Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Nick would usually drive to school, but he decided to take a cab this time. He won't make it to focus driving when he needs to do some things in multitasking. He checked his phone for Kate's class schedule and tried to remind her never to be meek in front of her bullying schoolmates.

Nick decided to send her a message as she might already be busy by now. Besides, he doesn't call her. It would be weird if he starts doing so.

Nick: "Don't let anyone bully you, or I will tell your mom what happened at home yesterday. Fight if you have to, physical or verbal. Do not let other people push you around, do you understand?!"

No reply.

Nick: "Tell me if anything happens. You may not have my father's last name, but your mom is his wife. You defend yourself, and you also defend the family."

Nick did not want to make his concern sound ambiguous, so he used the family as a chopping board. He was hoping his motivations and warnings would work for Kate. She is young and a girl who used to be surrounded by nuns as she went to a religious boarding school all her lower years of education until junior high. She is not used to the harsh world of traditional schools with extreme bullies of all kinds.

Kate was having her morning class break when she saw Nick's messages. She felt encouraged. She always felt Nick was a reliable person. Even as a son to Elijah, a stepson to Kelly, an unknown brother, or a stranger to Kate, he never lets anyone down. And his messages assured Kate that whatever happens, Nick will be on her side. Besides, she was mad at how Andrew fled like a monkey before a tiger yesterday. He did not even help Kate explain and apologize. She felt like she was dropped like trash, trampled, and thrown when Andrew realized he could not do what he wanted to do with her.

Kate realized she was wrong to think her mom would like Andrew and approve they are dating when the two get the chance to meet. Andrew is definitely not the guy that would impress her mom. Kate decided to reply to Nick's message.

Kate: "Will you come to help me when I call if something happens?"

Kate: "Just in case... you know..?"

Nick answered quickly and shortly. He made his point clear and sharp. He had been waiting for any response from Kate that he noticed her message as soon as she sent it.

Nick: Yes

Kate: "Great! Because I might beat someone if I get pissed over here."

The boarding school Kate attended were all managed by women. The majority were nuns, but another staff was from different walks of life who gave up earthly freedom and served in their beliefs with a lifetime loyalty. Many of the women were from respectable professions. Some were nurses, teachers, cooks, battered housewives, orphans, and more. Some were ex-marine and female soldiers who decided to retire after conscience struck them from all the lives they had to put down in the line of duty. They served as the security staff of the whole school. These women suffered emotional depressions for different reasons and found peace in serving their religious beliefs through helping the nuns and the students. They gave their best in contributing what they knew best. Nurses do their nurse duties while marines and soldiers share their skills in teaching students self-defense. They are all women. They know the possibility of being harassed if they go outside the school walls. And Kate learned a lot from them. She had been in the boarding school for quite a long time not to learn basic self-defense technique moves.

But Nick was unaware of that. He just thought Kate was joking.

Nick: Just don't kill anyone. We won't have any chance to get you out of that mess if you do. But yeah, beat anyone who annoys you."

Nick smiled as he sent the last message. He cannot imagine how Kate would look like beating anyone. She always looked like someone who couldn't even hurt a fly. But he was to be surprised. If yesterday Nick saw Kate making out with a guy in their living room, and it shocked him, today she is going to astonish him again with how she managed to break a man's arm in a swift move.

Later that day, Nick really had to rush to her school because Kate broke an arm of a student.

Lunchbreak

"Kate, please hear me out," Andrew kept bothering Kate ever since he saw her in the morning. He only stopped when classes started, and during the morning break, Kate avoided Andrew. She spent her break texting with Nick. She thought he wasn't busy since he could text back at her every message right away. Unknown to her, Nick had to sit in the last row of his class to avoid being caught by his professor as he could not help texting back to Kate even if they were merely single words.

"Andrew, I told you, I don't wanna hear anything you want to say," Kate frowned at him. She was feeling brave and grateful that Nick sent those encouraging messages. Although there was also the threat of spilling the beans out to her mom if she ever let anyone push her around, Kate realized she would be out of this school after this school year, but she will stay with her mom for life, she should bear the short suffering of school life rather than please people around in the expense of her mom being disappointed in her. And also Nick.

Andrew tried to use his sweet approach, but when it did not work, he started to show his annoyance as Kate seemed to make things difficult for him.

"What did you want me to do? Stay when someone from your family arrives while we were making out in your living room?" Andrew made his voice heard by the people around them.

Kate clenched her teeth, and her jaw tightened in anger and embarrassment. Those who heard what Andrew said clearly and understood started to whisper as they giggled. Some were pointing fingers at Kate while whispering to the person next to them.

Andrew saw how Kate felt embarrassed, but he did not stop. Not that he continued to say nonsense words. He tried to intimidate Kate by hanging his arms around her shoulder to show everyone that they were intimate.

Get your hands off me," she took a deep breath, and with her anger on hold, she firmly spoke.

"Come on now, we did more than this yesterday, remember?" Andrew brazenly said, making Kate look at his face and saw Andrew winking at his friends nearby.

Kate realized he was playing her with how his friends were smirking and sending Kate dirty looks. She closed her eyes and recalled what Nick said in his message earlier. She can beat anyone. Just keep them alive.

"I am warning you for the last time, Andrew, let go of me. Or you will regret pissing me off," Kate was grinding her teeth as she warned.

"Or what? What are you going to do," Andrew moved his hands from her shoulder to her neck. He was lightly strangling Kate in his arm. Then he whispered. "Don't pretend to be pure, you little slut," Andrew stuck his tongue out to lick Kate on her earlobe.

Kate felt her lines of self-restraint snap, and she stumped on Andrew's right leg. And with his right wrist in her hold, she turned around and wrung his arm. Kate held his twisted arm to his back while she pulled his hair from behind, making his head turn upward, looking at a ferocious face of Kate.

"Ahhhh, fuck! Let me go!" Andrew screamed in pain.

"Come on now, we did more than this yesterday, remember?" Kate mimicked his words earlier.

"You stupid bitch!" Andrew cursed.

He could not keep screaming loud as her hold became even tighter, and his arms really hurt.

"I gave you a fair warning," Kate grunted as she spoke in anger. "Get lost, never bother me again, or I swear, a broken arm will be the least of your problems. I will break your birdie loose. Stick that in your stupid skull!"

Then she pushed Andrew with all her might. He landed with his face on the ground.

Andrew called for an ambulance and was brought to the nearest hospital. He was injured, but it wasn't so critical to call for medics, but he wanted to scare Kate, so he added pretense of pain to his actual injury.

The classes resumed after the lunch break, but the guidance counselor called Kate, and the principal also came when Kate informed them of her guardian.

Nick was still in the library when he got the call from the school. Kate did not call him, the principal did. Kate said her mom is in the hospital so she cannot come, so they will have to call Nick Eudovic. Her guardian.

"Hello?"

"Is this Nick Eudovic? Nicholas Eudovic?" the person from the other line asked.

Nick was still on the way out of the library that he could not answer loud enough for the other person, who is in his late fifties, could hear clearly. He briskly walked out of the premises to speak clearly and loudly for the convenience of the other person on the other line. Nick recognized the phone number to be of the school Kate is attending, so he assumed it had something to do with Kate.