Chapter 6

With that, she hurled the IV stand to the floor. The metal pole crashed against the tiles with an ear-splitting clang.

She turned and walked straight toward the door without sparing any of them so much as a glance.

Miguel crouched in the corner, clutching his shoulder, his face slick with sweat from the pain. He couldn't even stand up.

Nehemiah stood frozen, watching Nayeli's retreating back. For the first time, his sister felt like a complete stranger.

Her eyes held no hurt, no anger—only a still, unrippled calm. That calm was more unsettling than any hysterical outburst could have been.

An inexplicable panic stirred in his chest.

Nayeli walked out of the hospital room without looking back.

Blood from her knee trickled down her shin, leaving a trail of crimson drops on the tile floor. She didn't bother to look down.

As she stepped through the hospital's main entrance, the afternoon sunlight made her squint.

Nayeli drew in a deep breath. This was what it felt like to be alive.

She raised her hand to flag down a taxi. "Sir, Ridgemont High School, please."

The car pulled away, and she leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes. Slowly, the corner of her mouth curved upward.

So this was what fighting back felt like. It felt damn good.

The taxi stopped at the school entrance. Nayeli paid the fare and got out, limping toward the dormitory.

Ridgemont High School was a boarding school, but Nayeli didn't usually stay on campus.

Her brothers thought it was embarrassing for the McCarthy family if she lived in the dorms. The dorm supervisor's eyes widened when she saw the blood on Nayeli's leg. "What happened to you?"

"Training accident. I'm fine." Nayeli took the key. "I'll be staying on campus from now on."

The dorm was a four-person room. The other three girls were taking their afternoon naps when she walked in. They all froze.

Nayeli didn't bother greeting them. She found her bed and pulled ointment and gauze from her bag.

She sat on the edge of the bed and rolled up her pant leg.

The bandage on her knee was completely soaked through with blood. When she peeled it away, she saw the wound had split open, the edges red and swollen, still seeping blood.

One of her roommates leaned over, took one look, and gasped.

"Oh my God, what happened? Don't you need to go to the nurse's office?"

"I'm fine."

Nayeli pulled out the ointment and gauze she'd taken from the hospital. She wiped the blood around the wound with a wet wipe, then squeezed ointment directly onto the gash.

The ointment stung so badly that cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

She bit down hard, not making a sound, and wrapped the gauze around her knee with practiced efficiency, tying it off neatly.

The three roommates exchanged glances. None of them dared say another word.

Nayeli changed into her school uniform, stuffed her dirty clothes into a bag, and checked the time on her phone.

Two more classes this afternoon.

She slung her backpack over her shoulder and left the dorm alone.

The academic building was quiet during lunch break. The hallways were nearly empty.

Nayeli approached her classroom door and was about to push it open when she heard voices inside—several girls talking.

"Did you see Lucia's social media post? She's in the hospital again."

"I saw. Sounds like Nayeli's fault."

"Nayeli is so vicious. Lucia's always been so good to her, and she keeps bullying her."

"What do you expect? She grew up on the streets somewhere. How classy could she be?"

Nayeli's hand paused on the door.

She recognized those voices—classmates who were always hanging around Lucia.

It had been the same in her past life.

Lucia was wildly popular at school. Everyone adored her. Everyone believed Nayeli was the evil woman who'd stolen her identity.

Add to that her brothers constantly showing up to defend Lucia, and Nayeli's situation at school had gotten worse by the day.

She'd been isolated, excluded, whispered about behind her back.

Someone had even stuffed a dead mouse in her backpack once. Someone else had carved "GET OUT" into her desk.

Back then, she'd been foolish enough to go to teachers, to her brothers, hoping someone would stand up for her.

But no one had. 

Nehemiah told her "you need to work on your people skills." 

Miguel said "you deserve it."

That was when she'd learned: no one was going to fight her battles. She could only rely on herself.

Nayeli pushed the door open.

The laughter inside cut off abruptly.

The girls huddled together looked up and saw her. Their expressions shifted. They exchanged quick glances and scattered.

Nayeli walked to her seat with no expression on her face.

Her desk was in the back row by the window. The seat next to hers was empty—Lucia's seat. Lucia rarely came to class, but the seat was always reserved. The teacher said it was Kason McCarthy's orders.

Nayeli pulled out her textbook and opened it on her desk.

She kept her head down, focused on the book, but she could still hear the whispers.

"Why is she even here?"

"Look at her uniform—there's still blood on it. That's creepy."

"Stay away from her."

Nayeli ignored them all.

She poured all her attention into the textbook.

In her past life, she'd deliberately skipped exams so Lucia could rank first. She'd even passed Lucia answers during tests.

She'd thought if she did that, they'd treat her a little better.

Looking back now, she'd been pathetically stupid.

This time around, she wouldn't hold back for anyone.

She was going to get the best grades, get into the best college, and get the hell away from the McCarthy family.

Both afternoon classes were math.

Nayeli listened intently, filling two full pages with notes. Students around her passed notes gossiping about her. She didn't so much as lift an eyelid.

When the final bell rang, Nayeli packed up her bag and headed out.

The moment she stepped through the classroom door, someone blocked her path.

Shepherd.

Her fiancé.

Shepherd wore designer athletic wear, his hair slicked back perfectly, with the kind of face girls went crazy for.

Right now, that face was twisted with anger as he stood in her way. "Nayeli, stop right there! You put Lucia in the hospital and you won't even go see her?"

Nayeli looked at him with cold detachment. In her past life, Shepherd had been her fiancé in name only—he'd never cared about her. Later, he'd turned around and gotten engaged to Lucia.

"Not going." She moved to step around him.

Shepherd blocked her again. "You have to go apologize to Lucia! She cried all day because of you. If you have even an ounce of decency—"

"Let go."

"Not until you promise to apologize!"

A crowd of onlookers was gathering.

Nayeli took a deep breath, then suddenly stopped struggling. "Fine. I'll go to the cafeteria with you."

Shepherd froze, then a smug satisfaction crept across his face. He walked beside her, lecturing nonstop. "When you see Lucia, you better have a good attitude. All your brothers were at the hospital today too. Lucia's soft-hearted—if you apologize properly, she'll definitely forgive you…"

Nayeli didn't hear a single word.

She walked into the cafeteria, picked up a tray of food, and turned around.

Shepherd was still running his mouth. "Lucia even told me today she doesn't want to fight with you. See how generous she is? And then look at you—"

Nayeli stopped in her tracks and lifted her head, her gaze ice-cold.

"Do you really think that no matter what you people do to me, I just have to take it?"

Shepherd blinked. "What?"

Nayeli raised her hand and dumped the entire tray of food over his head.

Fish-flavored pork sauce dripped from Shepherd's hair. His white athletic jacket was instantly splattered with a rainbow of stains.

The cafeteria went silent for one second. Then shocked exclamations erupted from every direction.

Shepherd looked down at himself, his expression shifting from shock to fury. "NAYELI!!"

He raised his hand to strike her.

"What's going on here!" The teacher on duty strode over. "You two! My office! Now!"