Chapter 3

I flung open the door to the accessible restroom, and a cloud of smoke hit me, reeking of cigarettes.

I coughed, my anger flaring up again as I slapped Wendy across the face. Her eyes narrowed, filled with fury. "What the hell is wrong with you? Who do you think you are?"

A smirk crept onto my lips as rage surged within me. My mother might have treated me poorly, but I wouldn't let anyone play her like a fool. I grabbed the mop, swinging it hard into Wendy's stomach. She yelped, her voice rising in panic. "Help! There's a crazy woman attacking me! You ugly woman, I'm telling the school!"

With no cameras around, I let loose, grappling with the two girls. "What are you pretending for? I heard everything you said!"

As water splashed onto Wendy's face, she inexplicably stopped struggling. Instead, she gripped my mop tightly and said, "Rachel Garner, if you've got an issue, then take it out on me!"

Just then, my mother burst in, delivering a stinging slap to my face in front of them. "Enough! How long are you going to act out?"

I tried to explain, but she slapped me again. "What more do you want to say? I don't want to hear it! Stop pretending!"

Under my furious and desolate gaze, she walked up to Wendy and held her hand while saying sweetly, "My dear, don't bother with this spoiled brat. Let's go shopping!"

Ignoring any explanation from me, my mother slapped me twice more before leaving with Wendy. I felt like I'd fallen into an icy lake, sensing that my future was bleak.

So, I became the subject of a school-wide announcement. My once-pristine grades were now tainted by bullying.

Fast forward to today—I had lost count of how long I had endured Wendy's torment. Recently, I'd begged my mother for an internship at her company, but she scolded me. "With your skills? What could you possibly achieve? Don't tell me you're planning to flirt with the guys there!"

I clenched my fists, desperate to prove myself, pleading for just one chance. I had a nagging feeling that Wendy had ulterior motives since she'd already secured an internship before me.

I collected evidence to show my mother, but instead, she accused me of slandering Wendy and lectured me. "You're so narrow-minded! Do you think everyone is as scheming as you? If you keep this up, I'll make sure you don't graduate! As for Wendy, she's not only interning; she's going to be my secretary!"

Trapped in the restroom, I shot Wendy a cold glare. "Wendy, my mother has no idea who you really are. I do, and I know you're up to something again!"

She had already made my life miserable more times than I could count—cutting my thigh, making me drink from the toilet, forcing me to dance embarrassingly. I'd been through it all, and I realized that just putting up with it wasn't working.

Time was running out for me. I had been diagnosed with late-stage cancer.

I wanted to tell my mother immediately, but it had been ages since I last saw her. Since Wendy entered her life, I had become invisible.

Wendy chuckled, and behind her trailed several tall, muscular men. Their arms were thicker than my thighs, and one of them approached me.

He gripped my wrist tightly, dragging me deeper into the restroom. I struggled in agony on the floor. In a moment of panic, I dialed my mother's number, my designated emergency contact. But no matter how many times I tried, the call wouldn't go through.