[Gina Nathan's POV]
I clutch my leather satchel tighter against my chest as I hurry down the crowded hallway, eyes fixed on the scuffed linoleum beneath my worn sneakers. If I can just make it to first period without drawing attention to myself, maybe today will be different. Maybe I can finally disappear into the background like I've been trying to do since freshman year of high school.
The weight of my textbooks digs into my shoulder, but I don't dare adjust the strap. Any unnecessary movement might catch someone's eye, and being noticed is the last thing I want.
'Just keep walking, Gina. Head down. Invisible.'
The hallway narrows as I approach the science wing, forcing students to funnel through a bottleneck created by ongoing renovations. The crowd presses in, bodies bumping against mine as we all struggle to get through. Someone's elbow jabs into my ribs, making me gasp, but I don't look up to see who it is.
That's when I hear it, that distinctive, harsh laugh that makes my stomach drop to my feet.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Gina Nathans."
Autumn Summers' voice cuts through the hallway chatter like a knife. I freeze mid-step, my fingers digging so hard into my satchel that my knuckles turn white. Maybe if I just keep walking...
A strong hand grabs my shoulder, spinning me around so forcefully that my satchel slips, spilling several notebooks onto the floor. I stare at them in dismay, knowing I'll never retrieve them without making this confrontation worse.
"I'm talking to you, pipsqueak," Autumn growls, looming over me.
She's so tall it hurts my neck to look up at her face. The blonde and red streaks in her hair seem especially stark under the fluorescent lights, making her look even more intimidating. The cigarette tucked behind her ear is definitely against school rules, but no professor would dare say anything to her.
"S-sorry," I stammer, hating how my voice shakes. "I didn't hear you."
Autumn's eyes narrow dangerously. "Bullshit. You were ignoring me."
Her friends appear behind her like shadows, three tall, muscular girls with matching leather jackets and predatory smiles. They form a semicircle around me, cutting off any escape route. The hallway traffic flows around us, students giving our little tableau a wide berth, their eyes carefully averted. No one wants to get involved.
"Got your textbooks, huh?" Autumn sneers, kicking one of my fallen notebooks. "Looking pretty heavy. Let me help you with that."
Before I can react, she snatches my satchel from my trembling hands, holding it high above her head where I can't possibly reach it.
"Please," I whisper, glancing anxiously at the thinning crowd around us. The first bell has rung, and students are disappearing into classrooms. "I'll be late for class."
"Oh, we wouldn't want that," Autumn mocks, her eyes glinting with cruel amusement. "Little Gina might miss something important."
She nods to her friends, and suddenly, I'm being propelled forward, strong hands gripping my arms as they steer me away from the main hallway. I try to dig my heels in, but it's useless against their combined strength.
"Where are we…" My question is cut short as they shove me through a side door I've never noticed before into a different hallway.
This adjacent passage is weirdly deserted.
"Much better," Autumn says, her voice echoing slightly in the enclosed space. "Now we can have a proper chat without interruptions."
"Aww, look how scared she is," one of Autumn's friends sneers, giving me a rough shove that sends me stumbling against the wall. "Little virgin Gina, always running away."
My cheeks burn with humiliation as Autumn steps closer, her imposing frame blocking the dim emergency light. "That's what you are, right? A pathetic little virgin who's never even held hands with a guy?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business," I manage to whisper, trying to sound braver than I feel.
The tallest girl with a buzzcut laughs, the sound echoing harshly in the empty hallway. "It's our business because it's fucking hilarious. You're what, nineteen? And you've never even touched a dick?"
"Probably never will," Autumn adds, her lips curling into a cruel smile as she rifles through my satchel. "No guy would let you near him. Not with those sweaters and that mousy little face."
My throat tightens as tears threaten to spill over. I blink rapidly, determined not to give them the satisfaction.
"Oh my god, look what I found!" Autumn suddenly exclaims, pulling something from my bag. My heart stops when I see the manga I'd carefully hidden in the inner pocket, its colorful cover depicting a wide-eyed male character surrounded by female admirers.
"Holy shit, she reads hentai!" the buzzcut girl cackles, snatching the book from Autumn's hands. "Look at this! Fucking cartoon porn!"
"I knew it," Autumn says triumphantly, her eyes gleaming with malicious delight. "Little Gina can't get a real man, so she jills off to drawings instead!"
They pass my manga around, flipping through pages and making exaggerated moaning sounds that echo off the walls. Each laugh, each mocking gesture, feels like a physical blow.
"Why is it called Metamorphosis?" One of the dumber girls asks.
"Please," I whisper, my voice breaking as I reach for my book. "That's private."
"Private? Like your little fantasy world?" Autumn steps closer, her voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "You know why you like these 2D guys, Gina? Because real men would run screaming from your pathetic ass."
"At least cartoon boys can't reject her," another girl adds, tearing a page from my manga with deliberate slowness. The ripping sound makes me flinch.
"No one wants you," Autumn continues, her words cutting deeper than any knife. "Not even the desperate losers at this school. You'll die alone, surrounded by your little cartoon boyfriends."
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps echoes in the empty hallway.
"Disgusting."
The single word hangs in the air, cold and contemptuous. I look up, my tear-blurred vision clearing just enough to recognize him standing there, Travis Stone.
My breath catches. He was in my class back at Melrose High. The notorious Ice King himself, standing with his arms crossed, his green eyes narrowed in disgust. I'd never spoken to him directly. No one really did. Girls would ask him out, only to be brutally rejected. His reputation for being untouchable made him something of a legend.
Autumn's entire demeanor transforms in an instant. Her shoulders stiffen, and her face pales visibly. The cigarette tucked behind her ear falls unnoticed to the floor as she takes an unconscious step backward.
"Oh, uhh... Travis. Hi," she stammers, her usual swagger completely evaporated. Her hands tremble slightly as she clutches my manga.
Travis doesn't even glance my way. He clearly doesn't recognize me, which is not surprising since I was practically invisible back then, too.
"You're in my way," he says flatly, his voice devoid of emotion as he stares directly at Autumn.
The other girls exchange confused glances, clearly thrown by their leader's sudden change in behavior. Buzzcut girl opens her mouth to say something, but Autumn silences her with a sharp look.
"Sorry," Autumn mumbles, actually stepping aside to clear a path. She drops my manga and satchel to the floor, the items scattering across the linoleum. "We were just leaving."
Travis doesn't move, just continues staring at Autumn with those piercing green eyes. Something unspoken passes between them, some history or knowledge I'm not privy to.
Travis looks at me but it seems like he's looking through me more than anything, like I'm a smudge on a window he's trying to see past. His gaze shifts back to Autumn, cold and dismissive.
"You're bullying people in college?" he asks, his voice flat. "Isn't that kind of a loser activity?"
Autumn visibly flinches, her tough exterior crumbling under his judgment. Her face flushes red, and she swallows hard.
"Yeah, you're totally right," she stammers, her eyes darting around like a cornered animal. "I should really work on myself."
The transformation is so complete it's almost comical. The terrifying Autumn Summers, reduced to a nervous wreck by a few words from this boy. She backs away, gesturing frantically for her friends to follow. In her haste, she drops my manga.
Her posse trails after her, throwing confused glances over their shoulders as they retreat. The sound of their footsteps fades quickly, leaving an eerie silence in the deserted hallway.
I'm still pressed against the wall, my heart hammering in my chest as I stare at Travis. He bends down, gathering my manga and the pages without actually looking at it.
When he hands it to me, his fingers never touch mine. He's careful to maintain that distance.
"Hopefully, they leave you alone now," he says, his voice neutral, neither kind nor cruel.
As I get up, clutching my rescued manga to my chest, I feel an immense joy blooming inside me. Someone helped me. Someone actually stood up for me against Autumn Summers. The realization is so overwhelming that more tears prick at the corners of my eyes.
"Thank you," I whisper, gathering courage. "Would you like to maybe…"
But when I look up, he's already gone, vanished as suddenly as he appeared. The hallway is empty except for me and my scattered belongings.
I kneel to gather my notebooks, a strange mixture of emotions swirling inside me. Disappointment that he left so abruptly mingles with lingering joy at being defended. And beneath it all, a spark of something I haven't felt in a long time.
Hope
As I stuff my manga back into my satchel, I notice something odd. The torn page has been carefully placed between the covers, aligned as if someone tried to fix it. Did Travis do that? Did he actually care enough to try to repair what Autumn destroyed?
The second bell rings, jolting me back to reality. I'm officially late for class now, but somehow, it doesn't matter as much as it did before.