She’s Back, and Hell’s Coming with Her novel Chapter 94

He wanted to bring home something special for his dad. Word around school was that the food on the third floor was a cut above the rest, so Zeke had decided to splurge, packing up a meal to share with his parents.

“You guys go ahead and get your food first,” Zeke said, stepping aside to let the others through.

Only after his classmates had finished at the counter did Zeke step up. The aroma and colors of the dishes brought a rare smile to his thin face. “I’ll have the braised pork, some fish, and—oh, a serving of river shrimp, please.”

He packed everything carefully into a takeout container and was about to leave when a few students blocked his path.

It was the same group as before.

“Well, well,” sneered one of the boys, tilting his head and thrusting out his hand. “That meal must’ve cost you a fortune. Where’d you get the cash, huh? Tell you what, I’ve got a craving for shrimp. Hand it over.”

“That’s mine. Why should I give it to you?” For once, Zeke stood his ground, clutching his container behind his back.

Zeke always ranked at the top of the class; the teachers loved to use him as the golden standard, which only fueled the resentment of the underachievers. Over time, all their frustration turned into open hostility toward Zeke.

These boys came from families who, while not exactly elite by Port City standards, were still far better off than Zeke’s. Compared to his family’s hardships, their lives were worlds apart.

They bullied Zeke whenever they pleased, venting every annoyance and disappointment on him without a second thought.

He’d always endured it, too afraid that fighting back would get him expelled—and if that happened, his one shot at an education would be gone.

His family was struggling. His mother was ill and unable to work, spending hundreds each month on medication. His father scraped by as a laborer, just barely keeping food on the table.

But fate had other plans. Two years ago, his father had fallen from a building at work—a dozen stories up. He survived, but was left in a coma.

That was right after Zeke had been accepted to Petersburg International School.

He’d wanted to quit school and find a job, but his mother refused, insisting that education was their only way out. She told him to focus on his studies; she would take care of his father at home.

With just over a thousand dollars a month to live on, they barely made ends meet.

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