Chapter 5 A new me.

I screamed myself awake.

My chest rose and fell heavily with beads of sweat on my forehead, while my fingers were gripping the sheets tightly. I had just had a bad dream—a bad dream about being bullied in the most tormenting way.

And this wasn't the first time it had happened. I'd had several frightening dreams like this ever since high school, when it all started.

"It was just a dream....Just a dream." I mumbled shakily to myself.

I quickly looked around the room, wondering if my scream had woken anyone up.

But no one was around.

My gaze slowly shifted toward Caroline and Maya's beds, and my chest tightened slightly when I noticed they were already neatly arranged.

They had left without me.

I sighed, looking down at my hands in defeat. I couldn't believe that my roommates had sided with Tristan without hearing me out.

Last night, I left the party very early. Getting pushed into the pool was a clear signal that no one wanted me there.

Andrew drove me back to this dorm, and after cleaning up, I fell asleep. That's why I couldn't talk to them about it last night.

I thought maybe things would be different this morning. Maybe Caroline and Maya would at least ask for my side of the story...

But I guess I expected too much. It stung to know that despite how nice they seemed, they were ready to treat me like a nobody because of Tristan Reed.

It took me a few minutes to bury my sadness and get out of bed. I couldn't miss my first day of class because of that jerk. I had already promised myself not to allow him to limit me again.

I didn't take long to shower, knowing I was already late, but when it came to my dress, make-up, and hairstyling, I put in extra effort.

I wanted a comeback look—a look that would show how undefeated I was.

I styled my hair in a sleek ponytail that exposed my cheekbones and jawline, leaving a few loose strands to softly frame my face. Then, for my dress, I wore an emerald-green bodycon dress that my mom gifted me on my birthday.

I loved it because it hugged my figure, and the off-shoulder neckline made the dress look effortlessly elegant. I paired the dress with a strappy nude heel, and since I didn't like being heavily made up, I went for nude makeup.

As I stared at my reflection, it reminded me of Tristan. I suddenly recalled his shaken look as he pulled me out of the water. I could suddenly feel his arms around me. He had held me so tightly as if he was scared to let go.

‘Why did he care?’ I thought, but I immediately shook my head, refusing to let his fake heroics mess with my mind.

I refocused on my outfit. I hadn't dressed this well in a long while. I liked what I saw.

As I walked into the school hallway, I could feel a thousand eyes staring at me while students mumbled things to each other. But I refused to break down. I won't give them more reasons to say bad things about me.

I lifted my chin slightly, pretending not to notice the whispers as I walked past groups of students. But ignoring them was harder than I thought because this time they weren't even lowering their voices.

"That's her,"

"The girl from the pool party,"

"She really kissed Andrew in front of Tristan?"

"I heard she was into Tristan before switching to Andrew."

I paused in my steps as I clenched my jaw tightly. Me? Into Tristan? What are all these rumours? Well, that's the bad thing about situations like this, you would definitely hear wrong things about yourself.

A few girls standing next to the lecture hall for my second class looked me up and down as I walked past.

"Well, at least she cleans up nicely," I heard one of them say, and as I dashed into the hall, I leaned against the door, taking in a deep breath.

I was so glad to be away from the stares, glares, and mumbling. And thankfully, I still had a few minutes before the first class that I skipped finished.

The lecture hall was almost empty, with only two students seated at the far back discussing something quietly among themselves.

I slowly walked to one of the middle rows and sat down, then pulled out my introduction to jurisprudence textbook and began reading.

I tried to focus on the words in front of me rather than the wrong statements flying around about me, and soon enough, I became so absorbed in reading that I didn't think about it again.

"You look very serious for someone reading this early in the morning."

I flinched slightly at the sudden voice beside me and turned quickly, only to find Andrew sitting next to me with an amused smile on his face.

"When did you get there?" I asked, shocked, and he chuckled softly.

"About five minutes ago."

"What?" I whispered, surprised that I hadn't noticed him.

"You looked so focused, and I didn't want to disturb. Besides, I enjoyed staring at you." He continued as his eyes flickered over me.

"You look beautiful." He added, and my cheeks turned bright red.

"Well... thank you," I said, smiling, and he smirked.

"I was worried sick about you after last night. And cheering the things people have been saying about you…” He trailed off, sighing

There was a minute of silence between us before he spoke up again, his expression turning serious.

"How are you feeling, though?" He asked, with concern etched in his tone, and I shrugged. I wasn't used to opening up.

"Better than yesterday." I lied smoothly, and Andrew studied me for a few seconds as he could see through the lie, but thankfully, he didn't push further.

"There's a hockey game tonight. I think you should come." He suggested, and my stomach tightened.

I knew Tristan would be there, and the last thing I needed was to see him praised for his skills on the field.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to." Andrew quickly added, noticing the hesitation on my face, and a part of me wanted to refuse instantly.

Yesterday was humiliating enough.

Showing up at a hockey game filled with people who hated me sounded like voluntary torture.

But then I remembered that I had promised myself I wouldn't let Tristan Reed control my life again.

Avoiding places because of him was exactly what the old Lydia would do, and I was tired of being that version of myself.

So instead of refusing, I slowly nodded. "Okay," I answered, and Andrew looked genuinely surprised.

"Okay?" He confirmed, and I rolled my eyes lightly.

"Don't make me change my mind," I responded, and he chuckled.

But as Andrew smiled, I couldn’t stop thinking about Tristan Reed. I knew he would be there and a part of me was scared that he would worsen the rumour going round.

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