As Cade looked deep into Luke's eyes, he felt scared. He had heard no one mention his real name for so long. Hearing it from Luke's mouth made him nervous. How did he know his real name? What would happen to him now? Would Luke use his secret against him? Did Liam and Lewis know this, too? Cade couldn't understand.
Before he could ask the questions in his head, Elsie pulled him up and dragged him away from the suffocating ambiance. It brought him to reality. To what's more important. The girl in front of him. The one he had forgotten because of his personal issues. The person he was supposed to protect.
Cade stopped walking and grabbed his hand from her.
"You shouldn't have done that," he said.
"Why? Because I'm a girl?"
"Because I should be the one protecting you."
"What are you talking about?"
Instead of answering her question, Cade went back to his classroom. He had a troubled face and a messed-up mind.
Elsie Lynch. A girl with short, red hair who loved black the most. She would wear something black during Wednesdays and her secret weapon—black boots with 5 inches heels. This girl didn't sway her hips when she walked. She arrived like a mad man—black eyeliner, dangling earrings, and a deadly stare that no one could look back. Unlike the other girls, her voice wasn't angelic. It sounded like the devil. Heavy and ghastly.
Elsie opened her locker to get her notebook and textbook when a couple of girls approached her with Emberlynn in the lead.
"What do you want?" Elsie asked.
"Oh my gosh. I never knew trash could talk," Ember said.
"That's because you're inarticulate."
Ember lifted an eyebrow. "You're such a freak."
"Who cares?"
"I do. Mchalmmond shouldn't have let you in. You do not fit in this institution. Did you cheat? Who's your backer?"
"Why? Are you jealous? Why are you questioning me? Ask the principal. You have no guts, do you? Because all you can do is talk. Me being here means I am the standard."
Ember rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me, ladies." Ember pushed Elsie's belongings, and they fell to the floor.
"Do you need my attention that badly? Life must be so hard for a spoiled brat who lacks love from her parents."
Ember pulled her hair.
"Do not fucking touch me. Girl, I don't play with hair. I break bones. Do you want a sample?"
Elsie removed Ember's hand forcefully and break her fingers. She did not stop there. Elsie slapped her face really hard that it left a red mark.
"I will report you to the principal!"
"Go on, crybaby. Show me how fragile you are. What a joke." Elsie spat on them with a grin.
Across from Elsie's locker was Cade's locker. His brows furrowed when he scanned his math textbook. A lot of pages were torn apart. He looked from side to side, but no one was watching him. He was so mad that he threw them away.
So this is the beginning?
***
July 22. It was Cade's birthday. Not just him, but the three of them including Stan and Theo. During their birthday, they would celebrate as one in the grandest hotel with their friends and families. But Cade's father would not show up to avoid any issues. As a billionaire and a celebrity, Mr. Robertson kept Cade's existence from the public to add up to Cade's grudge.
Stan was born at 8 pm, Theo at 9 pm, and Cade at 11 pm. Technically, he was the youngest.
A call awakened Cade early in the morning. It was an unknown number. Cade bought a new phone and sim for his transition as Curtis Fleming. He had no one in his contacts to avoid suspicion.
"Hello?"
"It's me, son."
"Dad."
"Where are you? Why did you leave the dorm?"
"I'm in a hotel. I'll send you the address. The dorm is not something I like. I don't enjoy living with the other students."
"Cade, when will you grow up?"
"If you called to lecture me, then don't."
Cade ended the call and turned his phone off after giving his address to his dad.
When he arrived at the campus, Cade recalled the scene when the girls would give him gifts on his birthday. Everyone praised him. The good old days. Now, no one greeted him. That's why he was so excited when he saw a box in his locker. There was a note that said "happy birthday." He thought his old friends gave it to him. They wouldn't throw away their friendship just like that, would they?
Cade was smiling while opening the box, but his smile was replaced with terror when spiders crawled out of it. The students laughed at the sight of him. Of course. It was a prank. What more could he expect?
Nothing much happened in school aside from the spider incident. Cade went home exhausted. He didn't even wash himself as he dropped onto the bed. He woke up after a few minutes when the clerk called him. Someone was waiting for him outside.
For some reason, Cade cheered up. Someone remembered his birthday. It was probably Stan trying to surprise him. He gleefully walked outside, sliding his feet and dancing without music. His enthusiasm faded when he saw someone unexpected. A girl. The red hair.
Cade cleared his throat. Elsie approached him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"To give this." Elsie handed him his textbook.
"How did you know it's mine?"
"Your name was written on it."
"How did you know my address?"
"I went to the boys' dormitory, and the owner told me where you are."
Cade closed his eyes to conceal his disappointment. Dad gave them my address.
"Who sent you?" Cade narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean who sent me?"
"Well then, you can get lost."
"Hey!" she exclaimed.
"What?" Cade said with a boring look.
"Is that how you repay my kindness?"
"I didn't ask you to do this. Just leave me alone, will you?"
"Wait!"
"What now? Should I call the security to get you out?"
"Do you want a ride with me?"
Cade faked a laugh. "Do you even have a car?"
"I don't. But I have a motorbike." Elsie pointed to her black KMT 1290 Super Duke GT. Cade's jaw almost dropped.
How could she own something so cool and expensive?
Cade recovered from his amusement. "Why would I go with you?"
"Because it's your birthday."
Cade gasped. "Are you a stalker? How did you know about my birthday?"
"I saw it written on the box a while ago."
Cade was sent in a bad mood once again. "So you saw everything... Just because you defended me once, doesn't mean we're friends."
Elsie crossed his arms. "Don't be such a creep." She pulled his hand and dragged him to her bike. She also forced the helmet on his head. He was too stunned to speak.
"Hop on!"
Her loud voice shocked him as he automatically hopped behind her.
"Hold on tight or you'll fall."
"Nonsense."
"Ah!" Cade shrieked when she suddenly sped up and he immediately held onto her leather jacket.
Cade preferred to eat in a costly restaurant, but Elsie stopped in front of a food truck to eat some street food. He looked at her in disgust when she devoured the Italian sausage and Philly steak.
"I'm going to pay the bill?" Cade asked in skepticism.
"Yep. I give you a free ride, so you pay for the food."
"You ate most of them," Cade murmured.
They continued the road trip until they stopped at the bridge where they could see a wide view of Manhattan. The lively lights lit up the city as the sun began to set. They stared blankly into space as the soft wind brushed through their cheeks.
"Why are you bothering me?" Cade asked.
"Because you look so grumpy, and it entertains me." Elsie chuckled.
"Despicable."
"And I like your British accent."
There was a long pause while they both stared into the velvety clouds.
"Mchalmmond is full of people who act flawless and who think they are perfect. But you... you are different. You are you and it's refreshing."
She gazed at him. That's when he had the chance to take a good look into her eyes. They were lavender. Her eyes had an otherworldly glow like a nuclear fusion of cornflower blue and gunmetal gray. For a split second, he was mesmerized.
"Well, this shall be the last moment that you take control of my decisions in life," he said and diverted his attention to the sunset.
"You're weird," she uttered.
"And so are you."
They parted ways at 7 pm. And though it was early, he felt it was the longest ride he had. He took a bath and washed off the negativity in his head. He noticed the textbook on the bed and scanned it. The pages were now intact with some scotch tape.
***
It was a normal day in school—students staring at Cade, his notes gone missing, and some vandalism on the mirror of the boys' restroom cursing him. Very normal. Cade ignored all of them and secreted his dirty excess when a hand appeared under the door and took a photo of him. Cade freaked out and hurriedly pulled up his pants. The next thing he knew, everyone was laughing while looking at their phones. Someone circulated a photo of him taking a shit.
Cade clenched his fists and marched to the field. There, he yelled some never-ending curses to release his rage. When he had cooled down, he went back as if he wasn't affected. But when he crossed the part where there were no CCTV cameras, they threw raw eggs at him. That's when he reached his limit.
"I have enough."
Cade hurried to the guidance office with disproportional eyeglasses and a uniform covered with egg whites and yolks.
"It's time to get you out of your hideout, Luke."