The President's Daughter (Original) ✔️

20. Stalker

Juice WRLD (RIP smh)- Lucid Dreams

Little Mix- These Four Walls

Sia- Breathe Me

One Direction- Where Do Broken Hearts Go?

A Great Big World- Say Something

Hope's POV

As soon as I enter the campus, every head turns toward me. I spot Madeline among her group of friends, sneering at me. I force my head to look at my phone instead of meeting their gazes.

Suddenly I feel someone's arms squeeze tightly around me, sending me into a fit of coughs.

"I've been calling you! I was so worried," Jaliyah says. She lets go and come around to face me, only to hug me again.

"I thought Yalimar told you I was okay?"

"Yeah, but still. I've been trying to call you."

"I just got my phone. Security protocols and stuff," I explain. Technically, I had it for five days now, but I turned it off when Cellie kept calling nonstop and only turned it on today. Yalimar had spent two days trying to get me to at least talk to Cellie but eventually gave up, knowing how stubborn I can get. The truth is I want to apologize to Cellie for fighting her, that I acted out of character, but I'm still too angry and hurt to talk to her.

She lets go of me and flashes me a grin. "How've you been? You look good."

"Thanks." Today I've applied concealer to hide the bags under my eyes and mascara to make me look awake. But if makeup can fool, I can't complain.

"You've got a problem?" Jaliyah asks a guy staring as he passes by us. He trips before righting himself, earning some snickers among his group of friends. I duck my head as more heads turn. Apparently looking at me must be confirmation enough that I'm doing splendid despite the fact that my father and I were almost murdered. Or maybe they didn't care and are just being nosy.

"Thanks," I say again. She wraps an arm around me.

"No problem. But one day you're gonna need to stick up for yourself."

"So I can get jumped? No thanks." I push the double doors and head down the hallway.

She shakes her head at me. "It don't always end up like that."

"Just sometimes," I note.

She winks at me. "Exactly."

As soon as I walk into class, whispers plummet into silence. I feel my face burn in embarrassment.

"What?" Jaliyah snaps.

"I'm glad you're okay. And your father too." A guy sitting in the front row, whose name I had forgotten, says. I smile at him. Slowly people walk up to me and tell me words of encouragement. I eventually reach my desk, feeling relieved but mildly embarrassed.

"Glad to have you back and your family safe," Professor Claire says. I smile and nod at him.

Class resumes uneventful, with some people wishing me and my father good health.

Lunch rolls around and I slowly walk to the table with my food in hand. My heart pounds in andrenaline at the sight of Cellie who is seated at our usual table with Jaliyah and Yalimar, and I make a split second decision to sit at an empty one. The last thing I want is to create drama in public. Not to mention, me fighting her was very uncharacteristic of me. But I'm too angry to apologize.