The day took a different turn for Damien after Isabella got to class. All attention was diverted from him as the students vied for her attention and they all fell over each other as they tried to show her their worth and the reasons why she should consider choosing them as a friend. Apart from the tour she had accepted from Laura after the break period, she had only smiled politely and declined every other invitation. That didn't stop them from trying though. In fact, the more she declined, the more they rallied around her table with their latest offer.Though she did not even share him a glance, Damien could feel her emotions as plain as day. Though her polite smile did not waver for once, he could feel her annoyance about the student's behaviour. In fact, at times, he felt that she was close to snapping at one of the boys who felt that her rejection only made her more "hot"; yet she never did show any sign of anger. She was pleasantness-personified.And she totally ignored Damien's

The routine continued like that for almost a week. Damien was getting used to his new type of normal; not being the centre of attraction. Even as the test period began and the students became more grounded, especially Damien’s class since this was their last year of high school; they still had time to fawn at Princess Isabella. To invite her to torrents of parties, that she turned down one after the other. To bring her gifts, which she rejected always with a smile of thanks. With the offer of sleepovers, which she politely declined. She was never fazed even when the snobbish students went as far as fighting over who will draw out her chair in the cafeteria or who would hold her books though she was always with a maid and a guard who were more than capable to do those things. Sybill’s gestures were more elaborate than that of any of the rest, yet she got rejected as well. Everyone could see how much Sybill was trying just so the princess could ask for her company just as she had done

“You bastard! Who do you think you are?!” Damien winced as his locker door was slammed against the side of his head and his side. He was just about to change his cloth after a very lengthy exercise training. The coach had been driving them so hard since they only have three days to their competition. Sky had quickly rushed off to join some new friends he made at the Karaoke stand and Damien just got to the locker room. The pain that lanced into him stole his breath for a second. Raucous laughter sounded all around him and he could tell that there were more than five of them.“What do they want now?” he thought in exasperation as he turned to face them. A blow whizzed by his ear as he turned his head at the exact moment that a fist would have crashed into his face. The owner of the fist yowled as he smacked his beefy hand into the edge of the locker.“Son of a bitch!” he yelled.“Keep your voice down, Ansel. We don’t want that nosy MMrSilas coming over, you know” one of the boys said

Isabella felt strange looking at the moving wheels of the gurney taking the groaning boys to the vehicle that will convey them to the hospital. She had no idea why she was concerned about any of the snobbish kids but she couldn't change the feeling that she was somehow connected to this."How ridiculous" she scoffed. "Are you talking to me, princess?" one of the maids asked and Isabella shook her head. Good going. She thought to herself."Okay, everyone. The show is over now. You all can go home" the teacher, who had followed the paramedics into the locker room said, dispersing the students.The few of them around, groaned aloud as they turned to leave. Especially since most of them had been expecting that they could enter the locker room to check what had happened to the guys."Yes, thank you. Keep going" the teacher said with a shooing motion. He spotted Isabella and inclined his head before adding "And you too, princess""Yes, sir," Isabella said with a smile as she turned to leav

Damien was halfway back to the palace before he finally convinced himself to go back. He couldn’t get the thought that there might be a camera that had seen him beating the boys out of his mind. He wanted to assert himself to stop any form of bullying directed at him but then there was no reason to deliberately court trouble. So, he would simply go back to the locker room to see if there were truly any cameras around, he thought, as he told the driver to turn the car.Sky had shown him what the cameras looked like and how to know if they were working. He told the driver to park outside the school gate since he would be back in no time and the latter did as he was told. Damien quickly came down from the car and half-run, half-walk towards the building entrance. He didn’t want to acknowledge the niggling thought that lurked at the back of his mind, that he might still see Laura around. “I am not going to let the possibility of meeting that nosy girl stop me,” he thought fleeting when h