Hello guys! So somehow I cut out on the daily update. Now I will update whenever I can (Which probably is daily but still) So shout out to ZILDONA for commenting the most. Guys it's been a week only since this book is started and we have reached more than a hundred views. Which is good since I am an amateur writer in case of teen and mafia. Guys Btw I am saying sorry in advance because I had to do this. This is what the whole story is about. This is what the title portrays. 

Let this chapter have 35 comments.

I hope you get some idea from the aesthetic.

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The cold shower hit her as she stepped into it. It was Monday again. The whole weekend had passed in total agony as she hadn't heard from Jamie. No text. No call. It wasn't like she was missing him. But she was anxious about his answer. She had asked him to go to the dance with her but he hadn't said anything. 

"Maybe he wants to go with someone else?" Her 'eunoia' started again . The morning was chilly, looked like it would rain. Getting ready as quickly as she could, she slipped into a pair of black jeans and baby blue sweater. It seemed as if all her closet was full of sweaters. She was never a person to go out of her comfort zone. She was more fond of staying in routine and as normal. That was enough for her halcyon. 

Breakfast was her favorite. Peanut butter sandwiches. She devoured two and said her goodbyes to everyone. Paul was eating a boiled egg and a granola bar sat near him on the table. Sarah waved her hands around furiously, telling Paul to hurry up or they will be late. Grimacing, he ate the egg faster and grabbed the bar, stuffing it in his jeans pocket and flung his bag on his shoulder. 

Sonya suddenly looked up from her cornflakes and stared at Sarah. With something unknown flashing in her little innocent eyes. Their eyes met and locked. Sarah tilted her head and asked her : "What happened?" 

"Nothing. When will you come today?" she said looking down at her almost finished bowl.

"Usual timing. Why?" She asked smiling.

"Okay...Bye bye." She said at last as she got up from her stool, taking her now empty bowl along with her. Sonya was acting weird today. She never asked her about timings really. Sighing, she looked around to find Paul already gone out. Shouldering her bag, she walked outside, sitting in the red car. Paul said nothing as he backed out of the driveway. The whole ride was quiet.

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"Come on guys! Faster! Faster!" The gym teacher roared as she clapped her hands together. Ms. Kaylin was extremely impatient about tracks. She wanted the students to become Usain Bolt or something and run 10 rounds around the track in like 5 minutes. 

The students were more of a slow-mo video.

Somehow they were able to complete the tracks in 30 minutes because of their desultory selves. Then they were free for the class. It still had 20 minutes left. So Sarah decided to ask Jamie about his answer. The thing was that this question had prevailed her mind ever since she had asked him. But something else also kept bothering her the whole night:

Michael had asked her to the dance as well. 

Taking in a deep breath, she walked up to Jamie who seemed to be avoiding her lately due to some unprecedented reasons. "Hey" She said with a smile.

"Hi." He said not making eye contact. 

"Are you avoiding me?" She asked him quietly.

"No." He denied.

"Then how come I didn't see you at the usual table at lunch?" She questioned him further.

"Why are you being an inspector?" He rose his hand, exasperated.

"Because you are being difficult." She told him.

"I am being difficult??? I am? Stop being your irenic little self and do me a favor and go away please." He said turning around.

"What?" she stared at his back for a while before walking to his front. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No! no I mean...Just- Just leave please. You shouldn't be seen with me." He said trying to walk away when suddenly she blocked his path.

"Someone said something to you. I know they did, your behavior is enough proof. Who?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"It doesn't matter. Just leave me alone. That would be better for both of us." He said turning around abruptly and walking away before she could say something.

Picking up her bottle, she left the gym for the changing room where she changed from the gym trousers and sweatshirt to her baby blue one and black jeans. 

"Ahh...amazing to be back in your own self!" She exclaimed.

Going out into the corridors, she checked the time on her wrist watch. 16 minutes. She looked back because she thought someone said her name. Turning back around, she bumped into someone's shoulder and almost fell but a pair of hands held her by the waist and arm. She shook her head and adjusted her eyes. To her sheer unluck, Michael stood eyeing her as he grinned. She quickly stood upside and pushed his hands away which seemed as if they wanted to hold on for longer.

"Look out beautiful! I won't be there to catch you every time." He joked.

"Sorry" she muttered as she began going.

"Hey wait-  Nice sweater. By the way you didn't answer me that day. I asked you to come with me to the dance." he said coming in front of her.

"Thanks but I told you I already asked Jamie." she said hoping he'd understand it the second time.

"He won't be taking you. That's for sure. You are coming with me. You have my number. Just text me your address and I can pick you for dress shoppi-" He began with gritted teeth as her loud voice cut him.

"So you are the reason of his this behavior! What did you say to him?" She raised her voice.

"Hey calm down. You don't know what you are saying." He tried playing dumb.

"Yes I do! You said something to him that is making him avoid me from Friday!" She glared at him.

"Well you know what? That's Amazing! It doesn't even suit you being next to a good for nothing nerd like him!" He said loudly.

A sharp noise filled the whole corridor just as he finished his sentence. Echoing around the area. Everyone stopped to look what caused the noise.

Michael found himself raising his hand to touch his face that now stung like a bitch. Sarah's eyes widened at the red mark she had caused on his left cheek. Her finger marks imprinted on it. 

Apparently, she had slapped 'Rustlewood's Golden boy' in front of everyone.

"You....You slapped...me?" He looked at her with shocked eyes which suddenly turned red with rage. "YOU FUCKING SLAPPED ME BECAUSE OF HIM!??!!?" He growled at her, grabbing her arm so tight it would turn white in seconds. She gulped but stood her ground.

"You can't put labels on someone." She said staring at him in the eyes even if she wanted to squirm and break free from his hold.

"Shut the fuck up you bitch! And listen here. I don't give a shit about what your pretty little mouth says. And actually now..." He said coming closer to her and spoke in a whisper, "I don't care about the dance. But I always get what I want. Remember that." He let go of her arm, turned around and left.

She stood there rubbing it for awhile as the assemblage slowly disappeared. Their low murmuring still in the air. 

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The rain had poured but not for long. The evidence of it only remained in the variant puddles on the road. But the smell of petrichor still hit hard. Sarah had been called by Paul earlier today that they had won the match. He seemed so happy and ecstatic. 

Now she was walking to her home because Paul had texted her to go by bus today. What that idiot didn't know was that buses are rare to find at 8 in the night. Sarah had a curfew by 10, and it surely didn't seemed as if she was anywhere near her home. 

She had taken a turn to the left and walked in the alley. It was quiet. She walked further gripping the hold on her bag a little tighter. The alley opened into an equally empty road. A few cars passed in a minute and only some people were on the sidewalks. Sarah was feeling quite weird today. As if something wrong was gonna happen. She had a hard feeling in her chest and a heavy feeling in her stomach. 

"I need to stop worrying so much" She told herself but not a second later she felt footsteps behind her. Her wrist watch showed 8:13 . Night seemed to have fallen deep. Darkness everywhere. Light only reflecting from the puddles of water. She turned her head around, her steps halting. 

No one was visible.

"Wow now I am paranoid as well" She told herself sarcastically.

She faced the front again and started her steps. She may have covered only a few steps when the voice grew louder. It was absolutely clear that someone was behind her. She started walking with a faster pace. Turning abruptly to make her suspicions yet more clear, She saw some boys behind her. About 5 of them. She started running in panic. She ran as fast as she could, her head still looking backwards at the boys who were now running behind her as well. 

She turned into another alley, stopping there for a breath. She took out her phone, dialing Paul's number as fast as her quivering hands could move. 

"Pick up Paul please....please pick up..."She whispered to herself. 

He picked up on the third ring: "Heyyyyyyy...How's it goinnnn...? I am happy todayyyyy...we wonnnn!!! We celebrateeeee...." His voice was extremely slurry. As if he was;

"No time to be drunk Paul! Listen to me! I am being chased-" She started when loud music blared in her ears.

"Run Run Run!!! You seem familiarrrr...I do rememberrrrr....Youuuu. Yeah!!!Yeah!!! I will play!!!" He seemed to be talking to someone else. The call was hung up a second later by him.

"No Paul please-" She turned to look back, only to see that the boys had found where she was. Putting the job on her already tired legs again, she began running. She ran as fast as she could, until she could feel that they were not being able to keep up with her. That's when she felt a hard blow on her head from the front. It was so brutal, with so much force that the impact sent her twisting and falling on the floor front. Blood coming out from her temple where it had hit her.

Sarah thought the whole world was shaking. Her head hurt so much and every image in front of her eyes was blurry. She tried to raise herself on her arms, trying to look at who it was. The boys who were behind her were now forming a circle in front of her. But her eyes focused on only one thing. The boy who had hit her on the head with the baseball bat. 

Michael.

She stared at him, disbelievingly. 

He had hit her with a baseball bat! On her head!!!

She was still confused when a loud taunting laugh ripped from his mouth. He held the bat in one hand while tapping it's end on the other hand.

"A little return-gift for the slap sweety." He said with a dark tone to his voice, coming closer to her and crouching in front of her. Sarah raised her head to look at him, tears making their way out of her eyes. They were sitting in a close position. Her lower lip trembled as he traced a finger on it lightly. 

"Let's take you somewhere else." He said as he grabbed her hair in a fistful and yanked her body. He walked into the alley, dragging her behind him from her hair. She yelled and squirmed, feeling as if all her hair might just come out any moment now. Michael didn't even falter in his steps as he dragged her deeper into the alley. He only came to a stop when he was satisfied with the spot, throwing her hard into the wall in front on him. All this time her yelling and pleading to stop and someone to come help her hadn't stopped even for a second.

Sarah's head hit the firm wall really hard and she couldn't see or think straight. All she knew was that this was not right. Not okay. Something really wrong was gonna happen. She turned her head towards the mouth of the alley, making eye contact with a woman who stood facing them at the front of the alley, holding a child's hand by her one hand and a closed red umbrella.  Sarah did the only thing she thought was right. She screamed at the woman to help her. The boys all became stiff. The whole moment paused. It was all on the lady now. She could save her or let her be destroyed.

The woman slowly opened the umbrella; raising it over her head, covering her eyes. Then she turned around and started walking away and pulling the boy from the scene. The little child's voices filled the air erstwhile. His little innocent protests, his resistance. 

"Mommy wait- Mommy she is asking for help! Mommy stop. Please mommy" He kept on saying. 

The woman had left her to be destroyed.

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Iconic line: Apparently, she had slapped 'Rustlewood's Golden boy' in front of everyone.

One more please: "Mommy wait- Mommy she is asking for help! Mommy stop. Please mommy" He kept on saying. 

Hello guys. No, It was supposed to happen. And yes, I am sorry. Guys it really had to happen. The next chapter is gonna be absolutely wrecked. Some of you will want to kill me. I totally understand. But I will say again: This had to happen, for the story. For the plot. For this whole book. 

Till Next Time!

Bye Bye Beautiful Readers!

Wania Ejaz Abbasi.