I kept my eyes fixed ahead and walked straight to the classroom.
Steven was in my seat, sitting with Lisa. He was looking down and playing with a strand of her hair while she was resting on the desk, gazing up at him with a sweet smile. She had never been that gentle with me before.
Lisa looked up at me after spotting me, her face devoid of any expression. She then asked indifferently, acting as if nothing had occurred the day before, "You're finally here, huh?"
Steven looked back at me with an apologetic expression. "I'm so sorry, Dominic. I had no idea things would get this out of hand. I had only told Lisa that I enjoyed this one scene in an action movie. I never expected this to happen."
He looked at me with eyes brimming with remorse as he said that.
I merely looked at him, remaining silent.
Lisa, with a furrowed brow, pulled me aside and asked, "Haven't you had enough, Dominic? What else do you want from Steven? Didn't he apologize to you already?"
She then continued with a hint of impatience, "It was just a joke, so stop looking so gloomy. I'll pay for your medical fees since the drone ran out of battery yesterday and made you fall."
Having said that, Lisa pulled a few hundred-dollar bills from her pocket and tried to shove them at me.
I stepped aside, causing the money to flutter to the floor.
Lisa's expression immediately hardened. "You'd better not push your luck, Dominic. You ought to know that I only feel sorry for you because we've known each other since we were kids. You'd better not think for a second that I'm dependent on you, Dominic!"
Those around us kept watching and murmuring to one another.
"How arrogant of him to refuse the money!"
"I know, right? I wouldn't mind being suspended a hundred times if I were him!"
I bent over, picked up the money, and went over to Lisa. I then, in front of the whole class, threw the money right in her face and said, "Your apology is as worthless to me as this money is, Lisa."
I then walked over to Steven and said, "You're in my seat—get lost."
Those around immediately fell silent. They all stared at me in shock, including Lisa. She likely never expected that someone as gentle and even-tempered as I would ever do something like that.
Steven's face turned pale with embarrassment. He bit his lip and turned to Lisa with an aggrieved expression. "Lisa…"
Lisa snapped out of her daze and shoved me aside. "Have you lost your mind, Dominic?"
I stumbled and hit my lower back hard against the corner of the desk, my vision momentarily blurring from the pain. I then glared at Steven and stated deliberately, "I'm only saying this one last time—get lost."
Steven, intimidated by my gaze, instinctively got to his feet.
I quietly began packing up my belongings without sparing a look for anyone. I packed my books, notebooks, and pens, making sure that I took everything that belonged to me.
Lisa stood to the side, her chest heaving with rage as she bellowed, "What are you doing? Are you packing up so that you can leave for good, Dominic?"
I ignored her completely.
Lisa grabbed my wrist, her sharp manicure cutting into my skin. "I'm talking to you, Dominic! Is ten years of friendship worth throwing away over this?"
I was sick of hearing that same line again. I finally lifted my gaze and looked her in the eyes—the eyes I once admired were now brimming with fury.
"Do you have any idea what it's like to be suspended more than 300 feet high, Lisa? Do you know what it's like to be watched like a spectacle or to have the person you like make fun of you for wetting your pants, Lisa?"
Lucy grew paler with each question. She wanted to respond to me, but ultimately remained silent.
"It might not be a big deal to you, but it is to me," I stated flatly as I threw off her grip, zipped my bag, and left. I walked away from the classroom with a suffocating silence trailing behind me.
I went straight to the hospital instead of returning home. I met up with my uncle, Lionel Smith, who was working as the attending chief doctor there.
Upon seeing my pallor and the scratches on my wrist, Uncle Lionel didn't ask a single question. He just took me to get checked out, and before long, he looked at the results with a serious expression. "You have acute stress disorder, along with severe anxiety and depressive tendencies."
He slammed the report onto the desk, looking absolutely livid. "I'm going to find that brat and hold her accountable for it!"
I held him back and said, "I don't want to make a big deal out of this, Uncle Lionel."
