2.8

What is the finale of revenge? Hannah thought about how childish it was, so she just turned to the other side and fell asleep.

Now she enters the public bathroom on the first floor and intends to use the restroom, but an older girl accompanied by her friends crosses her path. She measures her from bottom to top, as if assessing her appearance, then pulls down her eyebrows and puts her hands on her chest.

At first glance, she looks like she thinks she's the best in every way, and the others don't measure up to her.

— Would you mind letting me pass? — asks the nineteen-year-old, poking her with a sharp look.

— They don't.

The other girls move closer like crouching tigers. They seem to be waiting for one word from the leader's mouth, which will be permission to attack.

— So talk what you want because I'm really rushing.

— Don't be arrogant, shithead. Do you think that when you hide behind Joseph's back with that pretty face, you can speak disrespectfully to me?

— So it's all about him? — Hannah thinks it's pathetic. — You don't have to worry. Your academic cramming is free, and I'm not even his friend anymore. If I were one at all.

— You know… there is a rule here that freshmen should stick to their yearbook. — Her face has a mean expression, and it makes her look like a bitch. — And you already clung to Joseph on the first day.

— Clung? I have known him for more than three years, and you have nothing to do with it. — Hannah forces a laugh when she realizes how idiotic their taunts are. — Besides… it's his business who he likes and who he doesn't. Apparently, I'm a lot cooler than you, since it's the third year he's not paying attention to you. He selects only pretty people for company.

The nineteen-year-old's words are provocative. It leads to an older girl hitting her in the face. When the others also want to attack her, the leader raises her hand, letting them know that this is enough.

— This time you get a warning. For a freshman, you are too confident. Pay attention to what you do because we will keep an eye on you — she announces, with a movement of her fingers, showing her that she is on target. — Remember this.

They leave the bathroom, and Hannah locks herself in the cubicle. She sits down on the toilet bowl and puts her hand to her burning cheek. She closes her eyelids as she lets the air out of her mouth. All the stress is only now coming off her. For a moment, she was afraid of being beaten by the older girls in the bathroom, but this time she had more luck than sense. It only ended with a warning.

— Since I met you… I'm still in trouble — she says in a whisper when she thinks of Joseph.

*

Walking down the corridor at the wrong time, she glances at the window as her attention is caught by a brunette man who approaches a girl getting out of a car. Hannah watches as he speaks to her and points with his finger to where they should sit.

The teenager squats on the window sill and watches Joseph with sad eyes as he helps the older girl climb onto the wall.

Her mood changes. She puts her hand to her left breast, feeling an unpleasant stabbing in her heart. She lifts her face and hastily blinks her eyelids to chase away tears.

— What is happening to me? — she asks herself, not understanding why Halsey's presence in Joseph's company makes her suffer so much.

— Baby, why are you crying? — With teary eyes, she looks at Tom, who immediately squats down next to her. — What is going on?

— Just… the older girls picked on me and even punched me in the face for being close with Joseph — she says, pulling her nose. Tears stream down her cheeks as she can no longer suppress the crying inside her. — I swear, I'm starting to hate him. Why should I suffer again because of him?

The boy puts his arm around her, and then she presses her face into his chest. She doesn't want anyone to see her in this state. She worries that stopping the pills could have a bad effect, and her mood will change dramatically. After all, these mood swings are not normal… the last time she went through this was in high school.

— A classmate recently told me that he was riding the bus and there was such a squeeze that if it weren't for a certain woman, there would be nowhere to put a finger.

— Tom, just not that — says the girl as she covers her face and laughs through her tears. — You will kill me faster than girls jealous of your friend.

— In that case, do you know what to do to improve your mood for the rest of the day?

— Are you going to give me advice now? — Hannah lifts her face and looks at him with amused eyes. In a fairly short period of time, he has managed to make her feel better.

— Do you want to be full of strength? Coffee will be stronger when you add amphetamines instead of sugar.

The brunette slaps him on the shoulder with her hand.

— Don't say something like that out loud because someone else will hear it, and you will tarnish our opinions.

— But I managed to make you feel better — he says, pulling her cheek. — It's not the bruised one, is it?

— You're lucky you didn't cause me more pain.

She stares at the window and her body is again flooded with a wave of hatred as she looks at Halsey laughing out loud. The girl slyly places her hand on Joseph's knee, but he pays no attention. He seems excited about her company.

— They have been meeting more and more often lately. It seems to me that their love may bloom again. — Tom speaks up as he follows his friend's gaze and spots the laughing couple on the wall. — I think I'm starting to think that they are actually meant for each other.

Hannah forces a smile.

— Thanks for making me feel better. I need to take care of something, so I'll go back to the room, okay?

The boy nods and watches his friend moving away, who takes a quick step towards the stairs.

— It will be better if you get over it, Hannah — he says in a whisper.

*

The nineteen-year-old walks out of the lecture hall and, out of fear, the phone falls out of her hand when someone grabs her by the elbow and pulls her aside. With wide-open eyes, she looks at the older boy who has been accosting her more and more lately.

— What do you want from me? — Her voice sounds sharp as he presses her against the wall. — I don't feel like talking to you about my dead sister.

— You're playing, aren't you? You're pretending that you lost your memory to gain something, but what? — He squints his eyes as he looks closely at her face. — It seems to me that you are similar to Danielle in character.

— Do you know anything more about my sister's death? Why do you say I'm faking it?

He doesn't answer for a long moment. He looks at her and just ponders something, and finally graces her with a mischievous smile.

— And maybe you're more charming, too.... — he claims, touching her chin with his fingers. — Your sister could be the worst bitch of the breed. Although I didn't know her that well...

— Can you explain what you mean?

— Just remember that day and you'll understand everything.

Hannah crinkles her eyebrows, dissatisfied with his answer.

— Do you mean the day Danielle died? Were you there? Did you see anything?

His attention is drawn to the phone, which lies on the floor. He bends down and hands it to the girl.

— It's going to get to the point where I'm actually going to pay for its repair.

— Answer the question! — The girl thinks that with a raised voice, she will call him to order, but this boy is not impressed.

— Andy! — Jin is heading towards them with a brisk step, and his face betrays that he is not happy with their contact. — What are you doing? — His voice trembles as he slaps the taller boy on the shoulder.

— Take it easy, cousin. I'm just checking to see if the little one is playing a prank on us. I find it difficult to believe that he doesn't remember the events of that day.

— Cousin? — repeats Hannah and sees that Jin is horrified. — Are you two a family?

— Yes, and once we were even better friends. However, something has divided us — asserts Andy as he puts his arm around him. — With family, it comes out best in photos, right?

The teenager is starting to get confused about all this.

— You promised me something. Leave Hannah alone. It's my problem and stay out of it, do you understand? — Jin's gaze is unpleasant, so the cousin decides to walk away from him.

— What's not to do for the family? — he says more to himself, then turns to the 19-year-old. — And I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. I hope you will quickly remember those events. Good luck!

Hannah starts to get more and more angry. She gets the impression that everyone around her is playing some kind of sick game with her.

— Your cousin knows everything, and you can't tell me the truth? Why didn't you confess earlier that you are related?

— There is nothing to brag about. As I said… he doesn't have a very interesting past. There are only problems with him.

— Every day I stop trusting you more and more, Jin — she says as she evades him and heads down the corridor toward the building's exit.

— You'll understand why I'm doing this when your memory returns.

*

It's the middle of the night when Hannah is awakened by the whispering of her roommate. She hears Bella close the door behind her, unable to stop giggling.

She had an appointment with Tom in the evening, so Hannah went to bed, but now the room is so loud that it's driving her crazy.

Hannah rises on her elbows and looks at her roommate with sleepy eyes when she finally turns on the light. She rubs her eyes once more when she notices that the blonde is not alone. She has no idea where she's been or how she's gathered all the company, but they're all completely drenched in dead bodies.

Hannah opens her eyes wider when she notices Joseph pointing his finger at her and smiling goofy.

— Girl — he speaks, walking directly to her bed.

The 19-year-old has no idea what happened since Joseph is so drunk. The last time he looked similar was when she took a selfie with him. He usually drinks in moderation, and there are special occasions when he brings himself to such a state.

— Why do you all look like that? And what are you doing here in the middle of the night? If someone catches you, Bella and I will be thrown out of the dorm! — she says pretentiously, but the blonde puts her finger to her lips, with which she immediately silences her.

— Who can cover us? If you don't howl, no one will know about their visit. Put your mind at ease — she asserts, between lurking intervals. — These are my guys, and among them is my fiancé, who will become my husband in the future — she adds, jumping on Tom's back. The boy collapses with her on the floor.

— Baby, why are you so sad? — She has a bad feeling when Joseph stands in front of her bed. And her fears turn out to be right, as he unexpectedly throws himself at her, and she feels like all her bones are breaking.

He lies on top of her and, with the face of a docile puppy, looks her straight in the eyes.

Hannah lifts her face to the ceiling and clenches her teeth in pain as she feels his weight on her. She wants to push him off, but she tires unnecessarily as he specially embraces her with his arms and legs, snuggling his face into the quilt she is covered with.

She watches Jin, who slides his back down the door and falls asleep in an uncomfortable position.

Tom and Bella perform strange figures on the floor, pinching and biting each other's shoulders, and Hannah simply regrets letting her roommate join this unkempt band of. But she didn't think she'd be able to get close to them so quickly, especially to the perpetually sullen Joseph.

How did she do it in such a short time?

— Are you going to sleep on me? If so, I assure you that I will be dead in the morning. My whole body is already numb — she turns to Joseph, who at her words lifts his face and looks at her again with docile eyes. — Why did you even come here? I thought we had ended our acquaintance. You clarified it that I was not to interfere in your affairs. We are no longer friends. Now you can be close with your first love, Halsey.

— Are you jealous, little sister? — She opens her eyes wide in amazement.

— Jealous? I think your brain has evaporated from all that alcohol. — What she likes best when Joseph is drunk is that she can hurl him in the cruelest way, and he doesn't pay attention. — And stop calling me sister every time you are drenched in alcohol. We are not related.

— And so what if we are not related? But if you hadn't been committed to an orphanage, then I could have been your foster brother.

Hannah crinkles her eyebrows.

— What are you talking about?

— About the fact that we are not connected by blood ties, and you can love me. I don't mind jealousy — he says, dropping his head to her stomach.

— Could you be my foster brother? — She repeats quietly, and then everything begins to come to her in a dizzying way, especially when she remembers his mysterious statements.

— Shut up and put your head on the pillow. I'm sleeping on you tonight.