Chapter 17: Alone time

Janice is sitting in the bathroom, her bag tightly pressed against her chest. She is breathing heavily.

The new session has started. The campus gate was opened, and the students were swarming inside. When Janice stepped in, the students stared at her. Some welcomed her, and the rest started to gossip. Their expressions gave Janice the impression that they thought after running away from the party, she will never return. Well, she also thought it that way, but it turns out something else is written in her fate.

A brown-haired boy stepped in her way. His brown eyes took in her sight. He narrowed his gaze at her chest and then her neck. "Look! who dared to come." He smirked.

"Get out of my way! Kris," said Janice pushing him. He stepped towards her and held both hands behind her back.

Kris laughed at her. The scene had grabbed much attention; everyone had started to take an interest, and later a vast crowd circled them. Everyone is peering and asking what's going on.

He pushed a strand of her hair away from her neck and said, "Oh baby, where is the mark of my love which I gave you? Remember, we made love?"

Janice gritted her teeth. "There was no we!"

"Oh! She talks back." He came closer to her again. "She… talk back, huh?" He furiously took out his phone and opened a picture. "Have a look at yourself!" He jerked her. "Everybody!" said Kris raising his voice to be clear to everyone. "Have a look at pure soul Miss Wu. How slutty she is! Knowing I'm with her friend, she still dares to flirt with me." The crowd burst into a buzz. Kris ignored them, came closer to her, and said, "You disgust me."

Janice broke free from his grip and pushed him away. He stumbled and then managed to stand on his feet. "Like bitch, like bastard."

Janice's badass attitude triggered Kris to do nasty things. He darted towards her to knock her. Janice was quicker than him. She immediately bent back. She heard the crowd gasp. She could see their open mouth still from the upside-down view. It felt like everything froze for a split second, and then she heard a thud.

She restored her position, looked around, and found Kris lying flat on his face in the snow. The crowd hoots. Janice looked at them and thought, "Has she done something good for which she has been praised? No has become one of them." She shook her head and ghosted from the scene as she had never witnessed it.

His picture, along with Janice's bridge move, has spread quickly like the speed of light. The whole campus is talking about her. Janice didn't feel good, so she hid in the bathroom.

Janice hears footsteps. Two girls enter the bathroom, one of which goes into the cubicle next to Janice. They are chatting about the current hot topic 'The bridge' that Janice made a fool of Kris. Janice's heart starts to beat faster in her chest. She has recognized their voices. The girl in the cubicle is her younger sister, Peng Li Wu, and her old friend, Joo Hye Ri, is the other waiting outside.

"His face was terribly pale and covered in snow when he got up from the ground… While picturing him, I can't stop my laugh," says Peng, guffawing.

"Better to control your laugh; otherwise, no one will like a toothless girl," says Joo Hye Ri. Janice can sense the anger in her voice. She must be extremely mad at Janice right now. And why should she not? She is his girlfriend. It is her right by all means. Janice smiles, pleased with herself.

"That was badass!" exclaims Peng. "I don't like her neither will do but I must admit that she has outplayed. Her grand entry is the topic on fire- everyone is talking about her." She pauses. "The girl who was considered easy nicks everyone's attention." She read from her phone, seeing her picture on the weibo. "Tsk! What an attention seeker! I wish to kick her out from my university. A stray cat like her has no place around us."

"That coward sly little bitch!" Joo Hye Ri grit her teeth. "I bet she has found herself a sugar daddy." They both start to argue, commenting on Janice with all their negative words. Janice clenches her fist tightly, penetrating her nails into the flesh. "I can't wait to see who has fallen for that bitch. Can't wait to unveil her love life," says Joo Hye Ri with detest.

Janice hears a loud crackle sound, and then their voices die; still, she can feel their comments banging inside her head. She comes out and finds a crack in the mirror. Possibly, Joo Hye Ri's anger. She walks towards it and caresses it. The fresh blood starts to ooze out from her finger. She immediately withdraws and washes and goes out.

No one is in the corridors because the bell has rung, and the students have already gone to their classrooms. Janice has many thoughts currently running through her mind, and she wants to clear them, so she decides to skip her class and takes a route to her favourite spot in the university.

It is at a short distance and located at the university's backside. It is much like a wild forest.

She discovered it when she lost her way to the class and spent the rest of her day there. The aura is very calming. Birds chirping, butterflies flying, and sitting on the flower. There is a waterfall at a distance that is now frozen. She never shares this spot with anyone because this is the only place devoid of bullies.

She throws her bag on the ground, ties hanging on one of the branches, and positions herself. She usually sits there and writes stories, but this time something else is going on in her mind.

She missed her practice because she was frustrated, but she now doesn't want her emotions to take over her goal. She looks at her phone over her bag and raises her leg high in the air.

Ha!

It has been an hour, and she is exhausted. She takes a look around, and a crowd catches her eyes. Kris and Joo Hye Ri are standing in the middle, very much close to each other. They are about to kiss. Janice turns around and looks at her feet, sighing. She hears rustle behind the bush.

She knows that whoever it is must not be the student because students are restricted. They find this place creepy. And if there will be a professor, then why would he hide? It will be easy to ground her or put her into detention rather than hiding.

"Hello? Is someone there?" asks Janice, but no one responds except for the birds chirping. She takes a step forward, and a rabbit hops in her direction. She shrieks and falls to the ground. Ouch! Her cell phone rings showing a picture of Kingsley.

"Hey!" says Kingsley.

"Hey!" replies Janice.

"I um I just want to check that you are fine," he says, hesitating.

"Yeah! I'm fine," replies Janice. She rubs her elbow, clicking her tongue.

"Are you hurt?" he asks.

Although Janice can't see his expressions on call, she can feel worry in his tone. There is a special connection between them that no one can break. Why is it something special in her relationship with the three of them?

"No no. I'm fine. It's just I tripped," Janice tells him.

"If you need anything then I'm at your service," he says.

"Sure, thanks. It means a lot." There is a pause in which they both hear their breaths. Neither of them wishes to hang up. She wants to cry her heart out in front of him; instead, she gulps and says, "Uh-um, I'll get going then. Take care."

Janice picks up her bag and takes one last glance where she sees movement and leaves.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Janice is standing in front of the villa, whose construction is ancient. The nameplate is gold plated and says 'The Merchants'. It was the name of her uncle's great grandfather. This villa is the only gift given to her uncle and passed down from generation to generation. It is the oldest and is considered an asset to their family.

Janice exhales. She pushes open the main door and walks inside. There is a beautiful garden on both sides and a pathway in the middle. She knocks at the door and steps back.

The door is opened by her sister, Peng. She wrinkles her nose in disgust. "What are you here for?" asks Peng, chewing a bubble. She comes closer and says, "Lucky for you that you hide." She smiles viciously at her.

"Like I care," Janice replies. She makes a mad face at her and goes inside, slamming the door of her room.

"Where were you?" The hoarse voice drifts her attention. She sees grey eyes staring at her. A man is standing in a shadow upstairs. He wears a black waistcoat and white shirt and is well dressed like usual. He comes down, and with each step he takes, his footsteps echo.

Ming Wu's appearance spread hatred across her face. His scarred face gives her an ill feeling. She gets flashes of what he did with her past years. Without answering his question, she says, "I want my medicines!"

"I knew you'll come looking for these." He smiles and takes out a bottle from his pocket and shows her. She snatches it from his hand and drops it in her bag.

"I won't let you abandon us!" snarls Ming, threatening her like he used to. Little does he know that she isn't the same naive Janice who will trust them again.

She takes a step toward him and looks into his eyes with hatred. "Then try every way you can! I won't stop you, uncle."

He seizes both her hands and takes out an injection. "You know I have been waiting for this moment for a long." She looks at the needle. Her hatred and anger have been swallowed by the terror. Her mouth dries. She can't move. She can't struggle. She freezes. She finds herself paralyzed as she finds herself every time in her dreams.

He used to inject the drug into her when she disobeyed them and locked her in a room. She remained there, dying with pain. She feels it pointless to struggle now. She has again dragged herself into the hell from which she escaped. She closes her eyes and lets the darkness swallow her.

She hears the needle pierce through the flesh and grunts, but she doesn't feel any pain. "Has she suffered from enough pain that her pain receptors have undergone hypo-responsiveness?" she thinks.

She opens her eyes and finds a muscular body covering her. She tilts her head, "Oh my god! Dylan?" He smiles at her.

"Hey boy! Keep your dick out of my business," says Ming in anger.

He punches Dylan in his ribs, but he doesn't move. He remains in front of her protecting her like a wall. He doesn't look good. Janice knows that the medicine has started to produce its effects on him.

"What if I say that…" speaks Dylan turning around. "you are doing business with my property?" He grunts and places his hand where he injects. "People like you are sick minded."

"M-Mr Dylan. Uh, sorry, Master Yu. I didn't know that. Please forgive me," he begs, dropping the injection. He looks horror-struck and turns white as if he has seen a ghost.