Her Safe Haven

Chapter 18 - Crisis Part I: When Winter and Seth Stalked and Jake Took Control

Previously on Her Safe Haven: Winter and Rohan had lunch at Café Touilé after their session at the Institute of Mental Health. That evening, during a sleepover with her girl friends, Tria announced that there was an article going viral on Coffee Break, a large online printing industry, titled 'Garrison and McHalen Arranged Marriage To Be Confirmed'.

Being the daughter of the owner of an internationally renowned multibillion-dollar corporation, Winter was used to having unidentified journalists and reporters follow her family around.

However, it didn't usually bother her in the past, because, one, it's not like she was the daughter of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie — children of big companies were not really as famous as children of Hollywood or TV stars anyway — and two, her father had earned himself a notorious reputation for hiring multiple not-so-gentle bodyguards to fend off these reporters and journalists.

There was a period in her life a few years back when her brothers seemed to be getting a lot of media attention after a paparazzi caught Caleb making out with a famous model during their family holiday in Los Angeles. Since both her brothers were absolutely gorgeous (to the eyes of the world, not necessarily to hers), the two of them started getting too much attention until her father had had enough and hired a platoon of officers from LAPD* as guards, and the attention had quickly died down.

At first, a small, vain part of her was unhappy that she had not gotten as much attention as her brothers (not like her father would had allowed it anyway — she was still in the overprotected period at that time since it was only about three years after her kidnapping incident), but after seeing Caleb and Gray getting chased around to the point of being photographed in the shower (at which point Caleb swore to never ever date celebrities in his life ever again), she decided that it might had been a blessing in disguise.

Since the media never focused so much on her before, she was surprisingly sour that this time, she was at the center of attention. Literally; since right now she was at the center of a human circle made by her group of friends questioning her like crazy.

"Are you kidding me?! Since when?"

"Winter you've never told me about this!"

"Is this true, Winter?"

"Well damn, I never thought McHalen's one to go for someone like Garrison, did you, Dylan?"

"...Hn. Does Gray know about this?"

"I-I would think Gray should have some idea..."

Tired, annoyed, and overwhelmed by the chaos her friends had created in Helena's room, Winter decided to take a time out.

So she blew the chained whistle that she always wore as a necklace — Caleb gifted her this so she could call for help in case of any emergencies — as loud and long as she could. Emergency or not, things had gotten way out of hand this time.

The entire room quietened down instantly, covering their ears.

"There has been a huge misunderstanding..." Helena said, translating from Winter's sign language. "It's not like how it is written—"

And here was the start of Winter's chaotic week at Lakeside High.

+++

"Oh, man. You really made a mess for yourself this time, Winter."

Winter grimaced as the students around her unabashedly stared at her and Seth as they walked through Lakeside High's hallway. Some students even went as blunt as to gossip and whisper loudly about her to another person — all in her presence.