Chapter 2 - Our first encounter

When I got home, Kai wasn't there yet. I was excited to tell him that I had ranked first and that I would be able to study at Spring Hill University. I decided to cook dinner first. A few hours later, Kai arrived, and I immediately shared the news with him.

"Really, sis? Wow, that school is the most prestigious in the country." Kai said, still in disbelief.

"Of course! Your sister is smart and intelligent so this is expected." I replied proudly.

"So, you should study hard too, maybe you'll get into that university someday." I added. Giving him encouragement, Kai nodded eagerly. Then I started serving dinner so we could eat.

The next day, as usual, I took Kai to his school and went straight to the university. When I arrived in the classroom, Aeron was still giving me a hostile look. I remembered what he did yesterday—he became violent because he couldn't accept the situation.

I tried not to mind him and focused on the discussion and activities. The time passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was already time to go home. I walked to the parking lot and got on my bicycle.

While riding, I noticed that the brakes didn't seem to be working. I kept trying to brake, but they just weren't responding. Earlier, when I arrived, the brakes were fine. When I checked closely, I saw that the bike's brake cable had been cut.

My bike was going too fast, and the road ahead was downhill, so I started speeding down uncontrollably.

I was terrified, desperately trying to brake. What should I do? I couldn't do anything—the bike continued to speed downhill, and midway down, there was a car parked on the side.

"Help!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!" I screamed, hoping someone would help me in this situation.

A guy stepped out of the car, and as I passed by, he suddenly grabbed my arm with great force. This caused me to let go of the bike's handlebar, and the strength of his pull caused both of us to fall to the ground. I ended up on top of him.

Slowly, I stood up and watched as my bike kept going and crashed into a fence. I sighed in frustration, knowing it was probably wrecked. I turned back to the man who had saved me, and he quickly stood up.

"Oh, I'm sorry… but thank you so much for saving me." I said, flustered.

He gave a slight smirk before speaking.

"Nothing is free in this world. You'll have to pay me back some other time… maybe when I see you again." he said.

Tsk, I thought he was kind. I couldn't reply immediately and just stared at him. That's when I realized how handsome he was; he looked like a celebrity.

"Haha, just kidding, no need to pay me back. I'm glad you're okay." he said with a smile.

"Sorry, it's just that I don't have any money. If I had, I would pay you. I really owe you my life right now." I replied.

"Hey, stop. Like I said, I was just joking." he said.

"Looks like your bike won't be usable anymore." he added, looking at my bike, which was all bent and twisted. I sighed deeply.

A moment later, his phone rang.

"Yeah, I'm on my way now."

"Okay. Yes."

"See you later."

He said in quick succession before ending the call.

"I have to go now. Be more careful next time." he said as he got into his car.

"Thanks again." I said, and he closed his car window.

I was left thinking, unable to understand why the brakes on my bike were broken. I suddenly remembered Aeron. I didn't want to accuse anyone, but he was the only person who came to mind who could have done this to me—sabotaging the bike's brakes.

I decided to go to my brother's school and walk there. When he learned what happened, Kai became worried too. We called a tricycle to take my wrecked bike home.

"Just leave it on the side, please." I told the tricycle driver, and he placed the bike in the yard by the side. I paid him, and he left.

"Sis, it's impossible for the brakes on your bike to just break like that. Someone must have tampered with them." Kai said, worried.

"Don't think about it anymore. I'll just get it fixed on Saturday. I need it by Monday. Spring Hill University is quite far, and I'd go broke from the fare if I don't get it repaired." I said.

I invited him inside so we could have dinner.

The next day, Aeron looked surprised to see me.

"You're still here?" he said angrily.

"Tsk, I knew you were the one who did it. I'm warning you; I'm not that easy to get rid of, Aeron." I replied and walked past him in the hallway. He practically admitted he was the one behind it.

______________________

**Monday**

It was my first day at Spring Hill University, and I couldn't quite understand what I was feeling—a mix of nervousness and excitement. Thankfully, I managed to get my bike fixed just in time. I had already dropped Kai off at school.

"Be careful, Sis. Good luck on your first day at the new university." Kai said. I nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'm off. I'll pick you up later when I get back. Wait for me." I told him.

"Okay." he replied and went inside the school gate. I then started my bike. Spring Hill University was really quite far—it took nearly an hour to get there.

When I reached the gate, I noticed that all the other students arrived in cars. It seemed like I was the only one riding a bike. Inside, there was a separate parking lot for cars and bikes. Thankfully, there were a few bikes already parked there, which meant I wasn't the only student using a bike.

I went to my classroom, but no one spoke to me. They all seemed wealthy. I didn't have a single classmate who was a scholar from another university like me. So, I decided to head to the cafeteria alone. I was amazed and excited to see their cafeteria.

They provided us with meal cards loaded with a balance for food, and we just had to swipe them at the counter to order. I ordered my food, and once I had it, I looked around the cafeteria. There were a lot of students, and all the tables were full.

Except for one table at the far end. No one was sitting there, so I decided to go there, placed my food tray down, and started eating. But I noticed that almost all the students were looking at me. I decided to ignore it and continued eating.

Then I noticed the noise level in the cafeteria rising. Suddenly, three guys stood in front of me, glaring. One of them, the one in the middle, had his arms crossed and was giving me a sharp, intense look. I looked at them in confusion.

"Oh my God, she's dead."

"Why did she have to sit there?"

"Doesn't she know?"

I heard whispers all around me.

The three guys remained standing, staring at me. I didn't understand why. I looked around—the tables were still full. Maybe they were just too shy to ask if they could sit.

"Uhm, you guys can sit down if you want. Go ahead, sit," I offered.

"What the hell did she say?"

"Gosh, she doesn't know what she's doing."

"Well, she's going to regret this."

"How arrogant!"

I heard more whispers around me. I was getting even more confused. What were they trying to say?

"Get lost!" snapped the guy with his arms crossed, his eyes practically burning with anger as he glared at me. I glared back, irritated by what he said. Why was he telling me to leave when I was here first?

"I was here first, so why should I leave?" I calmly replied, choosing to keep my tone steady.

"Oh, she's tough, dude." said the guy standing beside the one with crossed arms, smirking.