Chapter 3 - The Four Prince

Without warning, he slammed both hands on the table, causing the fries on the plate to fly everywhere. One even hit my face. Students quickly gathered around us.

I lowered my head, feeling irritated. Lately, a lot of arrogant people had been testing my patience, thinking they were someone important.

But I didn't back down. I continued eating my fries, ignoring them as if they weren't even there and as if nothing had happened. Moments later, he flipped the entire tray, spilling all the fries and spaghetti onto my uniform. The students in the cafeteria laughed. I clenched my fists under the table.

"Aren't you really going to leave? Do you want me to smash this tray over your head?" he said angrily. I remained looking down, but quickly stood up.

"So, you're going to stand up after all. Just leave already, tsk." he said arrogantly.

I gripped the tray tightly. My patience with people like him was already stretched thin. I thought that by transferring here, I wouldn't have to deal with jerks like Aeron, but it seemed I was wrong.

He shoved me hard by the arm, causing me to step back, but I still held onto the tray tightly. Out of frustration, I swung it at him with all my strength and slammed it onto the table before walking away.

"What the hell!"

"Come on, girls, get her! She can't do that to the one and only Cairo!"

"How dare she! Who does she think she is?"

I could hear the students around me angrily whispering.

"Stop it!" Cairo shouted.

"Don't get involved." he said, irritated.

Then I suddenly felt my hair get soaked. He threw the juice I was drinking at me from the table earlier.

"I'm gonna make your life feel like hell." he said with a mocking grin.

Then he and his two arrogant friends, who thought they were so important, walked away. I left too and went straight to the restroom to clean up. Luckily, I had a spare T-shirt and pants with me. I changed clothes and washed my hair, which had been drenched in juice.

I decided to spend my break time in the library since it was quiet there. I grabbed some books from the shelves and started reading. While I was reading, I noticed a girl sitting across from me who had been staring at me for a while. I stopped reading and looked at her, puzzled.

"I saw you earlier in the cafeteria." she said.

"You messed with the wrong person." she added.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Cairo Hayes, the guy you fought with earlier, is a demon in human form." she said seriously.

I couldn't tell if I should laugh or be scared, given how seriously she said it.

"What I mean is, that guy has the temperament of a demon. He shows no mercy, and even if you're a girl, if he's mad at you, expect him to make your life a living hell. He's a heartless demon. So, if I were you, I'd transfer schools if you don't want your life to be ruined." she continued.

"Tsk, why should I be afraid of him? He's just a student like me." I replied.

"That's where you're wrong. He's not just an ordinary student. Cairo Hayes—his parents are among the stockholders of this school. His family is also very wealthy; they're in the top 10 richest families in the entire country. That's why he's powerful and can do whatever he wants. No one can stop him. Even his friends are rich. Sade Alistair, Denzel Sanford, and Asher Mercadejas —their parents are also stockholders of Spring Hill University and have many businesses all over the country and outside the country. Their families are also in the top 10 richest families. You can't mess with them, or you'll face the consequences." she explained.

I suddenly swallowed hard at what I heard. I felt like my throat was going dry, and anxiety crept in. What if they have me killed? Damn it, it's my first day at this university, and things are already going wrong. Why didn't I know who they were? If only I had known they were rich... This is so frustrating.

"What should I do? He's just so arrogant." I said irritably and a little bit nervous because of what she said.

"Well, that table earlier—no student is actually allowed to sit there. It's reserved just for them, the group of friends known as the 'Four Princes' by the students here." she continued.

"I didn't know that. And even if they're rich, they shouldn't act that way. All students should be treated equally." I defended myself.

"Well, this is reality. That's just how it is. We have to accept that the world of the rich is different from ours, and they're more powerful than us." she added.

"Ask for forgiveness; maybe they'll still forgive you." she said.

"What? Tsk... I didn't do anything wrong. I'm not going to do that." I replied angrily.

"Fine, it's up to you... but if you don't, they might target you, and your life will be ruined. If you apologize, they might leave you alone." she added.

"Whatever, I'm standing up for what's right, and I'll do what I believe is right." I said firmly.

"Suit yourself. But don't say I didn't warn you." she replied.

All the way until dismissal, I kept thinking about the trouble I had gotten myself into. I just wanted to study in peace, but why did this have to happen? It's so frustrating. Wait, the female student said there were four of them, but there were only three in the cafeteria earlier.

I wonder who the fourth one is.

I went to my locker to get the uniform I had left there, so I could wash it when I got home. It was late, so the hallway was empty. I put my uniform in my bag, closed the locker door, and noticed two guys standing nearby. I looked at them and saw that they were holding box cutters, which seemed really sharp.

"You're the arrogant new student. Now, we're going to teach you a lesson, hahaha." one of them said.

My eyes widened when I saw the box cutters. I immediately ran as fast as I could, but they chased after me. I kept running. They were fast, and they caught up with me. They swung their cutters at me, and one cut my arm.

In my anger, I fought back and managed to punch one of them, but his companion slapped me, and my T-shirt was torn by the cutter.

"Stop it! Leave me alone!" I shouted at them.

But they just kept slashing at my clothes with their cutters.

A little later...

~~~Prrrrrrrrrrriiiitttttttttt~~~

We heard a loud whistle.

"Oh no, it looks like the guard is here!" one of the guys said, panicking.

"Let's go, we need to leave." said his companion, and they both ran off.

I just sat on the floor, trembling with fear and anxiety. My knees and legs felt like they were shaking, and I thought I might collapse if I tried to stand. I hugged myself tightly. My torn T-shirt was so shredded that my bra was almost visible, and I was extremely frustrated.

Then I felt a jacket being placed over me. I looked up immediately.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

I looked at him in shock.

"I—It's you?" I said, surprised.

I couldn't believe I was seeing him again. He was the guy who had saved me when I was about to crash on my bike, which Aeron had sabotaged. He was the same guy.

He looked at me with curiosity, probably because of what I said. He extended his hand to help me up. I quickly took his hand, and he pulled me to my feet.

He looked at my face for a while.

"Oh, I remember you now... you're the girl who lost the brakes on her bike, right?" he said. I smiled, relieved that he remembered me.

"Yes, that's me. Thanks again for coming to my rescue." I said.

"Good thing I had a whistle with me. They left because they probably thought the guard was coming." he explained.

"So, you're studying here too? I haven't seen you around before." he added.

"Yes, it's my first day today. I'm one of the school's scholars." I replied, and he nodded.

We walked towards the parking lot.

"Take this jacket for now. Just return it whenever you can." he said.

"I'll definitely return it tomorrow. Don't worry." I assured him. He just laughed.

We reached the parking lot. I had a feeling he was wealthy because of his nice car. When we passed by my bike, I said goodbye to him.

"I'm staying here. Thanks again." I said.

"Is your bike fixed?" he asked, surprised.

"Ah, yes, hehe. It's sturdy and still usable." I replied.

"Good, see you tomorrow. Take care." he said. I nodded and smiled at him.

I felt a bit better. Not all wealthy students here are bad, at least some still have kind hearts.