HU:I know I have broken every code among guys, and to be honest, I don’t feel bad about it. The moment I saw Ginger’s text to Caspian, I knew I had to do something. Classes are busy today, but I would give anything to make her feel better. Talking with her yesterday made me feel good, and I am not necessarily repaying her, but knowing she is in pain makes me uneasy.I have no idea how Caspian can sit through the entire school day with this information. Well, he doesn’t have sisters, but I do, and they are never in the best mood during their cycle. The first time Hana got hers, she rained down on the entire house. That same week, she was so emotional that everything at home made her cry. It’s a good thing I have two sisters because I know exactly what to do for Ginger, even though I have never helped mine—because no one would trust the dysfunctional child to administer care.“Thank you,” she mutters, and I look up to meet her eyes.She walks to the bed, sitting on it before I turn to
GINGER:I know Hu is like a ticking bomb, but I believe he is capable of so much more. He is just hurt, and he needs the right people—or person—to help him. I will not say I am the right person to help him, but I will try my best because I know how it feels. If I didn’t have Caspian, I do not know what I would be doing at this point because he keeps the ill thoughts of harming myself away.“Yes, we are friends,” he replies as his grip on the chopsticks loosens. My heart calms a bit, and I think of the best way to keep his mind away from whatever is bothering him.My mind keeps telling me to open up about my own problems, but I do not want him to freak out or tell my mum that I am hurting myself. It would weigh her down, as she has already been through a lot.The room remains silent for a while, and after a moment, I inhale sharply, then I speak.“Last night, you opened up to me about yourself, and I think it would be unfair if I said nothing to you.” He keeps his gaze on me without sa
GINGER:My heart thumps in my chest as the taxi comes to a halt in front of the house. I take a deep breath before getting out of the car, then slowly make my way to the front door. Just as my hand reaches for the handle, my mother pulls the door open, her brows wrinkled.“Hey, Ginger’s back!” she announces before I can say a word.I swallow hard as I hear Caspian’s voice in the background. My mother shifts to the side, allowing me to step inside while keeping her eyes on me, making it clear I’m in trouble. The moment I walk in, I spot Caspian by the living room door.“Hey,” he says in a low tone, cupping my face. I look into his eyes, trying to convince myself he deserves what he got for the way he treated me.“Are you okay?”“Yes, Ginger, are you okay?” my mother asks, her tone laced with anger, making me grab Caspian’s hand as I lead him toward the stairs.“Let me grab my backpack,” he says, stopping me halfway. As he walks to the couch to pick it up, I stare at my mother, who has
HU:The thought of Ginger and Caspian together makes my blood boil. As I pull up in front of my house, I spot Caspian walking back into hers. That should be me, but I decided to screw it up with my issues. Fuck, I hate my life, and I would give anything to be him.As I drive into the compound, my phone rings, and I glance at the screen to see Ruby’s name. Angrily, I shut it off and park my car. I get out, slamming the door as I march toward the house.I spot my mum in the living room as I walk in, but I ignore her and head straight for the stairs.“Good afternoon to you too, Hu,” she says, and I groan, turning briefly.“Good afternoon, Mother,” I say, then make my way upstairs before she can say anything else or engage me in an unwanted conversation. I rush to my room, shut the door, and walk to my bed.Ginger’s window is open, which makes me believe nothing inappropriate is going on. I lie down, shutting my eyes, trying hard to drift to sleep, but it’s almost impossible.At that mome
GINGER:Waking up with Caspian by my side feels right. I am not insanely attracted to him like I am to Hu, but I think I love it this way. There is no second-guessing if he loves me because, clearly, he cannot do without me, and he would do anything for me.His arms wrapped around me make me feel safe, and I would give anything to let this moment last.“Good morning, sleepyheads.” I hear my mother’s voice, causing me to flip my eyes open to see her standing by the door with a smug smile on her lips.I open my eyes properly, looking around to see that pillows are lined between Caspian and me. The feeling of him spooning me was just the pillows against my butt. His hands are on me, but he withdraws them as soon as he opens his eyes.We both sit up, and I glare at my mom, my brows wrinkled.“Good morning, Anna,” Caspian says, and my eyes widen. They’re on a first-name basis now? I know I disobeyed her, but she is trying hard to get to me, and, god, it’s working.“Good morning, Caspian.”
GINGER:The events from the hallway keep playing in my mind as the geography teacher blabs in front of the board. Hana hasn’t returned, and it’s been over thirty minutes, which makes me worried. Suddenly, the door opens, and Hana walks in with a red face. I can tell she has been crying, and it makes my heart drop. If Hu knows his actions hurt people, then why does he keep doing it?Silently, she gets into her seat in front of me. I itch to ask her about Hu, but I cannot, because that would raise suspicions. So I sit there painfully until the class is over, then I reach out for her.“Are you okay?” I ask, and she turns around, giving me a slight nod before letting out a sigh.“I don’t know why he keeps doing this. He knows it will cost him a lot if a teacher sees him that way, but he doesn’t care. No one knows the reason for this, because he won’t talk. He says we don’t care about him, but he doesn’t make it easy either way.” The crack in her voice makes me realize how much she cares f
GINGER:“What in the Moon Goddess’s name is going on here?” Mother’s voice rings through the room, making Hu and I pull away from each other instantly.I stare at her, my face drained of color as she glares at me, her brows furrowing. Hu and I stay silent.“Is anyone going to explain what the hell I just walked into?” she demands, then suddenly slaps her forehead with both hands, letting out a dry chuckle. “Oh, I know—this is a dream. I’ll just shut this door, wait a second, and when I open it again, none of this will be real.”I open my mouth to speak, but before I can, she shuts the door. I sigh.“We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” Hu mutters. I glance at him, my brows knitted.We wait in silence for my mother to finish her dramatic pause. When the door swings open again, she’s wearing a forced smile.“So, I’m not dreaming, and the Alpha Prince is really in my daughter’s room.” Her voice is eerily calm before her expression darkens. She shuts the door behind her with a loud thud and lean
Hu:It’s been a week since I told Ginger I loved her. I can’t tell how I’ve been holding back, but today, it feels like my heart will explode. I’ve noticed she’s been avoiding me. When I see her at school, she won’t meet my eyes, and she always walks in groups, making sure I don’t get the chance to pull her aside. She knows exactly what she’s doing, and it’s killing me.She said she still thinks about that night too, so why is she acting like I’m some kind of disease? It’s like she’s messing with my head, and it’s fucking working. I want to go to her house, but I’m wary of her mom, and her curtains have been shut for an entire week.“You need to wait for her to come to you,” I tell myself, tossing a ball against the wall in front of me.At first, the steady rhythm soothes me, but the more I think about her, the more it grates on my nerves. When the ball bounces back toward me, I catch it and crush it in my hand. Sitting up, I swing my legs off the bed and let my hands hang between my
GINGER:Ginger’s breath comes in ragged gasps as she rushes down the hallway, her vision blurred with unshed tears. The echo of the crowd’s cheers for the Blue Shadow Pack rings in her ears, each sound amplifying the shame tightening in her chest. She cost them the game. She fell at the most critical moment.She doesn’t stop until she reaches the empty corridor leading to the locker rooms, but heavy footsteps pound behind her, gaining on her fast.“Ginger!” Hu calls out, but she doesn’t slow down.She clenches her fists, trying to ignore him, but within seconds, he is beside her. His longer strides close the distance between them, and before she can pull away, his hand curls gently around her wrist, forcing her to stop.“Leave me alone, Hu,” she whispers, her voice cracking.He doesn’t let go. “Why are you beating yourself up?”
GINGER:The locker room is buzzing with high energy as we prepare for the match against the Blue Shadow Pack. Everyone is talking over one another, debating who should go on the field first. I sit on the edge of the bench, tying my skates, trying to block out the noise. Then I see a pair of familiar shoes walking toward me, stopping inches away.Ruby speaks before I can look up. “She shouldn’t play.” Her tone is laced with disgust. “She’s too fat, and she’ll slow us down and make us lose.”My fingers freeze over my laces as I lift my head to see her standing with her hands on her waist.Silence falls for a brief second before a few girls start giggling, while others shift uncomfortably. My chest tightens as heat rises to my face, and I will myself to look unaffected, but my nails dig into my palm.“Ruby might be right,” someone says
GINGER:I push the door open, my body still damp from the pool, Hu’s oversized shirt clinging to me. My heart sinks the moment I step inside and find Janet’s side of the bed empty. Worse, my property is all over the place. My clothes are on the ground, and they are wet.A shaky breath escapes me as I scan the room. I walk over to one of my shirts, lifting it off the ground, watching as water drips from it. Tears well up in my eyes, and I try so hard to ground myself, but they keep falling. I know I hurt someone, but this is too much karma for my sins. A choked sob slips out, and suddenly, I sink onto the cold floor, pulling my knees to my chest.I try to breathe, but it feels like I’m suffocating. Like the walls are closing in. And then it happens before I can stop it. The darkness I dread envelops me, pulling me under like quicksand, dragging me back to a place I never want to be.The room fades, and it is just me, standing with my father, watching him p
GINGER:“Hey! Stop!” I call out to Janet as she catwalks away toward the pool exit.I cannot believe I bought into her nerdy girl nonsense because, looking at her now, I can barely see that. She is the typical mean girl—the ones who spend their entire lives investing in heavy skincare, starving themselves to have an enviable build. She is… Ruby!“Hey! Stop!” I try again, pushing myself against the edge of the pool, but she only laughs, tilting her head.“Why?” she taunts. Then she pauses, a smile curling on her lips as we hear the voices of approaching students. “You better stay in there because I doubt anyone wants to see your mom tits.” She glares at my bra. “I cannot believe those boys are fighting over this. Ew.”I suck in a shaky breath, trying to hold myself together. “Don’t do this, please. It isn’t fair.&r
GINGER:Janet and I swim around for a while, splashing each other and floating lazily in the cool water. The sun shines down on us, warming my skin despite the chill of the pool. It’s peaceful having just the two of us here, and a part of me dreads that this will soon end when the other students arrive.Janet swims closer, resting her arms on the edge of the pool. “You know,” she starts, her voice softer than before, “I just want to say… I’m really sorry for everything. The bullying, the rumors, all of it. You don’t deserve that.”Hearing her say this doesn’t make me feel better about myself, because a part of me feels like I deserve it. I hurt Caspian, and this is probably my karma.I shake my head at her.“I know I can’t change what’s happened,” she continues, “but I just want you to know that I’m here for you,
Ginger:The blare of a loud alarm sends both Janet and me flying from our beds. I land back on the bed on my butt. It hurts a bit, so I rub it slightly while Janet tries to stand on the ground where she has fallen.“Attention, students! This is Coach Billy, and I am here to officially welcome all of you.” I groan at his voice, which scratches my ears as it blares through the speakers. “I know I met some of you yesterday, but on behalf of the Red Pack students who arrived late, I am welcoming you guys once more.”The Red Pack is here? I question myself.I had no idea my pack had a hockey team now in high school. I pray silently that I do not see anyone I know, because I do not want to answer questions.“The first match is tomorrow, but for today, you can mingle, make friends, and have fun together because it is a Sunday.” He yells a slogan that I can barely make out. &
GINGER:Sometimes I wonder why Hu will not just leave me alone, and other times I am kind of glad. If he did not care about what his actions did to me, then I probably would have killed myself.Today, the hockey team is traveling to the Blue Shadow Pack. My luggage is almost empty, because over the past two weeks, I have put on a lot of weight. As I stare at myself in the mirror, all I feel is disgust. My arms look flabby, and I cannot help but pull at the bulging fat on my back. I have stress-eaten so much that I did not realize it until now. No wonder I have been getting bullied so much.My heart aches as I think of the best way to mask the fat. I rush to my wardrobe, pulling out a tape. Drawing out a long streak, I place the end on my left armpit, then wrap it around, looking at the mirror. It looks good, so I continue until I feel comfortable. Then I grab my shirt, draping it over my body. Examining myself in the mirror,
HU:The days go by fast, and with each passing second, my life keeps crashing down. Every day is torture, watching Ginger get bullied because of my stupid ass, but I always make sure to go after whoever is responsible. Yet, they never seem to stop. Worse, I cannot even tell who is behind it. It could be Ruby or even Hana. I want to confront them, but I don’t even know what to say.It’s been two weeks, and it feels like hell. Today is Friday, the last day of school before we travel for the hockey match. I am in my room packing, and I cannot help but stare at Ginger’s window. I wish we were still on good terms because we would be talking by now. Maybe I would send her a pic of my room and how horribly packing is going. Then I would probably sneak into her room to help her with hers, sleep over, and end up hurriedly packing the next day.The thought of it sends heat through my core as a smile forms on my face. Her curtains are shut, but I can picture her perfectly.“I can’t believe that
GINGER:I don’t wait after practice is over. The moment Coach Greg dismisses us, I grab my bag and head straight for the exit. A lot of thoughts swirl in my head, especially the coldness I saw in Caspian’s eyes when I expected him to defend me. I know I did him wrong, but god, it fucking hurts, and I wish there was something I could do to make it stop.I barely make it down the hallway when a hand grabs my wrist, yanking me into the janitor’s closet. I know it is Hu, and the moment he flicks the lights on, I stare at him, my brows crumpling.“What the hell is wrong with you?” I ask when our eyes meet. His eyes look troubled, but I remind myself that it is not my place to comfort him, especially considering the fact that he acted like an asshole.“Ginger, please,” he says in a low voice, and I hold his gaze for a moment. “I am sorry for what happened at the wedding. I wasn’t in the right state of mind, and believe me, the last thing I want is for you to be hurt.”Not even an ounce of p