Astonishing Nolan Dawson

Chapter 3: Suspended

The disappointment and mixture of anger and anguish vanished from his face, swiftly replaced by astonishment and shock.

He brought the phone closer to his face, checking it carefully to ensure he hadn't misunderstood what he saw. However, even after fixing his gaze on it, the alert remained visible on his screen.

Nolan swallowed hard as he returned his phone to his pocket, his face marked with confusion. He couldn't quite comprehend why that alert appeared on his phone without any means of discerning who sent it.

"Who sent this to me? Why does this seem so unreal?" Even after pondering it thoroughly, he couldn't grasp any valid reason for someone to send such an amount of money.

"Hold on a moment!" Nolan exclaimed abruptly, lifting his head to address the three men dressed in corporate attire. "Was this sent by you?"

They were the only strange individuals he could associate with the money transfer.

The three men grinned. "You'll find out soon."

Before Nolan could inquire further, they departed.

Observing their departure, Nolan's perplexity deepened. If they weren't the one, could this be some kind of prank?

He sighed, opting to set this matter aside temporarily. If he kept his hopes high regarding the money, and it turned out to be fake or a prank, the disappointment and heartbreak would be overwhelming.

Deciding to brush off the alert issue, he continued walking until he reached an isolated area of the school compound.

Sitting on a large stone on the ground, he wore a dejected expression. Memories of when Darcy professed her love for him and the times he had spent and worked tirelessly for her flooded his mind.

Bitterness and anguish filled his eyes, as the feeling of being fooled engulfed him. 

Everything he had done and everything she had said for their love seemed utterly nonsensical to her. Pure nonsense!

He wished he had been aware sooner; perhaps then, he wouldn't be feeling this pain or experiencing betrayal.

As he sat, reflecting on everything, he suddenly heard a concerned yet loud voice. 

Raising his head, he traced his eyes in the direction of the voices. 

From a distance were three male, hurriedly approaching Nolan with a worrisome face.

Nolan wasn't surprised; it was evident he had anticipated their arrival.

"Hey Nolan, we just heard what happened. Are you hurt?" one of the males asked, his tone filled with concern.

Nolan sighed, eager to respond, but he was promptly interrupted by another.

"Why would you even ask him that, Freddie? Isn't it obvious he must be hurt!" he interjected.

Nolan spoke abruptly to prevent any argument. "It's alright, Michael. No need to raise your voice over this."

These three male Freddie, Micheal and Edmond were Nolan's cherished friends in the school, having been together since he first enrolled. However, despite their friendship, they were not roommates.

The third male, Edmond, spoke, dispelling the frown on Michael's face. "Nolan, we're sorry we couldn't come to your rescue earlier. We only received news about your conflict with Hansel after you had already left the hall," he expressed regretfully.

Nolan gave a small smile. "You don't need to apologize. It's my fault for being a fool." He spoke, with seethed teeth.

Hearing the words of Nolan, they remained silent.

However, after some seconds, their silent voice died down. 

Freddie was the first to break the silence, with a curious question, "but what really happened?"

Micheal also nodded. "Yes, tell us." They had only known about the conflict Nolan had with Hansel in the hall, but they weren't informed about the cause.

Nolan muttered. " I found Hansel's proposing to Darcy!" 

What!?

The three friends were amazed and stunned. While they acknowledged that it wasn't entirely impossible for Hansel to be interested in someone as attractive as Darcy, they couldn't help but be shocked, considering the kind of relationship Nolan had with her.

They cleared their throats slightly to regain their composure. "What was her response, then? I'm sure she must have rejected the proposal since she's already in a relationship."

Nolan shook his head bitterly. "She did the opposite. Darcy accepted his proposal and told me that the relationship between us was just nonsense!" His eyes were cold with anger. 

"How could Darcy do that? Has she forgotten everything you've done for her? Those messages and words you'd both always exchanged were nothing but nonsense to her! She's an ingrate!" Freddie continued to unleash malicious insults against the unpresent Darcy.

The more Freddie spoke about Darcy, the angrier Nolan became. He simply didn't want to engage in any discussion about her.

"Let it go," he said.

Michael shook his head in disagreement. "Why should we let it go? You're in pain from her betrayal! Even though it's not evident on your face, I know you're hurting inside." His tone was filled with concern. 

Nolan sighed, lowering his gaze. "You pursuing this further won't change anything. Like I said, just let it be!" His tone this time was more resolute and decisive.

Despite their dissatisfaction, the three of them opted to listen to Nolan and refrain from delving further into the matter.

"Uh, both of you can head back to your hostel; I'll be making my way to mine," Nolan stated.

Anticipating their ongoing concern if he remained seated in this secluded area of the school compound, Nolan decided it was best to head to his hostel.

"Alright, we're leaving now, but ensure you stay strong," the trio conveyed before leaving.

Nolan, too, rose from his seat and strides towards his hostel. Upon reaching his room, he discovered that his roommates had not yet returned. 

With a sigh, he freshened up and dejectedly slept. 

The following morning, Nolan swiftly bathed and dressed. Knowing fully well that he was almost late Nolan didn't dare glance at the other sleepy roommate in the room, before dashing out. 

Having left the room, he began racing to his class, with a tiny hope that the teachers weren't there yet. 

He had enough trouble yesterday, so he didn't want to get into another problem today again.

"You…!" His words caught in his throat, and he opened his mouth wide in astonishment.

Facing him was one of the school administrators.

"Oh God! What terrible luck I've been experiencing lately. It's incredibly frustrating," he cursed internally.

"Good morning, Mr. Roger," he managed to cease his cursing and spoke.

Roger rolled his eyes as he entered the class. "Get your foolish body into the class!" he yelled.

Nolan heaved a sigh of relief seeing Roger wasn't prolonging the issue. He followed his instruction and began walking toward his seat.

As he scanned the room for an empty seat, Roger's loud and irritated voice rang out. "What do you think you're doing? Why are you darting your eyes around?"

Nolan found himself confused by Roger's abrupt change in tone, but he felt compelled to explain, even though it seems unnecessary. "I'm searching for an empty seat. You told me to get into the class. I thought that meant I could take a seat," he innocently clarified.

"When did I ask you to take a seat!?" Roger shouted loudly, glaring at him.

Nolan was left speechless.

While it was true that Roger had never directly instructed him to sit, Nolan had assumed, based on Roger asking him to come inside, that he could also take his seat. 

A voice from one of his mates chimed in, "Mr. Roger, don't mind him. He's always been like this, always making assumptions."

Laughter erupted from the others seated, filling the room with echoes.

"He even assumed he was dating the school beauty yesterday," another added from the back. 

Upon hearing this, Roger turned to face Nolan with a stern expression. "I've also heard about what transpired yesterday. Why did you stir up trouble?"

Nolan's fists clenched tightly as he struggled to suppress the anger that welled up within him upon hearing Darcy's name.

"Mr. Roger, please, I'd rather not discuss this!" He uttered through gritted teeth.

Roger scowled, visibly displeased. "Are you okay? How dare you raise your voice at me!?"

Nolan sighed and tried to speak more calmly. "I didn't intend to raise my voice. I simply meant to say that I don't wish to discuss yesterday's events."

Roger shot him a cold glare. "Who are you to dictate what we discuss, huh!?"

One of Nolan's peers interjected abruptly, "Mr. Roger, don't bother with him. He did worse things yesterday—jumping to conclusions, punching Hansel, and rendering Darcy helpless enough to agree to date him. What more can you expect from him?"

"Shut up, you wreck!" Nolan shouted furiously upon hearing Darcy's name mentioned again.

"Wow," Roger clapped, "first, you raise your voice at me, and now you're also labeling your fellow student wreck. How charming!" A sarcastic tone laced his words.

"Sir, I'm sorry," Nolan apologized, lowering his head. He wouldn't have raised his voice if he hadn't been provoked.

Nolan knew Roger had some dislike towards him like the others and he was only seeking opportunities to punish him, so he swiftly apologized. However, he couldn't have anticip

ated Roger's next words to be so deadly. 

Roger snorted coldly, "Save your apologies! From now on, you're suspended from class for two weeks!"