Hera found Hunter sitting on the stairs surrounded by his gang of friends, and their backpacks kept to the side on the floor. They talked animatedly, laughing and high-fiving at something they were discussing. 

Hera’s lips twitched downward morphing into a scowl as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her. Hunter was sitting sideways on the stairs, leaning against the balusters, with his knees drawn up, elbows settled on his drawn-up knees, and his olive green uniform jacket was off, resting on his thighs. 

Bianca was sitting beside him one step down to his left. She bent her head down, sloping towards him, finally stopping to rest her head on his thigh, and her hands wrapped themselves around his knee. Out of the blue one of Hunter’s hands came down and absent-mindedly started to stroke her soft, long blonde hair. 

Something pinched Hera’s heart painfully after witnessing their gesture of affection. 

‘They are just friends, don’t be jealous, Hera.’ 

Her mind tried hard to make her heart understand, but the acidic taste of jealousy never left her taste buds.. 

‘Not just friends, they are best friends.’ 

Her conscience spat in resentment. 

Meanwhile, sitting close to him on his right side was Samantha, admiring his handsome face as he grinned at something Eric said. Hera could tell that Samantha didn’t listen to a word they said as she looked lost in her private world. Hera could relate herself to what Samantha was feeling at the moment. 

‘Welcome to the club, Samantha. Oh, the irony!’ 

Rolling her eyes, Hera smiled sarcastically. 

The first bell went off, and Hera jolted back from the bitter feeling spreading across her thoughts. His friends stood to their feet, collected their backpacks, and went off to their respective classes. Hunter was still there talking to some other senior students whom Hera didn’t know. She watched as he stood up, dusting the dirt off his pants. His shirt rode up while he was putting on his jacket, and he very gracefully tucked his shirt back into his pants. 

He looked extra sexy in the white shirt without a tie. The white and olive green colour combination worked wonders, adding to his hotness, as he slid one hand into his pant pocket and the fingers of his other hand curved themselves around the golden buckle of his brown belt.

Hera watched silently, as Hunter bent down to pick up his black coloured backpack after shaking hands with the boys. Settling the strap of the bag on his shoulder, he turned to walk away. As usual, sensing her eyes on him, Hunter whirled around suddenly, and a warm smile spread across his face as soon as his eyes landed on Hera. 

That mesmerising smile made her heart skip a beat or two. 

The second bell went off startling Hera from her trance. Still smiling at her, Hunter waved his hand, and Hera returned his smile as a robot on command. Turning around Hera walked back to her class, and once she made it to the door, she turned to find him still standing there watching her. 

He lifted his hand again, fingers moving as if playing the chords on the piano and shot a wink at her way. Waving bye to him, Hera went inside the classroom. 

Something alarmed her, and with a sharp intake of breath, Hera turned, swiftly running back to the door. But Hunter had already left for his class.

‘I swear, I saw his right hand had a bandage wrapped around his palm!’ 

With that discovery, her heart raced a marathon, but she couldn’t do anything about it as the teacher walked into the class. The minute she set foot inside the classroom, another dilemma knocked on her brain cells. She’s not on talking terms with her friends, and the most prized question was where to sit. 

She and Andrew always sat together in the class. Now that they’d difference of opinions clashing between them, she’s not very comfortable with the idea of sitting next to him. 

Hesitating, she passed his chair and moved on to the one behind him. Their eyes met for a brief second, but it was enough for her to recognise the look of hurt that crossed his face. Hera averted her eyes reluctantly and tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. But her mind was hardly ready to follow her intention, as there were other things to fret over. 

‘How the fuck did I miss the bandage on his hand? Oh, right, I got caught in the spell that sinister smile of his cast around me.’

She wished she could curse loudly but did it inwardly anyway, scolding herself for being so ignorant. She was too busy dealing with her jealousy and adding more to the fire her perverted heart couldn’t stop ogling and drooling. 

Putting two into two together, she guessed that maybe Hunter had something to do with the injuries of the boy from the party and his friends. She’d found evidence, hadn’t she? His hand had a bandage too, and that could only mean one thing. He fought with them, and she had an exact idea of why. She’s very well familiar with his temper as well. 

‘I’m risking my heart again by investing my trust in you, Hunter. Please don’t make me regret my decision.’ 

Hera silently prayed. 

A FEW HOURS LATER, in the school library, Hera slammed the book shut. “Stop it, Noel, you’re annoying me now,” she hissed, which he answered with a grin. 

It was her twenty-minute break time, and since her friends were not so welcoming towards her, Hera decided to visit a library. Noel followed and was bothering ever since pestering her to go on a date with him. No matter how much she tried to ignore him, Noel was too stubborn to give up. The librarian got pissed and had already warned them twice to behave, or else she would kick them out. 

“Did you forget what happened at the party and the dining hall? Your bruises hardly healed, Noel. Why do you want to risk your safety for me? Trust me, you’ll get into trouble if anyone sees us together,” Hera said and tried to make him understand but in vain. She thought about the injuries of the boys from the party and was genuinely worried for Noel. 

“I’m not afraid of your little boyfriend and his dogs,” he declared, leaning back against the chair. Hera shook her head. “You should be,” she warned him. 

“Oh, believe me, nothing about her boyfriend is little,” a female voice announced from Hera’s behind, and she glanced over her shoulder to glare at the girl. Hera gritted her teeth in anger when the girl winked at her. Huffing out her annoyance when Hera turned to face Noel, he shook his head as the corners of his mouth turned down in pity. 

“See, that’s his reputation. Why do you want to go back to that dick? Do you fancy, a bad boy falling for the good girl kind of romance?” Noel asked, smiling at her in a way that ridiculed her choice. Hera got up, shoving her books into her bag and fixed him with a glare when he opened his mouth to say something. 

“You don’t know him like I do, Noel. He’s not a bad boy from a romance novel, where the good girl meets and brings out the hidden good boy inside. Ace Hunter is literally the definition of a bad boy. Don’t be fooled by that angelic face. He’s way too dangerous than you think,” with that said, Hera walked away from him and glanced over her shoulder one last time to warn him not to follow her. 

Finally, it was lunch break. When Hera walked into the food court, she saw her friends sitting far away from their usual spot. She silently walked past them and went to her regular table. It’s nothing new as Hunter never allowed her to sit with them. Hera was good with sitting by herself, but the fact that they were all ignoring her didn’t sit well with her. 

Buying a plate of pasta, she walked back to her table after grabbing a water bottle and a paper cup. 

Hera felt a flashing of light and thought Noel was again using the mirror to annoy her. But when she looked up, it wasn’t him. She saw two strangers, sliding into a fancy car with big lens cameras in their hands. Hera could swear, they’d taken pictures of the students inside the food court. 

Dressed in black from head to toe, they looked like secret spies, and Hera felt suspicious. She’s not familiar with the model of the car, but she could tell, that flashy car was expensive. Hera watched in silence as the car disappeared. She wondered, why would a stranger take pictures of school students? 

‘Maybe they are some documentary filmmakers.’ 

With that thought, she ignored the suspicious episode. 

Her face glued to her plate on the table, eyes cast down as she plunged into the food. She ate silently, unbothered by the chaotic teenagers around the luncheon bar.