𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚗'𝚜 𝙳𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚖𝚊

Chapter Eighteen:

#### Chapter Eighteen 🫶🦋

My feet felt heavy as I walked down the crowded hallway, the noise of students buzzing around me like fireflies.

I could feel the eyes on me, whispers following my every step, some sympathetic, others mocking.

I wondered what gave me the courage to leave the dorm this morning. Probably after Aisha's comforting words,I decided to take the leap when normally, I'd squirm and shut myself from the outside world for days.
The events of the previous day played on a loop in my mind, each memory more painful than the last.

I really don't know how many days I'd have pulled that off. I couldn't ditch school altogether. _Been through worse …._

I entered the classroom, trying to ignore the snickers and pointed fingers. My usual seat felt like a spotlight, isolating me from everyone else.
I spotted Jayden at the front row. He placed his books on his desk and crouched to pick up his pen that had rolled to the floor. Camille beat him to it, picking it up and brushing her fingers against his. He looked up ,glanced her,collected his pen and mumbled what seemed like a ‘thanks’ with an unreadable expression. Weird…
Camille had seemed so enthusiastic about him I'd thought they were close friends that i might have been coming in between or so she thought.

Soon he whipped his head back,his eyes scanning the classroom and met mine. He smiled with concern and nodded. Probably he cared …
I'd thought about our study session and his suggestion to stay in the library and how stupid it had suddenly seemed. I wasn't gonna let my feelings for him blurry my judgement.
Oh,so now you admit you like him…My inner voice taunted.

As the lesson began, I struggled to focus, the teacher’s voice barely registering in my mind.

The bell rung loudly signalling the end of class,I quickly got up and packed my notebook and rushed towards the door until to
bump into someone's hard chest. The person growled in annoyance. I squirmed and looked up. It was…Jason…well,I don't need to introduce him again
I met his steady gaze as a grimace blurred his facial expression. I walked past him after mumbling an apology and he held my hand. I looked back and quickly pulled my arm from his firm grip. I was so bent on leaving that hellhole of a classroom and I ran out.

Walking through the hallway I thought of who could have probably done that to me, I concluded that it would be none other than Jason. He'd just wanted to taunt me all the more. I burned with anger and dolor as I walked to the hallway leading to Aisha's class.
The day slipped by in a blur and I was soon walking to the dorm after Aisha stayed back for a science project saying she'd join me later. I subconsciously wandered to the first hallway I'd walked through on my first day in Verisidale College…gosh..how could I be so dumb…

Students glanced at me, whispering within themselves,most of their utterances painfully audible. I panicked and strutted to a different path with my head bowed. I heard scraping sounds more like sliding.. close by. I looked up to find Jason on a skateboard, swerved and stopped when he saw me. I burned with shame and fury. His expression grew perturbed again,this time was unmistakably.
I walked past him as he tried to reach for my arm again. I flinched, pushing his arm away before it reaches me.
Thump…squeal
I heard a thud,and another and another.
_I had pushed him off the slope._