Chapter 170 Feelings or compassion

Luna's death shook the foundations of Paradise High. The brutality of her death, and the possibility of it being murder, made the students shudder. People kept throwing shady looks at both Nadine and Jeremy, looking at the duo with pure hatred. "What did she do to deserve such from her friend?" was their thought. But the incident traumatized Nadine the most—the attack on her, Luna's unexpected death, Simon and Rowan's interference, and worst of all, her secret of being a guy going viral. The video of her wig falling off was everywhere on school blogs and social media, catching fire.

Nadine walked side by side with Jimmy while Rose led the way, shielding them from unsuspecting attacks. Of course, with Rose's influence and sharp tongue, attacking them was a death wish. Jeremy's wounds bled continuously until he collapsed, unable to walk any farther. Rose and Nadine rushed to him immediately.

"Did something else happen? Is it another case of bullying?" Slyvia, who was blind, asked while holding onto Harlan for support.

"It's just Jeremy—he collapsed here beside Nadine," Harlan explained, casting a worried glance at Jeremy, whose condition had grown from bad to worse. His forehead was swollen, his eyes were blackened—obviously where Simon and Rowan had inflicted pain—and his arms were practically limp thanks to Rowan nearly breaking them. Nadine herself was surprised by the attack. It was almost as if Simon had been targeting her all along. But why? What had she done? She had no business with Simon or Rowan that could warrant this.

Bending on her knees, Nadine cradled Jimmy gently, placing him on her lap. She touched his face, caressing his cheeks. Rose, who wanted to help, froze momentarily. Could her sister—no, her brother—be gay? She just didn't understand why he had to hide his identity from her. She felt betrayed. Her own blood—the person she would abandon everything for—had lied to her for the past 18 years. Was that fair? At this point, she needed an explanation. And why did she feel like it was their mom's fault? Gosh, she despised that woman called their mom. She had ruined their lives.

"Jimmy, stay with me. Jeremy, please..." Nadine's desperate voice echoed, but Jeremy remained unmoving. Slyvia spoke up.

"We shouldn't waste time. I believe it's the loss of blood. We should take him to the school clinic. He should be okay if taken care of properly." Slyvia's explanation made sense. At least it gave Nadine hope that Jeremy would be okay.

"Don't worry. Jeremy is the strongest person I know. He won't die—not when you have a crush on him," Rose chimed in. Nadine frowned. A crush? What was her sister saying? This wasn't the time for such talk. Jimmy was slowly slipping away, and she couldn't stand by idly while her friend was on the brink of death.

By then, Harlan had arrived with a group of specialists, who brought in a stretcher. Jeremy was placed on it and rushed to the clinic. Realizing Harlan had been gone for a while, Slyvia frowned. How come she hadn't noticed? And why the sudden strange behavior from Harlan? She should be glad, but it was unsettling.

Slyvia faced the direction where Harlan had been and slowly stretched forth her hand, which Harlan gladly took.

"Harlan, I'm surprised you helped Jeremy, ignoring your friends. You even went as far as taking care of me. I thought we were enemies. Harlan, you're confusing me with all these gestures. I hope this isn't one of your plans."

Harlan silenced Slyvia with his fingers. "It's okay, Slyvia. I'm not crushing on you. Don't worry. It's just sympathy. Can't I show it? Even if it's not easy, at least I'm trying to move on from my parents' catastrophic end."

Slyvia could sense bitterness in his voice, but at this point, he was helpless. The past was the past. After all, nothing he could do would bring his parents back.

"Sorry to hear that, Harlan. I'm genuinely sorry. No one deserves to be an orphan. But at least I'll be an aunt to you," Slyvia said, and Harlan began laughing.

Nadine watched Jeremy's body being carried away. She stared at his battered form, his pale face and lips that were once vibrant with color. But why was she acting like this? She shouldn't be so invested. He was off-limits. Not only did she not want to fall in love, but Jimmy was a straight guy, so it wouldn't work. The kiss they shared at the Founder's Day Ball was just a misunderstanding. End of story. Yet she couldn't stop the lingering feelings.

Rose, after discussing with one of the specialists in the clinic, approached Nadine. They stood at the clinic entrance, a glamorous duplex that looked grand.

Rose's heart tightened for her sibling—no, her brother. Goodness, would she ever get the hang of this? Coming closer, she finally made her presence known to Nadine, who straightened herself to talk. Harlan, meanwhile, had taken Slyvia to the library after what had happened at the school haunted her. Slyvia wanted time alone and begged Harlan to excuse her. He obliged, leaving Rose and Nadine alone to talk.

"Jeremy is being treated. In three days' time, his body should start recovering," Rose said, consoling her.

Nadine rushed to Rose and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Rose. I never wanted you to find out this way. It was Mom. She said I was in danger. For the past 18 years, I was forced to hide my identity. It felt like I was carrying a curse, a burden I had to bear alone. We were isolated. You probably lived a good life, but I didn't. I was bullied. Worse, I was bullied too much. What Jeremy received was just the tip of the iceberg." Nadine finally let out her pain, crying continuously as she narrated her dreadful tale.

"No one wanted to associate with me. Coming in the middle of the term, they called me a spoilt brat, saying I used money to bribe my way in—that I wasn't qualified to be there, not like the elite. Then the beatings and bullying began. I was starved, robbed, harassed, and threatened—all because I was alone." Nadine's tears fell harder.

Rose's mouth hung open. Her brother had gone through all this during his childhood.

"One day, I was forced to lick a container of salt until it was empty. I vomited on one of the bullies' clothes, and they began flogging me with a whip until my disguise fell off. You know what I was tagged as next? A fag. It became worse. I was even forced to give a guy a blowjob." Nadine couldn't speak anymore. She began hiccupping.

Nadine's gaze darkened. "And one day, I met someone. When trying to run away, I saw Zeke heading to God knows where—maybe the nearby market. But I was depressed then. He stayed with me, and that was when it clicked—to get revenge. To sum it up, I burnt the motherfucker to death—the group of bullies. That was the reason for my expulsion. I would have been in prison or worse, sentenced to death. But thanks to our country's corrupt practices, my parents launched a huge sum of money, and I was set free but expelled."

Rose looked at Nadine, but what came next was shocking.

"I won't judge you, Nadine. Kill them all. They deserve eternal damnation—to burn forever in hell." Nadine smiled knowingly. But Rose's last question made her pause.

"What can I call you, Nadine?" Rose asked.

Nadine turned as if she was thinking, then smartly answered, "Call me Asher. From now on, I am Asher Anderson—a guy, the only son of the Andersons." Rose smiled.

Emily was once again in a corner, crying. She couldn't tell anyone. Nobody could know. She had to protect them all. She wasn't going to put them in danger—no. Emily then ran out madly.