As they left, I ran straight to class and just managed to submit my project. Since it was only a half day, I headed back to the dorm with Tshering Choden, who was in the same class as me.
"What happened?" she asked, noticing I had gone quiet.
"You're not going to freak out, okay? " I said, already knowing how she reacts.
She nodded.
I gulped. "Today, while I was running to submit my project, I ran into Dradul… and hurt him."
"Wait, what? You ran into who?" She looked completely shocked, like something had just fallen from the sky.
"I ran into Dradul. I fell on him, and his nose started bleeding. And when I tried to help him up… I accidentally hurt him again… down there."
"OH MY GOD!" she shouted.
I quickly signalled her to lower her voice as a few students nearby turned to stare at us.
"Tshegyal, you're finished. Do you even know what it means to mess with them? And you didn't just hurt him once, but twice," she said, giving me a look full of pity.
I bit my finger nervously.
"Let's see what happens tomorrow," she added.
I nodded. Let tomorrow come, I thought.
As soon as we reached our room, I told Karma Dema everything.
"Aye! What? What are you going to do?" she asked, worried.
"I'll wait for tomorrow," I said quietly.
"Whatever happens, we're with you. Even if they're rich kids or the ACE group, who cares?" Tshering said, throwing her arm around my shoulder.
"Yes, Tshegyal. We're with you, so don't worry," Karma added with a smile.
Hearing that made me feel lighter. At least I wasn't alone here.
That night, I couldn't sleep at all. My mind kept replaying everything, wondering what tomorrow would bring. I should have listened to my mother and worn the necklace she said would protect me from evil.
Eventually, after overthinking everything, I drifted off to sleep.
…
"Tshegyal Ongmo, you can do this," I told myself, staring at my reflection in the washroom mirror.
"I'll beg him to spare me," I said with a small smile. It was something I was good at. Maybe it seemed pathetic, but in front of the king of this school, it was all I had.
After getting ready, Tshering, Karma, and I headed to class.
"What do you think?" I asked, making the most pitiful face I could.
"Perfect," Tshering said.
Karma gave me a thumbs up.
"This should be enough to make him forgive me, right?" I said, feeling a bit hopeful.
But something felt off. For the first time, everyone was staring at us, as if we were the only view for them.
"Did you notice that everyone's looking at us?" I asked, glancing here and there. They were whispering to each other, as if we wouldn't see.
"Yeah… why are they whispering?" Karma asked softly.
Just then, our phones buzzed.
We looked at each other before checking.
"What the—?!" I shouted.
My heart dropped.
A video of me and Dradul falling… and hurting him… had been recorded. It was already posted on the school website. Everyone had seen it. There were thousands of likes, shares… and comments.
Most of them were about me, they made it look as if I had done it on purpose for attention.
Please… let my parents never see this.
Karma gently patted my shoulder. I looked at her, and she motioned for me to look ahead.
The ACE Trio was walking toward us.
I gulped. They had definitely seen it.
Before they reached me, I raised my hands in surrender. But Dradul didn't stop. He just walked past, his nose bandaged, glaring at me like I was an annoying mosquito buzzing over his head. His two friends looked at me with the same cold expression.
Then… they smirked. I could see their sinister smile. And they walked away.
I stood there, confused. The crowd slowly dispersed.
"What just happened?" I asked.
"Did… they forgive you?" Karma said, still staring at them.
"I don't think so," I said quietly. "That smirk… it means something worse is coming."
The bell rang, and we hurried to class.
But things didn't get better.
As soon as we entered, our classmates—who never cared before—were staring, whispering, and laughing.
"Tshegyal, look," Tshering said.
I turned toward the board.
My stomach dropped.
"Tshegyal is a bitch."
"Tshegyal, attention seeker."
"Tshegyal is a whore."
I rushed forward and started wiping it off. What did I expect? Messing with Dradul meant going against the whole school. I knew the students and teachers out here would even lick his shoe if he commanded.
"Who wrote this?!" Tshering shouted; she was really angry. I knew from voice tone.
The class only laughed; for some reason I was reminded of this Korean drama I watched. But it would have been better if it were.
"Did you enjoy touching him there?" Dorjila said, smirking. He looked at me in a disgusting way that made my skin crawl.
I clenched my fists, ready to jump at him—
But suddenly, someone grabbed his collar.
"Mind your language."
"Sonam Khenrig…" I whispered. Our class president. Tall, calm, always distant. Like a character from a manga. I barely knew him.
"I was just joking," Dorjila muttered, clearly scared; that made me chuckle.
Sonam looked at me. "Are you okay?"
I nodded.
"If I see this kind of behaviour again, I'll report it to the school committee," he said firmly to the class, then helped me wipe the board. I always thought of him as bamboo—bending quietly with the wind—but today, he felt like a saviour… a truly capable class president.
…
Finally, it was lunch break. Tshering and I went to the school canteen to get some food. We searched for Karma who was usually there before us waiting—but today, she wasn't.
I texted her.
"No reply?" Tshering asked.
I shook my head.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Something's happening outside!"
Everyone rushed out.
"It's the ACE Trio!" They screamed again; I felt so cringed.
Pushing these thoughts aside, we followed them. We pushed through the crowd; I froze.
Karma was on the ground.
Dradul, Joshuo, Yangkhil—and their followers—were standing around her.
Something snapped in me; I rushed forward and helped her up.
"Tshegyal…" Karma whispered, her eyes filled with tears.
That was enough, enough to lose my morals.
"Who do you think you are, getting in our way?" Dradul said coldly. His voice made me want to scratch his face and leave a scar.
"Move. She needs to learn a lesson," one of his followers said, pushing me.
"What did she do?" I asked, trying to stay calm. Otherwise, I didn't know what I might do.
"She accused Dradul of spreading the video and attacked him," someone replied.
I looked at Karma.
"You said you spread the video… and called Tshegyal a slut," Karma cried, and it made my heart ache. She was fighting for me.
"Enough," Dradul said. "Karma, right? Kneel and beg." Oh my God, this boy—I wanted to smack him and shake him.
"Why should she?" I asked, coming in front of Karma. "You should be the one apologising."
He looked straight at me. "Then you beg."
"No."
"Then don't regret it."
He gave a signal. Before I understood what was happening, students started throwing their food at us.
Rice. Curry. Everything.
Soon, we were completely covered.
So this was the price of going against them.
Yangkhil sighed. "Handle your own mess. I'm not interested in this," she said and turned away.
Joshuo looked bored, like he didn't even want to be there.
Dradul stared at us like we were dirt.
I wiped my face… and laughed.
"Pathetic."
Yangkhil stopped.
Joshuo finally looked interested, as if he knew that something was going to occur.
"What did you say?" Dradul asked, looking surprised.
"Pathetic," I repeated. "Acting like kings, bullying others like the world belongs to you. Do you think you are in some sort of teenage drama? No one ever taught you basic respect, did they?"
Before I could react, he grabbed my collar.
His hand rose to hit me—
"Dradul," Joshuo called out.
Dradul paused, then shoved me back.
"You chose this," he said quietly. "Now be ready to face hell."
This time, even Joshuo and Yangkhil looked interested.
I knew it.
From now on, my life wouldn't be peaceful.
But I wasn't someone who would back down without a fight.