Lost

Chapter 78: "Cornered"

I am so so sorry for being absent from the comment section, Losties. I have read all your beautiful comments ❤️but with a number of deadliness to meet, I was unable to reply. I'll make it up to you in this chapter ☺️

Post your reactions and remember vote!

*beep*

Salma's eyes snapped to the screen of the phone lying on her bedside table as it lighted up with an incoming message. Biting the inside of her cheek, she inhaled a deep breath trying to control her unruly emotions. Even if she knew it was not Sarah, because Salma had her number blocked, she still felt her heart stab at when she involuntarily hoped it was her the moment she heard the beep.

Salma reached for the phone as her eyes welled up again. As expected, it was professor R.K.

*Prof. R.K: At 12:00 sharp. I will be conducting another exam, so be on time.

Salma blinked back tears as she typed a quick reply to her teacher, reassuring him that she would be on time. She put the phone away, returning back to her work. It had been a rough weekend for her. With her exam starting on Monday, Salma had been trying to go through her notes but with little success. The words that the dark haired boy shouted at her just a few days ago, kept haunting her and no matter how hard she tried, she could not help bursting into tears every time Sarah crossed her mind.

Which was almost every other minute of the day.

To avoid her family's suspicion and to not drown in anxiety while Zayn's words kept playing over and over in her head like a broken record, Salma had resorted to locking herself in herself room, with the excuse of preparing for the upcoming exam. She was struggling to concentrate, but it was better this was way, where she could mourn and break down in the privacy of her room, then have every one interrogate her when she did not know how to answer.

Every time her thoughts strayed to his open confession, Salma's anxiety shot up. She remembered when his words sank in that day, she had begun to hyperventilate. The world spun around her and she had trouble breathing. She thought she was going to collapse as a sharp pain shot through her chest, radiating to the rest of her body in waves. Fortunately enough, an unexpected person intervened after seeing her obvious distress. Salma was only slightly aware of someone standing guard in front of her and threatening Zayn to leave.

"I'm not joking, Back off!" She warned fiercely.

"Louisa, this is not Snob -"

"I don't care who she is!" she snapped, "Just back off!"

The stranger then put an arm around her and shoving past an alarmed Zayn, she led Salma away. By the time Salma was able to make sense of the things around her, she was sitting at the campus café with a familiar high-schooler sitting across from her. Dressed in tiny demin shorts, a crop top and combat boots, Salma recognized her as one of the girls that used to frequent Sarah's dorm with her heartbreak issues.

"You're one of Sarah's friends, aren't you?" She asked timidly.

Was she? Salma felt another sharp pang in her chest. She wished she could nod for the girl's sake but she could not even manage to fake that.

Not knowing what to do, Louisa patted Salma's hand and gave her a reassuring smile. The younger girl felt meddled the whole time. She had trouble understanding how someone like Zayn could traumatize a girl like that?

Unknown to Salma, Louisa and Zayn were well acquainted. A few days earlier, when Zayn visited Sarah, he found out she was one of Derek's victims and agreed to help. Zayn provided her with enough dirt on that swine to help her blackmail Derek and force him to give up the embarrassing material which he had been using against her for sexual benefits.