Chapter 257
Lorna huffed and walked away without another word.
Dahlia, too, had left for class.
Soon after, Keira emerged from the shower, only to find Dahlia and Lorna had already left.
Morwenna was waiting for her, concern written all over her face. “Why don’t you ask for help when you’re bullied? Even if you’re afraid to reach out to others, why not tell me? Aren’t we friends?”
Fiddling with a towel, Keira responded with a mix of nervousness and helplessness. “I. I thought I could just bear it and it would pass. I’m used to it, really, it’s nothing.”
Morwenna’s brow furrowed. “Used to it? How long have these people been bullying you?”
Keira lowered her head, staying silent.
With a stem tone, Morwenna pressed. “If you still consider me a friend, tell me.”
Trembling slightly, Keira whispered, “Since freshman year. The Roberts family knows mine, and Sandra has known me since we were kids, though we weren’t close. She knows I’m a nobody, that my family doesn’t care, and she just wants to take advantage of me…”
Morwenna gasped. “So, you mean they’ve been bullying you for a whole year?”
Keira trembled again, biting her lip and nodding.
Morwenna was baffled.
Why would someone endure bullying without fighting back?
These people were not like Norbert or Stuart, who had shown her kindness; she could understand bearing a little grievance then.
But Sandra and her crew had no connection to Keira, no kindness, only bullying.
“Why not fight back?”
“It’s useless. I just need to survive. My parents won’t care.”
“Who said fighting back always needs parents? I lost my parents when I was five, but I’ve always fought back against anyone who bullied me.”
Keira remained silent, her head bowed, causing Morwenna to feel even more frustrated.
Morwenna sighed, knowing such deeply ingrained thoughts were hard to change.
But she couldn’t stand by and watch Keira be bullied like this.
At that moment, Keira thought to herself that resistance was futile.
Every attempt to fight back in her childhood had only led to more intense bullying.
Her mother would blame her for not doing well enough, for not reflecting on her own faults and always blaming others.
Her father would say she was a nuisance, nowhere near as good as her brother.
Morwenna sighed again. “Alright, I won’t be pushy. But next time something happens, you must tell me. We’re friends, and a little trouble doesn’t scare me.”
Keira hesitated but eventually nodded.
Knowing Morwenna, now that she was aware, she wouldn’t just stand by.
It made no difference whether she spoke up or not.
Suddenly, Keira felt she shouldn’t have returned to school. Maybe taking a gap year was the right choice.
Since coming back, she felt like she was only dragging Morwenna down.
But she couldn’t leave now. If she dropped out of school and something happened to Morwenna because of Sandra, she would be oblivious.
How could she leave after causing trouble, letting Morwenna suffer the consequences?
So, Keira remained silent.
She couldn’t learn to fight back, nor could she escape.
Morwenna sighed, uncertain of what to do next.
She could save Keira once, twice, even ten or twenty times, but she couldn’t save her forever. Life was long, and one had to learn to stand up for oneself.
10
00.50
“Keira, take the afternoon off, I’m heading to class,” Morwenna said finally.
“Okay.”
Stepping out of the dorm, Morwenna let out a long sigh, feeling a mix of frustration and suffocation,
Who could endure bullying without ever fighting back?
Shaking her head, she decided to put those thoughts aalde for now and head to class.
After her aftemoon classes, Morwenna went to the auditorium to prepare for the rehearsal.
The senior student from another school, who was supposed to act with her in the play, hadn’t shown up yet.
With only three days left until the welcome party, Morwenna was getting worrie