003 | what happened?

Natasha was scheduled to clean the classroom today, so she would stay a little bit longer to clean the classroom. She opened the locker that was located at the rear of the classroom to get the materials she needed to clean the classroom. She got a broom and mop.

She held the broom and started to sweep the floor.

She recalled that Cassie wasn't available after school and it made her sad again. Chances weren't so kind, so she didn't know when would the chance happen. She hoped that the chance to meet up with Cassie would come sooner when both of them weren't busy.

She heard a notification ringtone. She paused sweeping the floor to check out what the notification was about. Her eyes went wide when she saw the messaging app description.

Cassie Sanders has a message sent.

She double-tapped the message to see what Cassie had to tell. She beamed and jumped in excitement once she saw the message of Cassie. She couldn't believe it.

She tapped the call icon to contact her. It rang on the other side, so all she had to do was to wait. It rang four times until Cassie picked up her call.

"Hey, Nat," Cassie greeted.

"Are you serious, Cass!?" she asked just to make sure. "I mean your club activities are canceled!?"

"Yeah, I'm serious about it," Cassie confirmed. "It got canceled because our leader and the other five members had a student council meeting," Cassie explained her situation.

"Wow," she was amazed. "You have a student council members in your club?"

"Pretty much. I can't believe it either," Cassie answered.

"If you want to hang out, where should we?" she asked.

"I dunno. Your decision? I'm cool in any place," Cassie answered. "What's your original plan anyway?"

"Besides talking, I intended to eat if we hang out," she answered.

"So we'll eat, correct? If so, let's meet at some fast-food chain out there," Cassie suggested.

"I want to save coins, so we'll eat at McDonald's. Are you all right with that?" she asked.

"Oh, that's a good choice," Cassie agreed. "McDonald's it is!"

"You know which way, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I know," Cassie answered.

"Are you sure you won't get lost about the direction, Cass?" she asked, remembering how Cassie got lost one day in their school trip when they were still classmates which caused an uproar to the teachers.

"Geez! I told you I know!" Cassie insisted.

She decided to dismiss the topic of Cassie's sense in directions. "If you insist."

She recalled that she should finish cleaning the classroom. "Oh no! I need to finish cleaning the classroom first since I was scheduled to clean today. We'll meet at McDonald's, got that?"

Cassie understood. "All right. Good luck with that and see you later, Nat."

She ended the call. She put her phone back in the pocket of her skirt. She resumed sweeping the floor and then went to the nearest sink to make the mop wet.

It took her 10 minutes to finish the task.

She placed her bag at her back and then hopped happily as she went out of the classroom. She hummed her favorite song because she was delighted that she would meet Cassie again.

She got separated from Cassie when Cassie failed to pass the entrance exam of the school where she attended currently, Smith High School. Cassie managed to pass the entrance exam at the other school, Jones High School. She got sad about it, so was Cassie, but they didn't have a choice, but to move forward and accept things as they were.

It took her 20 minutes to reach the McDonald's through walking since it wasn't that far to Smith High School. She calculated that Cassie was the first one to arrive since she cleaned the classroom although she would normally arrive first since the McDonald's was nearer to Smith High School than Jones High School.

She entered the McDonald's to find Cassie, but she wasn't there. She went out of McDonald's first since she didn't want to be rude to the others who had a plan to eat inside, and besides, she wanted to wait for Cassie.

She fished her phone in the pocket of her skirt to compose a message for Cassie, but it just dawned to her that she didn't inform her parents about this situation, so she tapped the call icon in the Lee Family Group Chat. She didn't know why her parents were taking so long to accept her call.

"Oh, what a coincidence to see you here, Natasha!" she almost jumped when she heard the voice of Lawrence.

"Yeah, what a coincidence, huh," she forced herself to be enthusiastic.

"You seem to be alone, want to hang out?" he asked.

"Oh, no, no," she refused. "I'm all right, Senior Lawrence. I have someone who I'll meet up with later."

"I understand, but this will be quick. Let's have a short chat inside the McDonald's and the food's expenses are all on me," Lawrence insisted.

"But didn't I tell? I'm all right, Senior Lawrence," she didn't want this exchange to last, so she hoped it would end here because she had a feeling that this exchange might turn sour if it would prolong.

She didn't notice that her parents picked up her call.

She squeaked when Lawrence grabbed her wrist. "I don't know why the hell you're refusing me. You're one of a hell stubborn whore!"

Lawrence snapped. He felt frustrated that all of his efforts were turned down by her when he was doing his best to please her.

She attempted to break free, but it seemed it wouldn't be simple since Lawrence acted differently. It hurt her wrist, so she wanted Lawrence to let go.

"Let me go—" she was about to fight Lawrence back with a technique that her mother taught her when someone interfered who witnessed the whole situation.

It was fast, all of a sudden like a flash of lightning when the storm brewed in. She just witnessed how Lawrence got punched by a stranger that seemed to be a high school student like her. She noticed the uniform that the stranger wore belonged to Jones High School because of the insignia, where Cassie attended.

Lawrence's balance didn't go well as he was forced to sit down on the ground because of the punch's impact like he was seeing countless stars. He glared at the stranger who punched him. "What's your fucking deal!? This is just between the two of us!"

Her eyes went wide when the stranger wrapped his left arm on her shoulders. "As her boyfriend, I just won't sit by and let you harass her."