After her rebirth
Chapter 68

Cecil held the book, listening to Katniss talk. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes were ice-cold.

Daryl and the gang knew Cecil well enough to see that Katniss might be in for some trouble.

"Cecil, looks like your charm's wearing off. Katniss hasn't even glanced your way all morning!" Byron teased with a smirk.

He and Daryl had assumed the new girl, Katniss, was just another one of Cecil's admirers.

They'd heard that Laura wanted to switch to the medical school just to be near Cecil, but her grades weren't good enough to make the cut.

Cecil's face darkened, sending out a clear warning, "You're talking too much!"

With that, Cecil strode forward, and Byron and Daryl quickly followed.

In the cafeteria.

"My dad found out I'm going abroad as an exchange student and said he's proud of me. If I hadn't stopped him, he would've thrown a three-day party," Juniper complained, looking glum. Katniss laughed and asked, "Have you set the date for going abroad?"

Juniper looked reluctant. "Yeah, it's set for December. But I don't want to leave you guys. I'm scared to go abroad alone, where everything's unfamiliar."

"You don't want to go? There are plenty of people waiting for your spot," Katniss teased.

"No way, I'm just kidding. If I don't go, my dad will have someone drag me there!"

Seeing Juniper shake her head vigorously, Katniss chuckled and then reminded her of the things she needed to prepare.

Halfway through, Juniper suddenly poked Katniss's arm, signaling her to look to the right.

Following her direction, Katniss's eyes widened as she saw Laura.

Laura had changed a lot since they last saw her. She looked gloomy and scary, with no one daring to approach her.

She was a far cry from the previously arrogant and well-groomed Laura.

Katniss asked, "What happened to her?"

Juniper replied, "Ever since Laura's family had trouble, her former friends abandoned her and started badmouthing her, revealing all the bad things she had done."

Laura's family used to be wealthy, and some people followed her for money. Now that Jackson had fallen, and it was all over the news for days, everyone knew Laura's family was bankrupt and owed a lot of money. Their house was even seized. No one knew where she's living now.

Katniss looked away from Laura. Everyone has their own path, and this was Laura's burden to bear.

"Hey, Laura is looking at you," Juniper said, finding Laura's gaze a bit scary. "She is looking at you like you're her enemy. She's been acting strange lately. When I'm not around, you should avoid her."

Hearing this, Katniss looked up but only saw Laura's back.

Katniss furrowed her brows and obediently agreed with Juniper.

In truth, she had nothing to fear. Jackson was arrested for his own crimes, and no matter how much Laura hated, it couldn't be directed at her.

After lunch, Juniper went back to the dorm, and Katniss planned to go to the library, so they parted ways at the cafeteria.

As a result, Katniss didn't see Laura staring at her as she left.

After finishing her meal, Laura silently got up and walked to the sink, vigorously scrubbing her greasy, sour-smelling lunchbox.

The water from the faucet splashed onto her clothes, soaking them, but Laura seemed oblivious, focusing only on scrubbing the lunchbox, her fingers turning white from the pressure.

In the next moment, she turned off the faucet..

"Laura, I heard about your family's situation. Are you okay?" Clara asked, looking genuinely worried.

Clara was dressed in a white knit dress with an elegant coat, looking like a noble princess. In contrast, no matter how clean Laura's clothes were, they still looked cheap.

Embarrassed by Clara's sudden appearance, Laura took a few steps back, hiding her worn lunchbox behind her. "Are you here to laugh at me too?"

Clara's eyes widened in surprise, and she gently refuted, "Laura, how could you think that? I'm worried about you. My brother Nathan was sick recently, and I was taking care of him. As soon as I heard about you, I came to find you." The concern on Clara's face was genuine, and her eyes were sincere.

After being abandoned by everyone, the first person to show her concern made Laura burst into tears. "Clara, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have misunderstood you."

Laura had experienced too much of the world's coldness recently.

After her father went to prison, the company went bankrupt, and their villa was seized and auctioned off. She couldn't take anything with her.

The uncles and aunts who used to be kind to her now mocked her.

Even her uncle suggested to her sick mother that given their situation, she should stop studying since her family couldn't afford it. Instead, she should get married while she could still fetch a good price.

The candidates he suggested were all in their forties or fifties, with one even older than her father!

How could they be so disgusting? After her father went to prison, they shamelessly wanted to defile her.

Laura felt like she couldn't hold on any longer.

Clara endured the sour smell coming from Laura and hugged her, softly comforting, "Laura, it's okay. No matter what happens, we're still friends. And..."

Clara let go of Laura, hesitating, "And I heard that your father's situation was due to an anonymous tip-off. I don't know if your father or you offended someone, but they seem to be out to get you." She continued, "Laura, if you ever need help, just let me know. I'll do whatever I can."

Laura's heart trembled at the mention of an anonymous tip-off. Who did she offend? Could it be her?

In a daze, Laura didn't hear the rest of what Clara said.

In the library.

Katniss had been reading for hours, and her eyes were starting to hurt. With classes in the afternoon, she closed her book and put it in her backpack.

She went to the library's restroom and washed her face to wake up.

Just as she was about to leave, Katniss suddenly felt a blackness before her eyes as someone covered her head with a black backpack.

Immediately, someone with a powerful force kicked her in the back, causing her to fall forward and slam heavily into the tiled sink, a sharp pain shooting through her forehead.

Next, the assailant seemed to grab a mop and started hitting her on her body, head, and arms, each blow harder than the last.

The wounds that had just healed from her previous hospital stay reopened, and blood stained the floor.

It seemed like the attacker had a deep-seated grudge, intent on beating her to death.

Katniss curled up, nearly passing out from the pain, unable to utter a single word.