Fighting For Hope

Chapter Twenty Two

"A poor man with a rich character beats a rich man with a poor reputation."

—

HOPE'S POV

Meaningfulness did not grace us with its striking presence in the previous day. It appeared to be a total mist that requires great effort to grasp. Tyler was wholly absent from my sight on the last day of spring break, and I got a glimpse of how my life used to be. Unbounded but alone, rich but tired.

This morning, when I started my stroll to school when a familiar car pulled up beside me. Tyler flashed his signature smile while I climbed onto the passenger's seat.

The distance was brief, and we arrived in a matter of just a few minutes. Though Tyler was still quite popular among his level because of his looks and wealth, we barely get attention anymore.

However, this day differentiated from others.

As we trod lightly inside the mouth of the school, whispers erupted, reverberating through the halls. It magnified the uttered words, yet they remained murmurs.

I creased my forehead, scanning the hall. Stares of astonishment shot me like bullets. I could tell the topic was not about Tyler's relationship with me anymore since they were not looking between both of us, or him at all.

Their eyes fixed on me.

"Okay..." I muttered with my head hung low. My voice was only audible to Tyler.

We approached Josh and Grayson by the lockers, who had their gazes anchored onto me with expressions mirroring the rest of the school.

"What's going on?" Tyler asked from beside me, as bewildered as I was.

"Do you know who you're walking with right now?" Grayson replied with a question in a tone of utter disbelief. I exchanged a look with Tyler.

"Hope?" he said. Avid for an explanation to ease our perplexity, he turned to look at Josh instead.

"Why's everyone acting like Hope had just come back from the dead?" he questioned.

"Because she's—"

"No way!" a young woman I barely recognized interfered and emerged beside me. "You're in one of my classes," she shrieked, placing her hand on her chest with bliss sweeping across her face. Bemused, I look at Tyler's two best friends.

Before I finally got a clarification, Ashley stepped in and eyed me with aversion. "I finally get why Tyler hangs out with you," she said, leaving me flummoxed. "It's not because of your face or your perfect grades. It's the fact that—"

"That's not true." Josh sounded somewhat defensive. "Just leave, Ash. We don't need your snarky unnecessary comments."

She ignored his request and continued anyway, saying, "It's because you are the daughter of the wealthiest man in town. I supposed informing the police of the acts you committed at Tyler's place would not have mattered. Your father would have bailed you out in no time."