The stall door had been punched open.
To be precise, a hole had been punched clean through it.
Alina stared in disbelief at the arm, at the muscles bulging on it, as solid and hard as a rock. She was momentarily stunned, wondering if she was even awake, if perhaps she was still trapped in that bizarre, ridiculous dream.
She blinked, her heart pounding, only to realize that this was all real.
Does an arm like that really belong to a girl?!
"Chloe, are you sure the person in that stall is Bianca Santos?" Alina looked back at Chloe, desperate to hear a "no."
If this wasn't definitively the girls' comfort room, she would have suspected Chloe and Gabby had accidentally cornered someone in the men's.
Chloe was also frightened, stammering, "It's her! But... but Bianca was wearing her school blazer before! How was I supposed to know her arms looked like that?"
A tall figure pushed open the shattered, dangling door and stepped out. Her back was built like a small mountain, completely blocking the light from the window. The entire room suddenly went dark.
Oh my God! It's Arnold Schwarzenegger!
Alina herself was 5'5", but the person in front of her was at least a head taller. It wasn't that she'd never seen a girl who was nearly six feet tall, but she'd never seen one with that height and such a powerful physique.
In the novel, Bianca Santos wasn't a great beauty, but she was the cute, delicate, gentle type. Had they made a mistake? Did they target the wrong person?
Bianca Santos's face was the same familiar face from the dream, but it was completely at odds with her robust and muscular body.
Gabby reacted first. Before anyone else could process what was happening, she quickly kicked the rope into an empty stall, pretending nothing had happened.
"Was it you?" Bianca asked. Her eyes scanned the room before landing on them.
She pulled the wireless earbuds from her ears. Then, as if incidentally, she rotated her neck and flexed her arms. Her biceps were clearly defined, looking like they would burst through the sleeves of her uniform.
With that movement came an intimidating aura, like a tiger about to pounce.
But despite the intimidating aura, there's always one person brave enough to poke the tiger.
Chloe, who hated being looked down on by someone she considered a poor charity case, stepped forward, shielding Alina and Gabby like a mother hen.
"Bianca Santos, don't think you can just do whatever you want at Santa Catalina just because you're big and strong. You openly destroyed school property! The school won't tolerate a student like you. You just wait, you'll be expelled!"
This was, Alina realized with dawning horror, her own line from the novel. In the book, after the teachers rescued Bianca, Alina had spat those exact words before leaving.
She hadn't expected that by changing the plot, the line would just be transferred to Chloe!
Oh my God!
Alina quickly yanked Chloe back. "Are you crazy? She'll kill you!"
In the novel, Bianca was a soft, gentle girl. Saying that was fine.
But this Bianca... this Bianca looked like she could punch all three of them through the wall, just like she did with the door.
Chloe shook off Alina's hand, frowning as she demanded, "Alina! What is wrong with you? That girl deliberately knocked you down! Why are you acting like a different person?"
Bianca spoke. "I already apologized for bumping into her. It was an accident. I'm the one who carried her to the clinic."
Alina's eyes widened. Bianca was the one who carried her to the clinic?
"If 'sorry' was enough, we wouldn't need police!"
"Oh," Bianca said, her voice dangerously calm as she took a step closer. "And I suppose the stall door being jammed shut... that was your doing, too?" She advanced, looming over the three shorter girls.
Alina frantically shot a look at Gabby, trying to signal her to help stop the arrogant, posturing Chloe.
But Gabby missed the cue. Instead, she fearlessly crossed her arms and walked right up to Bianca. "On what grounds do you say we did it? Do you have any proof? Do you have any idea who you're talking to? Just for that accusation, I can have you thrown out of Santa Catalina."
The Vicious Trio, living up to their reputation. One was more aggressive than the next.
Alina saw Bianca's hands clench into tight fists, so tight the veins on the back of her hands bulged. She saw Bianca looking Chloe up and down, as if searching for the best place to land a punch.
Alina had no doubt that Bianca's fist was about to connect with Gabby's face.
The two sides were squared off, the air electric with tension. Just then, a sharp, urgent knocking came from the locked door.
"What is going on? Who's in the washroom! Everyone in there, come out immediately!"
It was the Dean's voice.
She had been passing by the sixth-floor landing after class and heard the commotion, so she came over to see what was happening.
Moments later, the Dean had security unlock the door and she pushed it open.
She immediately turned to the crowd of onlookers. "Disperse! Get to your next classes!"
She stepped inside, her gaze landing on the four girls. She instantly understood the gist of the situation, but seeing that nothing worse had happened, she seemed to relax, if only slightly.
"What are you four doing in the washroom?" she demanded. "And you locked the door? Do you realize how much of an inconvenience you've caused for the other students?"
The Dean's eyes then fell on the shattered stall door. Her face turned dark. "Who broke this door?"
All four girls were silent.
"Admit it now, and I can overlook it with a simple oral warning. But if I have to find out who did it, it will be much more than a warning!" Her gaze shifted and settled on Bianca. Her physique was the most imposing of the four, more muscular than many men.
She was the most likely suspect.
The Dean was disappointed. She hadn't expected the new transferee to cause this much trouble on her very first day; it completely ruined the good impression she'd had of her.
The Dean held up three fingers. "I will count to three. I expect that person to step forward and admit their mistake."
"Three—"
"Two—"
Just as she was about to say "one," Alina saw Bianca flinch, as if preparing to step forward and take the blame.
"I did it, Ma'am. I'm sorry."
The Dean stared at Alina in complete shock. "You? What's your name?"
"Alina Alcantara."
In the end, this whole mess had started because of her. If Bianca told the Dean what Chloe and Gabby had done, the resentment between them would only grow deeper. If it was just an oral warning, Alina could take it.
Alcantara?
The Dean knew that Trustee Alcantara's daughter studied here.
"Is Ricardo Alcantara your...?"
"He's my father," Alina replied, lowering her eyes.
This made things difficult.
"Alina, how could you possibly have the strength to break a door like that?" the Dean asked, her tone laced with suspicion.
Alina had already prepared a lie. "I saw a huge cockroach on the door. I panicked and grabbed that heavy decorative stone from the counter and threw it. I... I didn't think it would smash a hole in it. I was afraid the cockroach would get out, so I asked Chloe and Gabby to lock the door."
Chloe and Gabby both stared at her, stunned. "Ma'am, that's not—"
"It's all my fault. Please, just reprimand me," Alina interrupted, pressing down on their hands and giving them a small shake of her head, warning them to be quiet. "Don't involve the other students. They're innocent."
Bianca watched the three of them huddling together and silently turned her head away.
The Dean was well aware of Alina's family background. Even if she didn't want to, she had to show the family respect. The excuse was pathetic, but since someone had taken responsibility, she didn't probe any further. She didn't get angry with Alina, just gave her a mild, painless lecture and left.
The matter, which had started with such intensity, was dropped.
As soon as the Dean was gone, Chloe pointed an accusing finger at Bianca, turning furiously to Alina. "Alina! Why did you cover for that... that charity case? Are you crazy? Why are you protecting her? Are you some kind of saint all of a sudden?"
Alina had no way to explain. She pressed her hand to her head and leaned against the wall, pretending to faint.
"Oh... I can't... I feel dizzy again. Somebody, catch me."
Perhaps her acting was convincing, because Chloe and Gabby immediately forgot Bianca and rushed to support her.
"What's wrong? Didn't you just come from the clinic? Do you have anything to eat?"
"Yes, in my pocket... the chocolates..." Alina sagged against them, feigning weakness. She felt she was probably acting more like she was having an asthma attack than a dizzy spell, but it was enough to distract Chloe and Gabby.
Gabby frantically fumbled in Alina's uniform pocket, found the small bottle, and tried to pour several of the chocolates into her mouth.
Alina weakly turned her head away. "Ugh, not in the washroom. It's... it's gross."
Chloe almost laughed in exasperation. "Now is not the time to be picky, Alina!"
"It's too stuffy in here. I need... air," Alina wheezed. "Please, just help me outside. I feel sick."
"You're impossible."
They couldn't target Bianca anymore. Forgetting her completely, they supported Alina and hurried out of the washroom.
The crowd of onlookers, who had been waiting for a dramatic showdown, only saw Chloe and Gabby helping a pale-looking Alina out of the washroom.
Huh? This wasn't what they expected at all.
Bianca Santos walked out right after them. She glared at the curious crowd. "What are you looking at?"
The other students had never seen Bianca before. They heard her name and expected a delicate, gentle flower. They didn't expect a carnivorous pitcher plant.
The crowd scattered, no longer lingering to watch the drama.
The bell rang, and the students wandering the hallways returned to their classrooms.
Bianca Santos also returned. Because she was taller than most of the other students in the class, she naturally walked to the unoccupied desks at the back and sat down.
The homeroom teacher, Mr. Ocampo, walked into the classroom. He scanned the students, and his gaze landed on Alina Alcantara. He smiled warmly. "Alina, you're back from the clinic. Are you feeling okay?"
Although he had already heard the rumor in the faculty room about Alina breaking a door with her bare hands.
Alina smiled sweetly. "Much better, sir."
Mr. Ocampo nodded and began to call the roll as usual, making marks on his attendance sheet.
"Leo Valdez."
He called the name. After several calls, there was no response.
Mr. Ocampo sighed. "He's skipping class again?"
He glanced across the students, ready to mark an 'X' next to Leo's name on the roster.
"Sir." A lazy, cool male voice came from the doorway.
Chloe Madrigal craned her neck to see, then whispered to Gabby next to her.
"It's Leo. I can't believe it, I thought he'd skip the first day of school for sure!"