Chapter 3 Three

Laura's pov

The cafeteria was louder than usual, buzzing with whispers that stopped whenever I walked past a table. My fingers tightened around my tray as I made my way to the empty bench corner, numbly sitting down..

Head down, shoulders hunched, I stabbed at my food, ignoring the obvious taunts thrown my way. My eyes, heavy from so much crying last night, lifted as I sensed Henry walk into the room.

It was hard, how could he act so unaffected by everything, when only the mere sight of him threw me off balance.

I couldn't even eat.

I sat, some hopeful part of me wishing last night didn't happen. Goddess, I didn't even want us to be fated anymore, I just wanted my friend back. I wanted him to cross over to my table like he did almost everyday and tease me about eating alone. He'd hand over a pile of homework for me to do but he'd spend at least a few minutes eating with me.

And I ruined it.

He walked in with Lacey by his side, but I quickly dropped my gaze back to my food, feeling my chest tighten as I furiously stab my food again with no intention of eating it.

As much as I tried to pretend that it wasn't killing me sitting there, across the table where they sat amongst their friends, already cackling and laughing, forks clinking against trays, my gaze would always betray me.

However, it was impossible to not act like the stares in my direction were just the usual. It felt like I was being watched. Much longer than usual. I would spot a couple people whispering while looking towards me, but upon spotting them, they woul snicker and return to their phones.

“You don't know do you?” Vanessa suddenly appeared before me, slamming both hands on my table so abruptly, my tray toppled to the ground.

I sat rigid in my chair, feeling my face burn as I watched her eyes gleam crimson while she leaned forward. The malicious grin revealed she sensed I really didn't know what she was talking about.

“You have no shame Laura, but even for you, this is just derogatory, don't you think?” she added, running the top over her canines- she was enjoying this. She always have.

The cafeteria was quiet now, and I could feel everyone's gaze on me. My sister got most of the attention, but on times I did, it was never for a good reason.

“Poor thing looks confused. She doesn't even know,” one of them giggled and the crowd snickered.

“Show her, come on, she's practically dying to know.” Another hissed

My pulse spiked. “Show me what?”

Vanessa smirked and the next thing, she shoved a phone under my nose.

My blood ran cold.

The screen played a video- a scene all too familiar. Me, in the kitchen, my face towards the camera, Henry's familiar back to it.

I could hear the stifled laughters around as I bit down hard on my lower lip, forced to rewatch the horrifyingly degrading and pathetic scene. My face wet with tears, my own voice breaking as I begged a Henry to accept our bond. His voice dripping with disdian- hearing it again felt like experiencing my heart ripping to shred again.

Glancing up, I spot him. His back is to me, he barely even pays any heed to me but Lacey, along with the other snickering students at their table caught my eye. She smiled. A slow small one that instantly betrayed her vile intentions from the one..

She had done this. It was no wonder she has come to find me in the kitchen. How could I have been so foolish to rely on her. She's never like me- she's always been selfish- a backstabbing liar that only I have ever seen reveal her true colors.

Why? Why? Why did she hate me so much? She had everything. I couldn't even exaggerate- she did. Why was she so bent on always reminding me it wasn't the same in my case.

By the time the video was done playing and the whole cafeteria had erupted in laughter, I wiped a shaky hand across my face, turning my palm to look to my horror that I had been crying, seeing my fingers glisten under the light pouring from the cafeteria.

“Chose me,” Vanessa turned to the crowd, waving the phone in the air as she mimicked dramatically. “Pick me. If you don't choose me, I will kill myself Henry, oh please, please you must, you have to!”

As the laughters grew louder, even more scornful, I dropped my fork. My chest squeezed until I could barely breathe.

I got up, my chair falling back to the ground at my abrupt movement, but just as I steadied myself to leave, I hear one of Henry's friends lean forward to him, asking loud enough for the room to hear.

“So is it true? She's really your mate?”

Silence ensued and I held my breath as I quickly turned to grab my bag. For the sake of our friendship, I prayed he wouldn't break the small spec of trust I still I had in him not to completely ruin me.

“You're mistaking the Brown daughters. It's not hard to know who my mate is..” and with that he leaned forward, and Lacey leaned into his embrace.

As I stumbled out the door, desperate to escape, someone stuck out a leg. In a last bid to ruin me further, I slipped, trays falling from the nearby table, splattering food across my dress as I hit the ground hard.

Pain radiated through my knees as laughter rained down again.

“Goddess, she makes it really hard not to make a fool out of herself!”

Tears blurred my vision as I pushed myself up and fled the cafeteria, ignoring the shouts, the phones up and recording every second of my shame.

Everyone knew. And more people were bound to still know. How the Alpha's son had rejected me and gone for my twin sister, claiming he was her mate and not me.

Not the overweight, pathetic, double chinned sister who could barely even shift.

By the time I ran out the school building, past the dewy rainforest and onto a lonely track road, I was sobbing so hard I couldn't see. My lungs burned, my chest throbbing with the pain of rejection, that I wanted I so badly to end.

The blare of a horn came too late. And before I realize, tires screeching on the ground, a sharp pain surging through me, everything went black.