Owls hoot in the darkness, singing a lullaby to the moon. When all the boys were in a deep sleep in the dormitory, Elsie was wide awake, facing her wildest nightmare. Many mysteries unfolded before her eyes, but the last revelation was the hardest one to accept.
“Cade Robertson has green eyes, you dummy. Yours is as black as my lipstick,” she said. In that situation, nothing was impossible, but she prayed she was right this time.
“You sound as if you know him. Are you his stalker?”
“No,” she replied in a defensive tone. “But I’ve seen him.”
Cade crossed his arms. “I’m not surprised. He’s a heartthrob in their school.”
“Heartthrob my ass! He’s a nitwit.” Her words were firm, sparking a fight.
“Do you have a grudge against him or something?”
“Well, he is a narcissist. A heartless boy who knows nothing but uses his social status to exploit other people. Who does he think he is? He’s nothing but pure dirt on this planet.”
“H-heartless?” Cade tried to speak, but he couldn’t utter another word to contradict her. “That’s a harsh judgment from a stranger.”
“I could see through him. We’ve been on a date once. If only you were there and listened to his mischievous allegations, you would understand.”
“Just because your opinions were not inclined doesn’t mean you can speak ill of him.”
Elsie raised an eyebrow. “Are you siding with him?”
“Unfortunately, I was there.”
Cade removed his contact lenses and his emerald eyeballs glared straight at her. She gasped and pulled away.
“I told you, I am Cade Robertson. The heartless boy who’s nothing but pure dirt.” Cade’s disdainful voice and frigid tone replaced Curt’s gentleness. He stepped closer and caught her off guard.
He whispered in her ears, “Should I give you to the enemy?”
The chills crept down her spine.
He smirked. “Just kidding. At least I can stop pretending in front of you. It’s exhausting to be Curtis Fleming. I can now breathe.” Cade lay on the bed.
“I should go,” she said.
“You better not,” he replied, and sat up.
“I can’t stay in the same room with you.”
“Why? Because you hate me?”
“Yes. And knowing that Curt is all a lie… I can’t imagine it. You manipulated me. You fooled me!” Tears dropped from her eyes. It made him happy. Stan was not the only one who could make her shed some tears. It was his achievement.
“If you hate me, you should hate my friends too. I mean Theo and Stan. They knew everything all along.”
Elsie looked helpless. “Yes, Stan is not who you think he is. He is no good boy. Not your knight in shining armor. In fact, you turned him into a liar. He lied multiple times to clean up your mess. Yet you find it romantic? How absurd.”
Elsie clenched her fists and slapped him. He didn’t move and let her hit his chest as many times as she pleased. Until he couldn’t take it anymore and stopped her hands. He rested her face on his chest and enclosed her delicately in his arms. His warmth made her burst into heavy tears.
This time, her cry annoyed him because it meant her likeness to Stan was as deep as his loathing for his father.
Elsie woke up early in the morning. She wondered why her pillow was not soft and there was something on top of her arm. When she opened her eyes, Cade’s angelic face greeted her. His right arm was wrapped around her and his left arm was her pillow. Now, Curtis was gone, and she lay next to a boy she barely know.
“Don’t strip off my clothes,” he whispered in a husky voice.
“What?”
“You look at me as if I’m naked.”
“What a pervert,” she said and immediately fixed herself.
Cade lay the side of his head on his palm while watching her get distracted. “Don’t make a sound. You’re in the boy’s dormitory, and your crush is my neighbor.”
“What?” Elsie covered her mouth after raising her voice. “What do you mean?” she muttered.
“Stan and Theo live next door.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m telling you now, Ma’am.”
Elsie began tapping her foot on the floor while brooding. “This is bad.”
“Really bad,” he repeated.
“I shouldn’t be here.”
“This is the safest place for you to stay.”
“What made you think that living with boys is the safest thing to do?”
“Everyone is not interested in you, so set your worries aside.”
He made her blood boil first thing in the morning.
“I mean the enemies wouldn’t cause a commotion in the dormitory. They can’t easily catch you here,” he added.
“Are you keeping me in here? With you?” She was getting hysterical.
“Do you have any suggestions? Your stay here is temporary. Don’t think your presence in my room exhilarates me. That’s wishful thinking.”
Elsie rolled her eyes.
“For the record, you also tricked me. You came to the blind date as Olivia Cooper. You lied because you needed the money, while I lied to protect you. There’s a huge difference.”
“I never asked for anyone’s protection.”
“Instead of protesting, show some gratitude. As you said a long time ago, Mchalmmond offers many opportunities. Your future is secured, Ms. Lynch.”
“Well then, thank you,” she replied in a sarcastic tone.
“Since I disobeyed one of the rules, and revealed my real identity to you, do me a favor. We can’t make this work without a deal.”
“What deal?”
“All I ask of you is to cooperate. Reserve your hatred toward me later, after we accomplish this mission. We have one goal to survive the last quarter alive. Who knows? Dad might transfer you to a much better school where no one can find you. What do you think?”
She frowned. “Fine.”
Before sneaking out with Cade as her backup, Elsie waited for all the boys to leave the dorm. As a symbol of new beginnings, Cade searched for his friends to introduce them to Elsie. He checked the library and the field where they usually spent their free time together, but they weren’t there.
“Shit,” Cade blurted. It only meant one thing. They’re in trouble.
“What’s wrong?” Elsie asked.
Cade was right. His friends came running to him with bruises on their faces.
“Who did this to you?” Cade asked.
“Someone from the senior.”
“Give me a name.”
“It’s okay, Curt. Don’t mind him. The most important thing is we’re fine.”
“You’re not fine! I said give me a name!”
“A-Anthony Smith.”
“That’s noted. By the way, Elsie, this is Jeff.” He pointed at the fat, orange-haired boy. “And this is Nate.” He tapped the skinny boy with braces.
“Hi. I’m Elsie Lynch.”
“We know. You’re the popular badass hotshot in school,” Jeff said.
Elsie was relieved that they didn’t label her as ‘the girl who got rejected by Stan Carline.’
“Curt talks about you often,” Nate said.
“What about me?”
“He was enraged with how close you were with S—” Cade interrupted. “Enough with the chitchat. Let’s take our lunch.”
They bumped into lily in the cafeteria. She was carrying a tray, looking for a table to settle.
“Come with us,” Elsie said and clang to her arms.
“I’m with someone,” Lily replied. Elsie’s smile faded when Stan came along with her.
“I don’t think I should join you,” Stan said.
Cade suddenly wrapped his arm around Stan’s shoulders. “Come on, Stan. Don’t make things awkward.”
Stan had a stern look on his face. “Since when are we close, Curtis Fleming?”
“I’m just trying to be nice to my friend’s friend.”
“Your friend’s friend isn’t your friend.”
“He’s right. You should join us, Stan,” Elsie said.
They gathered at a table in the middle of the cafeteria.
“What an interesting group of people.” They looked at Theo who inserted himself in between Lily and Stan.
“I can’t believe I’m sitting across from Theo Burton,” Jeff said in awe.
“We admire you!” Nate said.
“Really? Why?” Theo asked.
“You’re so cool when you fight!”
“What happened to your faces?”
“A senior did this to us.”
“Looks like the seniors are ignoring the new regulations,” Stan said. “I’ll watch them closely. Don’t be afraid to report them. Don’t make me feel useless as the President.”
“There’s no need, Stan. I’ll take matters into my own hands. No one gets away after hurting my friends,” Cade said.
“Hearing that from you makes me puke,” Stan replied. “Defending the outcasts is not in your vocabulary.” Stan paused. “I’m sorry. That was a slip of the tongue.”
“You…” Cade gritted his teeth. “Don’t call them like that if you don’t want to end up in the morgue. I make no exceptions in my revenge, Stan.”
Lily, Jeff, and Nate were puzzled about what was going on between them.
“You sound so much like yourself. I wonder what happened,” Theo said.
“Well…” Cade intertwined his fingers with Elsie and raised their hands. “This happened. Elsie and I are dating.” Elsie suppressed her lips from parting, while everybody couldn’t help it.
“For real?”
Elsie nodded shyly.
“Since when?”
“After the foundation day. The marriage booth made us realize we can make things work. Thanks for someone who was a coward,” Cade said.
“That’s good news. I hope you won’t make her cry,” Stan said.
There was heated eye contact between Stan and Cade.
“Don’t tell me what you can’t do."