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In the morning class, the teacher looked at Aira and spoke calmly,
"Aira, go and sit beside Rayan."
Aira nodded and walked toward the empty seat beside him. Rayan was already there, sitting quietly with his head down. As she sat, her heart felt a little nervous.
After settling down, Aira softly said,
"Sorry about this morning…"
There was no reply.
Rayan didn't even look at her. He rested his head on his desk, pretending to sleep. His silence made the air between them heavy. Feeling awkward and bored, Aira decided not to disturb him anymore. She turned her attention toward the ma'am and focused on the lesson.
Soon, the class ended and the bell rang.
Break time started.
Rayan stood up and left the classroom without even glancing at Aira. But Aira couldn't stop herself—she watched him walk away, her eyes wide with curiosity.
At that moment, Liza came toward her and noticed where Aira was looking. With a playful smile, Liza teased,
"Hey… do you like Rayan?"
Aira quickly shook her head.
"No! I just said sorry to him, but he didn't reply."
Liza shrugged.
"He's always like that. He doesn't talk to anyone."
Then she smiled sadly and added,
"He's so handsome. Every girl likes him. Even I do. Last year, I proposed to him in front of everyone… and he rejected me."
She laughed, but her eyes looked a little hurt.
Just then, another girl named Maria came over.
"Let's go to the cafeteria. Only sixteen minutes left."
"Yeah, let's go," Liza replied.
In the cafeteria, they took their plates and found a place to sit. Aira quietly observed the surroundings. She noticed different groups of students—
One group of five students, three boys and two girls, clearly rich and stylish, laughing loudly together.
Another group of popular students were bullying a fat boy, grabbing him and making jokes.
Liza leaned closer and whispered,
"The boy leading them is Jason. He shows off his power because his father is a politician."
They walked toward an empty table while talking. Aira took a bite of her egg fry. When she lifted her head to take another bite, her eyes suddenly froze.
Through the big glass window, she saw Rayan walking into a narrow alley behind the school.
Aira stood up immediately.
"I'll meet you in class," she told Liza and rushed after him.
When she reached the alley, her breath stopped.
Rayan was beating a boy, his face full of rage. A girl stood beside them, trembling in fear.
Suddenly, Rayan noticed Aira.
He stopped, then turned away to leave. Instinctively, Aira grabbed his hand.
Rayan's eyes burned with anger.
"Don't try to get close to me," he growled.
"Don't follow me."
Then he leaned closer and said coldly,
"If you follow me again… I will kill you next time."
With those words, he pulled his hand away and walked off, leaving Aira standing there—shaken, scared, and confused.
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