(Remake, The story changed)

Amelia Wilson

The school day soon ended. We didn't take so many subjects. Only math and freaking French, I understood NOTHING in French.

I spent the whole day chatting with Laura and Caleb. They were so nice to me, Laura even gave me some chocolate. It was the first time someone ever treated me so well in years. I've been really paranoid since what happened... two years ago.

As I was walking, I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hey, beggar girl. I've been f-cking looking for you everywhere!"

Fear gripped my heart as I heard Zaid's voice behind me. His tone was laced with annoyance.

I mustered up the courage to turn and face him, my heart pounding in my chest. "What do you want?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"To f-cking go home!" he yelled angrily.

Anger flared within me as he unleashed his foul-mouthed tirade.

"Keep your voice down," I retorted. "Can't you see we're in public?"

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Yeah whatever, come on. I have things to do"

"Yeah right, like sitting on the couch and playing video games?" I muttered.

"Shut up and start walking. Beggar girl." He retorted.

I followed him in silence, feeling a mix of defiance and resentment. I couldn't help but feel a surge of anger and resentment as he continued to use that demeaning nickname. It stung deeply, reminding me of the stark contrast between our financial disparities. His arrogance and sense of entitlement only added to my frustration.

"Can't you call me something else?" I snapped, finally finding the courage to voice my annoyance. "You can't just keep calling me 'beggar girl' every time you see me."

He smirked "I can do whatever I want. Beggar girl."

His smirk sent a shiver down my spine, his arrogance and disregard for me fueling my defiant spirit.

"I have a name, you know. Use it." There was a slight tremble in my voice but I tried to maintain my assertiveness.

"Can't you shut up for a minute?" He said without even looking at me.

I gave up, he was an asshole, there was no point in arguing with him. But the whole time we were walking, people gave me really wired looks. 

It was strange how our presence seemed to ignite whispers and murmurs among them. I couldn't help but wonder why we stood out so much.

"Do you know why they are staring at us?" I muttered under my breath.

"Us?" he let out a scoff laugh. "There is no us. They are staring at you." He shrugged.

"Me? Why?" I responded incredulously, my eyes widening in disbelief. I couldn't fathom the reason behind the odd stares directed my way.

He rolled his eyes as if my question was silly. "Of course they are, look at you." He gestured at my entire body with a mocking sneer. "Wanna know why I let you walk with me? Well listen to this. 'The most handsome and unapproachable person in school. Was kind enough to care about a beggar girl. And he is so nice and caring. He didn't care if she looked like trash, and still walked with here.' these are the rumors spread about you." He smirked.

"W-what? That's not what happened!" I cried out in disbelief, my heart racing with shock and confusion. I couldn't fathom the bizarre rumors that were circulating about us.

"We didn't walk together because you were being kind. People got the wrong idea!" I protested, trying to defend myself against the absurd rumors.

He shot me a glance. "People here, all of them are under my mercy. And they believe. Everything.I.Say."

I stared back at him, my heart pounding in my chest as his words sank in. The realization of his influence over the school's population dawned upon me, and the implication behind his statement sent a shiver down my spine.

"A-are you saying that you've been telling people these things? Why...w-why would you do something like that?" My voice trembled slightly, a mix of fear and anger welling up inside me.

"Because I can." he simply uttered.

"You're a heartless bastard, you know that?" I spat, my voice quivering with a mixture of rage and helplessness. "You have no right to play with people's reputations like that!"

He patted my shoulder. "When you're rich, you have the right to do whatever you want. And dumb people will obey."

I recoiled from his touch, my body involuntarily tensing as he patted my shoulder. The air of entitlement surrounding him only fueled my growing distaste.

"Just because you have wealth doesn't mean you can trample on people's feelings and lives. You're just a bully, using your damn money to manipulate and hurt others." I retorted, the defiance evident in my voice.

He chuckled. "Oh... But people would never dare say anything, would they?"

"Because they're afraid of you." I shot back, my voice tinged with bitterness. "You use your wealth and status as a weapon, and no one dare to defy you, do they?"

He shrugged and looked at me. "So be it. In return, everyone is trying to please me." He got some love letters out from his pocket. 

"But they all mean nothing." My eyes widened as he casually discarded the letters, crumpling them into a ball and tossing them into the bin on the street. It was a stark display of arrogance and indifference. I felt a mixture of disgust and pity for those who had poured their hearts into those letters, only to be treated with such disdain.

"Don't you ever care?" I muttered, unable to fathom his callous disregard for other people's affection.

He shock his head nonchalantly. "Nope."

I couldn't comprehend his heartless attitude. It disgusted me how he took people's feelings and affections as worthless.

"You're unbelievable," I retorted. "You don't know what it feels like to care about someone or be cared for. All you care about is yourself."

He didn't answer, and just continued walking. Something seemed off about him when I said that. 

"Do you ever feel lonely?" I questioned, my voice tinged with a mix of frustration and compassion. "Does having money really fill that void within you?"

He looked away. "Yes... It does." We were really close to the house now.

The sincerity in his response caught me off guard. For a moment, I saw a glimpse of vulnerability beneath his usual facade. It was as if he was trying to convince himself more than me.

"But-" He roughly opened the door. 

"You talk too f-cking much, shut up." 

I was cut off mid-sentence as the harshness in his tone suddenly returned. My heart sank, and a pang of hurt shot through me.

"I was just trying to-" I started, my voice tinged with a mixture of frustration and sadness. But he didn't give me a chance to finish.

"I don't care. Go away." He snapped, pushing me roughly through the doorway.

I gritted my teeth. He didn't care and went straight to the couch, he threw his bag on it then plopped down and grabbed the Xbox controller.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not even going to change your clothes?"

He didn't look at me. "None of your damn business. Beggar girl." He turned on a really loud game. Almost immediately I heard Dylan and Devin came running to his side. 

As the room was instantly filled with the sounds of the blaring game and the excited chatter of Devin and Dylan, I was left standing there, feeling isolated and ignored. The dismissive attitude of Zaid and his casual remark sent a pang of hurt through me.

Without another word, I turned and walked upstairs to where my room is. I glanced at the roses that were placed in a vase when I first came here. They looked like they were about to welt. That reminded me. I glanced at his room, beside his door was a huge vase too. I was confused, why did he keep those flowers there. Even though they were completely dry and dead. 

Despite my better judgment, I couldn't help but peak into the room. As I peered through the door, a strange sight greeted me. There, arranged on the desk, were dried flowers, carefully preserved in a frame. It seemed like some kind of display,  it puzzled me. How Didn't I notice them before?

Slowly and cautiously, I walked over to the flowers, my heart pounding as I wondered about their significance. They seemed like they were once vibrant with life, yet now lay withered and dried, their colors faded and petals brittle.

I hesitantly touched the petals, feeling the brittle texture under my fingertips. "What happened to you?" I whispered to the flowers, as if they could respond.

As I looked more closely, I noticed a small card tucked behind the frame. My curiosity piqued, I carefully picked it up, my heart racing at the thought of what secrets it might hold.

With trembling hands, I read the message written on the card. But it was too faint and faded to make out the words. I squinted, trying to decipher the letters, but the ink had faded too much.

"What the f-ck do you think you're doing!?" Suddenly I heard Zaid's voice. 

Startled by Zaid's sudden outburst, I flinched and inadvertently snapped the stem of one of the dry flowers in the arrangement. My heart skipped a beat, and I froze, feeling a surge of anxiety and guilt.

"I-I'm sorry!" I whispered, my voice filled with sincerity and regret. "I didn't mean to damage anything, I was just-." My body trembled slightly.

He stormed into the room, his eyes wild and his fists clenched. It was as if a switch had flipped within him, his previously cool demeanor now replaced with pure anger and fury.

"What have you done!?" he yelled his voice a low, menacing growl. "You think you can just waltz into my room and start touching my things?" 

"N-no... I was-" I tried to say something but he did let me, he snatched the card from me and shoved it into his pocket. 

I tried to back away, but there was no where to go. Just what was I thinking when I came in here without permission...

He grabbed the broken flower gently in his hand. "Do you even have any f-cking idea what you just did!!"

I flinched, I saw him angry before. But not that angry. "I-It's already dead, why are you overeating..." I muttered.

His grip tightened around the broken flower, his knuckles turning white. Completely crushing it into pieces with his iron grip. "You don't get to decide what's important and what isn't!" He spat.

He slammed the shattered flower petals onto the table, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and anguish.

"You have no clue how f-cking special these flowers are to me!!"

I desperately wanted to get away from him, he was crazy, and would get violent really quickly. "Please... calm down. I said I am sorry." 

He stepped closer, closing in on me like a predator. His tall form loomed over me, making me feel smaller and more vulnerable.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it!" he shouted. "You just keep ruining everything!"

"Ruining everything?" I retorted, my voice tinged with sadness and frustration. "How can I ruin something that was already dead?!"

His eyes flared up. A look I never saw before, even in my mom's eyes. Suddenly he raised his hand up and before I could even react. He slapped me really hard, Causing me to hit the wall behind me. "Don't ever say that word ever again!"

My hand went up to my now red cheek, I was speechless. I know he kept threatening to do this but I never thought he would actually do it... 

Suddenly he realized what he just did, and his eyes were wide open, he backed away from me. "F-ck... listen I didn't mean to-" 

I felt my eyes water, I glared up at him. "You're a f-cking monster! I hate you!" With that I pushed him and stormed to my room, as I walked out I saw Devin who looked like he saw it all. But I didn't care, I went straight to my room.

As I shut the door behind me, tears streamed down my face. The stinging pain in my cheek was nothing compared to the aching in my heart. I never imagined he'd actually hit me. In all the time we'd spent together, he'd come close to lashing out, but today he'd gone too far.

I sank down on my bed, burying my face in the pillow as sobs wracked my body. 

Anger, frustration, and bitterness consumed me, mixing with sadness. Suddenly I felt like I was being suffocated, and the air felt thicker and hotter. I needed to get away. I quickly got up and stumbled to the window, throwing it open. The instant refreshing breeze cooled my hot skin, I could breathe again.

I let out a chocked sigh, then dropped to the floor. Tears continued to stream down my cheeks  silently. And the soft breeze that was coming out of the window, kept making the white curtains fly. 

Ahm Ahm, Why do you think it triggered him so much?