Trigger Warning: This chapter contains scenes depicting mild violence and sexual assault.

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AFTER ROBIN DROPPED me off at my dorm, I couldn't help but feel as if something had changed between us. Before, I only felt disdain at the very mention of the young heir's name, but now there was something else there that I couldn't quite explain.

Maybe it was the fact that he didn't seem all that bad when we weren't trying to bite each other's heads off. In fact, spending so much time with him made me realise that there was much more to him than he'd like to reveal to others, which only made me even more curious to find out more.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, what he said about me being a hypocrite was true. I never gave him or his friends a chance and decided myself that they were just horrible spoiled brats because that was what everyone else thought. It was quite unfair though, since it was clear to me that no one really knew the boys even though the whole school worshipped them. It seemed as if everyone fed themselves a fantasy of who these boys were instead of really getting to know them. With that, I decided to give Robin Clair and his friends a chance to prove me wrong.

I think that Robin and I were quite alright. We were by no means friends, but last night was definitely a start. Just the thought of that put me in a pretty good mood, which was saying something because it was Monday, after all.

When I walking to my first class, I couldn't help but notice the stares I was receiving from almost everyone I walked past. I tried to listen to Yuko's advice, but it was actually much harder when I was alone. Ducking my head down, I quickened by pace and practically speed-walked to my classroom, where I headed to my usual seat on the third row.

My presence was usually ignored but the minute I walked into class, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and stared at me with wide eyes, unreadable expression plastered across their faces. Fear? Disgust? Envy? Before I had the chance to figure out the reason why I've suddenly become the centre of their attention, the teacher walked in.

It was safe to say that I was the first person out of class the moment the bell rang, and I practically ran to the dining hall to find Jake and Wes. To my dismay, the stares and hushed whispers didn't end when the bell rang, and I was bombarded by it as I made my way to the dining hall.

This couldn't have had anything to do with the dance, right? There were no paparazzi present at the ball and Robin promised that word of this wouldn't get out to the public.

So why was I being scrutinised as if I was some sort of zoo animal?

When I reached Jake's table, I immediately noticed that Jake's seat was empty. Wesleigh and the others, however, were present. The moment Geraldine noticed me, the displeasure on her face intensified.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. This caught the attention of Jim and Becca and they tore their lips off each other to look at me. Wes didn't dare to meet my eye.

"What are you talking about?" I said hesitantly, furrowing my eyebrows. "Where's Jake?"

"We don't know," Jim said, frowning at me. "Not that you have the right to know about him, anyway."

"Yeah," Becca agreed, wrinkling her nose. "That's literally, like, so low of you to even do that."

"Do what?" I demanded, confusion evident on my features.

"Go out with Robin Clair," Geraldine said, spitting out his name as if it was poison. "You're such a traitor."

"Yeah!" Becca echoed, crossing her arms. "I can't believe you'd use us just to get that asshole's attention."

"I'm not dating him," I said, frowning. So word about the dance did get out to the public. But how?

"Oh, please. Do you think we're stupid?" Geraldine spat, scoffing loudly. "The nerve of you! I should've known right from the start that you were just an attention-seeking whore. You totally lead Jake on and broke his heart, you heartless bitch."

"Alright, now this is completely ridiculous," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I glanced pleadingly at Wes, who still tried hard not to look into my eyes. "Wes, seriously. Can't you say something? You know I'm not like that!"

Wes shut his eyes tightly and looked up at me with a torn expression. He shook his head slightly, letting me know that he wasn't going to get involved in this. I felt the voice in my throat fade as I stared at Wes, completely flabbergasted. He wasn't going to stand up for me. My lips fell into a thin line and I narrowed my eyes at Wes, who had the audacity to look ashamed.

"See!" Geraldine smirked triumphantly. "No one wants you to sit here. Go and join your new boyfriend, why don't you?"

Rolling my eyes and shooting a glare at Wes, I shook my head and turned around. I glanced at the Centre Table, where Emily sat and shot me a concerned look. My eyes travelled to where Robin sat, locking eyes with him. He frowned slightly, tilting his head to one side when he noticed my irritated expression.

Even though I was annoyed at Geraldine and Becca, Wes really hit a sore spot. He was the one who I trusted the most, aside from Emily. I couldn't believe that he didn't even try to defend me. And what they said about me leading Jake on...didn't I tell him that I wasn't interested? Could it be that I wasn't clear enough? I felt my head throb as I was bombarded with thoughts about Jake. How did things turn sour so quickly?

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I TRUDGED BACK to my dorm the moment the last bell rang. I wasn't in the mood to face anyone, and I was frankly so tired from getting stared at the whole day. Was this how the Royals felt? No wonder they always seemed to be in a terrible mood.

I kicked open my door and threw my bag on the floor, diving head-first into the sofa and letting out a muffled scream of frustration. All I did was go out with Robin Clair, and it wasn't even because we liked each other. It was a job for me. A job. It wasn't like I could explain what we were doing without letting the cat out of the bag about me being Robin's fake girlfriend. I was honestly stuck.

I couldn't tell the truth but I felt absolutely horrible lying about it too.

With a groan, I flipped on my back and stared helplessly at the ceiling. If I had known it would be so much trouble to be seen with Robin, I would've avoided him like the plague from the beginning. I should've listened to Emily instead of thinking that she was simply over-exaggerating about the Royals. All I could do was to lay low and hope that it all passes quickly.

Suddenly, someone knocked violently on my door, causing me to sit up with a start. With a frown, I headed to the door and opened it. I haven't even opened the door all the way when Jake forced himself in, causing me to stumble backwards.

"Jake?" I said, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

"Is it true?" he asked, ignoring my question. He looked like a mess, with his dishevelled hair and crumpled clothes.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, frowning in confusion. Then, it hit me. He was asking about Robin Clair, like everyone else. I internally groaned, knowing that Jake would never understand.

"You and...him," he hissed, anger clouding his features. "I couldn't believe it when I heard about the two of you, but then Geraldine showed me this."

He threw down a local tabloid, and there was an unmistakable picture of Robin and I dancing at his parents' anniversary ball.

"Mystery girl in young billionaire's arms?" he read the title of the tabloid, looking at me with a mix of anger and disbelief. "I can't believe you'd do this to me. Geraldine warned me about you, she said you just wanted to use me!"

"That's not true, Jake. I wasn't using you or Wesleigh!" I protested angrily. "Geraldine knows nothing! I don't understand why she seems to hate me so much. I don't understand why you hate Robin so much! He's never done anything to you and yet you harbour so much hatred toward him!"

"So now you're defending him," Jake scoffed, narrowing his eyes. He glared daggers at me, running his hand roughly through his hair.

"There is nothing between Robin and me! And there is nothing between us, either, Jake! I don't have to explain myself to you as if I've done something wrong!" I cried, causing him to wince. The hurt in his eyes dissipated quickly and was replaced with fury, and he stalked towards me and grabbed my wrists roughly.

"I told you I liked you!" Jake hissed lowly, and I struggled to get out of his grip but to no avail. "You told me you weren't ready for a relationship then you go whoring around with that bastard─"

"Let go of me!" I spat, cutting him off. Jake let out an inhuman growl, pushing me against the wall ad effectively trapping me in place.

"You're such a slut!" he seethed, spit from his words hitting my face. "You act as if you're some kind of innocent little angel when in actual fact you're just a stupid bitch! I should've known you were like that when you flirted with Wes, my best friend!"

"I wasn't flirting with him!" I argued, but Jake's evil glare shut me up. He leaned closer and closer until we were only centimetres apart, and I tried to turn my head but he forced me to look at him.

"Stop it, Jake," I said quietly, struggling in his grip.

"If you're going to be a slut then I'm going to fucking help myself," he hissed in a sleazy tone, causing fear to pulsate through my veins. Jake forcefully kissed me despite my protests, shoving his slimy tongue into my mouth. Fearing for myself, I bit down hard on his tongue. This tactic worked and he howled in pain, releasing me from his grasp. I tried to catch my breath, wiping away his saliva and trying hard to keep my tears at bay.

Jake was supposed to be my friend. Someone I trusted. And now he was forcing himself onto me as if I was just some kind of object. I was so shaken up that I didn't notice that he had stopped yelling in pain, and instead looked even more furious.

"You crazy bitch!" he bellowed, before raising his hand and backhanding me across the face. The force of his hit was enough to send me sprawling across the floor, groaning in pain. Jake froze, staring at his hand as if it was a foreign object.

"A-Alex," he stuttered, eyes wide. He rushed over to me and tried to help me up, but I pushed him off me roughly.

"Get away from me," I hissed, clutching my burning cheek. Tears sprung in my eyes, threatening to spill over.

"I didn't mean─," he began, his voice dying inside of his throat. Guilt and regret flashed through his eyes, but the damage was done.

"Get out of my room," I said, glaring intensely at him. "And don't you ever come back. If you do, I'm going to report you to the police."

"Alex, I'm sorry. Please, let's just put this behind us," he practically begged. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard. I'm so fucking sorry."

"Just get out!" I screamed, not giving a damn about whether or not he would think I was some kind of crazy woman. I felt hot liquid splash down my face, and I cursed my traitorous tears. "Get out!"

Jake left without another word.

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I WOKE UP feeling like Death. I opened my mouth to yawn but winced when my cheek burned in protest. Clutching my sore face, I trudged into the bathroom and almost screamed when I saw my reflection in the mirror.

My eyes were red and puffy from crying and my skin was dull and pallid. However, the most horrifying thing of all was the big bruise that covered the majority of my left cheek. The skin around my cheek was badly discoloured, an ugly shade of yellow and blue. There was no doubt that it was Jake's doing.

How am I going to explain this to people? I'm not going to go to school today. I can't.

I wasn't in the mood to face anyone's judgemental stares and I doubted that I could cover up my bruise with make-up. And Jake, God, I didn't even want to be anywhere near him. He was in two of my classes and I was too scared to face him.

My clammy fingers rose to my cheeks, tracing the dark bruises on the side of my face. My throat constricted uncomfortably and I tried my hardest to forget his disgusting lips on mine. I couldn't believe he was such a low-life creep. I took my time to brush my teeth and freshen up, taking extra care to be gentle when I was washing my face. Then, I crawled back into my bed and threw my covers over my head.

Remembering that I had to call in sick and report to the office that I wasn't going to attend classes today, I sat up and reached for my phone on the night stand. I saw that I had about a dozen missed calls from Emily, Wes and surprisingly, Logan.

"Hello? This is Alexandra Knight, from dorm room H048. I'm calling in sick," I spoke softly through the phone. My voice come out strange, like I had the flu and a sore throat.

"Ah yes, of course. May I ask what sickness you have come down with?" the receptionist asked.

"Um, severe headache and a bad case of the flu. I wouldn't want to pass my flu to any of my schoolmates," I said, trying to sound convincing. A little lie wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

"I see, that's very considerate of you. I'll have one of the office ladies drop your homework at your door after school until you are well. Please leave the finished homework outside your door. If your homework is not submitted, you will immediately be called into the office. If you are caught faking your sickness to skip class, you will be severely punished. Understand?" the lady said through the phone, and I gulped.

"Understood."

"Alright, thank you for calling up to inform us. Rest well, Miss Knight."

I hung up the phone and heaved a sigh of relief. Lying about being sick was absolutely nerve-wrecking. I plopped back into my bed and replied to Emily's texts, telling her that I was just sick. I hoped Emily didn't visit. As much as I wanted someone to talk to, it would be too hard to explain the bruise on my face to her.

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 A/N: Please seek help if you are facing abuse. You are not alone. And the people who aren't involved in abuse, keep a look out for those around you. It's more common that we'd like to admit. If you do know anyone that is being abused, please speak up and help them seek help. 

Helpline: https://www.rainn.org/get-help?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj_HIosPt1wIVmgsrCh2KrQq1EAAYAiAAEgJKQvD_BwE