Chapter 2The Queen of Thorns

My desk was stuffed with trash, my textbooks shredded and tossed in the bin.

Dirty water was splashed on me in the hallways, and I was locked in bathroom stalls.

In class, no matter how high I raised my hand, the teachers ignored me. When I tried to talk to classmates, they covered their noses and ran away in disgust.

So this is what school bullying feels like.

I decided to isolate everyone first.

I stopped talking to classmates, stopped answering questions in class. I was cautious when using the bathroom or walking in the halls. I cleaned out the trash, carefully taped my books back together.

And then. I ranked first in the grade again.

This time, my score was even better. Fifty points higher than Sophie's.

Her eyes were red all afternoon.

After school, a group of strangers cornered me.

They dragged me by my hair to an abandoned building. Kicks and punches landed mercilessly on my body. A lighter singed my hair, and my clothes were torn off.

I saw someone holding a phone, recording.

Throughout it all, Lucas just watched coldly. Like he was looking at garbage.

Until someone approached my face with a small knife.

I panicked a little. Such a beautiful face. It would be a pity to ruin it.

So, I desperately lifted my head to look at Lucas. My eyes filled with tears, panicked and pitiful.

Lucas paused. I didn't miss the flash of astonishment in his eyes.

The next second, he looked away, his voice flat: "Carve it on her body. Leave the girl some dignity."

Soon, someone pinned my limbs down, like a pig for slaughter. My shirt had long been tossed into a corner. My bare stomach became a canvas.

The blade cut into my pale skin. I bit my lip to stifle the scream. Just shedding helpless, pear-like tears.

After a long time, they finally got bored and left.

I climbed up expressionlessly, looking down at the word on my stomach. They had carved "Slut."

Just because I took the first place from the beloved heroine, I'm a slut?

Then what if I take everything else from her?