Author's POV

Zayn watches as his efforts have been diminished under her determination. He could beg her to stay, but he knew he'd only force her to exist amongst an unforgivable group of men. What they've done... it was their choice. A mutual choice.

When something precious walks out of your life, you seem to nullify all reasoning and try to get them back. Zayn was going to do that.

"I can't become the good guy either, Cassie. I'll accept your bad guy and drag you back to us. All by myself."

That was his resolve.

Several days pass by. Zayn has admittedly taken the accusations from his stepbrothers. He couldn't convince her. And that was why, they were forced to see a whole new side of Cassandra Johnson.

"Violet?" Darla twists her neck to the side and inspects Cassie, head to toe. Cassandra walks through the corridors with the most emo and suiting color, the color representing her heart's stature. The womanly twirls of her body are shown and there are no braces nor glasses upon her being. She was completely different.

"What's wrong with you today?" Darla faces the new 'hot chick' of the campus, although it has only been a few countable seconds.

"So sexy~"

"Wait. That's Cassandra? I didn't know she was a goddess dude?"

"Beats me. Now I think Darla is a dirtbag. I heard Darla spreads gonorrhea among everyone she 'touches' you know?"

"Jeez. Thankful for my good-boy facade, bruh."

Sparks of conversation fall in their ears. Darla, by now, has learned to not pay attention to all of them and folds her hands against her chest.

"You hear that? You're second to me. Eventually, everything." Closing in, Darla sneers at Cassandra's face. Cassandra however was unfazed as she scoffs wickedly.

"At least I don't fail my tests like you. You're wrong there, I guess." The small point-out makes everyone around them laugh. Flaring her nostrils like a bull, Darla holds Cassandra by her collar and sneers again, "Let's take this outside, shall we?"

Darla had a hunch.

If Cassandra was to reject a confrontation like this, she could claim to the bystanders that she was just a pussy. Although, it didn't seem like the case in reality. Cassandra catches ahold of Darla's wrist and yanks it awake from herself. A sly smirk shocks Darla, and her eyes widened.

"At the terrace sweetie, after my classes finish of course. Don't run away from me~" in a singing voice delivering the time and venue, Cassandra walks away to leave. Amongst the dispersing crowd, a certain man was between.

Alex alongside his chick was staring at Cassandra.

"What the fuck happened to you...?" There was no aggression when he asked her. So unlike Alex, she thought. She heard the pain in his voice and that fueled the smirk on her face.

"I opened my eyes."

Alex stares at the box of tiles she stood over at as she leaves, passing right beside him and hitting his shoulder slightly. Ravine was shocked at the drastic change in the sweet girl too. Ravine has perceived everything from the sibling talks, here and there.

She had the gist of ideas about how Cassandra was feeling.

But what was even the root of all this? Why was she behaving so desperately? As though she wanted to sever all bonds she had with her family? What went wrong?

All these questions cannot be answered unless she goes to ask someone too close to her.

"He... must have figured it out. Right?"

Throwing bricks in the mud is only to get you dirty.

Alex roaming around the woman did not face her. Among many men and women, even girls wondering what changed the silent girl of their class into the most dynamic person on earth, there was Zayn.

Ravine was wrong. Zayn hadn't figured Cassandra's feelings out for good. He gave it a thought, that Cassandra should break free from feelings and grow up. She couldn't be nurtured by the five men at home anymore. Not even her adoptive father. She has to grow by herself.

Ravine watches Cassandra smirking and walking away, leaving a scorched Darla speechless. Alex taps Ravine on her shoulder. She looks back to see Alex was already staring at Cassandra. What less to expect? All the brothers' fantasy frantically about Cassandra.

Now she understood — why they ever were so drawn towards her like moths.

She was the burning flame who shall end their sorrows every night.

The womanly flame rekindled every time they touched her and she smiled at them.

Thinking about their reverse harem dynamics gave her goosebumps, electrifying and strong. Before she could nod her head, Alex was already running off behind Darla and Cassandra; Cassandra in the lead.

She didn't even hear what he had told her...

"I'll be bunking my classes today. I don't wanna miss a clue."

Ah. That's what he said; she recollected.

She already knew what kind of a clue he was searching for. Indeed, all the brothers were working on that mission as well. It was no wonder to state that Cassandra was giving them a hard time.

Sighing, she walks towards the faculty room, to meet up with someone. Someone related to this.

Sharon was cleaning her spectacles. A certain kind of lilies sit on her desk and they looked enchanted with love. She smiles softly, wearing her specs back. Sharon was disrupted from her reminiscing when Ravine knocks on her door.

Teachers had their cabins with three teachers of a department compiled. Thank goodness the other two were attending their class already.

"Ravine? What is it?" Sharon seemed to have changed. Changed in ways that she now believes Cassandra is going through someone mentally fatal. She was concerned for Cassandra as her boyfriend's ex-bed warmer and as her student.

It was only one day of her class, but Cassandra was slowly starting to show her bad grades and attitude already. Sharon and Ravine stand face to face, woman to woman as they stare as though they'd communicate telepathically.

"I don't know what made her do this—"

"I don't want her to be a bad guy—" both clash in their words. Ravine gives respect to the slightly older woman while Sharon shakes her head with a sigh. Pressing the bridge of her nose, her shoulders fall as she says, "Are the boys trying to find what's her issue?"

"Zayn's the closest and I think he might be right, too." The words from Ravine's mouth make Sharon crash her eyebrows together.

"What did he say?"

"She may want to ask their dad about..."

"About....?"

"A transfer of school."