CHAPTER 20 A "Terror" Downpour

Victor tagged along as they returned to the ground floor, wondering why Veronica wanted to talk to him. "So, what's the occasion?" Victor started to ask but was promptly silenced by Veronica's cold retort, "Just shut up!"

Caught off guard by Veronica's tough demeanor, Victor admired her fierceness. "She's sexy as hell, shutting me down like that," he thought to himself.

Victor then turned his attention to Racheal, asking about Oliver's injury from the previous day. Racheal, uninterested in getting involved, folded her arms and ignored him. Veronica didn't waste time and cut to the chase, asking about Oliver's condition.

"Oh, he got hurt? That's too bad. I thought he was just having a hard time getting up after our fight," Victor bragged and dusted off his shoulders. (The guy's acting like a fool, but let him continue with his story. Veronica's hot-headed, and Racheal's somewhat smarter. Don't mind me!)

"You must be joking; you couldn't even defend yourself properly when he beat you up," Racheal interjected, surprised by Victor's claim.

"Well, this time it was my turn to give him a beating. He couldn't even get up afterward. Hahahah!" Victor laughed. Veronica remained silent, sensing that Victor wasn't entirely boasting and that he was genuinely happy about it. Annoyed with him, she stomped on his foot. "Ouch! What the hell was that for?" Victor exclaimed, then recalled Veronica's fondness for Oliver.

"Don't worry, Alice took him home yesterday, so he must have gotten his wounds treated. I didn't leave him there after the fight," Victor explained.

Veronica felt a surge of anger and was upset. She was mad at Victor for hurting Oliver, upset about Oliver's injuries and absence from school, and jealous of Alice's role in taking care of him. "I can't stand that girl!" Veronica thought.

"So, you brought me here to interrupt my 'important' conversation for this?" Victor asked, feeling disappointed about being dragged into this seemingly pointless discussion.

"Absolutely!" Veronica replied sharply, signaling Racheal to leave with her, leaving Victor alone in the hallway. "What the f***? I was supposed to leave first," Victor shouted after them.

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Back at Oliver's home...

Oliver didn't get out of bed at all. He skipped breakfast, lost in thoughts about Alice. Today was Wednesday, and his mom said he couldn't return to school until next week. He was worried sick about Alice, hoping she was alright.

Picking up his phone, he checked the time and carelessly tossed it to the edge of the bed. Realizing what he did, he quickly caught the phone before it fell.

*KNOCK! KNOCK!*

Oliver heard someone at the door but didn't feel like answering. "Oliver! It's me, can I come in?" Evelyn called from the other side.

"I don't want to see anyone. I just want to be left alone," he yelled back.

"Okay, I'll leave breakfast here for you," she replied.

"I'll eat it later," he mumbled to Evelyn.

In that moment, Oliver regretted letting Victor beat him up. He shouldn't have taunted him in the first place. If he hadn't, he would be in school, and he could have called Alice to check on her, but she didn't have a phone, which made things worse.

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Back at school...

Veronica didn't bother picking on Alice again, and she couldn't focus in class. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of Oliver and anger towards Victor for the confrontation at the school's entrance.

Trying to figure out how to see Oliver again, Veronica felt a tap on her shoulder, snapping her back to reality. "What?!" she snapped at Racheal.

"We're in chemistry class, don't forget. We might have a practical anytime soon, so pay attention," Racheal advised.

"You can be the listener for both of us," Veronica retorted.

"Nica, seriously? I don't understand anything," Racheal replied, bewildered by Veronica's request.

"And you expect me to be the listener?" Veronica raised an eyebrow.

"Well...you're the smart one, so it's up to you to listen," Racheal admitted, knowing Veronica was the brain behind her good grades.

Veronica sighed, "Looks like we're both failing this class because I can't seem to concentrate either," and it felt like a bomb going off in Racheal's mind.