A flashback about the times of brutality

It took Zoan a long time to realize what kind of school Dawn International truly was. She was blinded—lost in her own world, unaware of what was up or down, left or right. In short, she felt like an idiot, a girl indifferent to her surroundings.

In her mind, everyone liked her and called her perfect. She reveled in the attention and cherished the moments when she was considered the top student in the entire school. Both girls and boys would approach her, professing their love as if their lives depended on it, believing that romance was the only thing that could save them.

Though Zoan always rejected their advances, she kept their letters and confessions hidden under her bed, secretly reading them. They reminded her that, at least for her looks, someone cared.

Her parents were perpetually busy, rarely finding time for her. She had long given up on seeking their attention and shifted her focus to earning recognition at school. All her teachers adored her, and her classmates both envied and admired her.

Zoan played the role of the perfect student and daughter. She followed Elias's expectations, delivering top scores on tests, quizzes, and exams, hoping to make him proud. Yet, it never seemed to be enough. Poor Zoan couldn't grasp why. What was she missing that could make Elias happy? What could she do to bring her mother back from Germany, to finally have a family?

The answer was nothing—nothing could satisfy Elias, and nothing could lure her mother home.

So, Zoan resigned herself to being perfect for others. In essence, she became a bootlicker, an attention-seeking leech, feeling untouchable as long as everyone loved her.

Zoan never acted out or talked back to teachers. She was the perfect student—the one everyone mentioned to those who misbehaved.

It was in this environment that she finally met Mei, a girl who was constantly in trouble. Zoan would often catch sight of Mei lingering in the halls, enduring her punishment: kneeling with her arms raised, a consequence for slapping another student.

—

"Mei-Mei, didn't I tell you to stop acting up?" a girl said, her tone sweet yet sickly. Her brown hair was pulled into a messy bun, and thick lipstick caked her lips. Mei felt a surge of anger—she wanted nothing more than to land a punch on that face and hear the satisfying yowl of pain.

But no, she was stuck. Both her hands were pinned down by two large boys who were ogling her like she was a piece of meat. God, she wanted to escape—to go home and hide in her room forever.

Why did she have to be in this school? Why? Why?!

Just then, the door slid open, and Zoan entered, a stack of books in her hands. She paused, her eyes drifting to Mei, who knelt on the floor, tears brimming in her eyes.

Then there was Lisa, perched on a table, completely unconcerned as her skirt rode up her thighs. The two boys, Adonis and Desmond, turned to Zoan, their expressions shifting.

"Zoan!" Lisa called, grinning as she jumped off the table and sauntered over to the short-haired girl, who stood there silently.

"Lisa… what is going on here?" Zoan asked, concern creeping into her voice. Lisa snaked an arm around her shoulder, pulling her inside and grabbing the stack of books before dropping it on the table.

"You shouldn't be here, you know? School ended hours ago," Lisa tutted, forcing Zoan into a chair and patting her shoulder with a smile. Both Adonis and Desmond were sweating nervously—they didn't want to face trouble if Zoan decided to report them to the principal.

Zoan's gaze fell on Mei, still kneeling, her eyes fixed on the ground. She noticed Desmond's foot pressing down on Mei's hands, which were turning almost purple.

"Release her," Zoan commanded, and Desmond yelped, quickly moving his foot as Mei hissed in pain, pulling her arm to her chest and rising to her feet. Lisa let out a disappointed sigh, shaking her head beside Zoan.

Mei glared at each of them, her eyes filled with pain and anger, before she bolted from the classroom, slamming the door behind her. The sound echoed loudly, and Zoan was sure it was heard on the second floor below.

—

That was the first time Zoan actually interacted with Mei; it was her inadvertent act of saving another's life. Otherwise, Mei might have lost all feeling in her fingers and been forced to write with her foot for the rest of her life.

Zoan had never really cared about the bullying at school. Not that she didn't care, but she had never known it existed. Everyone was her friend, and she had always distanced herself from the students who skipped class or smoked on the roof, thinking no one was watching.

The roof was her sanctuary, the place where she took fresh air and ate her lunch. She often hid in the darkest corner, observing the others intently. She wondered why they chose that path, but she never felt it was important enough to intervene. After all, it wasn't affecting her.

"You're here as well," Zoan started, startled by a voice. Turning, she saw Mei sitting in her usual spot on the roof.

Mei chuckled bitterly. "So it was you who leaves these lollipop wrappers, huh? Never thought you'd be the type to make a mess." She held up a grape wrapper.

It was from the same lollipop Zoan had been biting on just yesterday. She often came to the roof to think, using her free time to relax and snack on her favorite lollipops, which she tended to bite through the moment they touched her mouth.

Zoan frowned and slowly took a seat beside Mei, who inched away. "You shouldn't sit next to me. If they find out, they'll mess with you too," Mei muttered, shame evident in her voice, as if her very existence was the reason for her suffering.

Zoan pulled out a lollipop—cherry and grape.

Everybody loves grapes, and Zoan knows this well—grape is her favorite flavor. All the candy she eats is grape-flavored. She hands a grape lollipop to Mei, hoping it might bring a smile to her face.

"Huh?" Mei murmurs, surprised, as she takes the lollipop from Zoan's hand. "For you? I didn't see you eat lunch earlier," Zoan says, unwrapping a cherry lollipop and popping it into her mouth.

Mei stares at her in disbelief before turning back to unwrap her own lollipop. Carefully, she places it in her mouth. "It's good," she remarks.

Zoan suppresses a smirk. Of course it's good—it's grape, after all. No one could dislike grapes.

"That's good," Zoan replies, smiling lightly. Mei flushes and mutters, "Sorry, I don't—no one really comes close to me." She pulls her legs up to her chest, self-conscious.

Zoan leans back against the wall, watching her quietly. "Do they hurt you?" she finally asks, noticing the bruises on Mei's thighs as her skirt flutters in the wind.

Mei quickly hides the bruises with her skirt, pushing it down as she straightens her leg, her face turning red. "Don't bother… You don't care that much anyway," she says, her head lowered in shame.

Zoan bites her tongue, feeling the weight of Mei's words as she looks away.