Chapter 7: Maria
After PE class, Carrie, holding a volleyball, didn't immediately run away for the first time. Instead, she quietly said to Edward, "Thank you, Edward."
"Don't worry about it," Edward waved his hand dismissively. "If you ever need anything at school, you can always find me."
Carrie nodded vigorously, then quickly left with her things, her posture a little straighter than usual.
Frank leaned over, looking incredulous: "Are you for real? You're actually gonna keep helping her? She's... you know, kind of weird."
Before he finished speaking, Jennifer and Needy walked over.
Jennifer's beautiful eyes curiously studied Edward: "Edward, were you just..."
"I just can't stand watching people bully someone who can't fight back," Edward replied calmly.
Frank sighed beside him and added, "Can't blame you. Andrew, Maria, and Carrie—they're the three most bullied kids in our school. Mark and his crew love messing with them."
Jennifer's gaze lingered on Edward's face, with a hint of admiration.
She suddenly stood on her tiptoes and quickly kissed Edward's cheek, then with a playful grin, silently mouthed "See you this weekend" before pulling Needy away, both of them laughing.
Frank's eyes went wide, and he elbowed Edward's arm, grinning: "Dude, Edward! The hottest girl in school is totally into you. When are you gonna teach me your moves?"
However, Edward just frowned slightly, pretended not to notice Frank's antics, completely ignored him, and turned to leave, giving Frank nothing but his back.
Frank called out a few things behind him, and getting no response, reluctantly headed off elsewhere.
For some reason, Edward found himself drawn to the school ice rink as if by instinct.
On the ice rink at that moment, two people were skating. One person moved skillfully, gliding gracefully across the ice, while the other's movements were extremely awkward, clearly a beginner, taking each stride cautiously, terrified of falling.
Edward looked at the scene before him and couldn't help but recall his past experiences ice skating back in his previous life.
Those memories flashed through his mind like scenes from a movie, and a hint of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.
Without overthinking it, he walked directly to the equipment area, laced up his ice skates, and then glided onto the rink, beginning to skate leisurely.
His movements were smooth and natural, as if he were born on ice. The two people already skating naturally noticed Edward as he entered.
The moment Maria saw Edward, her face flushed slightly, and she involuntarily looked down. Yet she couldn't help but sneak glances up at Edward from time to time, her eyes filled with shyness and admiration.
Lily, who was nearby, caught Maria's expression. She knew perfectly well that Maria had been crushing on Edward for ages.
However, a twisted thought arose in Lily's mind: the more Maria wanted something, the more Lily wanted to take it away.
Thinking this, a flicker of determination flashed in Lily's eyes, and she skated toward Edward without hesitation.
She deliberately put on a surprised look and said in a sweet voice, "Oh my gosh, Edward, what a coincidence running into you here!"
Edward heard the voice, turned to look at Lily with a blank expression, and couldn't help but ask, "Do I know you?"
His eyes were full of confusion, clearly having zero recollection of who she was.
Just then, Maria, who was behind them, lost her balance and fell onto the ice with a hard thud.
Edward heard the sound, glanced at Maria, then looked at Lily beside him, and asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to help your friend up?"
Lily, however, waved her hand dismissively and said, "She's fine, she can get up by herself."
Edward felt completely speechless at Lily's attitude, utterly bewildered by her lack of empathy.
He didn't say anything more and turned to skate toward Maria.
He stopped beside Maria, crouched down, extended his hand, and asked with concern, "You okay?"
Maria looked up at Edward's outstretched hand, which seemed to glow under the rink lights.
Her face instantly turned bright red, and she shyly lowered her head again, softly saying, "I'm okay."
Edward gently took Maria's hand and pulled her to her feet.
Once Maria was steady, Edward smiled and introduced himself, "I'm Edward. What's your name?"
Maria kept her head slightly lowered, her voice barely above a whisper: "Maria."
(Maria — Mirrors, 2008)
Edward studied Maria carefully, and a flash of recognition suddenly crossed his mind. He then remembered that she was the protagonist from "Mirrors."
Maria came from a wealthy family. Her father, Ben, was a well-known plastic surgeon, enjoying an excellent reputation in the industry thanks to his exceptional skills.
However, Ben had a controlling and perfectionist personality, placing impossibly high standards on Maria, criticizing almost everything she did.
He expected his daughter to be flawless in every aspect, to excel at everything.
On Maria's 18th birthday, her father's gift to her was actually a plastic surgery consultation he'd arranged, simply because he didn't think Maria was pretty enough.
And Maria's mother, Amy, had an extremely passive personality, always deferring to her husband's opinions.
During Maria's upbringing, Amy failed to provide her with the necessary support and protection, which often made Maria feel lonely and helpless within her own family.
At school, Maria seemed to exist in an invisible bubble, isolated from her peers.
The bullying clique led by Mark became even more relentless, frequently humiliating and tormenting her.
Their various actions, like crushing weights, cast a dark shadow over Maria's already difficult life.
As for her only "friend," Lily, she wasn't truly genuine either.
Lily only remembered Maria existed when she needed something, treating her like a convenient tool to be used and discarded.
These experiences filled Maria's life with pain and helplessness.
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