CHAPTER FORTY

NADIA

It's like a cycle!

Trouble, they say, has many branches. I had barely recovered from the humiliation I suffered at the hands of Lara, Bethany, and Sandro when another wave of trouble hit me. It was one of those mornings when I didn’t feel like going to school. The thought of facing the halls, with their whispers and mocking laughter, made my stomach churn. But deep down, I was scared of proving to myself that I was a weakling, as weak as Alex, Sandro, and their girlfriends made me feel. I couldn't always let them win.

I didn’t wear my usual fake confident mask that morning. I...