Behind Her Mask

3 | She Saw Everything

Farrah's POV

"Don't come near me! You'll just hurt yourselves!" I shouted, threatening them to calm my nerves.

One of the two man shoved me aside, causing me to land on the floor. I held my phone tightly to raise it and show their face on my camera. I forced myself to look tough and raised my eyebrows to stop myself from showing any signs of pain that I felt in my knee.

"Mind your own business!" he yelled, then quickly ran away when he saw a teacher running towards us.

I watched, trembling, as they ran farther away. When they were out of my sight, the anxiety in my chest subsided. I turned to look at the man still lying on the

"Are you okay?" I asked as I tried to stand up. I grimaced in pain as I straightened my knee, which probably has bruised now from the force of the man's push.

He looked at me with concern as I approached him. "T-thank you so much, M-miss... Y-you've gotten hurt too..." he stuttered, still shaken, as I helped him stand up.

"It's okay. I'm happy to help."

I felt a surge of pity for the man in front of me. His body was battered and bruised. From his face to his feet, the signs of severe beating were evident. His eyebrows were swollen, and his left eye was almost swollen shut. There was a gash above his cheekbone that extended to the corner of his lip. His right hand was limp, the same hand that had been pounded by the two men. Blood seeped through his brown pants, visible on his knee.

I couldn't help but see myself in his situation...

"Farrah! What happened?! Who were those two?!" I heard the teacher's breathless question from behind me.

I looked at my cellphone and pressed it to stop the video recording. Luckily, the men believed I was live on f*******:, even though they didn't see the front of my phone. If not, I'd probably be in a worse situation. Given their large build, my forced bravery wouldn't have stood a chance.

"I took a video po ma'am. I'll send it to you po later. For now, we need to take him to the clinic po."

"Good morning po. Apologies for being late, sir Torres." I formally apologized while standing by the door. Sir Torres gave me a scrutinizing look before taking a deep breath.

"It's okay, Farrah? Ma'am Bautista already told me what happened. Take a seat." I smiled sweetly at him before thanking him and heading to my seat.

After a few periods, it was recess time. I was grateful that I didn't feel too hungry during class. My knee still hurt, and my suspicion was correct - it was indeed bruised. I didn't expect the bruise to be quite large and deep, though. I thought it was just a scratch. I didn't have it treated by the nurse because she would see my other bruises hidden under my makeup. If that happened, I would have to explain, which would be too bothersome and a waste of time. They wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway.

"What happened?" Trisha asked. My friend and our class president.

"It's nothing." I replied with a smile. She didn't pry any further.

We're currently lining up at the canteen. In the past, students would get chaotic when buying food, but since I scolded them and made them line up, the canteen vendors have been doing the same. Their work has become more organized ever since then.

When Ma'am Lordez, the vendor, saw me, she immediately smiled and motioned for me to come over.

I smiled back and shook my head to decline. I knew she was going to let me cut in front of the line. But I didn't want to skip the line. I might gain more haters. They're already plenty enough for me.

"Farrah! Ma'am is calling us over. Come on, let's go already! I don't want to wait here any longer." Trisha suddenly said.

"But we can't skip the l--"

"We sure can Farrah." She said with a smirk.

"No Trisha. We should be model students. There are juniors here. What would they thi-----" I wasn't able to finish what I was saying when she cut me off again.

"Yeah right Mother Teresa." She snorted, then walked over to a friend who was ahead in line.

I took a deep breath.

After recess, Ma'am Lordez had given me an errand, so I was late for class. But to my surprise, while I was walking through the hallway, I saw something falling from the sky!

My eyes widened, and I rushed to the window to take a look. I furrowed my brow when I saw a bag by the fence. I immediately ran downstairs, an idea forming in my mind about what it could be. The wound on my knee was throbbing, but I ignored it. I had to see what it was and whose bag it was.

When I got downstairs, I quickly took a picture of the bag before slinging it over my shoulder. I looked around to find the student I thought would be climbing over the fence.

My eyes widened, and I quickly raised my cellphone when I saw a tall guy holding a makeshift rope ladder. He signaled to someone who approached. I even saw him mouth something and a guy quickly ran towards the fence. The new guy climbed up, and the tall guy followed, pulling the rope ladder and leaving no marks of their crime.

But unfortunately for them, I had recorded a video of everything. Smiling to myself, I walked towards the faculty room. When I approached the faculty room door, I knocked three times before pulling it to open.

"Good morning ma'am, sir." I gave a sweet smile as a greeting to the teachers who were there.

"Yes? Good morning." One of the teachers smiled back at me.

....