When I woke, Alice was sprawled across my chest.
I smiled and ran my fingers through her long hair.
She let out a lazy whimper and nuzzled against me like a kitten.
— "Wake up. We'll be late for class."
— "Mmm… five more minutes."
She clung tighter, pressing her face into my shirt.
I smiled again.
— "..."
— "..."
Then she lifted her head, studying my eyes as if trying to decipher something hidden within.
Finally, she sat up, straddling my abdomen.
As she rose gracefully, my white shirt—the one she'd worn as pajamas—rode up, revealing the pale curve of her thighs.
Her skin glowed under the faint morning light seeping through the curtains.
She stretched slowly, arms arching overhead.
Then she shot me a fleeting glance, bit her lower lip, and tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear.
— "..."
— "..."
A charged silence hung between us before she finally stood.
— "I'll shower first."
— "..."
After we'd both cleaned up and dressed, we left for school.
As usual, we took separate paths.
She pouted but didn't argue—it was necessary.
On my way, I passed a hunting supply store.
A display of bladed weapons in the window caught my eye.
Staring at them, another wave of déjà vu hit me.
— "..."
I looked away and kept walking.
The detour made me late. By the time I arrived, Alice was already there.
The school buzzed with its usual chaos.
I headed straight to class, ignoring the whispers around me.
Even after all these years, the sidelong glances, the sneers, the disdain—they never stopped.
It used to make me shrink into myself.
But today, for some reason, I didn't care.
— "Good morning, everyone. To your seats, please."
I was already sitting, gazing out the window, when Professor Sabrina Carvalho entered.
— "Damn, she gets hotter every day..."
— "Right? How's that even possible?"
— "I'd die happy if I got with her just once."
— "Hahaha. Keep dreaming, man."
Sabrina was the only teacher who'd ever tried to help me.
And she'd been punished for it.
Reprimanded by the principal, ostracized by colleagues—she'd nearly lost her job.
She wasn't just beautiful; she was fair. Human.
Her classes always flew by.
— "Alright, that's it for today. See you next week. Have a great weekend!"
She closed her notebook with a smile.
Once class ended, I went to the rooftop.
Normally, I hid here to escape the bullying, the stares, the rumors.
But today…
Today I just wanted silence.
To watch the sky and make sense of this restlessness gnawing at me.
It was like I was waiting for something—but I didn't know what.
— "..."
— "So this is where you hide."
A sneering voice shattered the quiet.
I glanced sideways.
Eight idiots swaggered toward me.
— "We were gonna grab lunch, but… kinda short on cash."
— "..."
— "You got some to spare?"
I reached into my pocket and pulled out all the money I'd set aside for Alice's dinner ingredients.
I held it out silently, unable to form a single word.
— "Huh?"
Marcos, Fabrício's right-hand man, stepped forward to take it.
He'd always been one of Yeda's favorite tormentors.
A sadist.
Like the rest.
He snatched the cash with a vicious grin.
— "Too easy."
Then, as if it were nothing, a brutal punch to my jaw sent me crashing to the ground.
— "Alice, your parents have expressed concerns about your attachment to your brother. However, we've exhausted our options. Allowing him to remain enrolled after the incident with Yeda was an exceptional concession."
— "Principal, let's be real. I know Alan better than anyone—he's incapable of what he's accused of. And Yeda? She's never been his type. So explain this: why would a 'victim' voluntarily linger near her 'attacker,' obsessively harassing him?"
— "Our records show no evidence of Yeda bullying Alan. If such a situation exists, he's welcome to report it directly to me. And let's be honest—why would she fabricate an allegation as serious as rape?"
— "I don't have all the answers. But I do know Alan like the back of my hand, and my trust in him is absolute. And I've seen enough lies to recognize one when it's staring me in the face."
— "Have you seriously considered that he might actually be guilty?"
Alice's eyes flashed with fury.
— "I apologize—"
— "I'd advise caution in your accusations, Principal."
— "...Alice, even your parents have given up defending him. Next year, you'll both be seniors. Why dwell on what classmates think? Soon, none of this will matter. Look ahead—you're the most extraordinary student this school has ever seen. Don't throw away your future for someone who… well, you know he has no future left."
— "..."
Alice reached her limit.
For a split second, she imagined her fist smashing into the principal's face.
She rarely lost her temper.
But the principal had crossed a line—and when it came to Alan, her composure crumbled.
One more word… and she'd punch him without hesitation.
— "Fine. Here's my ultimatum: either you end this harassment against Alan today… or tomorrow, I'll be enrolled elsewhere."
The principal's eyes bulged.
— "No, wait—! Please… you can't do this."
— "I can't?"
— "...Very well. I'll do what I can."
Everyone knew Alice was the school's crown jewel.
Her awards, her competition wins—they'd propelled the school to national rankings.
Thanks to her, the principal's reputation had soared.
— "SIR!"
The door burst open.
The janitor stumbled in, panting.
— "João?! What's the meaning of this?"
— "Forgive me, sir—it's an emergency. The nurse sent me. You're needed in the infirmary now. Something… something terrible has happened."
Alice was on her feet in an instant.
Her first thought was of him: Alan.
An unbearable dread seized her chest.
And then she ran.
No hesitation. No looking back.
The principal and janitor sprinted after her.