Later....

Helbram's heading towards the roof top to chill but then– he stumbled upon Stella's male buddies and hid himself well.

"Wait, are those Stella's primary buddies?" he wondered. "It seems they're talking. Better take this chance."

Helbram prepared his voice recorder.

"Hey man, Stella is delusional! Can you believe it? She viewed herself the most Beautiful Lesbian in this Campus?!" Guy(2) laugh. "Like – what in Tophet man!? She? A beauty? Is she nuts or something?”

“I bet on Rose though! She’s a combination of Beauty and Handsomeness!"

"She may have successfully turned Rose into one of her own, you know, Lesbian? We cannot deny that She is the Goddess of Beauty in our School! Heh! No wonder she likes picking on Rose, she must be jealous."

They laugh except Silver.

"The only thing that's great about her is– she's insanely rich! Also, how naive is she? Can't she see her followers are merely there to exploit her money? Huh!" Buddy(2) said.

"Naah! That's straight up dumb bro!"

They laugh.

"Come on! Don't be like that bro!"

They laugh again.

"Her sense of fashion sucks! Can't she be– at least, normal like Rose and the rest does? I mean- Rose is like her version 2 but… Bhoi oh boy! I am obsessed with her uniqueness!"

They mock and he asks Silver.

"Hey Silver! You're seriously quiet as always man! Come and tell us your thoughts about that delusional woman!"

Silver paused and talked.

"It is... She is indeed exploited by her fake followers."

Silver's buddies laugh.

"See? Even Silver thinks the same!" Buddy(1) said.

"Anyway man, let's head to the music room and continue the rehearsals. I'm sure Stella's been waiting there for ages."

Buddy(1) nods.

"I don't want to be late though. I hate her presumptions that we're ditching her."

"Agreed."

So, Silver and his buddies came down and headed to the music room. Helbram stopped the recording and looked at his phone.

"An unexpected evidence for Stella. This will be helpful."

Helbram kept his phone and now heading towards the roof top to rest.

4:00 P.M.

Helbram and Rose are heading home together. They fetch their bikes and about to leave but then– a sudden call, coming from Rose's phone, came. Both him and her checks who's the caller but it says unknown.

Rose looked at Helbram and he nods.

"Oh my lovely Rose! You've answered! I thought you'll hung me forever!" Stella's voice is heard and Rose is trembling.

"Umm... Stella, how did you– get my number?" She asks with a shivering tone.

"Why, you ask? Have you forgotten you're the honorable SSC President?"

Rose looked at Helbram, worried.

"Anyways, why are you avoiding me lately? Are you still mad for cutting your hair?" *chuckled* "Look, I don't feel sorry. It was you who broke the deal!"

Hearing it made Helbram bites his lips.

"As punishment, I'll beat that nerd tomorrow with my fellow buddies. Mark my words!"

Rose starts to panic and lowered her voice. "Please, don't involve Helbram into my mess! What would you like me to do? Tattoo? Piercings? Punish me instead! Take me!"

Stella laughs. "Oh? Going to beg for mercy huh? I like that!" She likes it. "Come here at the back of the Gym! Just the two of us! Ehe! I’m going to teach you something we both gonna enjoy!"

She slicks her tongue and the call ended. She put her phone on her pocket. She touched her private part, trembling.

She then faces Helbram and excused herself.

"Hel, I... I need to go."

She didn’t wait for Helbram's response and made her leave but Helbram grabbed her hand, stopping her from going.

"And where exactly? Trying to put yourself for my sake?"

Rose gasped.

"Do you think I didn't hear your voice just you lowered your tone? It seems you underestimated my peculiar senses, Rose." He clicked his teeth. "That son of a- ?! Don't tell me you made a deal with that jerk just because I look weak? A Twink?!"

Rose swayed her arm and put it to her chest.

"Hel, please let me settle this! It's my problem, you should– "

Helbram throws his bag at her.

"Helbram, please!"

She tries to stop him by grabbing his hand but the moment she saw his face, she unhands him.

"Hel..."

Helbram's heading towards the meeting place, tightening his fist and his eye shows bloodlust. "Stella, you've finally crossed the line."

At the meeting place...

Stella noticed a shadow drawing closer.

"Glad you made it, my Rose– "

Just as she decided to show herself, Helbram choke her.

"What's– the meaning... of this?!"

She looks at him, surprised. "It's... you, Twink-y Nerd– ?!" The grip tightens. "How did you– ?"

Helbram clicked his teeth. "How dare you... threatened her!?"

He then slams her to the wall.

"Do you think you could do as you please because you held me hostage? A nerd who's a prey in sight? A twink that can be easily blown by the wind?" He's really mad. "Thugs who likes to oppress the weak... really likes to play with their prey, huh?"

Stella's struggling to breath.

"Say Stella, what can you say if the prey becomes the predator and the predator becomes the prey? What do you think is going to happen?" Helbram's eye shows bloodlust. "Will their pride be humbled and be brought to shame?"

Helbram throws her and stomped at her, angered.

"It seems Rose's traumas starts with me, being part of the deal."

His hands were stiffed.

"Which I, myself, is unaware."

Veins starts popping in his hand.

"Say, how about this? Show me that threat that makes Rose your dog!?"

He curled his fist and slam to the wall.

"Let's see if those years of terror is worthy to impress me."

The part where Helbram slam his fist creates dent, surprises Stella.

"Did he– dent the wall with his fist?" She wondered. "Just... how strong is this twink?"

Helbram's gonna smack sense to her but–

"Stop it, Hel!" She hugged him. "Please... Stop it!"

Stella sees this as an opportunity.

"That's right, Hel! Listen to her!" She let out a frightened smile but when she saw Helbram's face, she realized he's not buying it.

"You really have no shame, are you?"

Stella flinched.

"You, a predator, is being protected by its prey... How shameful is that? Is that how you save your skin from further threat?"

Rose's hugs tightened and trying to distance Helbram from Stella.

" Hel, let her be! She probably learned her lesson!"

"Thick-headed numbskull like her needs a driller to make it sense."

He responded Rose's begging and turn back his attention to Stella.

"You? Using shear number of preys to protect you? Your underlings? You've dragged yourself to the pits of Tophet!"

This provoked her.

"They're not my underlings!" She defended. "They're my circle of friends! How dare you– !!?"

Just then, Helbram starts playing the voice record he got from Silver.

After hearing their impression, it breaks her.

She now starts remembering that her so-called friends pamper her into giving them money.

"Your male friends were right, those lampreys who sticks and suck the shit out of you? Is that what you call friends?" He kept his phone on his pocket. "Suck you dry then leave you when you have nothing?"

Stella didn't speak.

"Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I like to beat you up!" He grinned. "You made Rose a Lesbian. Well, I don’t care if you do since I have no issues with this current society gender thing but—YOU!? You forced her to wear male clothes, and make her behave like them! You made her fall to her fellow women, and you cut Rose’s hair like it was a piece of paper. Do you know how much she looks happy when you didn’t come to her life? DO YOU KNOW how blissful she is doing her hair routine?"

He slowly draws closer.

"Helbram, stop this already!"

"Do you have any idea how his parents missed her gentleness and that graceful look from her?"

He draws closer and closer.

"Do you realize how you traumatized her?"

Helbram clicked his teeth.

"Rose told me all of your mischief, resulting me to stay from trouble and your fake friends. Yet, what did you do?"

Stella's still devastated.

"You harassed her by cutting her hair in a public toilet!"

Helbram's about to burst his anger.

"Do you really think I let that slide?"

Helbram raised his hand but then–

"I SAID– THAT'S ENOUGH!!!"

She goes in front and slapped Helbram, bringing him back to senses.

"That's… enough..."

Rose's eyes are crying, Helbram looked at her in daze but seeing her cry, he stopped.

"Just please... stop..."

Helbram sees that Rose is sobbing, making him sigh. He looked again to Stella and points his finger.

"I'm not done with you, you scumbag. If you dare to lay a hand on her, I swear I'll you'll see who I am."

Helbram and Rose left. Stella just sit there, rethinking what Helbram told him about her so-called friends.

Later...

Stella walks towards the gate then she stumbled upon a glass window where she sees her reflection. She stopped, take a moment to look and saw her drag look. There, she remembered how her so-called friends praises her for it.

When she asks Silver and his band buddies, their look tells a sense of disgust but pretended it suits her.

But in truth, it's a lie.

Saddened, she starts crying and wiped off her make-up. She then unties her hair and make her leave. She checks whether someone's waiting but she saw none.

"That nerd was right. I seriously don't have real friends."

She looks devastated and walk away. But then, around the corner, Silver's leaning on the wall, waiting for someone.

"Wait, Silver? Why is he here? Is he— *gasp* waiting for me?"

This gave her a sense of relief but—

"No, perhaps Silver is expecting someone. I'll just walk like I didn't see him."

So, she walked pass him, not bothered to greet but then–

"What happened to you, Ferros?"

Stella stopped but still refuse to look at him in the eye.

"Why do you care?! It's none of your fucking business!"

She proceeds but Silver said something that stopped her tracks.

"I do care." He said. "You are my best friend after all."

Stella shows a sense of relief but later denies it.

"You're just like the others!" She raised her voice. "Putting mask and lie straight to my face, telling me I'm their friend but it's not!"

Silver remained quiet and she became emotional.

"What you guys really after is my money! That's all!"

She starts sobbing but Silver pats her shoulder and let her face him.

"If so, I'm out of their league."

She kept crying.

"You are my first friend, my truest of them all." He took his handkerchief wiped her tears with it. "You were the first one who accepted me back when I was alienated because of my birthmark. You– even fought for me, a stranger."

Stella looked at him.

"You are unique and that's what I like about you."

"Me? Your friend? *sob* But I'm ugly! Both in and out!" She said. "Did I charm you or something?" She jokes around.

"No."

Stella's embarrassed and Silver noticed a gripping mark on her neck.

"What happened to your neck? Did someone tried to kill you?"

She gasped and smile.

"Let's just say, I got what I deserve a long time ago."

Silver raised an eyebrow. "You mean, your lesson?"

Stella nods and looks up. She realized it's getting dark.

"Anyway, why are you here? Are you expecting someone?" Stella looks away but—

"I am waiting for you, isn't it obvious?"

Stella's surprised.

"Me? Are you frigging nuts?!"

Silver fixes his eyeglasses. "If you call it that way, perhaps I'm nuts."

Stella stares at him, disappointingly.

"Anyways, I'd like to treat you to a smoke and grill restaurant. I heard their A4 Wagyu beef is a top hit. Don't worry, I’ll take care of the bill."

Stella and Silver starts walking.

"Huh? Why are you suddenly treating me for?" She looks surprised.

"2 years ago, this is the exact date where you and I know each other. So, I'd like to celebrate that."

Stella gasped. "Wait, you actually remembered?"

Silver nods. "Of course! Who wouldn't?"

Stella laughs. "What a Geek."

And so, Stella and Silver headed to the restaurant and Stella, found that she indeed had a real friend.