[Amy is suspended for a week after the incident. Mr. X is removed from school. Melvin is curious what happened to Amy but gets no replies on phone chats or social media. some say she's sick, others say she's taking a vacation probably. so he talks to Alice in tiffin break. ]
Melvin- hey.
Alice- oh hi.
Damian- what do you want?
Alice- ok chill. he is not my bf anymore.
Damian- .....
Melvin- you guys are dating now?
Alice- yeah.
Damian- how come you don't know? the gossip queens are usually well aware of these things.
Melvin- fine..... ok... umm have you heard from Amy recently?
Alice- not really.
[Alice steals glances at Damian. Damian sighs and leaves them alone. ]
Melvin- what was that about?
Alice- listen Melvin... there's a big thing going on.... and i don't think i should tell you in front of everyone.
Melvin- is she sick? she's totally avoiding me even if we literary live in same apartment building. she's not even answering my calls. what's going on with her?
Alice- come on.
[Alice takes him to a corner in the class where no one can hear them.]
Alice- i think it's best to just leave her alone for a while. you see Mr x kinda got touchy with her in the empty staffroom. and that's why....
Melvin- mr X left the academy-..... dang! why doesn't anyone know this?
Alice- that's because this is a very very loose rumor. some say she was trying to seduce him for upgrading the score. other say she had a crush on him. idk which story to believe.
Melvin- where did you hear this?
Alice- from a random girl in girls washroom. i think she might be from section D. i don't remember her name though.
Melvin- was it Lisa?
Alice- i don't know.
Melvin- ..... what should i do?
Alice- don't talk to her. she pretty much had a hell of a week in my opinion. give her lots of space.
Melvin- ....i can't believe this.
Alice- me neither.
Melvin- she was cheating on me this whole time?
Alice- hey hey.... these are just lame rumors ok? don't take them to heart. you know your gf better right?
Melvin- idk i mean... oh god.
Alice- think of the possibility that she maybe got sexually assaulted....
Melvin- ....
Alice- give her time. she won't take anything nicely from anyone right now.
Melvin- ...i talked to Jessica... Lori, Kenny.... they told me she's simply on a vacation.
Alice- oh .... maybe she is.
Melvin- are you fucking kidding me?
Alice- i mean it's not impossible to take a vacation to divert her mind.
Melvin- ... alright. thanks Alice.
[Melvin leaves her and goes back to his friends and immediately starts gossiping about Amy to his pals.]
Damian- did you tell him?
Alice- i did.
Damian- i hope she gets well soon.
Alice- yeah.
Damian- you ok?
Alice- yeah i am.
[Alice sits with Damian, leaning on his shoulder.]
Alice- i can't believe he's gone.
Damian- .... I'll wait for you to tell your part of the story.
Alice- my story? wdym?
Damian- i am pretty sure you have a history with him... mr X i mean. otherwise you wouldn't risk it all to blow his cover. i think you know a lot more about him and his secrets than the lot of us.
Alice- you are full of shit..
Damian- hahahha.... i don't think so.
Alice- you really think i slept with ....mr x? how could you-
Damian- I'm not judging and i won't blackmail either. i only wanna know, did you.... sleep with him?
[her smile fades away. she gets serious and lowers her gaze without hesitation.]
Alice- ... you're too perceptive for your own good you know that?
Damian- so what was it... did you pursue him or was it the other way round?
Alice- .... I'm not telling you.
Damian- ....
Alice- ....
Damian- let's break up then.
[Alice sighs and scoffs.]
Alice- he left. you don't have to worry about any competition. I'm not with him anymore.
Damian- it's not about competition. i don't like.... liars...and cheaters.... pretty normal expectations.... bare minimum in my opinion. i can't keep up with you if have so many secrets.
Alice- i don't wanna talk about this in class.
Damian- ok...wanna bunk school? i know where we can go.
Alice- we can't leave without getting caught. there's so many teachers and guards.
Damian- yes we can. come on.
Alice- hey what about our school bags.
Damian- Jimmy will take them home.
Alice- what if he steals my stuff?
Damian- you need to trust people for one day Alice. i will personally pay you back if you lose something or he steels something.
Alice- you're dead if he steals my class notes.
[Alice leaves with him. some kids notice them but they don't care. Damian takes her to the exit side of the building and helps her go to a secret gate in the wall fence. ]
Damian- shh..
[they sneak out quickly and Damian texts jimmy to make sure and keep her and his bags safe and secure. after leaving school they both take a subway train to the busiest part of the city and finally to 7 eleven. Damian proposes to pay for the food since she fed him last time.]
Damian- so.... what's the story?
Alice- i don't wanna talk about it.
[Alice almost gets her eyes filled to the brim. she whips out a cigarette and leaves the store with one in her mouth.]
Damian- hey hey.....
[he hollows her to the back alley. he puts his arm around her neck and kisses her cheek, embraces her. she almost burns her cigarette but he takes it away. ]
Alice- oh come on.
Damian- i know you're crying but you don't need to give yourself lung disease. I'm right here.
[he coaxes her until she calms down. they take their food and take it to the cash counter before going to a window seat to eat in peace.]
Alice- the cashier was staring daggers at us.... hahaha haha...
Damian- well it's not normal to see cute couples these days.
Alice- not normal to see a school girl leaving a food court with a cigarette in her mouth.
Damian- yeah.... backwards society thing... ignore it. these shits aren't worth us.
Alice- hahahahaha.
Damian- so, tell me what happened.
Alice- i know you're gonna leave me anyway. i know you've made up your mind. i don't blame you. i fucked up.
Damian- continue.
[Alice sighs and leans forward and whispers to him. ]
Alice- well it all started last year. i was getting awfully low grades after graduating to class 11. so i approached him. he was constantly rude towards me. i wanted to get the upper hand. i wanted some petty revenge for those humiliations. i unlocked his phone one day and saw his browsing history. turns out he loves teen sex videos and kinks. so i confronted him.... thought the black mail would make him change my grades. but no. that didn't work. he laughed it off, humiliated me , snatched his phone away , saying no one would believe me, threatened me to throw me out of the school/ ban me from all schools in this state but he didn't do it for real but he did scare me. and then we met unofficially at a medicine store. i saw him buying condoms. i confronted him again, this time with a photo of him. he was pissed this time even more. i bugged him and asked him to help me increase my scores. so he talked to me for an hour maybe.... i ended up confessing a lot more than he did. then he convinced me to sleep with him. he took me to a love hotel. i knew what was coming but i didn't run away. i was scared and yet thrilled that i had my first sex. afterwards he would ask me out in weekends and 'meet me after school' which genuinely meant he wanted to fuck.
Damian- so did he fix your grades?
Alice- always. he also handed me lots of practice paper, cause he knew i was slacking big time. he knew i needed to study, that i would study definitely... at soms point. i wasnt always the school slut. i used to get good scores in test too.
Damian- .... so how many times did he have sex with you? ...
Alice- 6 or 7 times, could be more... could be a lot more. i can't remember. i would drug myself to oblivion before doing it cause sex is very painful.... or at least the first few sober ones were. i never really felt any pleasure unless i took the pills. even the one i had with you.... i was high as hell that day.
Damian- ok.....
Alice- .... that's it. I'm a hooker. happy now?
Damian- you only slept with one guy. you're not a hooker. and why didn't you tell anyone about this? .... any teacher, your mom and dad? you know what he did was illegal right? the legal age for sex is 20.
Alice- well..... what can i say?..... i know you're not gonna like my answer but part of it was cause i wanted it. i don't regret it.... cause if i do.... I'll probably just kill myself.
[Damian gulps a glass of water as his eyes tear up. ]
Damian- you didn't have to go so far.
Alice- my mom doesn't like no for an answer.
Damian-...
Alice- we can stop talking from today onwards. i know you are disgusted. i don't blame you. everyone is.... except none of them know this story.
Damian- did you love him?
Alice- at first i did feel some cringe lovesickness cause he would listen to my banter but later one day he tell told me to shut up. so i had this vast realisation.... i was a foolish girl.... that our relationship was purely transactional.... he didn't give a fuck about my life. i knew he would occasionally take his wife and kids out for dinner at some fine diner restaurant everytime we fucked but i never paid attention to what it meant. i felt pissed seeing him pretend to be the person he was not. he was 2 faced to his bones. you know the other day as well when i saw him having dinner with the wife and i kids ....i felt bad for them. i didn't feel shit for him.
Damian- .... so you slept with him that day?
Alice- the day before... yeah.
Damian- .... hahaha yeah?
Alice- ....
Damian- .... did you ever feel anything about me?
Alice- .... believe it or not... I've had the best time with you. Melvin never treated me as equal. he always had this weird superiority complex. mr. x just used me as a sex doll....hahaha i can't believe I'm saying this.
Damian-.....
Alice- i never dated someone as good as you....i did feel loved for the first time when i spent my time with you.
[Alice takes her last bites, finishes her burger and coke and walks out with the tissues and washes her hands at the outside wash sink. ]
Damian- ....
Alice- i guess this is the last time we will have a meal together.
[Damian holds her neck and hip and kisses her lips. Alice melts before him and kisses him even harder.]
Damian- don't ever lie to me again.
Alice- hahahhahaha.... ok.
Damian- i love you too.
[Damian kisses her forehead. Alice hugs him.]
Alice- now you have to tell me your deepest darkest secrets as well...
Damian- hahaha.... yeah. haaaaaaa... not today maybe tomorrow?
Alice- ok. but you have to keep your promise.
Damian - i will.