FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

The blanket served as the barrier between her and the rest of the world, and Hera wanted to believe she was safe, hidden under it. Her eyes were wide open inside the cover, eyeballs moving back and forth restlessly though there was no trace of light. Her heartbeats finally settled and resumed their regular pace.

The carbon dioxide she was letting out inside the blanket turned the air hot, and it didn't take more than a few minutes for her to feel suffocated. She needed fresh oxygen to breathe. Sighing in utter frustration, Hera lifted the cover off her face. Eyeing the white ceiling, she inhaled a lungful of air.

She pulled out her phone from under the pillow and opened the lock only to meet Hunter's gorgeous face. Yet again, she was disappointed to find no missed calls or messages from him. She glared at the screen, scowling at him.

The door opened, and Hera darted her eyes to see the intruder. It was her roommate, Hillary.. The girl frowned in confusion after seeing Hera on the bed, fully wrapped with the blanket. "What's wrong? Why are you sleeping at this hour?" she asked matter-of-factly. Hera's gaze followed the girl as she walked around to her bed and removed her uniform jacket.

"I'm feeling a bit low. I think I have a fever," Hera lied easily. Hillary nodded while she changed into casual clothes. Hera frowned in worry as a thought occurred to her. The other girl loved to gossip around, and she would hang her medical report on the bulletin board if she could. Hera didn't want the fake news to reach Hunter somehow.

"The story of my illness wouldn't be such a hot, juicy gossip to interest anyone. So please don't bother yourself," Hera said in a bored tone. Hillary smirked, pulling a notebook out of her bag. She settled on her desk and started to scribble something on the sheet. Hera eyed her suspiciously with her narrowed eyes.

"I'm sure our heartthrob of a president will be very much interested in the news," Hillary stated smugly, much to Hera's annoyance. "Or he could wring your neck for putting my name on the gossip column," Hera said suggestively and faked a sweet smile. Hillary laughed in amusement, and Hera gritted her teeth, irked at her roommate's response.

"Let's see whose neck he will wring after I tell him about your meeting with your ex-best friend," Hillary shot back, mirroring Hera's sweet smile. Hera instantly hated the challenge her tone held. "I know you and Clara were chit-chatting with each other for a long time this morning," the other girl revealed, sounding too pleased for Hera's liking.

"For God's sake, Hillary, stop meddling with other people's lives for once and mind your own business," Hera snapped irately. The door opened once again and in walked Celine and Brittany, followed by Clara.

Hera avoided looking at Clara and forced a smile at the other two girls. "Hera, what's wrong?" Celine asked in a concerned tone. Brittany frowned in worry too. "She has a fever," Hillary answered before Hera could open her mouth.

'Didn't I tell her to mind her own business?'

Biting back the verbal insult at the tip of her tongue, Hera smiled at Celine and Brittany. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired," she replied.

"You know, Hera, Ace missed the assembly today," Hillary said informatively. Hera exhaled through her nose, trying her best not to lose her temper. Ignoring the gossip girl, she pulled the cover over her face once again, hoping no one would disturb her.

Hera could make out the sound of new footsteps entering the room and overheard Clara ask, "What happened to your leg? Why are you limping?"

An exaggerated dreamy sigh came in as a response before the person answered Clara's question, and Hera knew it was Adelaide as the rest of the five roommates were already there. "It's a long story," Adelaide said, prolonging the word long.

"Did someone fuck you so good that you can't walk properly?" It was Hillary who asked the question. There was a hint of teasing in her voice, but it also held a hidden meaning as if she knew something that Hera didn't know.

'Fuck, this is so humiliating.'

Hera didn't know how to face the situation, and she wished she could strangle Hunter then.

"I'll tell you later when there are no prying ears and spying eyes," Adelaide mock-whispered, speaking loud enough for Hera to hear. Hera was shocked and speechless. She wasn't that stupid to not grasp what Adelaide was trying to imply. Fighting the impulse to crash her palm over Adelaide's cheek, Hera squeezed her eyelids shut inside the blanket.

'Did you really do it with her, Hunter?'

Hera wanted to claw the girl's eyes out. She couldn't stand it anymore and threw the blanket off her. She didn't miss how Adelaide wore a smug smirk on her face. Clara glanced at her with a knowing look, and Hera never felt the urge to run faster. Clutching her phone tightly in her hand, she stormed out of the room barefooted.

Hera's first instinct was to hide in the library. However, contrary to what every novel with the concept of bad boy falling for the good girl said, Hera's bad boy was a certified nerd, a bookworm and was in love with the library.

'Why can't he be like the typical bad boy in the novels and lack interest in studies?'

Hera cursed inwardly, walking towards the kitchen. She couldn't risk going to the community hall. Hunter could be watching TV there or working out in the gym. Mrs Rogers' kitchen would be a safe place to hide for the time being, and also, she was starving and needed food.

Rosaline eyed the girl suspiciously before questioning her unannounced intrusion into her kitchen. With an awkward smile, Hera scratched her scalp and hesitantly revealed her reason for the untimely visit. "I'm hungry, Mrs Rogers. Please feed me, and I'll do anything. I can help the staff with cooking or cleaning," Hera offered, requesting politely.

The matron seemed thoughtful, and Hera waited with her eyes wide, hoping she wouldn't get scolded. Rosaline studied Hera's face and frowned. "Are you unwell?" she asked, placing the back of her fingers on Hera's forehead, checking her temperature. Hera immediately plastered a cheerful smile on her lips and shook her head.

"I'm just hungry. That's why I look tired," Hera quickly explained and grinned wide in satisfaction when the matron ordered one of the staff to feed her. "You'll help by peeling these carrots and potatoes later for the dinner meal," Rosaline stated, to which Hera obediently nodded.

Offering her gratitude, Hera rushed to the dining hall and was not at all surprised to see a few more boys and girls gulping their food hurriedly. It wasn't new for the students to request meals at unseasonable hours. Their matron, Rosaline, God bless her soul, never returned anyone hungry from her kitchen.

Hera enjoyed the simple bread rolls roasted with mashed potatoes inside, made out of morning's leftover breakfast. The kitchen staff never wasted excess food.

The taste of the delicious rolls coating her taste buds distracted her mind off the disastrous events of the day successfully. After all, food was her favourite thing for nothing. Her stomach sighed in content while Hera chewed her food, savouring every bite with appreciation and gratitude.

Hera washed her plate after finishing her food as the rest of the students did. The untimely food was never offered free in Rosaline Roger's kitchen. One had to work hard and earn it. Hera returned to her dorm with much-needed energy and a more sober brain. She knew she couldn't think properly with an empty stomach.

Ignoring everyone's silent stare, she went straight to her bed. Her roommates were busy, probably with their homework. Hera sighed and let her thumb punch the password on her cell phone. School and books were the least of her worries right now.

'Still no message and calls!'

Hera scowled and stared at the device for a while, internally debating whether to text Hunter or not. She glimpsed at Adelaide once and saw her writing something in her notebook. Clara sat beside her as if they were best friends since forever.

'How can I get affected by them so easily? They both could be scheming against Hunter and lying to my face.'

Hera grew more upset after seeing Adelaide in Hunter's arms, and it only added more doubts in her mind and strengthened Clara's accusation.

Until now, Hera wasn't ready to face Hunter. She knew, a part of her almost believed Clara. Suddenly, it dawned on Hera that she was giving them exactly what they wanted by not trusting Hunter. They knew she would be afraid of the unknown truth.

'Maybe they thought I would never find the courage to ask Hunter.'

If Hera couldn't dare to ask Hunter, she would never know the truth. It would only lead to misunderstandings, and Hera didn't want to blame or doubt Hunter without hearing his side of the story.

With a clearer mind, Hera opened the Instagram app on her phone. She typed Hunter's username and password without any hesitation. She was aware he would get notified on his phone that there was a login attempt from another device, but she didn't care.

'I have the right to stalk him on his social media. I'm his girlfriend, after all.'

Hera thought, smiling to herself.

'And besides, it was more of being cautious than stalking.'

She needed to know what her boyfriend did the whole day staying away from her.