He Killed Me Then Loved Me Chapter 07
Arnold handed me a pack of tissues and asked patiently, “Hey, anything I can help you with?”
I bit my lip and didn’t answer. He stayed beside me in silence for a long time that day.
After that, every time I was bullied, Arnold was there. He stepped in and helped me out, but he never pried into the humiliations I kept hidden.
But what he never knew was that every single one of those encounters was carefully orchestrated by me.
I’d been using him.
Probably because he’d protected me too many times, he ended up crossing Charles anyway. The last time we met, he gave me a bank card and told me to live my life well.
Then I never saw him again. The money on the card was enough to set me up for life.
I wanted to transfer schools, but I found out it was completely impossible without Charles’s permission.
Asking for help was useless.
Having money was useless, too.
Then Charles stumbled on that card and tossed it into the river.
I could only pin my hopes on the SAT. But I never thought I’d die on that day.
Tears streamed down my face. I jolted awake from the dream, still calling out Arnold’s name.
The passengers around me stared at me like I was crazy. I wiped my tears and apologized.
I’d gotten rid of Charles, but I didn’t feel happy at all. Maybe it was the guilt. Maybe I had a shred of conscience left after all.
I had to admit that I was selfish and hateful. I knew exactly what helping me would cost him, and I still chose to use Arnold.
I did him so wrong.
By the time the train pulled into the station, most of the day had nearly slipped away.
My student records were transferred to a public school in Denver.
There was no drama here. No love, no hate, no vengeance. The only thing filling everyone’s teenage years was an endless stream of practice tests and problem sets. But somehow, I felt at peace.
I immersed myself in the busy, tense rhythm of studying, and time flew by. Before I knew it, the fall of my senior year had arrived.
My grades had climbed from the middle of the pack to the top twenty in my grade.
The teachers were brutal about cracking down on dating, so no one dared to get into a relationship. But I did manage to make a few friends.
After lights-out, in the dorms, my roommates would sometimes talk about what kind of guys they were into.
My deskmate, Wilma Bauer, was a girl with a soft personality. Resting her chin on both hands, she had that dreamy look. “I’m into older men. Specifically, the type that reminds you of the sweet, caring second male lead in a romance novel.”
Then she looked at me, her eyes sparkling. “What about you, Lina? What’s your type?
“That guy ranked first in our grade asked you to be his girlfriend, and you turned him down flat. Seriously, I’m dying to know. What kind of guy would actually catch your eye?”
I lowered my eyes, my lashes trembling. For no reason at all, Arnold’s face surfaced in my mind. I shook my head, disgusted with myself.
Arnold had already helped me enough. I shouldn’t be so selfish. I shouldn’t drag him down anymore.
I pressed my lips, smiled, and said softly, “Same as you. I’m into the gentle second male lead, too.”
Ever the good sport, she grabbed my hand and gave it an enthusiastic shake.
Life here was quiet, unhurried. Oak trees lined both sides of the asphalt road, stretching out as if they had no end.
After the first round of practice exams, our notoriously strict homeroom teacher gave us a rare day off. I turned down my classmates’ offer to go out for tacos and decided to just walk around the city on my own.
I wouldn’t be coming back after the SAT. So I wanted to see as much of the city as I could.
I didn’t have a home, so I planned on buying a place next to the university I got into.
Little did I expect to run into Charles here. It’d been over a year, and he’d gotten so thin his clothes just hung off him. I felt stiff all over, not even having the strength to take a step.
The fear from my previous life swallowed me whole.
Charles stammered, “D-Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.”
“Lina, you were reborn too, weren’t you?”
My attitude was even colder than it had been in my last life, my eyes filled with nothing but wariness. “How did you find this place?”
In fact, he didn’t have to answer. It must have been Damian who told him.
Tears streamed down his face. Without answering, he said, his voice choked, “Lina, I’ve missed you so much.”