Chapter 31 - The Fall

Olivera's POV:

I eyed Leonard badly as I watched him rattle his mouth. Seems he was in a good mood this morning. I thought, taking my lips in, my mind besieged with thoughts about the dream I had just had, before he interrupted me with his frog voice. It was the same dream like the others; the lady and the man who seemed to love standing on the mountain's apex, and overlooking the regions beneath. What was that about? And till when would i stop having these stupid dreams? Perhaps, I should ask Nick? Nah, I don't think so. He is a doctor, not a dream interpreter. But still, someone out there should know what is happening to me, and why I am having such dreams repeatedly. I don't think it is a mere fantasy or something. Perhaps Jeremy was right, perhaps this was a message from the goddess. But why me if that was true? I don't have a wolf. Worse, i have seizures. I'm not worth her attention.

"I might just prefer Francis one of these days…" I finally said, placing my hands on my waist, wrinkling my nose as I heard him scoff. I didn't blame him though. i , myself, knew that I would never choose Francis. Over my dead body. That pervert!

"We both know that it is not possible." He stated, echoing my thoughts.

I could feel Jeremy darting glances between Leonard and me.

He must be wondering what got under our butts this morning.

"Is it morning already?" I asked him, involving him in the conversation, not wanting him to feel like a third wheel.

"Obviously." Leonard mentioned, before Jeremy could say anything, earning a glare from both of us.

What was his problem? He was chirpy today.

"Get up, before your taskmasters seek you two out." He pinpointed, before turning around and leaving the room.

Immediately he left, Jeremy turned to me, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What?!" I asked, getting a bit irked by the scrutiny.

"You two are quite cozy." He said, and I snorted.

He should have seen Leonard escorting me home yesterday night. The guy had been too grumpy. Perhaps, it was the food that must have softened his heart toward me. If that was it, then I would be blessing him with food everyday from Nick's stock.

"Cozy is a strong word. We just met yesterday. I just think that he is still grateful for the plate of food that I had given him yesterday." I stated, wincing as I stood up on my feet from the cold floor.

"You gave him food?" Jeremy asked, and I was almost tempted to give him a knock. He had a wolf. Hadn't he eavesdropped on the conversation between me and Leonard when we were still behind the door? Or was he pretending?

"Yes, I did. Hadn't your wolf picked up on that?" I decided to ask, watching his face to see his reaction. I scoffed as he turned away, the tips of his ear red. He knew that I had caught him there.

"C'mon, we have to be going." I said, picking up the nylon which now contained empty plates. "I don't want you in trouble; and remember you can check out the clothes in the locker. Are you with the key?'' I asked, in a way, reminding him in case he had forgotten.

"Yeah. let's go." he said, standing up from the floor.

**

We were on the pathway to the fields, when I remembered that Jeremy hadn't told me how his day had gone the previous day. Well, the girls in front chattering, and turning back to ogle at Jeremy while eyeing me badly, made me recall that. It seemed that they already knew him. Something must have happened. The girl that I had seen with Francis was also with them. She seemed to be the clique's leader.

"Jeremy, tell me about yesterday…" I stated flatly, leaving no room for objection. He paused in his movement, and I knew that I had taken him by surprise. Why not? He hadn't been expecting the question. He hadn't seen it coming.

"Nothing much happened." he replied, starting up his movements again, and I snorted.

"I'm serious. Just work." he said, and I snorted again.

"Olivera, what is the problem? You know i cannot lie to you." he stated, and i stared up at him; his eyes were brimming with honesty. He wasn't lying. So why were the girls staring at him and murmuring?

"Do you know any of these girls?" I asked him, and he turned aside to look at the girls in front. One of them winked at him, and he laughed. A laughter that grated on my nerves.

"Are you that happy and fulfilled that a girl winked at you?'' I asked, turning up my lips in disgust. How could he laugh so invitingly at the girl. Now, the other would think that he was interested in her. As if to confirm my thoughts, the girl threw another wink, adding some kind of shake to her butt movement, and worse the idiot i called my best friend was watching as if animated.

Fuck this. I thought, walking faster. I wanted to walk away from them all.

"Olivera, wait…" Jeremy called, but I wasn't listening, rather I increased my footsteps, that it almost bordered on running. But as I was about to walk past the girls, one of them, I don't know which one, stretched out her left leg in my path, and in my rage which blinded my eyes, I hadn't seen it, and so I walked right into the trap and fell down, bruising my knees. My face wasn't left out either. It was clothed with dust. I felt humiliated. I tried getting up, perhaps, I don't even know, to give the girls a piece of my mind, but my legs failed me. It seemed that the left one had been strained.

"Olivera…" I heard Jeremy shout, and cussed. I didn't want him close to me now. He should go and be with the stupid girl who had been winking at him.

I felt him hold me by the hand, but I shrugged him away, noticing that the girls had stopped walking and were watching, still murmuring and berating him. In front, I noticed some guys watching us, one of them in particular furrowed his eyebrows, his concentration all on Jeremy. Did they know each other?

But that wasn't my business, at least not at the moment. Now, I want to be left alone.