I was staring blankly at the floor, unable to do or say anything. No sound came out, no movement was made. I finally decided to look up at the guy in front of me without lifting my head. I stared deep into his eyes with a glare so intense that tears could slowly form. I closed my eyes and let out the softest sigh. I opened them again with my eyes shooting right at his. I lifted my arm to grab my backpack in the air, but I suddenly stopped. He came.

He walked over and grabbed the guy’s arm as he slowly pulled it down. He looked at him and grabbed my backpack out of the guy’s hand and looked straight into my eyes with a grin. My heart began to beat as fast as a hummingbird, beating as if there was no tomorrow. My knight and shining armor has come to save me. Or at least I thought. Unable to look back at him, I stared at the floor with the smallest smile. I slightly lifted my hand up to take back my belongings, but suddenly a dark, painful shock hit my heart. I blinked once and stared at the floor. Everything I owned was now scattered all over the floor. I looked up at him and all he did was stare right back at me as he continued to shake everything out of my backpack. He laughed with his friends and threw my backpack at my chest. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a piece of paper. He unraveled it and stamped it right in the middle of my forehead. His friends laughed as they walked away together. I quickly grabbed the paper off my face and read it: “First strike”. And right below it was an image of a skull. I stared at the paper and slowly crumbled it in my hands as I stared at him walk away.

The next day, I walked around campus like any typical day. However, I felt a deep humiliation surrounding me. I looked around to see every student I walked passed staring right at me with fingers pointing along with giggles. I looked down in unknown embarrassment as I took my phone out of my pockets to keep me company. I received a message that was sent to everyone, I opened the link and my heart dropped. Everything that happened yesterday was recorded and posted online. I tightly held onto my phone and shoved it back into my pockets. I continued to walk, but a familiar image stopped me. I lifted my head up to see a whole wall plastered with the same poster — my face and in the corner, the sticker that read “Second strike” and the skull below. Embarrassment began to rise, but soon anger began to boil inside. Unable to control my anger, I ran towards the wall and began to rip as many posters as I could. I suddenly stopped in frustration and threw what I had left of the poster in my hands onto the floor. I looked up and saw him. He gave me a smirk as he continued to walk his way with his friends, passing me like a stray animal. I clutched my hands in anger as I stared at him walk away once again.

I continued my day, feeling empty inside. With only stares of shame given to me, I paid no more attention to my surroundings. I began to walk aimlessly out of campus when suddenly a leg stuck out. I tripped and fell forward. I closed my eyes as I waited for the pain to hit me, but instead, I felt a presence. I slowly opened my eyes to see the person who caught me, or more specifically, the person I fell onto. With our face so close, my eyes slowly moved up and I saw who it was. Him. I looked at him with my eyes wandering around his face, but he just looked at me. He looked straight into my eyes so deep that I felt like I could feel him. No hesitations, no movements. With anger still boiling inside, I quickly pushed him away as I looked at him once more before I quickly ran passed him. He turned and smirked.

I walked back to get my bike, but what I saw was no longer mines. I returned back to a wheelless bike that had a familiar note left on the seat. I looked at the note from afar, “Third strike,” with a skull right below it. I ran over and ripped off the note and stared at it intensely.

I saw him and his friends sitting on a bench laughing with one another while my wheels were right by his side. I threw what was left of my bike right in front of their faces. They all slightly jumped as they looked at me, except for him. He was staring at me. I was no longer in anger, but in pure frustration. I stared right back at him as I crumpled up the note he left for me. Without taking my eyes off of him, I threw the note right at his face. He looked toward the floor at the crumpled up note, but he went back to look straight at me again. I continued to stare at him for a little longer and stormed off. His friends got up, but he stopped them. And this time, he watched me walk away.

The next day, I sat in the cafeteria room, eating alone as I always did since that video was uploaded. I didn’t have any appetite, so all I did was move my food around my plate. But suddenly, he walked in. He walked over and sat down right beside me. Everyone that was in the cafeteria looked at one another in fear and all scurried out. The only people left in the room was me and him. He looked at me without saying a word. Discomfort began to form, so I got up as I held onto my tray of food. I walked over to the trash, but he suddenly stopped me and grabbed my tray. He began to throw everything out for me. I looked at him with confusion, but I still smiled. He stopped to look at me, but quickly looked away awkwardly. His friends suddenly appeared and stood by us. He looked at them in surprise and then he looked at me. He lifted the tray and flipped it, dropping everything that was left onto the floor. He dropped the tray and walked away with his friends. I watch him again, but this time, with not even an ounce of anger. I turned away and let out a soft sigh as I bent down to clean up the mess. As he and his friends walked away, he stopped from behind and turned to look at me in regret.

The day ended and I began to walk home when my bike suddenly appeared out in front of me. A smile of joy fell upon my face to see my bike in perfect condition again. I looked up at the person, but the smile I had quickly turned dark. It was him. He got off the bike and gave it to me. I thought for a bit and grabbed my bike back. I got on and began to ride away, but he suddenly grabbed onto the back of my bike. I turned to look at him in regret of accepting, but all he did was smile at me. He hopped onto my bike with our backs against each other as we rode around campus. We both laughed and smile, but that all quickly ended when we hit the soccer field. He jumped off briskly as he looked at me then at the field where his friends were. Then suddenly, he ran off.

It was finally the weekend and a student was hosting a party at their house. After some debate, I finally decided to come as I walked into their backyard in my nice fitted dress. His friends began to point as they turned him around. He looked at me in awe as he scanned me from top to bottom. His friends suddenly pushed him towards me and we were face to face once again. He took a step closer as he continued to look at me. My heart was starting to beat fast as I stepped back. He continued to walk closer to me, but every step he took, I also took a step back. Before I knew it, I was by the edge of the pool and prepared for the fall. But suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed onto me. With our hands still holding onto each other, everyone at the party began to surround him, cheering him on to let go. He looked down at me, not knowing what to do, but just by looking at him, I could tell his eyes were shaking. I looked at him and gave him a smile, and then… I let go. Slowly, but surely, I fell into the pool with no regrets. His eyes widen as he watched me in despair and before I knew it, he jumped into the pool, holding onto me. He released me as I looked at him and chuckled. He looked back and did the same. As for everyone else, they all stared at each other in confusion. We looked at everyone above and then each other again and laughed.

I was back at school, walking in the halls like any normal day when a familiar poster caught my attention. I looked at the bulletin board and saw the same poster — my face with the sticker reading “Third strike” along with the skull. I let out a sigh and reached out to grab the poster, but a hand suddenly slammed onto the board, covering the warning sticker. I watched the hand as it slowly moved to the side, away from the poster. A new sticker was now covering the skull — a red heart. I stared at it and slowly turned around. I looked up to see him. He smiled at me as I looked down in embarrassment with my face blushing red. He looked at me as he held onto my face while tilting it up. I looked back at him and smiled as he did the same. And without realizing, we slowly got lost into each other’s eyes.