Once again, I willed myself not to cry as I gathered what was left of the remaining good bags and moved to an abandoned shack that once looked like a coffee shop by the corner. I sat on the low step beside my bags and sniffed silently.

I thought of calling Uncle Pete to know if he'll be returning from work already, but I decided it wouldn't be cool to bother him. I swore not to touch the money Asher's grandma had given me. I needed it whole and intact. One thing was certain, I would definitely find my way home. My phone rang about ten minutes later. Regan. I picked it immediately.

"Where are you?!" She barked.

Her question broke the dam I had been holding up for too long. I cried into the mouthpiece and she panicked at once.

"Grace? What's the problem? Are you okay?"

Exactly twenty minutes later, Regan was next to me, looking so worried and breathless. I was really surprised she could have the mind to look out for me, considering how much she hated me.

"Do you remember the plate number of the vehicle or the driver?" She asked, after we boarded a taxi.

I bit my lower lip here, wondering if I should tell her all about Asher or not. If I did, it might mean implicating Mia and the money she had given me. Regan was not one to hear about money and stay quiet. She was so greedy for money and went as far as extorting some from her parents. No amount could ever be enough for her. So I decided to summarize. "Actually, I met Asher on my way back. He..."

"Asher? Really?" She exclaimed. "So you entered the wrong vehicle because of him? Do you suddenly think he is interested in you all because Mia and her friends used you yesterday?" She snickered.

I tried to understand what she was saying. She had barely listened to what I was going to say.

"I'm very sure he made you lose your way on purpose so you could learn a lesson. So much for how proud you felt yesterday with your swollen head. Do you really think he's into you? He asked about you several times today and looked like he was going to kill you if he ever laid eyes on you. I can't believe you..."

And on she went.

I stopped listening as my mind wandered off, thankful that she had at least come to get me, which was the most important thing.

I went to school very early the next morning. Regan agreed to give me the notes for the previous day on the condition that I did her assignments. That wasn't a problem. I just needed a lot of time before the first period so that I'll be able to face the day's workload without feeling overwhelmed. I was so tired yesterday that I hit the bed before I even realized it. The classroom was dimly lit and empty when I arrived. But I thought I heard strange noises coming from the next class.

Curiosity got the better of me.

When I peeked in, I froze.

A couple was making out right in the middle of the classroom.

I tried to see their faces clearly.

It was Logan Greene, the Algebra teacher. And Mia Harper.

I don't know what prompted me to pull out my phone and do a ten-second video before leaving. Impulse, I guess. I had barely settled in my seat when I felt a presence behind me.

I tried to turn, but a cold hand clamped over my mouth. The cologne was familiar.

"Come with me," a voice hissed. "Take your books."

I obeyed like I was under a spell.

He led me to the back of the classroom and we crouched low behind some big cupboards. It was indeed Asher. Was he trying to play good to make up for his crass behaviour the previous day? We had barely crouched down when Logan came in, struggling with his belt. Mia was behind him, adjusting her skirt as well.

"What are you saying, Mia? You were supposed to send her to me yesterday." Logan began.

"I know. I'm sorry. My plan almost worked but hell...I think she's kinda smarter than she looks."

"Is that why you sent her to Asher first?"

"Yeah. I did that to buy time. I knew he would want to punish her for asking him out. I don't know what happened later. Asher won't say a word to me and the girl ghosted me throughout yesterday. Some guts she's got." She rendered bitterly.

It was hard to still my breathing. What the hell were they discussing?

"Don't tell me her guts are bigger than yours." Logan began, his speech slurred as he pulled Mia closer to him. On a good day, one would think Logan was a decent professional who tolerated no nonsense. Good-looking, about 6'ft tall and in his late twenties, I imagined he would be married or in a serious relationship. I never thought he'd be involved in something worse than nonsense.

"Get that blond for me before the end of today, Mia." He slurred again, leaning closer to her.

Mia let out a low moan in response.

I held my breath and looked away, only to meet Asher's gaze. He had been staring at me the entire time, but I couldn't read his expression. It was blank.

I hoped he didn't want me too.

Definitely not.

He must hate my guts so much to treat me the way he did yesterday. But right now, I don't understand why his cologne played with my senses and the background noise did little and nothing to help.

Fortunately however, we suddenly heard footsteps echo down the hallway. Mia and Logan both hurried out then. The moment they left, I rushed back to my seat. It would be impossible to explain if anyone caught us hiding there.

Asher followed. "Come with me. We need to talk."

I frowned. I would be foolish to follow him after what I had just witnessed.

"I'm sure you heard me. Poor hopeless nobody," he snarled.

Anger shot through me. I jumped to my feet. "Don't you dare..."

Images of Logan and Mia's act flooded my mind again, and I felt super disgusted and sick to my stomach. I couldn't make it to the restroom. I puked. On Asher's shoes.

"What?! Are you crazy?!" He shoved me back before I could react. My back hit the desk hard, and I slid to the floor. Pain shot through my waist, and I groaned.

Mia stepped into the classroom.

"What's going on?" She switched on the light. "Oh. The SMART girl who had the guts to ghost me yesterday." She snickered. "I bet Asher didn't kick you hard enough. Come with me."

"She actually puked on my shoes." Asher muttered. "I think she's sick."

"Obviously, she is. Exactly why she needs to come with me and learn some lessons. Maybe she is feeling on top of the world because you dragged her out of the field the other day."

I shut my eyes, wishing they would both disappear and let me be.

"Grace! Come with me now!"

"I think we should talk first, Mia." Asher said.

"No. After you clean up your disgusting shoes." She kicked me hard now. "Are you deaf?" She kicked me harder again and I cried.

"Stop hurting her, Mia!" Asher yelled, shoving her back roughly.

"Really, Ash? Are you defending her now?"

"Yeah. Grace is my girl." He declared. "So don't you dare lay a finger on her."

Did I just hear him right?

I jolted up from the bed immediately, drenched in sweat.

No way in the world would Asher ever say that. He would rather kill me first than give Mia a chance.

That had been a horrible dream.

I looked at the time. A few minutes past five.

I got down on my knees to pray. I was barely done when my door flung open. It was Regan, already dressed for school.

"Are you still in bed? Hurry, let's go." She walked in and pulled me up. "I need to see Logan before the first period. I don't understand everything he taught yesterday."

"Logan?"

"Yeah. I can't go alone, and we both know Lisa isn't an early bird. Besides, you'll benefit too since you missed school yesterday."

I tried to shake my head, but it felt heavy and ached. "I'm very good at Algebra. I can help us."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop acting like you know it all. This particular topic is more complicated than you think."

Let me guess. Asher would be early for practice this morning, and she was hoping to see him.

"What do you think of Logan? I heard he flirts," I remarked casually.

Her eyes lit up instantly, and she sat on the bed beside me. "Who told you? Do you know who his girlfriend is?"

It was on the tip of my tongue to mention Mia. But the thought of Regan blackmailing me later didn't sit well, so I simply shook my head. My dream was the only place I had gotten that impression. "I don't know," I shrugged.

"Come on, Grace. Stop stalling." She dragged me toward the bathroom. "You said yesterday you wished you could be early enough to finish your notes before school started."

Had I really said that? Now I had a very bad feeling about this. What if Regan had teamed up with Mia to hand me over to Logan? Did I mention Regan was a chameleon? Whenever Lisa wasn't around, she acted super sweet to get my help. Once she got it, she dumped me and treated me like trash again. The only reason I put up with her wasn't because I was stupid or daft. It was because I hoped she would come to understand that I didn't hate her as much as she hated me. I hoped it would soften her.

But I doubted it ever did.

When she brought me home the previous evening, I realized why she had been in such a hurry. The house was a total mess, and the cleaner hadn't shown up. The sink was overflowing with dishes. There were piles of laundry. The house was dirty.

She barely vacuumed the living room and left the rest for me. I also had to cook dinner.

Yet she didn't think I deserved proper sleep this morning.

If I didn't care so much about my grades, I would've skipped school today. We left the house before six. The school was about a ten-minute walk away if you took the tricky shortcuts. Just like in my dream, the classrooms were dimly lit when we stepped in.

All my instincts screamed no.

I stretched my hand to switch on the light, but Regan grabbed my wrist.

"Wait. Can you hear that?"

My pulse raced.

No way I was walking from my dream straight into reality.

"I don't want to hear anything," I muttered.

"Just listen," she insisted.

My breathing quickened. I suddenly wished the sun would rise faster and the hallways would fill with students. If I made noise and it really was Logan and Mia, they could easily spot me. And if I hid, would it even make a difference?

"You hear it now?" Regan asked.

I nodded weakly.

Loud moans.

My bladder filled instantly.

"I think I need to use the restroom," I said quickly, turning toward the door.

"No! Wait!" Regan whispered harshly, but I paid deaf ears and pulled away when she tried to grab me. I hurried out of the class noiselessly, while she followed, still calling me.

We had barely gone a few steps when we ran into Asher.

"Hey! What are you doing here so early?" Regan asked, dropping her whisper and speaking in her normal voice.

I glanced back in fear, half expecting Logan and Mia to walk out any second. Honestly, I was ready to hide in the restroom until sunrise. It would do me a lot of good and I could catch a little sleep if possible.

I tried to walk past Asher, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back. I held my breath. He smelled way better this morning. I resisted the ridiculous urge to wrap my hands around him, bury my head in his neck and inhale all his good smell.

"What are you up to? We need to talk." He said firmly.

My eyes wandered to Regan. Even in the dim hallway lights, I could see the hard stare she gave me.

"If this is about your..." I was interrupted by fresh footsteps as they emerged from the class behind. The exact class we just heard the noise from.

Logan and Mia.

If I was able to make it to the restroom now, I might as well avoid my entire dream. I figured.

"Let's talk later please." I pleaded desperately, trying to free my hand from his strong grip.

"Talk about what?" Regan demanded darkly.

Lord have mercy. I would never ignore my dreams next time or let Regan cajole me into something I didn't desire to do. Before I could respond, Asher pulled me away with him.

"Asher Thorne? What's going on?" Logan came into full view now.

"I'm sorry, I just need a moment with her. It's gonna be a quick one." He flashed Logan a wink.

"What? You wanna make out this early morning?" Logan flared in total disbelief.

"Hell no! He... " I tried to speak.

"No big deal. We did it long and hard yesterday." He tugged at my arm. "You too Logan. You're still on it as we speak." He added as he hurried me out with him.

I looked back to say something in defense, but

the look I saw on their faces scared the life out of me and for a moment I forgot what I was going to say. Did they really believe this jerk?