How Things Changed Forever.. PART - II

CH 36: The Outsider

Everyone had left rather quickly after the confrontation yesterday. By the time Hillary returned with Tyson, hardly anyone remained except for her and a few people from her closer circle.

Aside from a bruised lip and the sprained wrist, Tyson seemed to be fine. Hillary, on the other hand, looked like she had been crying, but she'd pulled herself together quickly.

Cassie couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for her resilience. Despite everything, Hillary continued working as if nothing had interrupted her. She spoke with Luke, Royson, Lizzy, and a few others about the exhibition before turning toward Cassie and Tyson.

Cassie braced herself. Their last conversation hadn't ended on the best of terms, so she expected at least some tension. Instead, Hillary approached her with the same composed, businesslike manner she used with everyone else, catching her off guard. It was as if she had already moved on.

"It's getting rather late. I-well, we-have swim practice in half an hour," Hillary said, glancing at Tyson as she corrected herself.

"Yeah." Tyson nodded, though his swollen lip made it difficult for him to talk.

Hillary, however, seemed unconcerned. "The swelling should be nearly gone by tomorrow," she assured them. "It won't be a problem for the anchoring part."

Cassie wasn't sure if Hillary was saying it for Tyson's sake or her own, but she nodded anyway.

Hillary then crossed her arms. "I'm sure Luke did a great job with the scripting-he is a writer, after all-but you know how these things are. One can't be too careful."

Cassie could absolutely relate to that.

"I'll go through the script and get it to you guys tomorrow. That okay?" She looked at both of them for confirmation.

If Hillary wanted to pretend there were no hard feelings between them, Cassie figured she might as well play along. Forcing a bit of cheer into her voice, she responded, "Sure! We'll pick it up before rehearsals. That work for you, Tyson?"

Tyson agreed with a nod, and with that, they too dispersed.

By the next day, the entire school was buzzing with gossip about the confrontation. The story had spread overnight, growing more exaggerated with each retelling. After all, the most dramatic version was the one that sold best on the gossip circuit.

Some debated how the situation could have been avoided or handled differently. Others dissected the implications, whispering theories about what had really happened. Most, however, fixated on one particular question-how could someone like Hillary be so talented in so many different fields? It was unnatural, wasn't it?

Of course, the unsolicited advice soon followed. Everyone had an opinion on how Hillary should manage things. But Hillary ignored it all. With the fundraiser just a day away, she had bigger priorities.

She assigned tasks left and right, pushing for everything to be as close to perfect as possible. However, yesterday's easy had worn off. The same people who had admired her organization skills were now grumbling about how bossy she was being-never mind the fact that the event was literally tomorrow.

Cassie found herself at one of the food stalls, the one the Bladebreakers-more specifically Ray-were setting up for the exhibition. Hillary had insisted on a food safety check, requiring all food stall participants to prepare and present their best dishes the evening before the exhibition.

As Ray worked, the rich aroma of seasoning and sauces filled the air. Cassie inhaled deeply, her eyes widening. "Ray, your dish smells amazing."

Ray chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I do what I can."