"You aren't going when the fun is about to start, are you?" Lyra Vane asked Alec when he stood up.
Alec rolled his eyes and giggled, "Please go ahead and have fun. I just lost my appetite."
I avoided his eyes, looking directly at the marble floor as he walked out of sight.
"I also have no more appetite after the sight of you, River. Are you ready to be on your knees, or should I take my leave?"
I was on my knees the moment the words were out of Lyra's mouth. What shame or humiliation have I not passed through in the past two days? What is kneeling in front of Lyra...in front of all students inside the cafeteria, when compared with the bigger threat on my head? I am already the school clown, and kneeling down will add no or little damage to my already soiled reputation.
Gasps rippled through the cafeteria, followed by a rupture of laughter. And I could see the cameras of several phones pointed at me.
"So you desired my boyfriend, bitch?"
"Huh?"
"Alec Thorn. You want him to fuck you, right?"
So this is what it's all about. Lyra had set me up to punish me for making a move at his boyfriend.
The words were out in a whisper. "No."
"Speak louder, bitch."
"No."
"No?" Lyra asked back. So I was lying, eh? Was the school blog lying also?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"I desired him."
"Come on, River. I don't have time to waste with losers. Either you are serious or get the fuck out of my sight."
"I desired Alec Thorn."
Lyra's hand moved suddenly, giving me no chance to block the slap that followed. She hit me directly on my face and not the cheek, and this made me slightly blind for a while. All I could see was darkness with a few twinkling stars.
"You think I am here to joke, don't you? Answer my questions correctly or get the fuck out of my sight."
The tears I had been holding rolled down my face when I asked back in between sobs, "What..what do you want me to say?"
"Do you want Alec to fuck you?"
"Yes. I want Alec to fuck me."
"How many men had fucked you, River?"
"No...nobody. "
"So you are claiming to be a virgin?"
"What!"
Crack!
"The wrong answer will keep earning you slaps."
"Yes."
Crack...Crack!
"Yes, what?"
"Enough, Lyra."
I knew the voice.
God in heaven! Why did he keep sticking his nose into my affairs?
"This is not your business, Jace Calder. " Lyra said with a glare.
"It is," Jace rasped back. "And all of you are sick if you see this as an idea kind of a joke."
Jace was beside me immediately and tried to pull me up to my feet.
"Get up, River. "
Lyra had a slow, venomous smile on her face. "Stand up from that spot, and you will be sorry for the rest of your life."
"No, Jace. Please go away."
Jace moved towards Lyra and only stopped a foot away from her table. "Is this all because of Alec, or do you have a personal vendetta against her?"
"Why should I answer you? Who do you think you are? Oh! So because you have been kicked out of several schools, you think you -."
Crack.
The slap echoed like a gunshot. Lyra reeled backwards. Too stunned to talk or act.
A loud gasp echoed through the cafeteria when Jace slapped Lyra. This had never happened before. Lyra was untouchable. Apart from being Alec's girlfriend, Lyra's father was the school's parent-teacher association president, and the school authorities respected her because of her father's generous donations.
Lyra's cheek had immediately bloomed red, and tears rolled down her face, washing off her makeup. "You... you will regret this."
"Maybe," Jace responded back. "But not today."
He pulled me forcefully now. And seeing no other choice, I grumbled as I stood up, snatched my arm away from his grip, turned, and then fled.
"You shouldn't have interfered," I cried immediately as he joined me outside the school cafeteria.
"You mean I should just watch her slap you to death?"
"Oh, Jace. You don't know what you have done...please stay away from me."
Jace was silent for a while. He tried to look into my eyes, but I averted my gaze and stared at the grass. "I am sorry if I sound rude. I know you have been trying to help me and all that, but please trust me. I can take care of myself ."
"You were doing excellently inside the cafeteria until I showed up, girl," Jace said, took a last glance at me, shrugged, and walked off.
My cheeks burned again as the memories of Lyra's slaps went through me.
Jace Calder's POV.
My phone rang before stepping into class. My father's picture popped up on my screen, and I held my breath as I accepted the call.
"Hello, Son. What's the update now?"
"We are friends. I just left her side."
"Good. You must find a means to bring her down to our fortress, as I already told you. No mistake, son."
"No mistake, Dad," I responded back and then disconnected the call.
My father was a stern-looking man who had never smiled once since I knew him. He had called me into his library one day.
"You will start schooling at Silverclaw Academy from tomorrow. I had gotten all your educational materials and that Mustang car you had been asking for."
I had raised my head and offered a stiff smile. I know my father doesn't do anything without a reason, so I waited for him to tell me my mission.
"There is a young lady in that school," my father resumed with an emotionless tone. "Her name is Liana River. I want you to get close to her and then wait for my next instruction."
It took me a month to get a chance to talk to Liana River, and it was because of her foolish decision to send that anonymous message. Now, I wish I had dared to ask my father why he wanted me to get close to Liana River or what he planned to do with her once I tricked her into our fortress.