DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN WINX CLUB.

AN: Guys! HI! Hi, hi, hi! I'm so, so, SO happy today because I've received amazing news earlier this morning, and I'd love to share, but I want to wait until it gets confirmed! :D :D I've been walking around with a high fever for 3-4 days now, but that somehow vanished! It's amazing how life can be so amazing sometimes! I've been a little down for a few weeks because I thought a late response meant a rejection, but now I feel so much better already! :D :D

Anyways, moving on to the story, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I had a HUGE burst of inspiration after I heard the news, and I figured I'd put that excitement into good use. ^-^ I love you guys. Thank you so much in advance for reading! :D

Onto a much more serious note, I'm sure many of you are aware of what's going on worldwide. Clearly, COVID-19 is no joke. While healthy youngsters are almost risk-free in terms of mortality, the older adults unfortunately aren't. So, take measures for great personal hygiene and help yourself and others stay healthy! The best cure for any illness is prevention itself. If you're in a high-risk zone, avoid travel or even going out as much as possible. COVID-19 is highly contagious; so, the last place you want to be in is a public place. So, chillax at home, stay well, and stay healthy!

~ 7:49 AM ~

"Are you high?" Stella blurted out loud.

Brandon stared at her before letting out a long, wrecked sigh and shutting his eyes. Of course. Of course, she'll say that. Why did he assume anything different? Here he was being super nice enough to apologize to her only for her to slap random accusations in his face. Cool it, he chided his fizzing frustration with this girl. What was her deal honestly? Can't she just be nice enough to accept an apology and move on? He's a senior in college; the last thing he needed was a difficult roommate. He had other things to worry about. School, jobs, and, you know, life. There was no opening for ill-tempered blondes. With a small sigh, he continued. "…I went too far, and I shouldn't have done that," he said somewhat awkwardly, deciding to be the bigger person here for a change. Not that you'd know anything about that, he mentally scoffed.

Stella still stared in disbelief. "...You're not on drugs, are you?" she continued to eyeball him skeptically.

I swear…He sighed. Why was this girl so damn difficult? "No, Stella, I'm not on drugs," he mocked with frustration, folding his arms and staring at her pointedly.

Well, that's hard to believe. "No, wait, wait, I got it," she snapped her fingers and let out an 'aha' look of realization. "You're being threatened to apologize to me," she smirked, continuing to tease him. "That's what this is, isn't it?"

His eyes widened at her out-of-the-blue allegation. Threatened?! C'mon, an apology from him can't be THAT hard to believe!

Chuckling at his priceless, dramatic reaction, Stella shook her head with an amused smirk before taking a deep breath, deciding to let him off the hook. "...Your apology means nothing to me. If you hadn't said what you did say, someone else would've," she shrugged. "So, no need to worry yourself because I forgot about it on the day it happened."

…

Okay…? Brandon blinked. To be honest, he really hadn't expected her to be so…uh…merciful? He half-expected her to go off the railings again and gloat in his face for being so…pathetic. But she had done no such thing. It was almost out of character for her.

"If there's nothing else, then…" she shrugged before turning around.

Watching her leave, he stood silently in their room. He didn't know if he was glad that their misunderstanding was over or just…confused. His roommate was one strange girl, he'll give her that.

~ Starbucks – 12:30 PM ~

The vibrant aroma of fresh coffee bathed the air as students moved around in gossiping throngs with foamy, steaming cups in their hands.

Sitting in one of the corner booths, Stella scribbled away in her spiral notebook, occasionally nibbling on the golden-brown, grilled sandwich she had ordered for lunch. It was too good to not eat while hot. Stuffed with veggie fillings and ketchup, she blissfully savored the taste, leaving no morsel left untouched. This was one of her favorite places on the campus. A refuge. There was something about the busy students, gossiping girls, sports-obsessed boys, and welcoming baristas that made her heart feel lighter. She almost felt as if she belonged here just as much as the rest of them did.

"Now what is wrong with this picture?" a confused voice came out of nowhere.

A smile automatically blooming at the familiar, witty voice, Stella raised her head to meet Musa's amused smirk before the latter sat down opposite to her.

"What are you and books doing together?" Musa smirked.

"Just getting a head start on homework," Stella chuckled. "I ordered a panini for you, by the way," she informed, pointing a thumb at the counter.

"You know me so well," Musa grinned before hopping up to go get her lunch.

In the meantime, Stella put a bookmark in and closed the books, temporarily packing them away into her bag as Musa returned. The noirette set her tray down on the table before opening the loose paper cover that hid the sandwich away. "So, what's the latest scoop?" Musa immediately asked for the latest updates.

"What scoop?" Stella repeated in confusion.

"You and Brandon, duh," Musa smirked like it was the most obvious thing ever. "C'mon, spill. After I caught you two making out, I was sure—"

"We weren't making out!" Stella interrupted loudly, causing a few heads to turn towards her. She instantly coughed in embarrassment and mouthed a little sorry before shooting a glare at her friend. "I even told you why—"

"Yeah, yeah, whateverrrrrr," Musa ignored the blonde in a childish, singsong voice. "He didn't say anything to you after that? Nothing at all?" she drilled for some entertainment before eyeing her basil pesto sandwich almost as if it's a substitute for popcorn.

"Nope," Stella shrugged. Coming to think of it…he did keep staring though…she thought to herself with suspicion, remember their last night's mini argument. Well, at least that's all he did. As long as he didn't have the guts to speak his mind, she could care less of what he thought of her.

Musa frowned at the bland response. Obviously, she was expecting a delightful dig. "You guys are way too boring."

I wish. Stella snorted. "Anyway…why are we having this conversation again?"

"Hey, college life is boring. I gotta get my daily dose of entertainment somewhere."

Stella rolled her eyes at the irony. She should be the last person to be anyone's source of entertainment.

"Speaking of entertainment," Musa started, munching on the crunchy crust, "are you free this evening?"

"No," the blonde rudely retorted.

"Great!" Musa beamed, ignoring the blunt riposte. "We're all thinking of going to that new movie tonight."

"We?" Stella asked curiously, biting into her sandwich. "All of us girls?" she asked with a little surprise. The six of them are in six different majors and scattered throughout different resident halls that it was always a little difficult to meet up.

"And the guys too…" Musa added sheepishly.

Stella narrowed her eyes at that before throwing her friend an irritated glare. "Really, Musa? Really?" she said dryly.

"C'mon, Stell, it'll be fun! What's wrong with friends hanging out together?"

"Nothing except for the fact that everyone has a date but me!" Stella protested. "It was fine when Layla was single until Nabu came out of nowhere and stole her away from me," the blonde muttered sourly, rolling her eyes.

Musa laughed. "C'mon, please? It'll be fun! It won't be awkward at all!"

"For your information, being a third wheel is always awkward," Stella pointed out. "But being the eleventh? Now that's just embarrassing." There was a reason she never went anywhere with the girls if the guys were involved.

Musa laughed again in amusement.

"I don't particularly feel like wheeling along. You can go without me," Stella shrugged, denying the invitation without hard feelings.

"Don't worry, Brandon's coming too," Musa smirked. "You guys can wheel together."

"That asshole? Isn't that more of a reason for me to, you know, butt out?"

Musa giggled. "C'mon, please?" she asked. "The six of us rarely get to hang out as is, and this is our last year here. Who knows where we'll be next year?" she sighed.

Stella remained quiet, her heart sinking at the truth of the last words. Of everyone, she and Musa were the thickest. They've known each other longer than anyone else, and the fact that they might have to separate…it made Stella wistful enough to hesitate. She saw thin, dark blue eyes staring back at her with anticipation. "Alright. What time?" the blonde finally relented before immediately wishing she could take those words back at the excited squeal that greeted her ears moments afterwards.

~ Musa's Room – 6:30 PM ~

Curling the last of her locks, Stella ruffled her fingers through the loose waves. Checking the time, she topped off her bronze-tinted sweater and black jeans with dark brown boots and grabbed the crème shoulder bag she had set aside. "So, how are we going? And I think it's supposed to rain tonight," the blonde informed, twirling one last time before the full-length mirror in the room. She faintly smiled in satisfaction at her outfit.

"We're not walking there; we're carpooling. In three cars," Musa simply answered as she held half her dark hair back with bobby pins. She applied a few more finishing touches.

"How ever did you get Riven to agree?" Stella chuckled, knowing that the spiky-haired punk disliked humans and the idea of teaming up in general.

Musa smirked before cocking her head towards the bed and giving her friend a suggestive wink.

Stella facepalmed. Of course. Why did she even bother to ask? The only way the most quarrelsome couple in the group knew how to settle arguments is by involving themselves with cotton sheets and a sturdy bed.

"You asked," Musa shrugged, stifling a smirk at the blonde's expression of disgust. "We're not best friends for nothing, you know. We tell each other everything," she laughed.

Stella rolled her eyes, silently disagreeing. As if being best friends justifies broadcasting their sex lives to each other. "Anyway. Ready to go?" she asked, changing the topic to something else.

Musa nodded.

Grabbing their essentials, the two headed out moments afterwards.

~ 6:50 PM ~

Stella stared at the abomination in front of her. She wasn't sure if she was to be horrified or just straight up angry.

…

She went for being angry. Completely miffed at her predicament, the blonde turned to the most untrustworthy girl of the group.

Stifling a laugh, Musa jumped in the front seat while Riven hopped into the driver's side and Tecna and Timmy filled the back. The twelve of them split up evenly between three cars. "You two are with Bloom and Sky," Musa pointed.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Stella narrowed her eyes, shooting a peeved glare.

"Yeah, do we really have to go together?" Brandon argued a second later, agreeing with the blonde for once.

"If couples don't get a say in where to sit, what makes you think wheels can?" Musa chided them. "Off you go! We're late enough already," she waved her hands to shoo them away and make them behave.

Ugh. Stella groaned before stomping to the car that awaited her. She hopped in the back and he grumbled his way in after her. They sat as far away as they could from each other, leaving Bloom and Sky to glance at each other cluelessly. "…"

"You guys, where are we stopping to eat?" Bloom asked as they drove along the freeway. "Any suggestions?" she prodded, texting the girls simultaneously.

"I don't know. It doesn't matter," Brandon shrugged.

"Taco Bell?" Stella shrugged, dully voicing the simplest option.

"How about some other place?" the brunet suddenly quipped.

Stella shot him a dirty look but kept mum. For someone who "doesn't" care about the place, he sure had a lot to say. She should've known he was about as reliable as a flat tire. She looked out the window, choosing to shut up for the rest of the ride. She didn't have the patience or energy to entertain SUCH a jerk.

~ 7:14 PM ~

The group decided to head to Chipotle, which is an advanced version of Taco Bell in Stella's opinion, near the theater to grab a quick snack. The couples, of course, bunched together as usual, involuntarily pushing Stella and Brandon together. The two walked behind them, eyeing each other with pure petulance.

Brandon rolled his eyes, maintaining a two feet distance from her. "Perfect," he unhappily mumbled in annoyance, shooting her a dirty look as if she's the one responsible for them having to stick together.

Having had enough of his snippy attitude, which he apparently can't set aside at least for their friends' sake, Stella glared at him, scowling deeply. "For the record, I hate this just as much as you do," she hissed. "So, don't start complaining."

"Sure. Right after you stop telling me what to do," he grumbled, folding his arms in discontent.

Stella sighed and shut her eyes, trying her best not to go over to him and slap the life out of him. She had to do everything in her power to not go bonkers on him right here and now.

Stella grabbed her order and a few condiments before going outside to join her friends. She sat down grudgingly at one of the tables, opposite to Brandon. She could've plopped herself at one of the empty tables, but that would earn her questions. And she'd have to admit that she can't get along with her roommate. She didn't particularly feel like being the center of attention for pure grumpiness and idiocy, which is exactly what it would be if she can't put aside her differences.

She looked up when she heard a sigh and, of course, saw her prick of a roommate frowning unhappily. Jerk, prick, idiot, rascal…it's amazing how many of the words in the English dictionary seemed to have been created just for him. He owned these with such ease. Bravo.

Unwrapping her vegan taco, she took a soft bite, all the while wondering what it was with him that he can't stand her to this extent. Had she done something irreparable to him, she'd understand. But she hadn't done anything to him…so she didn't understand. Unless, of course, he really thinks he's a walking saint. C'mon, even she understood disliking people, but she never outwardly expressed her disapproval with them. Everyone is different and she, to a degree, respected that. "So much for that apology," she suddenly said. It didn't even last twelve hours.

"At least I'm trying, which is barely what I can say for you," he stubbornly said, shooting her an unforgiving glance for rudely tattling to Musa that she didn't want to be seated next to him. Pfft. She lit the flame first. And besides, that apology was wayyyyy different. He had apologized for saying something uncalled-for, not for not being able to stand her.

"Trying," she repeated with a humored chuckle. Yeah, right. Tryinggggg. "The only thing you're trying to be is an idiot," she said nonchalantly, finding his behavior inappropriate at a group outing like this one, no matter how justifiable he deemed his excuses to be. "And passing with flying colors too, by the way."

Brandon glared. There she goes provoking him all over again. See? An apology to this airhead is so unneeded that he was starting to regret doing it in the first place. "Why did she have to tag along?" he pointed rudely, tossing a look at his friends.

"You're just pissed you can't come up with an original comeback," Stella chuckled, taking yet another nonchalant bite of her food.

"Well, excuse me, not everyone is an expert at being bitchy for no reason," he retorted, turning back to her with a glare.

At this point, the five couples had paused eating and were just staring at the bickering roommates.

Me? Bitchy? Oh, yeah, man. You're a real saint, Stella rolled her eyes. A second of thought later, she sighed. "You're right…" she sighed, dropping her tone to a gentler tone and raising her hands in surrender. "I guess I am taking it too far. You're right," she nodded. I'm sorry I'm being bitchy to you," she told him.

He narrowed his eyes at this sudden and uncharacteristic generosity. He was about to retort an unappreciative remark at her sarcasm when she beat him to it.

"If I had known you were such a crybaby, I would've been a lot nicer," she teased, finishing with a victorious smirk.

Fuming, Brandon silently glared at her. "Do I have to sit beside her?" he hissed, redirecting the glare at the full tables occupied by his friends.

"Well, go find another seat then," Stella coolly said. At least she'll have some peace around here.

"Why can't you go? I was here first," he snapped. "This table's mine," he declared, slamming his hand on the top of the table.

"I don't see your name on it, asshole," she chuckled.

Bloom blinked, appalled by this turn of events. Stella, who was normally…normal, was anything but that. She wasn't one to start any arguments, much less prolong them to this extent. And Brandon was fuming mad, which is a striking contrast to his usual calm and playful demeanor.

"…Whose bright idea was it to invite these two…?" Layla cleared her throat, asking what almost everyone's thinking.

Seeing Musa suspiciously focusing only on munching her burrito, Bloom slapped her arm, resulting in a yelp. "You knew this will happen, didn't you?" the redhead glared, giving Musa an acute frown.

"…I never knew she'd really make me regret it," Musa sheepishly grinned, now wishing that she had really listened to Stella's insistence of backing out.

Riven smirked. "Hey, let 'em at it. It's fun," he chuckled, watching the exchange with amusement. Helia and Nabu swatted their immature friend upside the head, earning them each a glare.

Hearing their argument growing louder and obnoxious, Bloom completely lost it. They were supposed to argue over a badly written script or character in the movie, not each other! "Can you two stop fighting for three measly seconds?!" she nearly shouted at the top of her throat, slamming a hand on the table to get their attention while the rest of the troop (excluding Riven) cast disapproving looks.

Brandon and Stella stopped attacking each other and turned towards the others. "He started it," she snapped defensively, pointing to her right.

"She started it," Brandon scowled at the same time, pointing to his left just as childishly.

Musa facepalmed.

"Alright, listen up, you two," Layla pointed a sharp index at them. "There's a movie that we bought tickets for, so we can't exactly sit here and babysit your tantrums," she scolded them.

"Are you kidding me?!" Stella gasped, clearly taking offense at her retorts being labelled as a tantrum. If anything, he deserved it!

"Tantrum?" he scoffed. "She's the one—"

"Enough," Bloom fumed. "We all have somewhere to be in a few minutes. So, both of you, apologize to each other. Now," the redhead ordered.

"You're not our mom," Stella mumbled, folding her arms in pure petulance.

"I can't believe I finally agree about something that came out of your dumb mouth," Brandon clapped.

Stella glared at him, knowing that she did nothing wrong nor did she have anything to regret. Dealing with him is punishment enough; she wasn't going to apologize for shit. "I'll apologize if he does," she hissed between gritted teeth.

"Oh, no, please. Ladies first," he smirked through his glare. "I insist."

"Then go ahead. I'm waiting," she glared, resulting in another scowl from him. Their glares matched each other's, threatening each other to back down.

"…Well, that went well," Tecna awkwardly stared, noticing the two have started their argument all over again from square one.

Sky nudged Bloom before the two stood up. Sky grabbed Brandon by the shoulder before forcibly pulling him away from the table. Bloom did the same, dragging her best friend away before a physical fight could ensue.

"What's wrong with you, man?" Sky slapped his arm.

"Ask her," Brandon retorted without breaking his glare from the blonde airhead.

Stella rolled her eyes. "Sure, but I'll need a few hours to list off for what's wrong with you," she retorted right back.

"Oh god, that's enough, you guys," Flora protested, coming in like the mediator that she was. "You two are grown adults, and you need to act that way," she scolded. "Now you can either come to an agreement or ruin this outing for all of us. Your choice," the brunette simply laid out the facts.

Albeit not willingly, that shut them up. The two bore lasers into each other for a few more moments before finally breaking the contact away with a subsequent roll of their eyes.

At the movie, the group finally learned that leaving Brandon and Stella alone without any supervision was like asking fireworks and fire to stay together without exploding. An incongruous juxtaposition. The last thing they all needed.

As the tickets got scanned, Brandon and Stella cleverly stood as far away from each other as they could. They weren't shooting each other dirty looks anymore, so that's probably as good as things will get.

Being right on time, the twelve friends went inside before climbing the steps for the top row seats. As usual, the couples got together, seating themselves beside each other. "Alright. Behave, you two," Flora warned as she gave the discontented roomies their respective tickets.

"We're sitting together?" he mumbled, taking the tickets.

Stella shot him a look before elbowing him. "Don't start, asshole," she hissed low enough for him to hear.

He glared back silently but wisely chose to not say anything. They sat next to each other, both refusing to use the armrest in between them and scooting away as far as they could.

"What a difficult jerk," Stella mumbled quietly.

"What'd you say?" Brandon turned to her, peeved.

Realizing he heard what she muttered, she cleared her throat. "I said you have a talent for making things difficult."

"What a coincidence," he said with fake enthusiasm. "So do you! You're the classic example for having a brain inversely proportional to your mouth," he retorted rudely, pointing his finger in her face.

Stella raised an eyebrow. …Was that supposed to be…an insult? He's gonna have to come up with something better than that. "And you're the classic example for a lack of originality," she smirked. "Doctor Who much?" she recognized instantly.

Brandon cleared his throat, trying to retain a little bit of his pride. "Well, you do live up to the quote," he shrugged.

Stella wondered why she even bothered entertaining this guy. "You know, out of the millions of words in the dictionary, not one of them seem to be enough to describe what an asshole you are," she sighed, shaking her head. She wondered how she'll get by this year with his sarcastic quips and remarks.

He didn't say anything to that. He was at least glad he was able to get under her skin the way she's been getting under his.

Stella turned to the screen as the movie title started to play out, causing the lights in the theater to shut off. She jerked a little in her seat when she suddenly heard horrific screams accompany the title of the movie. "Is this a zombie movie?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

He raised an eyebrow at her question, wondering how someone can be so dense enough to not know where they are in the first place. Plastering a smile, he turned to her. "Don't worry. Zombies usually chomp on brains, so you're safe."

She tossed him a dry look and shook her head before turning to the screen. Jerk.

~ 8:30 PM ~

Sometime into the movie, Stella felt her pocket buzz, gently vibrating her body and demanding her to spare some attention. Her fingers ventured to her pocket to take her phone out before pausing when successive vibrations followed. Sighing at the subsequent buzzes, which already gave her a hint of what she should expect, she withdrew her hand immediately. She didn't bother reading the texts that awaited her attention. Her eyes narrowed onto the movie, hoping to pay attention. But the damage was done. A frown graced her features, altering the calm and peace that had been there just moments ago.

Feeling her body continue to buzz every now and then, she tried not to pay attention to them until—

Her eyes grew alert and wide as she felt a particular vibration pattern that she had set on her phone to warn her of someone else. She froze as if someone had sucked the life out of her at once. She tried to breathe in and out, but the air wouldn't reach her lungs. It can't be, she nearly hyperventilated. I had time, she tried to breathe, mentally checking off dates and times in her head. The air around her suddenly felt thick and tense. Despite surrounding herself in the fullness of the theater, she didn't feel safe.

"Hey, you mind turning that off?" Brandon suddenly whispered from beside her, nudging her shoulder in annoyance.

Stella jumped at the sudden contact. She took her phone out but didn't dare switch it on. "I'm l-leaving," she said quietly in an attempt to keep herself from shivering and stuttering.

Brandon turned to her with wide eyes. "Jeez, what did I say now? I just meant that the sounds were distracting," he whispered.

Pausing at his words, she raised an eyebrow. …He isn't honestly thinking that she's leaving because of him now, is he? "You give yourself a lot of credit, you know that?" she whispered, rolling her eyes. "Something came up, and I need to go," she said before standing up. Thankful for her corner seat, Stella left wordlessly.

Brandon watched her leave. What was so urgent that she couldn't have waited until the end? "At least it's not my fault this time," he mumbled, returning his attention towards the screen again.

Leaving the theater in an almost state of panic, Stella finally whipped her phone out, dropping it in her state of shock. She picked it up again, letting out a mewl of frustration. She ignored the other senders, focusing her attention only on the most recent one.

She bit her lip in anticipation, letting her fingers shakily open the message. Her eyes widened at the empty message. Seeing past the cryptic message, Stella knew exactly where she needed to be.

~ Inside the Theater - 8:45 PM ~

The lights slowly turned on as the intermission suspended the movie temporarily. People slowly filed out to head out to grab something to eat/drink or use the restroom.

The guys asked their girls what they wanted before standing up. And that's when they noticed the absence of one.

"Where did Stella go?" Bloom asked casually, turning around and noticing the empty seat beside Brandon.

"Oh. She left," Brandon shrugged.

"Left? What do you mean she left?" Layla asked with a hard edge to her tone.

Brandon realized his words had conveyed something else entirely. They didn't seem to think that Stella left. They somehow seemed to think that he was the one who made her leave, if their little glares were any indication.

Musa cast him a special suspicious look, having seen his prior record on scaring her best friend away with ruthless comments.

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" he argued defensively against Musa's accusing stare. "She left on her own. And you can call her to verify," he said, holding his head up high. Great. A part of him wondered if she really left to grant him some payback. Hey, he didn't do anything wrong this time. If she really left because he told her to mute her phone, then she really needed a reality check.

~ Campus - 9:10 PM ~

Stella hastily paid the cab driver before he went on his way. In her fright, she was pretty sure she handed him a few extra bucks, but her thoughts were too shambled to think straight. Her mind barely registered the cumulonimbus clouds gathering into dense thunderheads above the city. Her hair slowly lost its curls and fell straight as it drizzled. The night was young, but the campus was almost empty. There were a few students here and there lingering around, waiting for their ride at the bus stop.

She headed back in the general direction of her residence, walking swiftly and away from the streetlights. She looked around, keeping herself grounded in the shadows, unaware of the dark figure that clocked her every move. That's what the empty message signaled. That someone will come to her if she didn't go to them. And…that's where she is. Hiding in the shadows yet walking in plain sight. Her lips trembled more from the chill of her fright rather than tonight's cold.

It was surprising that there were still vulnerable places in a well-rounded, reputable campus such as this one. Despite the cameras and streetlights, there still remained corners and shadows that were yet to be monitored. There were still places to hurt and get hurt. Her feet moved purely on adrenaline as she looked around for any signs of normalcy. Suspicious activity was her sense of normalcy for she saw it every—

She suddenly gasped when an arm lashed out from the alleyway she just walked past. Her natural reflex was to open her mouth and emit a deafening screech, but a hand roughly clamped it shut before using another to press her roughly against the wall. Her heart raced out of her mind as she watched her captor's face being masked by the dark, caliginous shadows. The rain seemed to have picked up speed and intensity though it was nowhere the fear blooming out of control in her heart. She felt as if she's being smothered by a pillow. Not enough to kill her but just enough to cripple her alive. She didn't have to see her captor's face. She didn't have to see in whose arms she was trapped in. She didn't even have to hear. She already knew. It's—

"Hello, beautiful," a deep, gruff voice softly growled in her ear, slowly withdrawing the hand that suffocated over half her face.

Her eyes widened at the familiar voice. It wasn't…it wasn't who she thought. Her guess had been wrong. "D-Drake?" she whispered, her voice shaking worse than a leaf.

The thunder let out its first screech tonight, momentarily lighting up his face. "How have you been?" a slow smirk widened across his face as he placed his hands on either side of her head.

"D-D-Drake," she stuttered helplessly in a faint whisper, going weak in the knees. Tears touched her eyes and she didn't know whether she was relieved or even more frightened.

He gave her a very detailed onceover before his smirk collapsed into a soft chuckle. "Why are you so nervous?" he drawled lazily, running an index finger over her damp cheek.

She didn't have it in her to retaliate. She felt drained as if someone had sucked the living force right out of her at once. "…I thought…I t-thought it was…I thought i-it was—" she stammered, unable to still her racing nerves.

"Hunter?" he finished smoothly.

She shakily nodded, trembling.

"Oh, he isn't here," he dismissed her thought airily.

She blinked, guarding her tears of fright from flooding her face. "…It isn't t-time yet," she whispered weakly. She had more time. She knew she did!

He appeared amused. "Oh, I'm not here for that," he smirked. "I wanted to see you. And, of course, make surethat you're okay…" he trailed off in a whisper.

She remained silent.

"And what do you know? You looked more than okay. You looked like you're having fun," he smirked.

Stella's eyes widened. "P-Please," she stuttered. "They d-don't know anything," she breathed harder. "I d-didn't say anything. You know I wouldn't!" she protested. She blinked back tears. Her voice sunk with desperation as he only silently stared at her, listening to each of her pleas though his eyes suggested otherwise. "Please don't hurt them. You know that I wouldn't tell anyone. You know that," she insisted. "Please…" she whispered weakly, trying to reassure him that their secrets and dirty laundry were safe and hidden from this prying world. She lost all resistance before tears poured out of her eyes, mingling with the rain. "Please. I'll do anything. Please…just don't hurt them."

Her head remained lowered as she closed her eyes, trying not to cry. She has never hated her life more than she did in this very moment, but ironically, she knew she'll say the same, damn thing again sooner or later.

He lifted her head using his index to raise her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Now why on earth would I ever hurt the people you love?" he teased. "You've been such a good girl to us."

Stella bit her lip, not understanding whether he was being serious or mocking her. "…It isn't time yet, Drake," she whispered, reminding him. "You promised you'll give me two more months."

He let out a smooth tsk. "Uh uh, I didn't. Hunter did, and…you know how well he keeps his promises," he chuckled.

So that's why he's here. To inform her that her deadline has been cut short and was preponed. She feared the new date.

"…Please. Give me two more months," she stuttered. "Eight weeks." That's reasonable, right? She wasn't asking for too much. She wasn't asking for an extension. She was asking to keep things the way they were supposed to be.

He gave her a long glance. "Alright. Six weeks it is then," he smirked. "But only because it's you," he winked like he was actually doing her a favor instead of the other way around.

She shut her eyes at the new date, cursing the fate of the one responsible for her misery. Killing herself wasn't an option. God knows how many times she has tried it and barely lived to tell the tale.

"You're my favorite, you know," he said in a hushed tone, tracing a finger delicately down her cheek. "I wouldn't dream of hurting you…as long as you do your job. I would hate to mess up this pretty face."

She looked away, angry tears burning in her eyes. She shut her eyes as he leaned in, leaving a fluttering kiss on her pale, chilled cheek before finally stepping away from her and disappearing into the shadows. Her cheek burned from the touch and not in a good way. She felt as if her skin was set aflame by the darkest form of evil, burning and corrupting whatever purity she had left in her from within.

Shuddering, Stella collapsed to her knees. She could barely feel her legs anymore. She felt sick. Tears fell harder down her face.

Shuddering, she collapsed to her knees. She could barely feel her legs anymore. Her legs tumbled first, collapsing like jelly. She felt sick. Tears fell harder down her face. She covered her face with her hands, frustrated at the black, rainy cloud that had dutifully stalked her for years. The colors of the spring seemed vacuous, the songs of the birds sounded like chaos and pandemoniums, the melody of the wind tasted like grief, and the luster of thunder resembled the hurricane that's been inside of her for god-knows-how-long.

She wished she grew up in an abusive home instead of an abusive society. Anything. She'd take and bear anything that isn't a part of the life she's living. She hated this world so much, and she especially hated that part of her, which still believed, even after everything she saw, that there is at least one corner of the world that is beautiful, that isn't tainted by anything other than joyous laughter.

Stella struggled to swallow the ugly lump in her throat. She wanted so badly to cry. But she can't. There will be — no, there is no one to lift her up or tell her that everything will be okay.

Finally summoning a little bit her energy, the blonde slowly stood up, clutching the wall for dear life. Her legs still remained wobbly and shaky from the earlier encounter. She got out of the alleyway and slowly walked towards her dorm, eager to wash this nightmare off from her memories. However, she could barely move. She didn't notice the rain soaking her from head to toe nor the squishy sounds her boots made as she walked through puddles of clogged water.

She didn't know how for long she snailed her way towards her residence. She walked less than hundred meters before her knees gave way. She tumbled down on the sidewalk and stared dead ahead. The roads were empty, but of course, why wouldn't they be at this time of night? Campuses were notorious for emptying out on time.

She didn't know for long she sat there, getting soaked in the rain like a lost puppy. Her hair was a frizzy mess, and she had no idea how much of her makeup was still intact nor did she really care. Her eyes were hollow and unmoving. Her heart, raunchy with pain, begged her to get a hold of herself. But she couldn't. She was tired of this. She was tired of fighting every single day. She was tired of being a bitch. She was tired of having to lie to every day. She was tired of not being able to cry. She was…tired. She had people to lean on, but no one to cry on.

Time flooded past as she sat on the cold stone. She felt as if an eternity had passed, but she didn't feel any better. She felt void. Her eyes, so still and unblinking, seemed to be in a trance, or they would've definitely noticed the pair of black combat boots nearing her before stopping just in front of her feet.

She blinked when she suddenly didn't feel the beating of the rain. Odd. She was enjoying that cold water stabbing against her skin. Wanting an answer to the answer, she slowly raised her eyes, surprised to see boots, jeans, bomber jacket, and…

"…Asshole?" she whispered in an almost inaudible tone as she met the eyes of her very own roommate, who was holding an umbrella above her.***

AN: Hi again! I hope you liked the chapter. Thank you so much for reading. :) I thought it'd be cool to just leave the ending of the chapter a little ambiguous, but no worries, the gaps will be filled in the next chapter. You also may've noticed that I didn't include a preview for the next chapter. That's because there are a couple of gaps that I'm trying to fill, and I think including a preview might be…dishonest? I don't know. Anyways! I hope you enjoyed!

***I stole this scene from a particular drama. Jk, haha, no. I didn't. More like, I was really inspired by it. To those of you who may not know, I love KDramas. And one of my favorites is called Legend of the Blue Sea. In the ending of the first episode, the hero of the drama (played by actor Lee Min-ho) extends his hand and tilts his umbrella towards the heroine in a similar fashion. Her situation isn't as despicable as Stella's here, but I loved that scene so much! It was so cute and so sweet. You can actually see that ten-second moment on one of the drama's official posters, just in case you're curious. :) Other than that visual, there won't be anything that will be similar between the drama and this story, so don't worry, I'm definitely not bootlegging anything. :)

Also, I just want to say that I'm really grateful for the many people who've been following the story for a pretty long time. I'm currently a little busy in RL, so while I may not be able to update very frequently, I have no intention of abandoning anything. Just wanted to put that out there. I hope you stick around to the end. Thank you so much. :)