Sitting in my room, my friend applying an ice pack to my injured face, I winced in pain. Regret gnawed at me for stepping into the fracas. If only I had walked away, this humiliation could have been avoided. The punch from one of the boys had left me bruised and embarrassed, yet I had to muster the courage to present an unbothered front, despite the shame I felt.
"You should've known better than to get involved," Pearl North chided with a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"I know," I sighed in agreement. Pearl had been a stalwart companion since my arrival in this new neighborhood, a safe refuge from the whispers and rumors that dogged my past. We had relocated from our previous neighborhood due to the drama surrounding the guys I dated and the tragic event that unfolded.
I had been a teacher at the top private school in my old neighborhood, but was let go due to the controversy surrounding my past relationships. When I moved to this new neighborhood, I hoped my disguise would help me start fresh, but it seemed like every institution was connected, and my name was essentially blacklisted. I couldn't falsify my credentials, as I needed them to apply for jobs, so I was limited in my options. The only place willing to hire me was the local orphanage, which offered low pay but had no other choice due to staffing needs.
"That should do it," Pearl murmured, setting down the ice pack.
"Thanks," I replied, emerging from the cocoon of the bed to perch at my laptop. "Your sister didn't come with you today?"
"No," Pearl responded. "She went out with my parents." The absence of Sunshine, Pearl's younger sibling, was a noticeable void in our usual gatherings.
"So how did your date go yesterday?" Pearl probed, her curiosity alight.
With a heavy sigh, I related the events of the tumultuous encounter with Greene and his parents to Pearl, retracing the emotional steps of the chaotic encounter and unpacking the hurt that remained long after.
"You're just going to give up on love like that?" Pearl queried, her voice filled with a mix of concern and confusion.
"If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you do the same?" I retorted, desperation creeping into my tone. "His parents already see me as a threat to their son's well-being."
"But if he's willing to risk it all for you, maybe it's worth considering," Pearl offered, a note of hope in her voice.
I sighed, my doubt a tangible weight in the air between us. "I don't want to be responsible for anyone else's death.
Pearl sighed, her patience at the breaking point. "Do you even have feelings for him? Maybe this time it could be different."
"I think I do," I admitted reluctantly, "but I can't risk another life, not after the pain I've already caused."
"How long did you say those relationships lasted?" Pearl inquired, her gaze searching for clues in the recesses of my mind.
"The first was three months, the second five, and the last seven," I recited, my words a solemn litany of heartache.
"Were you in love with all of them?" she probed, fishing for understanding in the depths of my past.
"Yes, but it doesn't matter," I sighed, my voice heavy with the burden of past losses. "Love is just not meant for me. It's better if I sit back and watch others."
"But you might be wrong about that," Pearl argued, her words brimming with conviction. "Maybe it was just a string of unfortunate events."
I turned to face her, my frustration mounting. "Why do you and Greene both insist on saying the same thing?"
Pearl held my gaze, her eyes gleaming with a stubborn resolve. "Because we could be right, and this time it could be different."
I returned to my laptop, my attention on the screen but my thoughts still drifting. "I thought it was normal after the first, but by the third I knew something was terribly wrong. It can't just be coincidence."
Pearl persisted, her voice soft yet unwavering. "You might be missing out on a chance at happiness."
"Thank you for the advice, but I'll pass," I replied, returning my attention to the laptop, where a lesson plan for the week awaited completion.
Pearl's attention drifted to her phone, her face lighting up with excitement. "Have you seen the pictures of GT?"
"GT?" I asked, my confusion evident in my tone. "I don't know who that is."
Pearl rolled her eyes in playful exasperation. "Seriously? You don't know who the billionaire hottie GT is? Girl, you're so out of the loop."
I let out a light chuckle, unaffected by the latest social media frenzy. "That's just me. My life is already messy enough without the added chaos of social media."
Pearl, undeterred by my disinterest, thrust her phone in my face. "Look at this! Now you'll know who GT is and avoid any embarrassment if anyone asks."
My eyes widened in shock as I took in the image on the screen. "Wait, is this GT?" I gasped, my heart racing.
"Yes, it is!" Pearl confirmed, a grin spreading across her face. "He's a billionaire hottie."
"This is unbelievable," I muttered, shaking my head in disbelief as I stood up from my laptop. "That's Greene Tarrent. My boyfriend, or rather, my ex-boyfriend."
Pearl, equally shocked, struggled to find the words to express her amazement. "No way. You're telling me GT is Greene Tarrent, the guy you were dating? The famous GT?
"I'm serious," I replied, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on me.
Pearl connected the dots, "It all makes sense now - GT stands for Greene Tarrent, but honestly, nobody knows his real name; everyone just calls him GT."
"So he's a billionaire," I murmured, trying to wrap my mind around the new revelation.
Pearl's curiosity aroused, she probed, "Did he ever tell you about his wealth?"
Shaking my head, I replied, "No, he never mentioned his status. Now that I know who he really is, it's better if I stay away."
Pearl shook her head in disbelief, "You can't let this opportunity pass you by! You're so lucky. Pursue this relationship!"
"Lucky? Me?" I scoffed, the irony not lost on me. "All my life, it's been one misfortune after another. It's like I was born to suffer and never find love."
"You have to stop being so negative," Pearl pleaded, her frustration beginning to show. "Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. What if this time it's different?"
"Imagine the headlines," I deadpanned. "'Popular Billionaire GT Dies in Tragic Accident While Dating Girl Named Evarister Idril.' Do you really want that on your conscience?"
Pearl let out a laugh, "Nothing like that is going to happen, okay?"
I shook my head. "You worry too much about me. Love is not for me. It's better if I stay away."
Resigned to my stance, I turned back to my laptop, the screen a welcome distraction from the conversation.
Pearl sighed, recognizing the futility of her attempts to change my mind. "You're something else, you know that?" she muttered, returning to her own phone.
I began the next day like any other, bracing myself for the familiar verbal jabs from my parents as I left the house. It was a toxic routine I'd grown accustomed to. I hailed a taxi and headed to work, lost in thought. As we drove, I noticed a black car trailing behind us, but I didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a coincidence.
When the taxi stopped at the orphanage and the black car drove past, I breathed a sigh of relief, chalking it up to my overactive imagination. After all, my life had taught me to expect the worst. I paid the driver and stepped out, shaking off the feeling of unease. As I entered the orphanage, I focused on the task at hand, preparing to teach my first class of the day.
As the break period arrived, I found myself in the serenity of the staff room, only to be interrupted by the two delinquents from yesterday—Kelvin and his sparring partner—who were both seated nearby and feverishly scribbling apology letters as their punishment.
"Ma, I can't write anymore!" the other boy whined, his pen hand quivering with fatigue. "I've only written one letter and there are 99 more to go!"
"If you don't want to write 99 more letters, then perhaps you shouldn't have thrown punches in the first place," I snapped, my tone filled with frustration.
"But Ma, it's not like you were injured or anything," Kelvin piped up, his unbridled audacity adding fuel to my smoldering annoyance. "Your face looks just fine."
"That's because I have the good sense to apply makeup to cover the bruises from your little fistfight," I snapped, my ire finally unleashed. "Don't you dare suggest that this is anything less than a serious matter. Now, both of you, continue writing."
As the two boys continued writing their apology letters, a staff member interrupted us, saying the management wanted to see me.
With a heavy heart, I left the two rascals in the care of another teacher and made my way to the management office. As I stepped into the room, the grim expression on my boss's face cast a shadow over my hopes for a favorable outcome.
"You called for me, ma'am," I said, my voice betraying the tremble of dread in my heart.
"Yes, Evarister," she sighed, her gaze holding a hint of sorrow. "Please, sit down." She gestured to the chair opposite her desk. I obliged, but the weight of her words hung heavy in the air, unspoken yet understood.
"I'm sorry to inform you," she began, her voice soft yet resolute, "but we have to let you go."
The shock of her words reverberated through me, ricocheting off my disbelief and turning to a growing sense of dread.
I tried to steady my nerves, to swallow the growing panic clawing its way up my throat. "I don't understand, ma'am. What do you mean by 'let me go'?"
My boss's expression hardened, her voice now filled with resignation. "This is your termination letter. We have no choice but to end your employment here."
The words hit me like a physical blow, their meaning a dagger to the heart.