One

Cindy stared blankly at her screen.

The messenger’s words were harsh.

Who does he think he is? Cindy silently wondered.

She was still contemplating whether to reply to the message in the most arrogant way because...

Who the heck would come to her DMs asking her this nonsense?

A thought crossed her mind. What if she was being threatened? What if she didn't reply to the text—what would happen then?

She put down her phone and hugged her legs. This was more terrifying than she had thought.

Maybe stepping out of her comfort zone was the most foolish idea she’d ever had. Though she loved her happy, simple life, she didn’t want to venture out anymore.

She began regretting her decision to let Juan do this for her.

Wait. What if Juan was really behind all this? She thought again and bit her lower lip.

Minutes ticked by, and the text remained unanswered.

"Cindy dear!" she heard her mom’s voice.

"Mom, I'm coming!" she called back, immediately rushing off the bed and heading for the door.

In the kitchen, her mom had plated some nice porridge in her favorite ceramic dish.

"What took you so long, dearest?" her mom asked as she took her seat.

"I'm sorry for the delay, Mom. I totally forgot that you told me to come down for dinner," she said, quickly digging into her hot food.

"Ouch!" she winced as the food touched her tongue.

"Oh my! I forgot to remind you it was still hot. Are you hurt?" her mom asked.

"Not really," Cindy said.

Her mom sat opposite her at the table, watching as she ate.

Cindy felt uneasy, recalling what had happened in her room. Bits of food kept falling onto the table.

Her mom noticed her uneasiness.

"Cindy, is something wrong?" she asked. Cindy put down her spoon.

"No, I just... suddenly lost my appetite."

"You don’t like the food? Grandma made it especially for you."

"Wait. Where’s Grandma? I haven’t asked about her since I came home," she said.

"I’m sure you know her favorite spot," her mom replied.

Cindy picked up her food and placed it in the microwave.

"I’ll eat this for breakfast tomorrow. Let me go see Grandma first," she said and left.

---

**{AUTUMN'S HOME}**

Rexa knocked on her sister’s door, and after what felt like forever, Autumn finally opened it.

"What do you want?" Autumn asked, rubbing her swollen eyes gently.

Rexa wanted to ask if she was crying again but didn’t want to provoke her like last time.

"Um... Mom said she wants you at the table for dinner," she said gently.

"I’m not hungry. Tell her I’m not coming," Autumn said, trying to close the door, but Rexa interrupted.

"Oh, that’s not my business! You can go to bed without food again and be weak enough for them to hurt you at school tomorrow!" Rexa hissed and ran away.

Autumn bit her lip gently. Maybe her sister was right. Maybe if she ate something, she would be strong enough to fight back at school.

She finally came out of her room and headed to the dining room.

She stood by the door with her arms crossed.

Her parents ignored her presence, and when she saw Rexa wasn’t paying attention to her either, she lazily walked to the table and joined them.

"You finally joined us for dinner," her dad, Mr. Harris, announced.

"Can I eat in peace without being nagged at?" she asked.

"You can’t tell us what to do here. If you don’t want to eat, you can leave the table. No one forced you to come," her mom, Mrs. Harris, ordered.

Autumn stood up, abruptly knocking over her chair, and strode out of the kitchen.

"Autumn!" Rexa called, turning quickly to face their mom.

"Mom, you should have just left her. Now she's not going to eat dinner again. It's been a week now," Rexa complained.

"We don't need her here. She can go, she can starve! I hated even birthing her!" her mom spat with venom.

"I'll go meet her myself," Rexa said, starting to get up.

"Sit!" her dad ordered, and she dropped back into her chair.

"If you don't want us to treat you like her, then behave!" he said coldly, and Rexa bit her lip as tears quickly filled her eyes.

---

**{7 AM; CINDY'S ROOM}**

Cindy walked into her room, rubbing her dry eyes, her long lashes standing out gracefully.

She never expected to fall asleep in her grandma's room while helping her finish knitting.

Her granny was obsessed with kids, and Cindy couldn’t wait to follow her to the orphanage like last year.

Every Christmas, they would visit the orphanage to gift knitted jackets, hats, pants, bags, and so much more.

As Cindy approached her bed, she noticed her phone screen was still brightly lit.

"Huh?" she gasped, picking up her phone and gasping again.

She had left the stranger's message unanswered.

"Damn it," she cursed, fisting a portion of her messy hair.

It was probably too late now, but that only caused a knot in her stomach. She was terrified.

Sitting at her mirror desk, she immediately called Juan.

"Sis!" Cindy quickly called as soon as Juan's face appeared on the screen.

"B*tch, why does your hair look like the spaghetti I'm currently eating?" Juan spat playfully.

"We can talk about that later. There’s bigger news!" Cindy said, holding her phone tightly.

"Don't leave out a single part. Gist me!" Juan said excitedly.

"A guy messaged me on Meet-Ink last night," Cindy said, and Juan's bright smile dropped abruptly.

Cindy watched, waiting to hear if it was bad news or good news.

"You mean—" Juan was about to finish when Cindy's screen went dark.

She tried turning it back on, but it didn't work.

"Oh no! I forgot to charge my phone last night. My screen was on the whole night; it probably drained my battery," she muttered to herself.

She cupped her cheeks and stared at the phone. What was her next plan?

After glancing at the clock, she realized she was late for work!

In the next few minutes, she quickly leapt into the bathroom.

---

**{MONTANA HIGH}**

Autumn saw the four boys already strolling into the school.

Felix was first, always with his favorite red warmer, followed by Asher, Scar, and Ivan.

They walked in boastfully, greeted by praises from the obsessed girls.

One girl was almost choking.

"I LOVE YOU GUYS!"

"Ivan, cutie!"

"Asher, my crush of all crushes!"

"Notice me, Felix!"

"Scar, sweetheart!"

So many girls wanted them, but the boys never showed interest in any of the girls at school. Or perhaps they wanted to guard their image.

Ivan walked to his locker, which was close to Autumn's.

"This is the time to tell him, Autumn. Do it, do it!" she urged herself, pressing her lips nervously.

She held the strap of her bag and moved toward him from behind, only to stare at his broad shoulders.

Just then, she saw Riri approaching and immediately changed her path.

"Hey, Ivan. Have you heard the big news?" Riri smiled as she walked up to him.

Autumn wished she had as much confidence as Riri to approach him so boldly.

Riri was wearing heavy makeup today to enhance her looks. Her chest was practically brushing against him.

"What big news?" he asked, taking out his books from his locker.

"Sadly, I just broke up with my current boyfriend," she said, crossing her arms.

He looked at her, his eyes briefly glancing at her chest. She wiggled teasingly, and his book fell from his hand.

He quickly picked it up.

"S-so? What should I do about that?" he asked, trying to refocus on her face.

"I don't know. I thought you should know as my closest friend. I hope your girlfriend won't be upset when she sees me with you?" she asked, licking her lips.

"I don't even have a girlfriend," he scoffed, raising his brows.

"Huh? Tell me you're joking! Omg!" she gasped, clearly amused.

"You're obstructing my way to class," he said, and she stepped aside.

He began to walk away, and Riri clapped her hands happily.

"He's single. Yippee, game on!" she chuckled.

Autumn suddenly dropped her book, and Riri looked at her.

"Damn it. I was trying to be so quiet," Autumn muttered, biting her lip.

"Hey, what are you doing there, bitch!" Riri called, turning to her.

"I just want to take my books. That's all," Autumn said, trying to keep her voice steady as she saw Hailey approaching from the other end.

"Aww, my little bait is here again," Hailey said.

"I just want to go to my class now. Class has started," Autumn said, trying to take another route, but Riri grabbed her by the waist.

"The only place you'll be going is to our fists," Riri spat.

"Please don't hurt me. Please, I didn't do anything to you guys. Just leave me alone, please," Autumn pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

"Aww, she's such a crybaby," Hailey chuckled, taking out her gum and sticking it in Autumn's hair.

"We enjoy torturing you," Hailey said.

"And until you leave Ivan..." Riri said, dragging a piece of her cheek.

"We'll keep making your life in high school a burden," Hailey concluded.

Riri snatched her bag and rummaged through it.

"Search if she has any money!" Hailey ordered.

Riri dumped out all her books but found nothing.

"Give us the most valuable thing you have!" Riri demanded.

Autumn quickly took off her locket and handed it to them.

"Is that all?" Hailey asked, and Autumn nodded.

"Do you want us to strip and search you in the toilet like yesterday?" Riri threatened.

Autumn hurriedly took out her lunch money and gave it to them. Riri counted it.

"It's a hundred bucks. It's enough," she said.

"Yeah, it's enough. Let's go," Hailey said, kicking Autumn so she fell on her butt.

Autumn watched them leave, her tears soaking into the floor as she packed up her books. How was she going to cope with this?

She remembered she was paired with Ivan for a class project, which led to the rumors that they were dating, resulting in the bullying.

Ivan barely noticed her in class, and they were not even friends. She needed to tell Ivan fast. He was the only one she could confide in.

---

**{CAFETERIA}**

The four "kings" were taking their places at the lunch table. The four-row table was almost full, but there were only three chairs available.

"I think Ivan should go sit somewhere else," Scar suggested.

"But I already said I would sit here," Ivan objected.

"Dude, no one brought chairs from home," Felix said, and Ivan angrily glared at him.

He picked up his tray and sat elsewhere.

Autumn, who was nearby watching, knew this was the perfect time to meet him, considering that the bullies weren't around.

She picked up her tray and confidently approached his table, taking the chair in front of him.

"Hi," Autumn waved. It was their first time talking since they were paired, and she was deadly nervous.

"Hey, aren't you Autumn?" he asked. She was glad he remembered.

"Um... yes. I'm sorry if I'm a distraction, but I really need to tell you something," she said.

"Sure, I don't mind," he said.

She smiled, her mind wandering into a daydream where Ivan gently touched her lips while looking into her eyes.

"Your lips are kinda dry," he spoke softly in her fantasy.

"Yeah, a kiss would help," she giggled dreamily.

He leaned in closer, and Autumn slowly closed her eyes, waiting to feel his lips on hers.

She waited, but nothing happened.

"What are you doing?" a conscious voice snapped her back to reality, and she opened her eyes to find Ivan staring at her weirdly.

"Are you okay? You've been closing your eyes and smiling weirdly," he said, and Autumn palmed her lips in embarrassment.

She abruptly stood up and ran away from the table, mortified.

"Wait. You forgot your food!" he called, but she didn't turn back.

"Weird," he thought as he stared into space.

---

**{6 PM; JUAN'S CAR}**

Cindy finished recounting the story to Juan, who was listening intently.

"And so by the time I got to school, I decided to charge my phone," Cindy concluded.

"So have you texted him back?" Juan asked excitedly.

"No. Why would I text a stranger?"

"Girl, are you crazy? This is an opportunity. His type is rare!" Juan exclaimed, and Cindy gave her a puzzled look.

"I don't think it's right. He sounded harsh. He might hurt me," Cindy said.

"How about you reply to him and see what he says next?" Juan suggested.

"I'm sure it's too late now. He gave me only a few minutes to reply last night."

"Let's give it a try," Juan insisted.

Cindy took out her phone and logged into Meet-Ink. The message was still there, unanswered.

"What should I say?"

"Just tell him you just saw the message and that you agree to his request," Juan instructed.

"Huh?"

Juan snatched the phone from her and typed something before handing it back.

"So what next?" Cindy asked naively, like a daughter learning from her mother.

"Wait for his reply, babe," Juan said savagely, clacking her tongue.

"Why are you so excited, and I'm here being terrified?" Cindy asked.

"Because I'll be expecting a wedding by next year," Juan laughed.

"Hey, enough of those loud jokes! Why would I ever marry a stranger in the first place?" Cindy scoffed, but Juan remained silent, the playful glint in her eyes saying more than words could.

After long minutes of waiting, no reply came from the stranger. Cindy went home and followed her usual routine: helping her mom make dinner and spending the evening knitting. She also stayed up on her balcony, engrossed in her favorite fantasy novel.

Lying back in bed, staring at the ceiling, her phone suddenly lit up. Knowing what she was expecting, she pressed her phone to her chest, her heart pounding. "Just open it anyway. Accept whatever you see," she told herself. As she pulled up her phone, her heart raced crazily. He had texted back!

She couldn't hold her breath at that moment. It felt as if the world around her had stopped. Slowly, she blinked at his cold message:

"Your dress and accessories will be sent down to your home, and a cab will drive you to the venue. And by the way, you don't have to worry about sending your address. Goodnight!"

Cindy's mind raced with questions and concerns. Who was this person? How did he know her address? Why was he being so mysterious and authoritative? She felt a mix of excitement and fear. Her curiosity battled with her apprehension, but the allure of the unknown was undeniably strong.

She took a deep breath and decided to talk to Juan first thing in the morning. Until then, she had to calm her racing mind and try to get some sleep, though she knew it would be a difficult night.

---

**{MORNING; CINDY'S HOUSE}**

Cindy woke up feeling groggy and unsettled. The message from last night kept replaying in her mind. She dressed quickly and rushed over to Juan's house, needing her sister's advice more than ever.

Juan was already up, sipping coffee on the porch. She looked up as Cindy approached, noticing the anxious look on her face.

"He texted back," Cindy blurted out, not even bothering with a greeting.

"Really? What did he say?" Juan asked, leaning forward with interest.

Cindy handed over her phone. Juan read the message, her eyes widening. "Wow, this is intense. He’s sending a dress and a cab? And he knows your address without you giving it to him?"

"Exactly! That's what's freaking me out," Cindy replied, pacing back and forth. "What should I do, Juan? This could be dangerous!"

Juan considered for a moment. "Well, it's definitely suspicious. But part of me is curious too. Maybe we should investigate a bit before deciding."

"How do we do that?" Cindy asked.

"First, let’s see if the dress and accessories actually arrive. If they do, we’ll inspect them carefully. Maybe there will be a clue. We could also look up the sender’s details if there’s a label."

"Okay, that makes sense," Cindy agreed, feeling a bit calmer. "But what if it’s a trap?"

"We’ll be cautious," Juan assured her. "We won’t do anything reckless. But if this is a genuine opportunity, we shouldn’t miss out just because we’re scared."

Cindy nodded, appreciating her sister's balanced approach. They spent the rest of the morning making a plan, detailing every step they would take to ensure Cindy's safety.

---

**{LATER THAT DAY; CINDY'S HOUSE}**

The doorbell rang in the early afternoon. Cindy's heart skipped a beat. She exchanged a nervous glance with Juan, who gave her a reassuring nod.

Cindy opened the door to find a delivery person holding a large, elegant box. "Delivery for Cindy," the person said.

"Thank you," Cindy said, accepting the box and closing the door. She and Juan hurried to the living room, placing the box on the coffee table.

"Okay, let’s open it," Juan said. They carefully unwrapped the box, revealing a stunning evening dress, exquisite jewelry, and a note.

Cindy picked up the note with trembling hands and read aloud, "Wear this tonight. The cab will arrive at 7 PM."

Juan inspected the contents, searching for any clues or hidden messages. "Everything looks legitimate. The dress is high-quality, and the jewelry is real."

"But what if it’s still a trap?" Cindy asked, her anxiety creeping back.

"We’ll be prepared," Juan said firmly. "I’ll follow the cab in my car, just in case. We’ll stay in touch the whole time. If anything seems off, you get out of there immediately."

Cindy took a deep breath, feeling a bit more reassured. "Okay. Let's do this."

As the hours ticked by, Cindy prepared herself mentally and physically for the evening. She put on the dress and accessories, looking at herself in the mirror. She barely recognized the sophisticated young woman staring back at her.

At exactly 7 PM, the cab arrived. Cindy's heart pounded as she stepped outside, but she felt a little braver knowing Juan was right behind her.

The night was full of uncertainty, but Cindy knew she had to face it head-on. This mysterious journey could lead to danger or opportunity, but she was ready to find out.