Chapter 7
The moment she stepped inside, the buzzing chatter fell silent.
News of Sadie’s brutal takedown in the school forum had spread
like wildfire.
Now, everyone was asking the same thing–had she completely
lost it?
“What happened to Sadie? Did she just snap? It’s like she doesn’t
care about anything anymore.”
“She probably realized she’ll never clear her name, so she just stopped pretending. Honestly, this feels more like the real her.”
Sadie could hear the whispers all around her, but she couldn’t have cared less. She dropped her bag on the desk, laid her head
down, and went straight to sleep.
She stayed like that all morning–completely checked out.
When lunch break finally rolled around, Lorena showed up in
the classroom.
She still had an IV needle taped to her hand, immediately
drawing sympathy from her classmates as soon as she walked
Chapter 7
- in.
Sadie frowned slightly, rolled over, and changed sleeping
positions.
A few moments later, someone slammed their hand down hard
on her desk.
Annoyed, Sadie lifted her head, eyes sharp and slightly glazed with fatigue–but with a definite edge of danger in them.
Standing in front of her was Lorena, flanked by two of her ever- loyal sidekicks, both wearing impatient expressions.
Sadie narrowed her eyes slightly.
She knew these two well. Lorena’s tag–alongs. They were regulars in her personal hell–spreading rumors, ganging up to bully her, even fabricating “evidence” to rat her out to her
brothers.
Lorena leaned in, voice soft and saccharine. “Sadie, what would
you like for lunch? I can get it for you. Please don’t be mad at
me, okay?”
Sadie’s reply was cold and to the point. “Not necessary.”
Sidekick #1 bristled immediately. “Sadie, you’ve got some nerve.
Lorena’s sick, and you still act like this?”
Sidekick #2 chimed in, voice dripping with indignation. “Exactly! It’s because of you that she got sick in the first place. The least you can do is take care of her.”
Lorena coughed weakly. “Don’t say that. I can take care of
myself. I always have. Let’s not upset her again, okay?”
“You’re just too kind, Lorena. That’s why people walk all over
you,” one of them muttered.
Sadie had had enough.
She stood up and headed for the door, ready to get out of this
mess.
But as she stepped into the hallway, Lorena suddenly rushed after her–just as the IV stand toppled over with a loud crash.
And, what a miraculous coincidence–Lorena landed right on top
of the shattered IV bottle.
Truly, the stars had aligned.
The classroom exploded into chaos.
Sadie’s headache pounded harder with the noise. She opened
her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word out, the
world spun and went black.
*****
When Sadie came to, the sharp smell of disinfectant hit her
nose.
The school infirmary.
“Temperature’s 102.2. What, you trying to see how close you can get to spontaneous combustion?” came a dry, sarcastic voice.
Sadie turned her head.
The man beside her was tall and lean, wearing a white lab coat and surgical mask. His eyes were cool and distant.
Oh, right–this was the new school doctor. Good–looking enough to be trending in school gossip, especially with the female
students.
But his mouth was notoriously sharp.
She remembered now: he hadn’t stayed long in her previous life.
Sitting up slowly, Sadie felt noticeably better. The IV must’ve
helped.
Lowering her eyes, she said, “Can I leave now?”
“Not until a family member picks you up.
not in
being held responsible if you collapse on the street,” Sean
Francis replied lazily from his seat.
Yep–definitely the acid–tongued campus medic.
Her voice was hoarse. “I don’t have any family.”
Right as she said it, a familiar voice echoed from outside the
infirmary.
“Lorena! Are you okay? How did you get so badly hurt?”
