Turning the Tide novel Chapter 20

At that time, I was the laughingstock of the class, and Hanna was the quiet one, often overlooked.

I recalled a day after school when I saw a group of troublemakers surrounding Hanna, yanking her hair, hurling insults, and even tearing her clothes.

I could have easily walked past them, head down, but when I heard her cry out in pain, I picked up a brick and charged in.

I yelled and tried to look intimidating.

Instead of scaring anyone off, I accidentally hit myself with the brick, and my forehead started bleeding.

The bullies laughed hard and turned on me, kicking me as I huddled, protecting my head. I lost track of how many kicks I took before they finally got bored or tired and wandered off.

When I stood up, Hanna was long gone. Maybe she had seized her chance to escape during the chaos.

From that day forward, I always found candy waiting for me in my drawer.

Looking back on that year, I chuckled at my own innocence and recklessness. Although I wasn't strong enough to handle the situation, I chose to be a hero.

"I've wanted to tell you something for a while. I didn't run away back then. I wanted to help you, but my family came and dragged me away," Hanna explained.

"Thanks for those dishes yesterday."

I blinked, suddenly connecting the dots. "Wait, that girl sitting by the window yesterday was you?"

"I figured you hadn't recognized me yesterday. Seems fate has a funny way of working things out. I wouldn't have recognized you otherwise. You had no idea you were a huge help to me yesterday."

Hanna explained that a guy had been pursuing her despite her subtle rejections. She wanted to make things clear face-to-face, so she invited him out.

Just before they ordered, the waiter brought out dishes worth $30,000. The guy assumed Hanna was trying to scam him, got angry, and scolded her as a "gold-digging woman" before storming off.