CHAPTER 8

Beggars At His Feet

Lindy caught in immediately. "I think he wasn't fine, Vanguard," she tried to calm Vanguard, but the annoyance in Vanguard boiled even more.

Vanguard grabbed Liam's shirt with a firm grip, her fist tightened the more. The women pushed to separate her, but not until she let loose of his shirt. Two buttons fell off.

"Stop it, girl, can't you pity his condition? Do you have no conscience?" a dark woman asked Vanguard, who was breathing heavily at that moment.

"Allow her to teach him a lesson," another student added. A smirk showed on her face as she looked at Liam with a fixed stare, running her eyes up and down.

"I now see the reason why you have all these punches on your face," Lindy responded from where she was sitting.

"You can't imagine that everyone is against him except for the little girl right there". Everyone's eyes turned in the direction of the woman's fingers, who turned to point at Lindy, but before it could settle, Lindy was already walking out of the exit door.

"Oh, is she going away already?" the boy with a fractured leg added. The group burst into laughter.

Just then, the second cashier walked into the room.

"Your application is rejected by your scholarship unit. I'm sorry about that, but you can always reapply later," she exclaimed while handing Liam the printout.

"I feel you're on half scholarship and not full," she added while turning back to her seat.

Liam didn't move an inch to get the printout. He only stared at the cashier blankly. Lindy felt the weight of the shame and shrugged her shoulders, trying to walk out unnoticed, but Vanguard yelled at her again.

"Where are you going, Lindy? I thought he was your friend and confidant. Why are you leaving him now?" She mocked her. The group of girls that escorted Vanguard laughed hysterically as they walked out of the clinic, pushing Lindy off the exit.

Who said I knew him?" Lindy's denial pierced through Liam's ears. He couldn't believe his ears. The words itched his eardrums like a sharp knife, as everyone began to mock him.

Liam quickly pushed his fingers into his ears to stop himself from hearing all the hurtful words Lindy rained on him.

The tension in the room hung in the air for hours. Words traveled like shooting stars, hitting every corner of the room.

Liam rested his head on the chair. He took a deep breath, cursing the inner wounds and pains he was harboring. He thought of several things: of flying away, of disappearing, but he also thought of exposing and being able to control the powers that lurked within him.

**********

In a few minutes, a voice broke out from the other room, a voice that showed happiness amidst curiosity.

"Oh my goodness!! Come see what I'm seeing here!" the cashier rushed out of the other office with her phone in her hands. She had just discovered the credit alert of ten thousand dollars, and the payment description read, "A token for your continuous show of kindness."

The other women couldn't believe it. They peeped through her screen to have a look at it.

"Who could this be?" the cashier asked curiously. The happiness on her face was vivid enough. She was truly overjoyed.

Liam cleared his throat to interrupt the celebration. "How much for a new ID? He asked in a manner different from his usual, a deep tone and a brave posture.

"It's $1000, boy!! The cashier turned to reply in a manner that showed contempt.

Liam was provoked, but he kept a calm gesture, he turned to look at the other students staring at him, and Lindy lingered at the door with a giggle. Vanguard walked up and down waiting for Liam to join her so he could handle her assignments.

Liam slowly reached into his pocket, his hand emerging with a wad of cash. Without counting, he slammed the bills onto the counter, making a loud thud that echoed through the room.

"That's the amount, Ma!, can I have my new ID?" he asked in a polite tone.

The cashier's eyes widened in disbelief as she counted the money, realizing it was ten times the amount she had asked for.

The other students gasped, shocked at Liam's audacity and the unexpected turn of events. Lindy, in particular, was astonished, her eyes wide with surprise. Vanguard, who had been pacing impatiently, stopped in her tracks, staring at Liam in disbelief.

With a smirk, Liam turned to Vanguard and handed her the exact amount she had given to Sarah, his voice dripping with confidence as he instructed her to go and sort out her assignments.

As Vanguard walked away, stunned, Liam calmly collected his new ID from the dumbfounded cashier and walked out of the room, leaving behind a stunned silence.

The other students looked at each other, their minds buzzing with questions. What had just happened? Why had Liam paid so much money for a simple ID? How could Liam be that rich? The room buzzed with speculation and gossip as Liam's bold actions continued to reverberate through the halls, he walked out with a step that showed how confident he was.