CHAPTER 4

I glance at the girl who's now glaring at me probably expecting an apology from me but I just walk past her. 

“A sorry would do, bitch.” She yells and I proceed to walk away rolling my eyes without turning back.

My phone chimes in my pocket indicating that I have a new text and I fish it out. It is Elsa. 

Elsa.

Where the fuck are you? 

Me.

Will be there in a few.

I text back and slide my phone in my pockets as I walk out of the building, I know she is freaking out already.

“You okay?” Elsa asks me alarmingly when I stop in front of her and I shake my head. 

I am not okay. 

“The school’s shrink called me to his office, I knew this whole thing was a waste of time.” I tell her. 

“He did?” she asks me rhetorically. 

“Yes but I stormed out of his office the second he introduced himself as the school’s thera…

“Really, Belle?” She asks me raising her eyebrows all the way up. “You should have given him a chance maybe he is different.” 

I am not in the mood for this right now.

“I am starving,” I announce.

“Way to change the topic?” 

"I am just hungry." I lie and she glares at me skeptically before leading me to the cafeteria.

It is a fancy one, I observe as she leads me to an empty table at the furthest left. 

“You have waiters in a school's Cafe?” 

“This is State University, what do you expect?” She signals a waitress and she makes our orders just as some girls approach our table. 

They are busy talking and shrieking about something and if I heard them correct they mentioned Jake and Lucas. I guess they are hopelessly in love or maybe they are dating them.

“If Lucas will be there then I am in,” one of the girls shrieks. 

Really Lucas?  

“Lucas won’t even notice you,” the other girl tells her. They must be Elsa’s friend and I guess they sit with her for lunch. 

They pull out seats opposite us, confirming my speculations and I just sigh deeply. I was hoping it would be just the two of us but I understand that Elsa has friends unlike me.

“Guys this is my sister her name is…”

“Bella…we have a common class,” the girl who was shrieking says sweetly.

“It is Belle,” Elsa corrects her friend and glances at me.

“Belle this is Marya,” she tells me pointing at the girl who we happened to have a common class with. “And this is Josie.” Josie flashes me a warm smile that I rudely ignore.

“Nice meeting you, Belle,” Marya say too sweetly and I just stare at her. 

I am glad when the waitress comes back with our order a few minutes later and I get busy with my fork completely ignoring their presence.

**♦**♦**♦**♦**

I am in my last class waiting for the professor who is twenty minutes late and I am sitting in the first row between two empty seats and I am glad that there is no one sitting close to me. I make to sit my bag on the right seat but someone sits on the seat hastily and I am forced to sling my bag on the chair since the left seat is already taken.

“I get to sit next to the hottest girl today, I am super lucky.” I turn to glare at Jake who is hell bent on ruining my first day in a campus. 

Why is he so stubborn? If given a chance to make a wish I would wish to never see his jerk face ever again. He is so irritating and he seems to be everywhere.

“You don’t learn, do you?” I ask and he shakes his head angling his position to face me fully.

“Not when I want something so bad,” he winks.

“You want death so baaad?” He grins at me and I automatically roll my eyes. I want to strangle him again.

“If it means having you when we pass on to the next life, then yes,” they thought I have a mental problem, they should meet Jake. He is mental, completely insane.

“You need a therapist, Jake,” I tell him with a sneer. Why am I even talking to him anyway?

“We both know who was in Bran’s office today,” he saw me? Was he following me? "I saw you.” He answers my unspoken question. He is really engaging me and I should give him some credit. 

I turn to Lucas who is busy on his phone and his headphones on. How on earth does he tolerate Jake?

“Can we shift position?” I ask him but he ignores me. I reach for his headphones and he glares at me when I try to take them off. 

“What!” He snaps at me and some people turn to look at us. I don’t even blame him, I can relate actually. I do that too.

“Can we switch positions?” He glances at Jake before muttering a sure. 

Thank God.

The professor walks in shortly after Lucas and I are done switching positions and I am glad Jake is not sitting next to me throughout the session. 

Three two hours later the Professor walks out and I sigh in relief, this is my first day in school and I have made an official conclusion that campus sucks.

I have sat down for three hours listening to nothing in particular. I shove my note book in my bag and I and take my phone and headphones out.

“We are going for the ice cream?” Jake asks me and I just stare at him. 

“Come on, live a little,” I shake my head stoutly and walk outt but I can feel him behind me, I spot Elsa standing with Maya and Josie immediately I step out and I  walk towards them. 

“You are okay?” Elsa asks me and I nod. I am okay, I guess. She glances at me one more time before fishing her phone out of her pocket.

“They are walking towards us,” Maya shrills, she is that desperate and hopelessly in love with Lucas.

“Let’s go guys,” Jake tells them and I look at Elsa trying to tell her something but she is busy scrolling her phone.

“Let’s go, Belle,” Jake tells me when he notices that I am hesitant. 

“I am not in the mood,” I tell him flatly and the rest turn to look at me.

“You know I am your only ride home,” Elsa reminds me.

“I will uber back home, just go and have some fun.” she pouts at me. “I will be okay,” I assure her.

“Come on, Belle, don’t be a mood killer,” Josie starts.

“You are coming with us and I am not taking no for an answer,” Jake says crossing the distance between us.

“You heard her, Jake, she doesn’t want to go!” Lucas tells Jake, coming to my rescue. “I will drive her home.” He offers and they all turn to look at him. Maya looks at him hopefully but he doesn’t even turn to her direction.

“She should come….” Jake starts.

“She doesn’t want to come! I will see you guys later let me drop her home first,” He stands his ground. 

Elsa looks at me indirectly asking if I am okay with him driving me home and I nod. 

“It is okay, go have fun.”

She crosses the distance between us and takes me in her arms for a hug. 

“Call me if you need anything,” I nod when she steps back and I watch her walking towards her friends. 

“Let’s go, Bella.” 

“The name is Belle,” I tell him rolling my eyes.

“Same thing, ” 

Bella is dead and I am alive it can never be the same thing. Bella and Belle are two different names. I hate it when people call me Bella, it reminds me of everything that happened eleven years ago, things I would rather forget. 

It freaks me out, it makes my heart cold, it makes me want to punch someone so hard and it changes my view of the entire world.

“Just don’t call me Bella,” I don’t want to argue with him.

“There is no difference,” I thought Lucas was cool but I guess he is just like Jake, birds of the same feather.

I put my headphones on to shut him out and I follow him to his car. He walks to the driver’s seat and I sit shotgun and after giving him the address, I keep myself busy on my phone for the next thirty minutes doing nothing in particular.

“You are home, Bella,” he tells me pulling in our drive way.

“The name is Belle,” I turn towards him with a glare. He is annoying as fuck.

“Why did you strangle my friend today?” he asks me when I reach for the door and I turn to look at him.

“He snatched my phone and I lost it, you friend is such a big ass.” I tell him and he grips my hand when I try to get out. 

“And you, the bigger ass, let go of my hand.” I yell at him shutting my eyes for a second hoping that he will let go of me by the time I open my eyes.

“And that made you strangle him?” he asks me calmly.

“Yes, he pissed me off real bad.” I tell him. “Now let go of me?” I warn him but he tightens his grip on me instead, he is not taking my threat seriously. I scream at him and my hand balls into fists but he just holds me stronger and I lose it.

I swing my free hand at him but he holds it with his other hand and turns to look at me with his impassive, stoic face.