson._

_Is she in Hostel B? Let's go._

Andrea's hands started shaking. "No... no no no..."

A loud BANG on her hostel door.

"ANDREA COLE COME OUT!"

"BEDROOM TAPE GIRL!"

She could hear at least five girls shouting outside. One kicked the door.

Ashley was gone. Ashley had gone to her parents' house for the weekend - Friday to Sunday. Andrea was alone.

The banging got louder. Someone threw something at her window.

Andrea grabbed her phone and her small bag and ran to the back window. Her room was on the first floor. She jumped, her feet hitting the wet grass. She didn't look back.

She ran through the rainy campus, her slippers slipping, her hair wild. People were pointing at her. A boy shouted, "There she is!"

She saw a black car parked by the side gate, engine running. She didn't think. She yanked the passenger door open and dived inside.

"DRIVE! Please drive!"

The driver turned.

It was Marcus Ashton Drake.

Both of them froze.

He was in a black hoodie, his hair still damp from last night's rain. He looked as shocked as she did.

"You?!" Marcus Ashton Drake shouted.

"YOU?!" Andrea shouted back.

Outside, the group of girls was running towards the car.

"Andrea Cole, what the hell did you do now?" Marcus Ashton Drake looked at the crowd coming.

"Just DRIVE, Marcus Ashton Drake! They'll kill me! Please!"

Something in her voice - real, raw panic - made Marcus Ashton Drake swear under his breath and step on the gas. The car screeched out of the school gate.

They drove for 10 minutes in silence, only the sound of the wipers and her heavy breathing.

"Okay, what is happening?" Marcus Ashton Drake finally said, his hands tight on the steering wheel. "Why is half the school chasing you?"

"Check the internet," Andrea whispered, hugging her bag. "Check your name. Our names."

Marcus Ashton Drake pulled over and took out his phone. Andrea watched his face.

First confusion. Then his jaw clenched. Then pure, cold fury.

"What the f**k is this?" He scrolled through the edited kiss photo, the fake bedroom video. His blue eyes turned to ice. "Who did this? This is fake. This video is not even you - the mole on your shoulder is missing."

Andrea stared at him. He noticed her mole?

"This is defamation," Marcus Ashton Drake said, his voice deadly calm now. The voice she had heard his father must use. "My family will sue this entire school."

"It's not about suing!" She cried, tears finally falling. "My hostel! They vandalized my room! They called me... they called me names!"

Marcus Ashton Drake looked at her - really looked at her. Soaked, shaking, mascara running. Not the fiery girl who slammed cash into his chest. Just a scared girl.

He started the car again.

Around 6pm, they went back to her hostel. From far away, they could see it. The gate was still surrounded by a small crowd. Someone had spray-painted on her wall in red: *GOLD DIGGER OUT*.

Her window was broken.

Andrea made a small, broken sound and covered her mouth.

"You can't stay there tonight," Marcus Ashton Drake said immediately.

"I have to. Where will I go? Ashley is gone till Sunday."

Marcus Ashton Drake was silent for three seconds. Then he said, "Stay with me. My apartment is outside school. No one knows where it is. It's safe. Just till this dies down on Monday."

Andrea turned to look at him, her tear-filled eyes suddenly blazing again.

"Over my dead body, Marcus Ashton Drake."

---