FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

Clara exhaled through her mouth in frustration. Grabbing Hera's hand, she pulled her out of the room while muttering about wasting so much time already. Hera heard her heart thundering against her ribcage harshly. She found herself voiceless and would have been motionless as well if it wasn't for Clara dragging her along. She followed robotically while the latter led the way, her bag forgotten on the floor in the classroom. 

The girl cursed when Hera couldn't keep up with her speed. Clara was half jogging and was displeased that she couldn't run and reach the luncheon bar sooner because Hera couldn't move her feet any faster. 

Clara was speaking, filling in the details about the said incident while Hera was listening half-heartedly. She seemed absent-minded, much to Clara's annoyance. Hera's brain was hardly registering the words coming out of the other girl's mouth. Clara spoke too fast for Hera to catch up, and all she heard and grasped through everything was that Bianca had something to do with Noel's unfortunate circumstance. 

Hera knew it in her heart.. Her intuition kept warning her that Bianca was plotting something. She wanted to warn Noel, but she was too late as of now. 

Hera stopped dead in her tracks as soon as they entered the food court of their school. Her eyes widened in shock, and an audible gasp tore out of her mouth. Clara let go of her hand and covered her mouth, mirroring the horrified look in Hera's eyes. A small crowd of students surrounded the place, and Hera caught glimpses through the small gap between them. 

It was unmistakably Hunter, who was aiming his fist at the boy's face laying on the ground, struggling to get away from the hit. 

Reflexively, Hera took a step back when Noel got to his feet and shoved hard at Hunter's chest. Hera watched her boyfriend stumble, but he managed to stay firm on his ground. The enthusiastic crowd was merely spectators who were enjoying the free show as usual. Could Hera blame them, though? It wasn't like anyone had the guts to interrupt the student council president, the official bad boy of SPALEV high. 

And it wasn't the first time he had involved himself in a fight and disfigured someone's face. 

Clara's hand reached forward to clasp Hera's wrist as the latter took another step back. She pushed her to the front, forcing her to intervene. "Don't be a coward, Hera. I brought you here so that you could stop that monster and save the victim from him. Not for you to escape and go back to your peaceful life as if your boyfriend isn't causing a wreck in people's lives," Clara said, her accusing eyes glaring at Hera. 

However, before Hera could muster the courage to interfere, Noel somehow managed to find a way and escaped. Hera felt relief wash over her for a brief moment. But it disappeared sooner than it came as she saw Noel running towards the backside of the old building. It wasn't a clever move. If he wanted to save himself, he should've run towards the school where the teachers or the authorities could see them. 

Hera watched, holding her breath while Hunter and his friends chased the boy. 

She glanced at Clara, and the look on the girl's face terrified her more. 

Clara's face had turned white as a sheet, her eyes wide and fixed in the direction Noel took off. Tears soaked her cheeks, disappearing down the collar of her uniform shirt. She wasn't breathing, and Hera recognised the fear. They both were familiar with the situation. It brought back the horrifying memories from the past. 

"They say history repeats itself, and it's happening, isn't it?" Clara whispered, almost inaudibly, but Hera heard her. "Help him, Hera. Stop your boyfriend," Clara pleaded, desperation lacing her tone, her eyes focused on the boys' disappearing frames until she couldn't see them anymore. 

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Hera finally came out of her shock and rushed towards her boyfriend. 

Noel's chest rose and fell as he struggled to breathe. He was too tired from all the running he did, but it was all in vain in the end. He was caught and cornered. Hunter, Michael, Danny and Eric circled him, and Noel was nothing but a mere prey amidst the deadly predators ready to tear him into pieces. 

The look in their eyes terrified him. He knew what Hunter was capable of and had no doubt he would tear him limb from limb if no one came to his rescue sooner. He tried his luck one last time and searched for an opening to escape, only to realise he got himself trapped between Hunter and the compound wall enclosing the school premises. 

Michael shoved him and made him stumble over his feet. He didn't get time or the chance to stand on his feet as Hunter slammed him into the concrete wall behind him. Grunting a series of curses, Noel tried to stay on his feet. His knees almost gave up, but he managed without falling to the ground. The back of his head and his shoulder blades hurt, and the excruciating pain felt too intense for him to bear. 

'Hold on for a few more minutes. Don't give up yet.'

Noel thought inwardly, comforting himself. 

The boy knew his plan was foolproof and would bring out the desired results for sure. He only had to endure the suffering a bit longer. 

Hunter took off his uniform blazer and tossed it aside without bothering to see if it landed somewhere at a clean spot on the wet grassy ground or not. It was the least of his worries when he was raging red with anger. All of his friends mirrored the identical expression of utter fury on their faces. 

Noel mustered all of his energy and strength before aiming a punch at Hunter's ribcage. It effectively shook Hunter off him, but before Noel could withdraw his hand and send another hit to his face, the former recovered quickly and dodged it in time. 

"You twat," Michael cursed, rushing towards his target. He grabbed the lapels of Noel's blazer with his hands and rammed his knee into his abdomen. The grunt he received in reply satisfied him. "You okay, bro?" Michael asked Hunter, worry dripping from his voice. 

Danny took over while Michael turned his attention towards Hunter. Gripping his buddy's shoulders, Michael helped him straighten his posture and checked the damage the punch caused. Hunter winced when Michael lifted his shirt and touched the red bruise under his chest. 

"Stop being a pussy, Mike. He's not going to die with just one punch," Eric said, his tone matter-of-factly. Ignoring him, Michael looked at Hunter, who instantly smiled at his best friend, trying to put his worry at ease. "It just caught me by surprise, that's all," Hunter said in assurance. Eric rolled his eyes at Michael's overreaction. 

Hunter understood, though, what made his younger brother constantly worry these days. He was scared of losing him. "I'm fine, Mike," Hunter said in a more firm tone. 

"Let's finish this as soon as possible. We don't have time," Eric said in a bored tone, reminding them that their lunch break would be over soon. Hunter rolled his shoulders and stepped forward. Danny was ready to land another blow to Noel's torso when Hunter asked him to step aside. Already hurt, Noel crouched down on the ground feeling tired and weak. He was panting hard, struggling to inhale air into his lungs. 

Michael joined his brother and lifted Noel's body, holding him against the wall. Undoing the cuffs, Hunter rolled his sleeves up and chuckled at his broken opponent. The chuckle didn't do anything to hide the menacing look in his eyes. "You bastard, you thought you could get away so easily after what you did?" Hunter asked, closing his hands into tight fists. 

'What's taking her so much time? She should've been here already.'

Noel thought, cursing his luck inwardly. 

"Don't hit him on the face," Eric warned as Hunter pulled his elbow back, fist ready to meet its target. Pursing his lips, Hunter jerked his head in annoyance before he shifted his aim and punched the boy on the chest. Another strike delivered to his ribcage made Noel breathless, but Hunter was in no mood to show mercy. With one more blow to his abdomen, the former let out a strangled noise, grunting in pain. 

"Remember what I said last time?" asked Hunter, voice low and dripping with rage. "If you dare to cross the line, you won't possess a dick anymore to do anything with any girl," he said through his gritted teeth, reminding Noel of his warning. 

Meanwhile, Hera finally reached the location and found them. She was within earshot and heard what Hunter said. She shook her head in disappointment. 

'What did I expect? Why am I even surprised in the first place?'

She thought, displeased by her boyfriend's behaviour. 

Hunter had promised her he wouldn't hurt her friends anymore. He had agreed to give her space and freedom to do as she pleased with her life. Didn't he give his consent to Noel to pursue Hera? Then why was the poor boy getting beaten by him? 

'It didn't take much longer for him to break your promise, after all.'

Hera thought bitterly. 

Shell-shocked, she watched with her widened eyes while Hunter and his friends tormented the boy. Sliding his hands inside the pockets of his trousers, Hunter smiled charmingly at Noel as if he wasn't torturing the life out of him right now.

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