Gym class finally ended and the students began leaving the court.
Carrie remained behind for a moment with the volleyball pressed against her chest.
She looked at Dante with a mixture of gratitude and uncertainty.
“Thank you again, Dante.” Her voice remained quiet, but she no longer looked ready to flee at the slightest movement.
The confidence she had gained from catching and striking the ball was still faint, yet it had already changed the way she carried herself.
“It was nothing,” Dante replied.
“Come find me whenever someone gives you trouble at school.” Carrie nodded several times before gathering her belongings.
She hurried away from the court, though her back seemed straighter than before.
Frank watched her leave and moved closer to Dante.
“Are you serious about that?” “About what?” “You’re going to keep helping her?” Frank lowered his voice.
“Carrie is strange.
Everyone knows that.” Before he could explain further, two girls approached them from the other side of the gym.
Jennifer Check walked in front while her best friend Anita Lesnicki followed close behind.
Almost everyone called Anita by her nickname, Needy.
Jennifer’s large eyes moved between Dante and the retreating Carrie.
“Were you really defending her?” “I don’t like watching people bully someone who can’t fight back,” Dante answered.
Frank released a dramatic sigh.
“That’s how he is.
Andrew, Maria, and Carrie are basically the three favorite targets at this school.
Mark and his friends go after them whenever they get bored.” Jennifer studied Dante with open appreciation.
Before he could ask what she was thinking, she rose onto her toes and kissed his cheek.
The contact lasted only a moment.
Jennifer stepped back with a playful smile.
She silently formed the words “this weekend” with her lips before grabbing Needy’s arm and pulling her away.
Needy glanced back at Dante with a complicated expression.
Jennifer only laughed as they disappeared into the hallway.
Frank stared after them with his mouth open.
Then he nudged Dante’s arm.
“That was Jennifer Check.” “I noticed.” “She kissed you.” “I noticed that too.” Frank looked personally offended by Dante’s calm response.
“The most popular girl in school kissed you in front of everyone.
How are you standing there like nothing happened?” Dante wiped an imaginary speck of dust from his shoulder.
“Natural talent.” “You have to teach me.” “There are some things that can’t be taught.” Dante turned and walked away before Frank could continue.
His friend called after him several times, but Dante refused to give him the reaction he wanted.
Frank eventually gave up and headed toward his next class.
Dante continued wandering through the school building without any clear destination.
A few minutes later he found himself near the indoor ice rink.
The school maintained the rink for its hockey and figure-skating programs.
Most students rarely entered unless they belonged to one of the teams, which left the area quiet during the middle of the day.
Only two girls were on the ice.
One moved with confidence and grace.
Her skates carved smooth lines across the frozen surface while she turned with practiced ease.
The other girl was clearly a beginner.
She kept her arms spread for balance and moved one cautious step at a time.
Every few seconds she looked down at her skates as though she expected them to betray her.
Watching them brought back memories from Dante’s previous life.
During winter he had often skated on a frozen pond near his old neighborhood.
He had spent enough time there to become skilled before his ridiculous transmigration ended that life.
A faint trace of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.
Dante entered the changing area and found a pair of skates that fit him.
After tightening the laces, he stepped onto the ice and pushed forward.
His body remembered the movements immediately.
Dante glided across the rink with relaxed ease.
Each turn felt smooth and natural as he adjusted his balance without conscious effort.
The two girls soon noticed him.
The nervous skater was Maria Brennan.
The moment she recognized Dante, color spread across her cheeks.
She lowered her head but continued stealing quick glances whenever she thought he was not looking.
Maria had secretly admired him for a long time.
The other girl was Lily, Maria’s only supposed friend at school.
She was another student with the same first name as Dante’s younger sister, though the two had no connection.
Lily noticed Maria’s reaction and understood it immediately.
She had known about Maria’s feelings for Dante for some time.
Instead of encouraging her friend, a cruel thought entered Lily’s mind.
Whenever Maria wanted something, Lily felt an urge to take it first.
Maria’s feelings made Dante more interesting to her.
Lily changed direction and skated toward him.
“Hi, Dante.” She stopped nearby and gave him a bright smile.
“What a coincidence.” Dante looked at her with a blank expression.
“Who are you?” Lily’s smile stiffened.
She had expected him to recognize her.
They attended the same school and she considered herself attractive enough to be remembered.
Before she could answer, a hard thump echoed across the rink.
Maria had lost her balance and fallen onto the ice.
She tried to stand but her skates kept sliding beneath her.
Dante glanced toward her before turning back to Lily.
“Aren’t you going to help your friend?” Lily waved one hand without concern.
“She’s fine.
She can get up by herself.” Dante stared at her for a moment.
Maria was clearly struggling, yet Lily showed no intention of helping.
Her indifference made the nature of their friendship obvious.
Dante pushed away from her without another word.
He crossed the rink and stopped beside Maria.
Then he leaned forward and extended one hand.
“Are you hurt?” Maria raised her head.
The overhead lights shone behind Dante and cast a soft glow around his figure.
For a moment his offered hand seemed like the only warm thing in the cold rink.
Her face turned even redder.
“I’m fine.” Dante took her hand and pulled her upright.
The strength granted by the Ox Talisman made the movement effortless, though he was careful not to use enough force to hurt her.
Maria swayed when her skates touched the ice.
Dante kept hold of her until she regained her balance.
“There you go.” “Thank you.” She lowered her eyes again.
Dante smiled in an attempt to make her feel comfortable.
“I’m Dante.
What’s your name?” “Maria.” Her answer came out barely above a whisper.
“Maria Brennan.” The name struck something inside Dante’s memory.
He looked at her more carefully.
The shy expression, blonde hair, uncertain posture, and ice rink suddenly formed a familiar image.
Maria Brennan was the protagonist of Look Away.
She came from a wealthy family and lived in a beautiful home, but money had done little to make her life happy.
Her father Dan Brennan was a successful plastic surgeon whose career had earned him considerable wealth and influence.
Dan was also obsessed with physical perfection.
He judged appearances with the same cold standards he used in his clinic.
His expectations for Maria were so extreme that nothing she did seemed good enough.
Instead of giving his daughter affection and reassurance, he searched for flaws.
For one of Maria’s birthday gifts, Dan arranged a cosmetic procedure.
He treated surgery as though it were a thoughtful present because he believed her appearance needed improvement.
The offer destroyed what remained of Maria’s confidence.
Her mother Amy offered little protection.
Amy was emotionally fragile and had spent years surrendering to her husband’s decisions.
She saw how Dan’s behavior affected Maria but rarely possessed the courage to challenge him.
That left Maria isolated inside her own home.
School offered no escape.
Mark and his friends regularly humiliated her.
They treated her nervous behavior as entertainment and understood that she lacked the confidence to fight back.
Even Lily was not a genuine friend.
She remembered Maria when she needed company or wanted something.
At other times she ignored her, mocked her weaknesses, or left her behind.
The scene on the ice had already proven that.
Maria had fallen directly in front of Lily, yet her supposed friend had refused to offer a hand.
She had been more interested in flirting with Dante than helping someone who trusted her.
Years of neglect had trapped Maria inside an invisible wall.
She was surrounded by people every day but remained completely alone.
Dante still held her hand as these memories returned.
The frightened girl in front of him was not the true horror hidden within her story.
That horror was waiting inside the mirror.