LIKE LOVE OBSESSION

Two weeks had passed since I last set foot in that school, and to be honest, my motivation was somewhere on a beach, sipping cocktails. The surprising part? My mom hadn't been on my case about it. She must've sensed something was off too. So, here I was, stuck at home, trying to figure out how to kill time. I was considering heading back tomorrow since the exams were closing in. The only problem was, I'd be flying solo—no friends to share the homework load with.

On the plus side, my knees were almost back to normal. Walking felt fine again, no limp. But I had a new strategy in place: Sinister and Darla were going to get the coldest shoulder imaginable. No small talk, no accidental eye contact—just a solid barrier. I had to focus on me for once, without the drama.

As I got ready for school, I stood in front of the mirror, giving myself a pep talk. "No conversations with anyone. Especially Darla," I muttered under my breath, smiling a little at the absurdity of it. If she tried anything, well, maybe a metaphorical kick in the back would do the trick. As for Sinister, if he tried to play the hero, he'd get a kick where it counted. Yeah, I was talking tough, but deep down, I knew I wasn't as fearless as I tried to sound.

I stepped into the classroom, and the moment I walked in, I felt it—a shift in the air. Something was off. The usual hum of energy was replaced with a kind of tension. Everyone was moving faster, talking louder, but there was an undercurrent of stress that I couldn't shake.

"Did Darla not hit you up?" A girl's voice broke through the chatter as she walked in behind me. Frustration was written all over her face as she showed her phone screen to her friend.

"She's been MIA for three days now. Super weird. Darla never ghosts this long," she added, her voice tinged with disbelief.

It was true—Darla hadn't shown up to class. I couldn't help but feel a tiny flicker of relief. Honestly, if she pulled a Houdini act and disappeared for good, I wouldn't mind. But the real kicker? Sinister seemed completely unaffected. There he was, sitting at his desk, eyes glued to his phone, looking like he couldn't care less about where Darla was.

What struck me as odd was that no one was bothering to ask him about it, not even their usual crowd of friends. It made me wonder—had they broken up? Was that why Darla's friends weren't hanging around him anymore? But I wasn't about to dive into that mystery. Instead, I sank into my seat, trying to focus on anything but the tension in the air.

And then, just as I thought things couldn't get weirder, our homeroom teacher stepped up to the front of the class with an announcement that hit like a thunderclap.

"Attention, students," Mrs. Allen began, her voice steady but serious. "I have an important announcement. Darla's parents have contacted us. They informed us that Darla has left the country to pursue studies abroad."

The room froze. A collective gasp filled the air, and my mind scrambled to process the words.

"Wait, what? Darla's gone?" someone whispered from the back. "No heads-up, no nothing about her leaving?"

"Mrs. Allen said that Mr. Allen, Darla's dad, decided to relocate his business to America, and he wanted Darla to accompany him," the teacher explained, trying to move on with the lecture, but it was clear that the news had hit hard.

Girls in the class were whispering, looking like they'd just lost their best friend, while others stared at Sinister's way, processing the sudden departure. I glanced at Sinister, expecting him to look devastated, maybe even a little lost, at the thought of his girlfriend flying off to another country. But instead, his eyes were locked onto me.

Our gazes collided, and for a split second, it felt like the entire room disappeared. My heart skipped a beat, thudding wildly in my chest. My hand instinctively went to my chest, feeling the rapid pulse.

I quickly turned away, trying to shake off the fluttering sensation in my stomach. What the hell was happening? Why was he staring at me like that? I couldn't focus. The rest of the class felt like a blur. But I couldn't stop thinking about that look he gave me, and how my heart was still pounding from it.

During the school break, an unsettling feeling settled in as I sat across from Sinister in the cafeteria. I could feel his gaze on me, sharp and unwavering. It was like I was a target again, and I couldn't shake the feeling that he was ready to strike with another round of bullying. I had felt a little relief when Darla left, thinking maybe things would quiet down, but I quickly remembered that Sinister was the one pulling the strings. No matter where she was, he was still around, lurking in the background, ready to cause chaos.

I tried to focus on my lunch, keeping my eyes glued to the sandwich in front of me, not daring to look up. But I could feel the weight of everyone's stares, as if every eye in the room was on me, judging, waiting for something to happen. Just when I thought I might explode from the tension, Sinister suddenly stood up and left the cafeteria without a word. I let out a silent sigh of relief. Finally, a moment of peace.

But the calm didn't last long. Another figure strolled over to my table, breaking my brief respite. I looked up to find none other than Sophia.

Sophia, the class representative—the one who always seemed to have everything together—walked over with a lunch tray in hand and plopped it down across from me. She gave me a warm, genuine smile. I was so caught off guard that I nearly choked on my breath.

After everything that had happened, with all the bullying and the tension, I never thought Sophia would actually speak to me. I thought she was too busy with her perfect little world to bother with someone like me. Yet, here she was, taking a seat across from me like it was no big deal.

"Everyone's staring at us," I said, my voice nervous as I glanced around the cafeteria, noticing the eyes that were still locked onto us. "You don't have to sit with me if it makes you uncomfortable."

Sophia shrugged, unfazed. "It's okay; I've been in situations like this before," she said casually, digging into her salad like it was just another normal lunch. I couldn't help but be surprised.

"You... went through that? You were bullied too?" I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop myself. It was hard to believe that someone like her—so confident and collected—had ever been in my shoes.

She nodded, taking a sip of her water before looking back at me. "Yeah. Humans are weird. They form groups and always find someone to pick on. Sometimes it's for no reason at all. It's just the way it goes."

I sat there, digesting her words. I'd always noticed how Sophia was on her own, often keeping to herself, just like me. It made sense now—maybe she was just used to being an outsider, too.

"So, what about now? Are you okay?" I asked, my voice softer this time. I wanted to know how she handled it, how she managed to keep going.

Sophia took another bite of her salad, seemingly unfazed by anything around her. "Yeah, things are fine now. Everyone leaves me alone ever since I threw a stone at them." She looked at me with a sly grin, and for a moment, I thought she was serious.

I froze. "You did WHAT?!"

Sophia burst into laughter, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I'm just messing with you," she said, still chuckling. 

Sophia's eyes sparkled as she grinned and said, "Want to go for a walk? I've got some tips for surviving as a special-entry student." She winked, and I felt a rush of excitement. I never expected a day like this at Rosewood High, but here I was, walking with Sophia, my first real friend at this school. It felt nice—calming, almost—like maybe I wasn't as alone as I had thought. I was actually happy for once.

As we strolled, Sophia leaned in, her tone shifting to one of caution. "You need to be careful around Sinister and Liam," she warned, her voice dropping low. "Those two are trouble."

I couldn't help but think, Well, isn't that a bit too late? After all, I was already in deep with Sinister's mind games, and avoiding him felt like a lost cause.

Sophia cont., her face serious now. "He's the only child of the current CEO of RR Corp. Spoiled, entitled, and has this whole 'I can get away with anything' attitude because of his wealth and power. Yeah, he looks handsome and all, but trust me, his personality? Nasty." She paused, then added, "You don't want to get involved with him."

I blinked, processing her words. "RR Corp? As in, the one with their name all over the school?"

Sophia smirked. "Exactly. Rosewood School was founded and funded by RR Corp. You'll see their name everywhere—on the buildings, in the textbooks, even in the cafeteria. They own everything."

I stood there, stunned. "No way," I whispered, looking around the campus as if seeing it for the first time.

Sophia continued, "The Electronics and Construction Department, car manufacturing, transportation—RR Corp is a leading conglomerate in all those fields. And Sinister? Well, he's the CEO's son, the heir to the whole thing."

My mind was spinning. "So, he's basically one of the wealthiest chaebols in the world?" I asked, not quite believing it.

Sophia nodded. "Exactly. That's why he thinks he can do whatever he wants. Trust me, Grace, it's easier to just avoid him."

Sophia raised an eyebrow, but before she could respond, her expression softened. "By the way, why were you gone last week?" She gave me a curious look.

I hesitated. I could easily lie—tell her I'd been sick or something—but she had noticed. And for some reason, I felt like I could tell her the truth.

I let out a deep sigh and blurted it out, "It's because of Sinister… and Darla."

Sophia's face shifted from casual to concerned in a heartbeat. She didn't say anything at first, just pulled me into a hug. I wasn't exactly a fan of hugs, but something about it felt… comforting. I didn't say anything though. I just let her hold me for a moment, thankful that someone cared.

When she pulled back, she cupped my face in her hands, her gaze intense yet warm. "Don't be scared, Grace. I've got your back." Her words were simple, but they hit me hard. For the first time in a long while, I felt like maybe I wasn't entirely alone in this.

I nodded, trying to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to spill over. Maybe Rosewood High wasn't as hopeless as I thought. With Sophia by my side, maybe things could finally get better