Chapter 23: Chapter 23

My heart was throbbing intemperately, my palms were sweaty, and my muscles were cold. Even if I shook the anxiety away, that doesn’t stop my mind from thinking. I glanced sideways from my shoulders. I walked up through the school hallway, shooting a gaze at the person who’s been tailing me. His hands are inside his pockets, and his side profile is breathalyzing from this view. When he slowly peered when he felt I was watching him, our eyes clasped together in a moment when the objects around us suddenly disappeared, and he’s the only person I could vision.

I slug down the lump in my throat. He’s observing me closely. I feel like I’m caught beneath his profound gaze, which can take any person’s breath away. I looked out and just focused my attention on the ground. I was maintaining a strategic distance from him. Reason? Well, there’s a lot to take down notes.

He’s a serial killer. We all know serial killers are dicey. They can hurt you in the most unforeseen way. Their minds are bent difficult to peruse. They are a thrill-seeker. Each momentum in their lives ought to include something that will make you think that is life genuinely worth it? They are like evil spirits stowing away beneath the cover of a sacrosanct being.

He's cursed. I don't think somebody still believes in a werewolf. However, we're living in a real world, and they exist. Look at Ethan, for example. That's why he's illicitly strong. He can take out somebody using his claws. His sharp fangs can tear flesh apart. I don't think about how he got cursed, but one thing beyond any doubt is that it's not secure to be closed to him at whatever point he changes his form.

Lastly, he’s obsessed. Everywhere I go, he’s there. At whatever point I look at something, he’s observing me. Each step I take, he’s shadowing behind. Well, he’s not harming me, which I am appreciative of, but he took away my peace and freedom. I wanted to continue my life living in a way I am not inside a cage that’s been wrapped up with shackles. But no, he detained me. I can walk, but with heavy strides and a gun pointing on my back.

That’s how hard it is to move forward.

I breathed out an overwhelming sigh. I should stop thinking about him. As long as he’s not doing anything against my will, that’s okay. However, I’m anxious he might go ballistic once more and murder somebody I will engage with. I still don’t know who he murdered and who’s blood prints I found in the bathroom. I have thought about who it is, but I don’t want to assume. As long as there are confirmations of a missing person, I won’t say something.

I looked up and was about to head towards my locker when I bumped into someone. The guy didn’t apologize to me as he just went on his way. I didn’t mind it since I got used to it by one means or another. I kneeled to get my books that got scattered on the floor when I heard a loud crash and the following hollers and shouts from someone. My eyes broadened in fear when I realized something. I suddenly saw Ethan punching the guy in the face with pure seethe. His eyes are tireless as he persistently assaults the incapacitated student.

“E- I mean, N-nathan!” I cursed because I almost shouted his real name. I dropped my things on the floor and rushed through their spot.

“Apologize to her.” he threatened the guy, who nodded his head while blood was gushing down his nose. His eyes refulgence with so much danger as he pushed him on the floor and stepped on his back.

“Nathan!” I embraced him, trying to thrust him away from the students. Whispers began to circulate us. Students fished their phones inside their pockets and started doing a recorded video. They didn’t help. Rather than stopping Ethan, they just fucking watched him!

“Ethan, stop,” I whispered as I tried to reach his face. But he didn’t look at me. Instead, he focused his full attention on the man coughing and trying to pry away from his grip. He balled his hands and was about to throw away a punch again when I slapped him in the face. I heard gasps coming from the audience.

“I SAID STOP!” I pointed my finger at him. My arms were shaking badly, but I restrained them.

He stunningly let go of the fellow who took a run for his life. I can feel the gazes from the masses. It’s as if they are observing a live-action movie that’s captivated their intrigue. Ethan was facing the other direction as he caressed his swollen cheeks engraved of my palm. The feeling I had put in the bottle abruptly detonated. I can’t take this any longer! I had enough drama in my life!

“I had enough of you, Nathan! I don’t need your heroic demeanor! I am not comfortable around with you anymore! I can’t be with someone obsessed with me!” I shook my head as tears began to stream on my cheeks. Oh god, they saw me crying. I covered my confront with my palms as I backed away.

“I’m sorry, but we’re through.” I run away. I bumped into someone, almost crashing on the floor, but I caught myself before falling. I didn’t look back on those hundreds of eyes watching my back. Their judgment doesn’t affect me anymore. All I wanted to do was set myself free from their suffocation perception. I know I humiliate him, but he overreacts to everything happening around me.

He didn’t follow me, but I could feel his hunting eyes taking after me. When I turned into the corners, I breathed a sigh of relief. Good god. I don’t know what he will do to me after that incident. My heart was beating so fast that it’ll come out any time now. I took off, freeing my mind from his pound. I shouldn’t be frightened of him. He can murder me if he wants to. I will gladly accept my fate.

“Welcome, everyone. Thank you for gathering here today. It’s my deepest commiseration to the family of Ms. Natalie Beischel.”

I know where this is heading. I’m ready to listen, but I don’t know if my mind can take it.

“We’re so sorry for the loss of your daughter. Ms. Natalie is one of the most versatile students at Horizon Valley University. Her body was found in the stream-”

I turned around before the president could wrap up his speech. From the start, I knew it was her blood because I didn’t see her roaming around the campus for the following days. Then it was followed by the news she was missing, and now, her body was found but didn’t survive.

“This necklace was the last thing we found on her body.”

I stop dead in my tracks. I swallow various times as each second my heart is pulsating. I slowly turned around, and somebody drew nearer to me on my spot. I know I didn't do anything wrong, as I am innocent. This is precisely what I fear for. You're clearly out of association to be sentenced or judged on something. When a teacher stopped before me, he offered his hands to me.

“Ms. Gomez, we would like to have a word with you because you were the last person Ms. Beischel argued with before she was seen in the river floating.”

I needed to dissent. I wanted to clarify that everything they think of me is wrong. That I am blameless as I was indeed the casualty here since she pushed me on the stairs, but I held my tongue. They might see me as blameworthy for explaining too much. I don’t have a shred of concrete evidence to appear them. Somebody must have said they saw Natalie and me within the corridors fighting. It was all a misconception. I breathed intensely and gestured my head. He guided me towards the room as students took after me with their eyes, whispering and talking about me.

“She must have killed her because of Nathan.”

“I agree. Have you seen her being so desperate about him when he returned after going missing? Despairing female.”

“Nathan doesn’t even love her. She brainwashed him or something.”

When we come to the main building for officers, instructors, staff, and the president’s lounge, the fellow professor leads me to the chair. I was seated right before the table. I played with fingers restlessly, holding up for the president to come inside. They must have been holding up to wrap off the gathering outside. After twenty minutes of pure torment of waiting, he finally comes inside. A few professors are following him. I sat up straight when he halted before the table and looked down at me.

“Natasha Ariel Gomez,” he stated while reading the document that’s been presented. I nodded my head, anticipating what was going to happen to me. He sat down and caressed his forehead. He looks beat up as his eyes are weary.

“Some students reported numerous complaints regarding your activity in this school. You rarely go to your classes, you failed your thesis, and you were last seen arguing with Ms. Natalie before she died.” he put the necklace in front of me. My body froze when I looked down on it. I bit my inner cheeks as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“B-but sir, I didn’t kill her-”

“We don’t know about that, Ms. Gomez. You are one of the suspects, though we still don’t have any concrete evidence to show. Our vision is to keep on striving for the excellency of our students. We don’t want to bring any misfortune to this University. We love to have you around, Ms. Gomez, as you are one of the top-notchers. However, because of your records and the emerging issues, we don’t have any other choice, Ms. Gomez."

He threw the document right in front of me, making the papers distributed on the table. My muscles tensed when I saw a red marking printed above my name. My heartbeat stopped for a minute. The color of my face drained as I read what it said.

“We will drop you out from the scholarship, and you are expelled from this University.”