His Erasthai

A Friend

SAMANTHA POV:

“Wait—what's going on?”

Wondering what the commotion was all about, I was peacefully having my heavy lunch since I hadn’t eaten breakfast earlier; I was in a rush to catch my first class.

But because of the commotion, my peaceful moment alone was interrupted. It caught my attention—the students inside the cafeteria.

I wasn’t sure why, but the students far from me quickly evacuated their seats and moved to the empty chairs closer to mine. They excitedly left a wide space in the middle. Now, several chairs and tables were unoccupied.

Great.

“OMG! They’re coming,” I heard one student say to another.

“Yeah. I can’t believe this is happening right now. OMG! I can’t wait to meet them!”

“Them? Who?” I wondered. I couldn’t help but listen since their voices were so loud.

I was all ears while keeping my mouth busy with the delicious food I hadn’t eaten at home.

Murmurs and giggles grew louder as the thuds of footsteps became very audible.

A few seconds later, two good-looking guys entered, followed by two beautiful ladies and two more handsome boys. They looked like they were coming from a photoshoot.

Wow.

My eyes followed their movements until they sat on the chairs some students had occupied earlier.

I only snapped out of my trance when a girl near my table spoke to her friend.

“Wah! They’re so freaking hot!”

“I know, right? I’d love to sell my soul just to be with any of them.”

“And I’d definitely give my life just to sleep with that blonde guy. He’s so mouth-watering,” said the other girl.

Seriously?

I couldn’t help but sneer while listening to their conversation. They were literally going to sell their souls just to be with those men.

Pathetic. There’s more to this world than admiring those people. I don’t get why they’re head over heels for them when they’re just like us. The only difference is they’re elite, and we’re like commoners.

Wait—are we sharing the same cafeteria? Isn’t this for regular students?

I thought elite students had a separate cafeteria since I hadn’t seen them here ever since I arrived.

Shaking my head to dismiss my curiosity, I decided after ten minutes to finish my lunch and planned to go back to my dorm to take a nap. I still had over two hours before my next class. I liked my class schedule because I could still look for a part-time job. I grabbed my books from the table and took my bottle of water.

But those ten minutes in the cafeteria felt like the longest time of my life. I couldn’t believe I endured all those whispers, murmurs, and swooning reactions people had for the group of elite students.

“I have to get outta here,” I told myself as I walked toward the door.

It was my tenth day at school, and I still hadn’t seen the entire university. Maybe on weekends, I would check out the amenities they have here.

“Oh, crap!” I silently uttered when I saw Madison coming. She was with three girls and two boys, one of whom I assumed was her love interest, judging by how glued they were to each other.

Madison was right. She could easily make friends whenever she wanted. Unlike me, no one wanted to talk to me or be friends with me. Well, except Rida. Maybe she had no choice since we’re roommates.

Ugh, whatever. As long as I can live in peace, far from Mom and Dad.

A deep sigh escaped my lips before I strode toward the exit, hoping Madison wouldn’t see me. Besides, there were lots of students coming in and out of the pantry. She was also too busy to mind her surroundings.

Eyes on the floor, head bowed down, I doubled my steps toward the exit, picking up my pace.

“Ouch!”

Oh, shock! I bumped into a woman.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—” I apologized.

“Watch where you’re heading, b***h! Are you blind or stupid?”

Her voice caught the attention of others, and I instantly felt small in front of them. The last thing I wanted was anyone’s attention.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to. Let me wipe—”

Trying to wipe the water I accidentally spilled on her clothes. I hadn’t realized I hadn’t closed the bottle cap yet. However, she pushed me away, and I lost my balance. I felt my head hit something hard.

“Get away from me, you freak!”

I don’t know exactly what happened after that, but my head was spinning until I fell unconscious.

Waking up in an unfamiliar room with bright white light scared me. Then I saw two gigantic wolf frames hanging on the wall, which mentally freaked me out.

“Oh, you’re awake now,” said a woman’s voice near my bed. I slowly turned toward the sound and was stunned.

Wow! She’s beautiful. It wasn’t the first time I was starstruck today. I wondered if the rest of the students were as good-looking as her.

“Where am I?” I asked, getting off the bed.

“You’re in the infirmary. How are you feeling?”

“I’m good, thanks. But I have to go now.”

“Have a seat first, Miss Porter.”

“Wait—you know me?” I wondered how she knew my name.

“Yes. I’m Janette Housers,” she responded with a smile. Then she noticed my confusion and added, “Don’t worry, I just saw your name on your ID.”

“Oh!” Stupid of me.

“Anyway, I’m going to ask you a few questions before I let you go.”

I nodded and sat on the chair she pointed to.

“I checked your wound. It’s minor, so it should be totally healed in a few days. Just be careful next time.”

“Thanks. But how did I get here?”

“Well, your friend brought you.”

“A friend?”

“Yes. By the way, I already cleaned your wound and put a gauze on it. Be sure to clean it every day to avoid infection. Students said you accidentally hit your head on the edge of the table. So be careful next time.”

“Oh.” I guess that’s exactly what happened. I remembered my head hitting something hard. But didn’t they tell her what happened before that?

“Anyway, if you still feel dizzy, I can refer you to the hospital for some tests.”

“No, I’m fine. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

She was nice, and I still couldn’t believe someone like her could be so kind to a nobody like me.

After a few moments of talking and answering her questions, I was ready to leave, but Rida came in.

“Hey! You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Did you bring me here?”

“Uhm, no. I just heard about it. I figured it was you when someone described your looks.”

“I see. But who brought me here?”

“I don’t know. Maybe some students who saw the incident. None of them told me how you got here either.” Rida shrugged and opened the door for us to leave.

“Wait—” I turned around and went back to talk to the woman.

“Miss, um—may I know who brought me here? I thought it was her, but she said she didn’t.”

“Oh! Well, he just said he’s a friend. I didn’t ask his name since he immediately left.”

He? Who could it be?

KILLAN POV:

How many times have I told you to stop loitering around campus?!”

“I wasn’t loitering, Killan.”

“So what did you think you were doing?” I asked. I was fed up with cleaning up her mess. She caused trouble again.

“I was searching for some recruits we could use.”

“Who told you to decide behind my back?”

“I was just trying to help you.”

“Damn it, France! You’re not my mother or my sister! Don’t you dare do it again, or else—”

“Or else what?!”

“Leave!” I commanded, trying to calm myself.

“Why can’t you accept me, Killan?”

“Get the f**k out of here!” I was no longer holding back my emotions as I slammed both hands on the table. Two of my men rushed in when they heard the loud noise.

France quickly left as soon as my men arrived.

Her begging voice earlier no longer had any effect on me. Maybe if I were ten years younger, she could have manipulated me again. I loathed her to the core. Never would I forgive her or her clan for what they did.

“Clean this mess! If you see her coming, throw her out! Don’t let her in! Understand?”

“Yes, your highness,” they responded in unison before I stepped out of my office.

I needed to get out of there. This room was no longer helpful.

I finally reached my favorite spot—leaning on the upper tree trunk while sitting on a thick branch. Students were going in and out of each room, but none could see me.

“Why are you always wearing that hoodie? Don’t you have other clothes?”

My attention went to two women talking outside the infirmary. I heard them, though their voices were distant. If they went a little farther, I couldn’t have heard them, and I only saw their backs as they walked toward the exit. One was wearing a white pullover top paired with black jeans, and the other wore a tight dress hugging her curves.

“I have. And I don’t wear these clothes twice a week, Rida. It just so happens I have a lot of these.”

Her voice sounded familiar. I knew I’d heard it somewhere before. I kept listening.

“Wait, what?”

“Let’s just say I’m a fan of sweat pullover hoodies and jeans. They’re comfortable.”

“Ugh!, They’re not comfortable! Anyway, don’t you have dresses?”

“No, I don’t have any. Besides, I don’t want one either.”

“Why?”

I no longer heard their voices as they rounded the corner.

A few moments later, I felt bored and took a cigarette out of my pants pocket, about to light it up, when an image of that woman appeared again. No one had ever stopped me from smoking. No one would dare.

“Damn it! Why am I like this?”

My eyes wandered back to the field, and I almost froze when I saw someone staring at me. A woman! And it was her!