Something Nova hadn't forseen happened.
She glanced at her wristwatch, and confirmed it was already 9:37 PM.
Orlyssa and the delinquents were unperturbed by the circumstance as they casually fiddled with their phones in front of the restaurant.
Standing a distance beside them, Nova couldn't help but frequently shift her weight.
At such a time, she would have been studying after having dinner, or considering that the next day was a weekend, she would rather be idly flipping channels on the television in her room.
She had herself to blame for not excusing herself from this group.
"Gotta go."
Whispering that, she stepped out of the restaurant's floodlights and began walking down the street.
The cool breeze blew, fluttering her skirt. She immediately reached her hand and held the hem in place.
Before she could travel down the street further, she heard Orlyssa shouting behind her back, asking her to stop.
'She's not done?'
With a frown, Nova turned back.
"Get back here! We'll give you a lift!"
There was a black car which hadn't been there a second ago, but, was she for real?
Considering that Nova's allowance had practically finished, and it wasn't enough for paying for the bus, Orlyssa's offer was a lifesaver.
Even so, she couldn't see the delinquents around.
Maybe they were already inside the car.
The thought of sitting next to them made her want to reject Orlyssa's offer instantly.
However, the circumstance she was in wasn't going to allow her, so she accepted getting the lift.
As Nova got on the car, she noticed Pyro seated in the front seat, and Blaze at the rear adjacent to Orlyssa.
Even though Nova couldn't bear Orlyssa, her heart relaxed a bit when she learned that instead of Blaze, Orlyssa was the one sitting next to her.
Either way, to avoid communicating with them, Nova fished out her cellphone and began playing mindless video games, praying that she won't be the topic of discussion.
A second later, Orlyssa and the delinquents started discussing pointless topics. From parties they were planning to attend, to who was dating who in their class.
Nova was eavesdropping while glancing outside the window to check whether they had entered her neighbourhood.
A short while after, the familiar streets of her neighbourhood appeared, welcoming her back. A slow exhale escaped her lips as she put her phone away.
It was a short ride, but each minute stretched on endlessly.
"This works."
"No, we'll drop you at the door."
Orlyssa replied almost immediately.
For some reason, Nova didn't want her to know where she lived.
Besides, why was she sticking to her like glue?
Up until then, Orlyssa hadn't even brought up the matter she wanted to discuss.
"I'd like to stop by a convenience store."
In response, Orlyssa leaned towards Nova and stared at her with squinted eyes.
It was uncomfortable, like she was peering through her lie, reading her thoughts.
However, after a few seconds, Orlyssa seemed to make up her mind.
"Okay."
She stretched her arm across Nova, opening the door.
'What?'
At that instant, the night's cold wind mercilessly whipped Nova.
She immediately hugged herself, staring at Orlyssa with an open mouth.
The car was still moving, so she wondered whether Orlyssa had gone insane.
While still in daze, a hand touched Nova's waist, and in the next moment, all her body went numb.
Immediately after, the numbness was replaced by burning sensations.
It was only after five seconds that she realised she was on the ground.
So this was Orlyssa's plan all along?
As Nova lay limp on the ground, every tissue in her body throbbed with a deep, searing pain.
Her field of vision began darkening, and she heard the hum of the car's tires dissapearing into the distance.
She had thought that maybe Orlyssa had shoved her out by accident, but their departure proved that it was intentional.
Silence followed, apart from the buzzing of cicadas.
Even though Nova despised the dystopian society she was living in, she still didn't want to die.
Yet her heart sank as a warm substance began cascading down her forehead.
The tears that had clouded her eyes began to flow, and her head gradually became lighter and lighter, as though she were falling asleep, though her awareness remained intact.
She wondered if this was what death felt like.
Nova's field of vision then became totally dark.
However, before she could completely sink into oblivion, her upper body was suddenly hauled from the ground.
Then, some soothing warmth followed, as if she were being hugged.
And ultimately, she ceased feeling herself.
***
Muffled sounds of cicadas. Cold daggers of ice. Hard surface. Where was she? What happened to her? Nova's eyes fluttered open.
The first thing she saw was the brightest star in Leo constellation. And then, she looked around, and noticed that she was on the street side.
Her body felt normal.
She stood up groggily, and then, clenched her fists.
'You should just die, bitch.'
Since she was dizzy, she staggered down the street, breathing heavily and cursing in her mind.
She had to strike back. If Orlyssa's intentions were to use that controversial photo as a leverage to do anything she wished to her, then she had no option but to fight back somehow, even if it meant luring her somewhere private and confronting her.
The neighbourhood's walls and hedges appeared slightly shorter than usual.
From the street, she couldn't see any lights inside her house.
She marched forth and opened the door, and after turning on the living room's light, she climbed the stairs to her room, shaking her head frequently.
Everything in her room looked as she had left.
Pillows tossed on the floor, bedsheets and rumpled blanket.
She blamed her mundane life for this messy state of her bedroom.
Even though her muscles throbbed, she beelined for the bathroom rather than collapsing onto the mattress.
She thought a warm bath would help release her pent up stress.
There was a vanity mirror near the shower curtain with her perfumes and lotions neatly organised.
"Was I injured?"
She muttered, drawing close to the mirror.
However, before anything, she realised something.
The voice that had just come out of her mouth wasn't hers.
It was totally different.
With a sharp breath, she quickly glanced in the mirror.
And at the sight of her reflection, she recoiled, her eyes staring wide as though she had seen a ghost.