I'd been inseparable from the Sterling brothers since kindergarten—fifteen years of friendship. Then Phoebe transferred in. They stopped sitting by me. When I enforced class rules with her, they called me aggressive. When she cried over unfinished homework, Liam and Leo told me: "Transfer to Class 10, Celeste. You’re upsetting Phoebe." I dug my nails into my palm and agreed. Someone protested: "The exams are close! And her leg—she’ll get bullied in Class 10!" Liam sneered: "She deserves it. We’ve protected her too long." Leo added: "Time she tasted her own medicine." Outside, I silently applied to a university abroad. Our paths would never cross again. 1. The Transfer Student’s Tears The new transfer student was crying again. All I did was ask her for today’s English homework, and she just broke down. “Why are you only asking me? There are so many other people you could be collecting from first.” “I know you’re just trying to humiliate me. You know my English is bad, so you’re deliberately targeting me.” “You do this every day, don’t you? Just to show everyone that Liam and Leo have bad taste, that they chose me for their study group instead of you.” “Celeste, why are you so manipulative?” With that, she ignored the bell and ran out of the classroom, her eyes red and teary. Liam and Leo stood up, shot me a dark look, and followed her out. I watched their retreating backs, a wave of dizziness washing over me. I remember when I was the one running ahead, the one they were worried about. When I was three, my mother remarried and we moved into my stepfather’s house. That’s when I met the Sterling twins, Liam and Leo, who lived next door. From that day on, the three of us were inseparable. The first time they saw me, they promised to be my knights forever. And they were. I had a hard time adjusting to my new home. I missed my real father and cried myself to sleep every night. They stayed with me, day and night, until I finally came out of my shell. We went to kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school together, never once separated. They always said they would be with me forever, that they would always protect me. But everything changed when Phoebe arrived. Phoebe transferred from another school and was struggling to keep up. As the class representative, I was assigned by the teacher to tutor her. After I started tutoring her, I noticed she often skipped lunch. One day, I found her hiding in the classroom, eating a cold, hard bun with the free soup from the cafeteria. That’s when I realized how poor her family was. From that day on, I started looking out for her. I would bring her along when I went to the cafeteria with Liam and Leo. When she still couldn’t keep up with her studies, I invited her to join our study group. But I don’t know when it started. She grew closer and closer to Liam and Leo, and further and further from me. And now, she had completely taken my place. 2. The Knights’ Betrayal They finally came back at the end of the second period. Phoebe stood between them, her eyes still red. Liam gently stroked her hair and whispered something in her ear. She finally broke into a smile. Leo, seeing this, playfully tweaked her nose with his long fingers. She giggled, her smile even brighter. I watched them from a distance. They looked like the perfect couple from a teen drama, so beautiful, so enviable. Suddenly, a shadow fell over me. Liam, the older twin, was standing in front of me. His face was a picture of carefree charm in the sunlight, but his words were cold and cruel. “Celeste, can you transfer to Class 10?” “You keep upsetting Phoebe here. I’m worried about her.” It felt like a punch to the gut. The college entrance exams were just around the corner, and he wanted me to transfer to Class 10? The worst, most remedial class in the entire school? The one where the students would sometimes laugh at me and call me a cripple during gym class? I opened my mouth to refuse, but Leo strode over, his long legs covering the distance in a few steps. “Celeste, don’t make this hard for us, okay?” “Besides, we don’t want to go home and tell Auntie about you bullying another student. She just had the baby, we can’t have her getting upset.” A gaping hole opened in my chest, a chilling cold spreading through my body. They knew how terrible my relationship with my mother was. She didn’t like me because I looked too much like the father who had abandoned her. After she had a child with my stepfather, her dislike had only grown, to the point where it was almost unbearable. And now, they were using her as a threat against me. I looked at their faces, two identical masks of scorn. Something inside me died. I clutched my schoolbag tighter. “Fine. I’ll go.” 3. The Cripple’s Curse The Sterling family was one of the most powerful in the city. Several of the school buildings had been donated by them. All it took was a single word. I was transferred from the honors class to the remedial Class 10. As I left the classroom with my bag, countless pairs of mocking eyes followed me. Phoebe stood between Liam and Leo, a victorious, malicious smile on her face. “Celeste, I hope you’ll learn not to bully your classmates in Class 10.” “After all, the delinquents there aren’t as easygoing as I am.” “And with your bad leg… you should be careful. They might target you.” She stuck her tongue out playfully. Liam laughed as if he had just heard the funniest joke, and gently tugged at her hand. She tilted her head and smiled back at him. The sight was so bright it stung my eyes. But I thought, this is the last time. Liam and Leo, I’ve done what you asked. From now on, I don’t owe you anything. I didn’t say a word. I just lowered my head, picked up my bag, and limped away. My leg was bad. When I was six, Liam and Leo were fighting over a toy and accidentally fell into the road. I pushed them out of the way of an oncoming car, but I was pulled under the wheels myself. I’ll never forget that day. My world was a sea of red. My right leg suffered a comminuted fracture. I would never be able to dance again. When they heard the news, they almost went insane. They cried and promised they would be my legs forever. They wouldn't let anyone make fun of me for my leg. I never thought “forever” would be so short. And now, they were among the ones who mocked me. 4. Hell’s Classroom Class 10 was even worse than I had imagined. The classroom was a chaotic mess of delinquents who had no interest in studying. The homeroom teacher assigned me a seat at the very back. It seemed everyone knew I had crossed the Sterling heirs, so they were all eager to get a piece of me. Especially my deskmate, a boy with rainbow-colored hair named Ryder. The moment I reached his desk, he viciously kicked my injured leg. My forehead slammed into the corner of the desk, and blood instantly gushed out. Seeing my pathetic state, he feigned a look of exaggerated shock, his eyes full of malice. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.” “Celeste, I really didn’t know you were actually a cripple. I’m so, so sorry.” But then, in a voice only I could hear, he whispered, “Welcome to hell, little cripple.” “You should have known someone would get back at you for messing with Phoebe.” So, it was for Phoebe. But what had I done wrong? I went to the teacher’s office and told him Ryder had kicked me on purpose. But the students who had just been laughing at my misfortune all developed a sudden case of amnesia when the teacher questioned them. Not only did they refuse to testify for me, but they also claimed I had fallen on my own. When the homeroom teacher told me the result, a chilling cold washed over me. His voice was dismissive. “Celeste, I know you’re a good student academically.” “But as a student, good grades aren’t enough. You need to have good character.” “I heard you were transferred from the honors class for bullying another student.” “If you continue this behavior in my class, don’t blame me for being harsh.” “The college entrance exams are in a month. I don’t want you causing any trouble in my class during this time.” No one believed me. No one helped me. In that moment, I felt like I was three years old again, completely alone and helpless. My parents had divorced. My mother didn’t like me, but she refused to give up custody, just to spite my father. She hated my face because it reminded her of him. She had hurled endless insults and abuse at my three-year-old self. After she remarried, she simply ignored me. Even when I became a cripple, she didn’t shed a single tear for me. It wasn't until my half-brother was born a little while ago that I realized. When he got sick, she would worry. When he had a fever, she would cry. It wasn't that my mother didn't know how to be a mother. She just didn't want to be my mother. And now, even Liam and Leo had left me. I had no one to rely on. No one to love me. 5. The Exam Trap I limped back to the classroom. Seeing that the homeroom teacher was not on my side, Ryder became even more brazen. He kicked over my schoolbag, tore up all my textbooks, and dumped trash all over my desk. I held my breath against the stench and wiped my desk clean, bit by bit. I told myself, just endure it a little longer. The college entrance exams are in a month. After the exams, I’ll be gone. I’ll never have to see these disgusting people and things again. But fate is a fickle thing. Even my simplest wish was so hard to achieve. The day before the exams, Liam and Leo cornered me in the school hallway. They magnanimously announced, “Celeste, your punishment is over. you can come back to the honors class today.” Then they glanced at Phoebe, who was standing a short distance away, watching me with displeasure. “But when you come back, you can’t bully Phoebe anymore. Otherwise, we’ll have to punish you again.” At that, Phoebe smiled. But the hatred in her eyes was almost palpable. I touched my arm, which was bruised and purple from Ryder’s compass pokes, and shook my head. “No, thank you.” “I’m fine in Class 10.” I’ve been through the worst of it. One more day won’t make a difference. I limped past them. Behind me, someone kicked a trash can with a deafening crash. “Celeste, you’re so ungrateful!” Yes. I am ungrateful. So, let’s just never see each other again. I had refused Liam and Leo’s offer. But their actions had clearly made Phoebe feel threatened. After the last study hall, Ryder dumped another load of trash on me. I was covered in filth. I had to go to the restroom to clean up. But when I tried to leave, I found the door was locked. A chill ran down my spine. I had been locked in. I frantically searched my pockets for my phone, but it was gone. I suddenly remembered running into Phoebe on my way to the restroom. She had bumped into me, hard. It was her. She had stolen my phone. I pounded on the door, screaming for help. But there was no one. Everyone had gone home. Suddenly, I heard a light laugh from outside. It was Phoebe. “There’s no one out here, my dear class representative. You can just stay in there.” “I wonder… will you miss your exam tomorrow?” “Phoebe? Are you coming?” I thought I heard Liam’s voice. I started screaming his name, frantically. I hoped he would save me, just like he used to. But Phoebe kicked the restroom door and said, “Coming.” Then, silence. Liam was gone. He hadn’t heard my cries for help. The boy who had once promised that no matter where he was, he would come and protect me if I just called his name, was gone. The restroom grew dark. Phoebe had turned off the lights when she left. The small room was pitch black. I hugged myself, a wave of nausea, chest tightness, and anxiety washing over me. I wanted to vomit. Darkness pressed in on me like a demon. I trembled in the dark, my body shaking uncontrollably. I have claustrophobia, and the darkness only made it worse. Terrified, I bit down hard on my arm. I’m so young. I don’t want to die. I wished someone would come and save me. But I realized with a devastating clarity that no one would. My mother… she didn’t care about me at all. Liam and Leo… they used to care. But now, they cared about someone else.
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