Chapter 8

Katie's POV

Anyone could have missed the iciness in Joanna's eyes due to the smile plastered on her lips, but definitely not me. I have always been weary of her right from the very moment I stepped foot into this house, so there was no way she could fool me with that smile of hers, pretending to be a sheep, while her true fur was that of a bloody wolf.

There was no driver out front to take me to school, and I've never been happier. I was able to find the bus stop after walking for a while. Less than a minute later the bus came into sight.

I drew my beanie as low as I could so it covered some part of my forehead, then threw my hoodie over it. I just want a day filled with less drama.

Waking up, getting yelled at, and almost getting slapped across the face for something I had no idea of already threw me off course for the day. I just needed to keep a low profile after that.

Arriving at school, I tried my best to avoid Jessica and her friends, Ryan included by all means, but that was clearly an impossible thing to achieve, as Jessica decided to make a public show with Ryan, and Ryan just allowed it. I had no idea why I didn't see this part of him before, I guess I was blinded by my crush on him.

“Hey Katie, you can cry you know," Leslie, Jessica's best and shittiest friend, called my name all the way from the other end of the class. "We all know how badly you wanted golden boy Ryan so much. I guess being delusional doesn't just work in real life."

I wasn't interested in their games of taunts today, so I just completely ignored Leslie.

"Shhh, Mrs. Anderson just walked in," Someone whispered to Leslie, who wasn't done with her mean comments.

I could finally breathe as Mrs. Anderson walked in. Everyone knew her for one thing, she hated interruption in her class.

Time kind of breezes a lot faster when you are lost in thoughts. Every class seemed to blend into the next like a long monotonous bad film being played over and over again.

I tried reaching out to Lucy thinking that it would at least help me with some insight into what may have happened after my shift yesterday since she was the only one who was aware, but I couldn't. I couldn't reach her because I didn't really know how to and I never gave it much of a thought.

“Combat results are out!” a student rushed into the class and announced.

Everyone in the class stood up faster than they ever did during recess. Within a few seconds, the class was empty and I could feel my chest lighten already. This was one of those days I looked forward to work more than anything. Pouring coffee and managing mean stares were so much better than seeing Ryan being kissed every other minute.

The professor of Combat class, Professor Evan was known to be really strict also, and even though his classes were strenuous, everyone looked forward to it, most especially the girls, because Professor Evan was really young and also handsome, so everyone always sort a way to please him, and what better way than performing excellently well in his class.

Getting to the door post and looking two doors down the hall, I could see them all gathered by the notice board, the display screen light behind the protective glass beaming on their faces as they eagerly checked for their results. I wasn't so eager to check the results like the other students, because I wasn't really good at combat.

I decided to go back into the class and pick up my backpack so I could head to the library before Jessica and her friends noticed I was gone.

“Katie bloody Whitlock has an A in combat?!” Leslie's sneer made me stop abruptly, as I couldn't believe my ears.

Everywhere fell silent, and all eyes were on me, as Leslie walked towards me with Jessica following right behind. Her dark full eyebrows made her frown even meaner.

“Jessica is way fucking stronger and athletic than you, and she somehow got a B, yet you…” she stretched her eyes over my full length so lazily with a sickening lopsided smile on her face. "You. Fucking. Petty. Little. Whore," she eyes me with her arms folded across her chest. "You slept with Professor Evan, didn't you?"

Her statement threw me off balance. Never did I think that that would be her approach, I mean she could say I cheated, which she knew deep down would never happen because I was smarter than that. But to accuse me of sleeping with the professor? That was beyond low, even for the lowest of lows.

I kept my mouth shut and gave her no satisfaction. ‘Soon it will be over and I can leave for the library’ I tell myself.

“She had to.” Jessica joined in on it.

“That’s the only way.” Angela, the one who no one even remembered said in agreement.

All I did was follow their faces with my stares.

“How did it feel, tell me. How did it feel, fucking the handsome professor Evan to get an A on the course?" Leslie kept trying to get a reaction out of me, but I just remained mute, not wanting to satisfy her cravings.

"What do you expect?" Jessica sneered. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Oh, really?" Leslie smirked. "That was why your mother got expelled from college, wasn't it? Your whorish mother slept–"

Pow! I slapped Leslie hard across the face before she could continue her statement. Everyone gasped, and Leslie held her face in her palms as she stared at me with wide eyes.

"Oh, you fucking bitch! I'm going to–" Leslie launched at me and sent me to the ground, trying to throw punches at me but I had my hands over my face. With the perfect opening, I kneed her between her legs, pushing her from her straddling position, in time for Professor Evan who appeared out of nowhere to separate us.

Before he could pull me off Leslie, I managed to kick her in her chin while struggling in his strong grip till he successfully dragged me away.

“That's enough!” he snapped, taking me in the other direction.

“Are you okay?—”

A hot pain pierced my triceps causing me to scream. It happened so quickly. Leslie had followed me and stabbed the back of my arm with a pocket knife, dragging it down some inches. The knife was still stuck in my arm but the pain was so blinding I didn't see it. I could feel my blood pouring onto my hands and feet.

“Leslie!! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Go to the principal's office, Now!!!” He shouted at her while he rushed me to the infirmary to stop the bleeding. I started to feel a little light-headed on the way.

The infirmary was closed for some odd reason, so Evan took me to his office instead, saying he had a first aid kit in his locker. We got into his office and he went around his table and turned the key to the locker open, bringing out a big box out of it.

“Come on, let me see the cut..” He asked so gently, gesturing I brought my arm closer. I realized stretching the arm didn't cause me any pain like I thought it would.

At the same time, we both looked at it and it was completely healed. The tear had knitted itself and the blood had stopped pouring all the while I was panicking and feeling light-headed. Professor Evan looked me in the eye, the amazement was evident on his strikingly handsome face. He tried to touch it, gently stretching his finger forward but I drew back, not sure how that would look if anyone walked in.

A knock interrupted the moment, and he cleared his throat. “Come in," he said, as he shifted a few feet away from me.

A man opened the door hastily. “You should be glad I—” he was saying before he stopped mid-sentence. The man was putting on a glistening green trench coat.

Time seemed to stop for a moment and I was lost in his gaze as our eyes locked.

"Ahem!" Professor Evan cleared his throat, snapping my back to reality.

"I'm sorry," I apologized and quickly averted my gaze as I stood up from the seat.

As I passed by, my body brushed his.

"Mate!" Lucy screamed in my head.