Lorna huffed and walked away without another word.
Dahlia, too, had left for class.
Soon after, Keira emerged from the shower, only to find Dahlia and Lorna had already left.
Morwenna was waiting for her, concern written all over her face. âWhy donât you ask for help when you're bullied? Even if you're afraid to reach out to others, why not tell me? Arenât we friends?â
Fiddling with a towel, Keira responded with a mix of nervousness and helplessness. âI... I thought I could just bear it and it would pass. Iâm used to it, really, itâs nothing.â
Morwennaâs brow furrowed. âUsed to it? How long have these people been bullying you?â
Keira lowered her head, staying silent.
With a stern tone, Morwenna pressed. âIf you still consider me a friend, tell me.â
Trembling slightly, Keira whispered, âSince freshman year. The Roberts family knows mine, and Sandra has known me since we were kids, though we werenât close. She knows Iâm a nobody, that my family doesnât care, and she just wants to take advantage of me...â
Morwenna gasped. âSo, you mean theyâve been bullying you for a whole year?â
Keira trembled again, biting her lip and nodding.
Morwenna was baffled.
Why would someone endure bullying without fighting back?
These people were not like Norbert or Stuart, who had shown her kindness; she could understand bearing a little grievance then.
But Sandra and her crew had no connection to Keira, no kindness, only bullying.
âWhy not fight back?â
âItâs useless. I just need to survive. My parents wonât care.â
âWho said fighting back always needs parents? I lost my parents when I was five, but Iâve always fought back against anyone who bullied me.â
Keira remained silent, her head bowed, causing Morwenna to feel even more frustrated.
Morwenna sighed, knowing such deeply ingrained thoughts were hard to change.
But she couldnât stand by and watch Keira be bullied like this.
At that moment, Keira thought to herself that resistance was futile.
Every attempt to fight back in her childhood had only led to more intense bullying.
Her mother would blame her for not doing well enough, for not reflecting on her own faults and always blaming others.
Her father would say she was a nuisance, nowhere near as good as her brother.
Morwenna sighed again. âAlright, I wonât be pushy. But next time something happens, you must tell me. Weâre friends, and a little trouble doesn't scare me.â
Keira hesitated but eventually nodded.
Knowing Morwenna, now that she was aware, she wouldnât just stand by.
It made no difference whether she spoke up or not.
Suddenly, Keira felt she shouldnât have returned to school. Maybe taking a gap year was the right choice.
Since coming back, she felt like she was only dragging Morwenna down.
But she couldnât leave now. If she dropped out of school and something happened to Morwenna because of Sandra, she would be oblivious.
How could she leave after causing trouble, letting Morwenna suffer the consequences?
So, Keira remained silent.
She couldnât learn to fight back, nor could she escape.
Morwenna sighed, uncertain of what to do next.
She could save Keira once, twice, even ten or twenty times, but she couldnât save her forever. Life was long, and one had to learn to stand up for oneself.
How the Ice King Became my Doting Billionaire Husband ï¤Chapter 256 My Beloved Has Risen from Death's Embrace ï¤Chapter 492 âKeira, take the afternoon off. Iâm heading to class,â Morwenna said finally.
âOkay.â
...
Stepping out of the dorm, Morwenna let out a long sigh, feeling a mix of frustration and suffocation.
Who could endure bullying without ever fighting back?
Shaking her head, she decided to put those thoughts aside for now and head to class.
After her afternoon classes, Morwenna went to the auditorium to prepare for the rehearsal.
The senior student from another school, who was supposed to act with her in the play, hadnât shown up yet.
With only three days left until the welcome party, Morwenna was getting worried about the lack of rehearsal time and decided to look for Campbell.