Chapter twenty-four: "No Pain No Gain"

Nick entered with a huge grin and sat beside me at the dinner table
"So what's for breakfast?" He looked at the food, I heard the elevator chime again and this time it was Nikki who came out

She gave Nick's keycard back and sat beside him
"Can't you just buy your own food?" Cloud asked Nick who was now munching down on some waffles with chocolate syrup

"We can but your cooking is delicious, we always pitch in whenever we go grocery shopping," Nikki said to us out loud as she rummage through the pantry looking for something

I smiled down at my food as I stab the sausage with my fork
With these two I doubt he will be alone

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Cloud was driving both me and Nick to school, he parked the car and we hopped out at the same time. Many people gave us weird looks and some were looks of envy from Cloud's fangirls, especially Danny who was giving me dirty looks under the tree with her clique

"Does she always do that?" Nick asked me as he looks at Danny who changed her expression quickly once she saw Nick

Nick was just as good looking as Cloud so it's no surprise Danny will shift to her good girl side if she has to
"Yup" I answered as we pass by the basketball girl teams, Alice was wearing a turtle neck when she turned around to us

Cloud was impressed and I was just as impressed that she was able to manage to find herself a turtleneck, it was not that hot today but was now cold and windy so it was perfect timing she can use the excuse to wear the turtle neck to hide her hickey

"Morning Sleepy" she greeted me with a grin, we saw Will walking our way and Alice waved goodbye to us then left quickly

Cloud asked Will "Is she avoiding you, dude?"
Will nodded at him "She's still a bit angry about the hickeys"

Nick snorted "You should have held yourself back, a girl can get sometimes embarrassed about a hickey"

All this hickey talk is making me uncomfortable but suddenly Peter graced us with his presence in a funny way because right now he is wearing a top hat
"Why are you wearing a top hat?" I asked as I try to reach the top hat and Peter bent down for me to get it on his head

"If I fail in school I'll plan on joining the circus" he joked before laughing "Nah, I just want to wear one today"

Peter in a circus would quite an interesting sight to see and I would pay good money to see that, I walked away with Peter leaving the three alone, and met up with Yara who was now in the classroom reading another novel
"You finish the first book already?" I sat beside her and Peter sat in front of me like we both always do

"I don't like the feeling of finishing a book but I have collected all of them in the series so I don't have time to worry about that" she answered and went back to reading

Yara a hardcore ero-romance novel reader was not that easily persuaded when we try to get her out of her home to hang out with us, even her family practically begged for her to go out and have a social life but she doesn't care much at all

If she is not reading a novel she would be reading any subjects and she would remember it so easily, a former member of Danny's clique is so interesting so I wondered why would Danny be so reckless in losing a unique friend

Class started and for once I battled myself from sleeping because the lecture was so long and boring that I have to pinch myself multiple times to wake up, I managed to understand at least a bit of what the teacher lectured to us

"I'm surprised you're not sleeping in class Penelope" Peter looked back at me, I have no answer for that and I continued staying awake by pinching myself for the next few classes until lunchtime

I was practically a walking zombie at this point because I have never done this much willpower to stay awake in classes this long, so when I reached my groups' table I instantly fell asleep. I felt someone shaking me slightly
"Penelope lunch is over let's go" I heard Jane's voice and I slowly stood up

My friends looked at me with worry especially Cloud "Are you okay?" Nick asked me

"You didn't even eat, I know lunch is your favorite because you eat a lot," Will said

They noticed it, I can't tell them though it was the secret only me, Cloud and Nick will know in our group
"Nah, I'm fine" I laughed it off, I was not actually fine but I just soldier on and kept pinching myself to stay awake
This is really hard, I just want to be an honor student but I'm so tired

Stay awake Penelope, STAY AWAKE!!

I rubbed my eyes as I copied notes quickly as the teacher was writing them on the board, I was tired and I could kill a person if I could just get some nap time if I am given the opportunity

After class ended, Danny decided to annoy me but I was too tired was I just ignored her and walk by
"What the hell?" She muttered as she looks at my state

Her group was talking to each other eyeing me as I walk past them, I reached my locker and left some things in it before locking it and going out of the school

My stomach grumbled because I skipped lunch and I only ate during snack time so I went and bought myself a cereal bar, I was too tired to care if what I'm eating is good or not just to stop my stomach from grumbling

I sat on the bench under a tree and watch as many students go by enjoying their time
"Angel"

I heard Cloud's voice from afar and I saw him walking towards me with a concerned face, I yawned a bit then I raised my brows after. The classes sucked out the strength in me that I have no energy to talk

He sat beside me, we were under a shade and nobody was looking at us because we were almost hidden in the area so that's good, I don't want unwanted attention from the judging eyes of other people right now

He took my hand that was resting on my lap and pulled up my jacket sleeve to reveal all the pinch marks that I've done on my forearm, there was one pinch where I used my nail too much that it bled a little. He pulled out a band-aid from his pocket and put it over the wound that bled
"You shouldn't force yourself too much"

"No choice, I am easy to fall asleep so I have to do it" I answered and he let out a breath

"How did you know though?"
I hid my pinching marks well under my sleeve so how on earth did Cloud even know that I was bleeding a bit?

"You were asleep during lunchtime and I happened to spot it" he was still looking at my forearm, I pulled my forearm away from him and covered it with my sleeve again

He was too serious so I let out a joke "No pain no gain right?" I smiled but he was not too happy about it

"If you continue doing that I have no choice but to stop our deal" he suggested and my eyes went wide

"Wait why?"
His eyes wandered to my forearm again before he stood up and left to go to the library building
This guy just ignores me whenever he wants