Page 30 of His Untoward Hate

“His vibe is not giving.”

“He’s ugly,”

“I can’t believe he’s our top one.”

“I hate him so much.”

“Don’t mind them. You’re fine,” Jasper said.

“No, it’s not, Jasper,” he replied with a shaky voice.

Jude’s anxiety began to recur, and just as his tears were about to cascade, the bell rang for the next class.

“Hey, come on, man. Cheer up. You look very sexy, though. I swear,” Jasper lifted the atmosphere.

Jude looked at Jasper, and Jude could see the sincerity and comfort in his eyes.

“I promise. You looked good in the pictures.” Jasper held Jude’s right arm. “Stop crying already. I will see you later, okay? We still need to talk about the party,” he continued with a hint of warning.

Jasper stepped back and stormed away in the opposite direction. Jude was left in the locker area, speechless and alone. The hallways gradually emptied as students hurried off to their classes, leaving him grateful for the brief moment of solitude. He had a class this time, but it felt like his feet were glued to where he was standing. He felt very humiliated because of his own doing. Tears were pooling down his cheeks uncontrollably.

Unfortunately, he and Jasper did not share the same class during this period, which only made him feel more vulnerable. His soft sobs quietly echoed through the hallway as he wiped his tears away with his sleeve before turning to grab the book he needed for the subject.

As he was descending the stairs on his way to class, already late, he suddenly stopped midway. Sky Granger was leaning against the railing in the middle of the staircase, his side facing Jude, while wearing a cold, unreadable expression. His heart sank knowing they were both alone, and he had to pass him to get to his class.

Jude cautiously glanced at Sky. The seriousness on his face was intimidating, and the moment Sky turned to look at him, Jude immediately lowered his gaze. His eyes landed on Sky’s hand resting on the railing, only to notice the smear of blood staining his hand.

Run. That idea immediately went through his head, but Sky would not like that. Sky made it clear to him that when he saw him, never in his wildest dreams would he dare to avoid him.

Jude swallowed hard, so hard it almost hurt. His heart seemed to stop beating, and he felt seconds away from collapsing. At that moment, if he could disappear from the world entirely, he would have chosen to.

Jude took another step down, his foot trembling violently. Every step forward felt like he was walking closer to death itself. His movements were slow and cautious, as though he were trying not to make a sound near a sleeping lion.

With his head lowered and his heart pounding wildly against his chest, Jude forced himself down each step with great difficulty. The strong scent of Sky’s perfume filled the narrow space and invaded his senses the moment he was inches from him, only making it harder for him to breathe properly. When he finally stood right in front of Sky, Jude felt completely unsafe, as if Sky’s presence alone was pulling him in and trapping him there.

Jude forgot how to breathe.

Sky did not say a single word. He simply watched Jude descend the stairs, his eyes following every step he took. When Jude finally reached the last step, his legs wobbled weakly beneath him, forcing him to grab the wall for support. Using it to steady himself, he slowly moved farther away from Sky’s sight before leaning his back against the wall, trying to regain the composure he had completely lost.

As expected, Jude came late to class. Although there was remaining time, he used it to sleep. He was very tired. The quest alone he had taken by the stairs was enough to make him exhausted. It was also his way to avoid the issue, to weather his anxiety, and to prevent hearing his classmates talk about him. Sleeping was his only getaway from his depression and the cruelty of this world.

Obviously, the next period had become Jude’s most hated class this term, even though it was supposed to be his favorite subject and the one where he could see Jasper. Practical Research had always been his forte, and having Jasper there should have made things better, but he could not focus knowing they were sharing the same room with the monster.

“Okay, so for today, I will give you time to plan or talk to your partners about your research. On Wednesday, make sure to submit your research title, statement of the problem, hypotheses, and a draft of the background of the study. You need to submit a soft copy of your assigned tasks by Thursday so I can review them. On Friday, we can go over any errors or necessary corrections, make revisions, and then move on to the next part. Okay? Is everything clear?” she asked, and only a few answered her.

Everyone seemed tired of this subject.

“Silence means yes, so go to your partners now and plan your work,” Miss Leizel announced, and Jude almost died.

There was no way he could talk to or face him.

Please kill me. Jude begged amongst the Lords.

The students lazily stood up from their seats and made their way toward their partners. Unwillingness was clearly written across their faces. It seemed like most of them hated research. After all, it demanded a significant commitment of compliance, effort, time, and money. For Jude, however, it was a different story. Research had always been difficult, but the sense of accomplishment it brought in the end made every challenge worthwhile.

Jude swallowed hard and stayed rooted to his seat. Sweat poured down his cheeks as panic devoured him. He could not bring himself to approach him or even talk about their research plan. At that moment, Jude wished he could do the project alone.

“Sky Granger? Why are you still in your seat? Don’t tell me the top student of the batch is supposed to come to you instead?” Miss Leizel remarked sarcastically, and Jude wished she had never said those words.