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Chapter 3

A loud bang echoed through the halls, jolting students and teachers alike. Ian, however, merely glanced up momentarily from his notes, then returned to his work, indifferent to the commotion.

It was just another distraction, nothing to break his concentration over.

He told himself he had already done what he could—he didn't want to get involved in Shawn's problems anymore.

Meanwhile, in the storage room where they had left him,

Shawn struggled to pull himself up. After several agonizing attempts, he finally managed to stand, though his body felt heavy with pain.

He waited for a while, before making his way out of the stall.

He knew he couldn't go back to class like this, so he decided to head straight to the school clinic.

The nurse didn't ask any questions. She didn't even look at him properly—just opened the door, and Shawn walked inside, collapsing onto the bed.

His stomach churned. He hadn't eaten that morning, yet he felt nauseous, like he might throw up at any moment.

He groaned softly, curling up as waves of discomfort washed over him.

After a while, his exhaustion overtook the pain, and he managed to drift off into an uneasy sleep.

The next thing he heard was the bell ringing, signaling the end of the day.

Slowly, Shawn got up. The pain had subsided a little, but his body still felt weak. He gave a nod to the nurse, who ignored him as usual, and made his way outside.

As he stepped into the corridor, he instinctively checked his surroundings, making sure Greg, Caleb, or Adam weren't nearby. His heart was still pounding in his chest.

When he saw the coast was clear, he hurried to the scattered parking stands outside the class.

As he entered the classroom and moved to his seat, Maya appeared, hurrying toward him.

"Shawn! I've been looking for you everywhere! Where the hell have you been? We were supposed to have literature class together," she said, her tone a mix of relief and frustration.

"I was in the clinic," Shawn replied quietly, glancing around again, still nervous.

Maya raised an eyebrow. "The clinic? What happened? Are you okay? You sick?"

"No, nothing like that," Shawn muttered, sitting down and still looking over his shoulder.

Maya stared at him for a moment, noticing how unsettled he seemed. "Why do you look so shaken up? Don't tell me it's Greg and his friends again." Her voice lowered, concerned.

Shawn shrugged, trying to force a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Let's just drop it, Maya. I'm almost done with high school anyway. Soon, I'll be far away from here."

Maya sighed and sat beside him. "Shawn, you've really got to stand up for yourself. You can't keep letting them treat you like this."

Shawn just shrugged again, pulling out his sketchpad and starting to draw. It was one of the few things that helped him block everything out.

He became so focused on his drawing that he didn't even notice when Maya stood up and went to talk with some of her friends nearby.

He was lost in his work until suddenly, cold water splashed onto his head and dripped all over his sketchpad.

Startled, Shawn jumped up, wiping his hair and trying to save his drawing. He looked up and saw Greg and his friends laughing, Greg holding an empty water bottle.

"Duckhead, what are you drawing now?" Greg sneered. "More of your creepy crap?"

Shawn glanced at his soaked sketch, the one thing that gave him peace, now ruined.

His hands shook, and before he could stop himself, tears welled up in his eyes. Greg and his gang just laughed harder.

"Look at that, the little baby's crying!" Greg mocked, his voice dripping with cruelty.

Maya stormed over, her eyes blazing. "Can't you leave him alone for once?" she snapped. "Stop trying to impose your insecurities on him."

Greg turned to face her, amusement fading slightly.

"And who do you think you are?" he said.

"I swear, one more time you touch Shawn, and I'll go straight to the principal. You know what happens to bullies around here, right? Total expulsion. So go ahead, keep playing tough, I'm not afraid of you."

Greg's smirk returned. "Relax, we were just messing around with Shawn. Right, Shawn?" he said, turning back to him, but Shawn wasn't even listening. He was staring down at his ruined drawing, tears silently falling.

Greg's friends exchanged looks before Greg shrugged. "Whatever. Let's get out of here." They grabbed their bags, laughing to themselves as they walked away.

Maya stayed with Shawn, watching them leave, then looked back at him.

Shawn was still standing there, staring blankly at his sketchpad. She sighed softly, sitting down beside his chair once more.

Shawn didn't sit back down. He stuffed his sketchpad into his bag, wiping at his face as tears continued to fall. Without a word, he walked out of the classroom, ignoring Maya's calls behind him.

Her voice grew fainter, lost in the shuffle of other students heading home, but Shawn didn't turn back. He just kept moving, his mind numb.

When he reached the bus station, he sat down on one of the benches, pulling his knees up to his chest.

Normally, his stepfather's driver would be waiting to pick him and Ian up, but Shawn couldn't bear the thought of being stuck in the car with Ian.

The tension between them made every ride home feel unbearable. He figured it was better to take the bus, even if it meant waiting in the cold.

Other students milled around, laughing and chatting, but Shawn kept his head down, trying to go unnoticed.

He sat there, staring at the ground, hoping no one would look his way.

His thoughts raced—why did things always end up like this? Why couldn't he just catch a break?

The sound of the bus pulling up caught his attention, and he quickly stood up, ready to board.

But as he moved toward the door, other students pushed past him, filling the bus until there was no room left.

Shawn stepped back, watching helplessly as the bus pulled away without him.

He stood there, staring at the empty street, the feeling of defeat sinking in.

The sky was darkening, thick clouds rolling in overhead. With no other options, he returned to the bench and sat down again, waiting.

Hoping for something—anything, perhaps a miracle helper.

But that day it was like even the earth was against him because the rain suddenly started to pour down heavily, hitting him hard.

And just as he thought it couldn't get any worse, a familiar figure appeared in the distance, heading straight for him.