Artemis could only look at the question paper which had been placed on her desk and then stare at it blankly. Her mind was filled with images of Jack and Assentia making out together. And worse was that the video that she had seen in the morning was playing in her mind like a loop. She could not even think that her sister would have sex with the boy that she liked. And just like always she had gotten what she wanted and Artemis was entirely sure that she was going to be sidelined always.

“Ms. Tissian? Are you alright? You don’t look so good to me,” said Luke as he stood beside the girl who looked like she was still seeing a ghost before her. He could very well imagine what was going on in her mind at the moment.

Artemis looked up at him and then said,” I am fine.”

“Well it is unusual that you have not submitted your paper till now. That is the reason that I came to see what is the problem,” said Luke who was really concerned about how she was doing after she had heard about her sister and that boy they were talking about from the soccer team. Not that he could remember his name. Artemis did not say anything and peered down at the paper without understanding any thing at all.

“We can talk about this after school about what you are going through if that feels more comfortable but right now I need you to take a look at that question paper and decide that if you are going to write all the answers which I am sure you know. And then I can tell you how to deal with this mess that you have been dragged into without even being a part of it,” said Luke and Artemis looked up at him.

“For now, there is only ten minutes left so finish the test. I am sure you are gonna ace it,” said Luke as he smiled encouragingly at her.

“Thank you Sir,” said Artemis as she started ticking the answers to the questions after looking at them briefly for a moment. This was the first time that she had to sit with the answer paper till the bell rang but she did finish it to the end.

“I am really glad that I could get through to you Ms. Tissian,” said Luke when they were all going out of the classroom and she smiled at him shyly looking at his face briefly before averting her eyes again. And for the first time Luke was blown away by the beauty that Artemis was. Only thing was that her self-confidence had hit the rock bottom because of her sister. And if that could be given back to her then she could be a real stunner.

Barbara looked at Artemis’s ashen face and said,” Are you feeling okay girl? You can tell me you know that, right?”

Artemis looked away from her probably to hide her tears as they went to the gymnasium in order to talk in peace for some time. They had this class off and Artemis wanted to crawl in some hole and die. She could not tolerate this humiliation any longer.

“I think you should not cry Ms. Tissian,,” said Luke from behind as he startled both the girls.

They turned back to find him standing there with his hands in his pocket. He was an extremely handsome man who knew that he was good looking and was absolutely confident about the fact that his tanned skin and muscles that rippled underneath the shirt that he wore would make every single person rather every single girl would drool over him. But since he was a teacher no one would even dare to do something of this sort.

“And exactly what am I supposed to do then?” asked Artemis. This time her voice was clear and she was angry.

“Tell me Sir, what am I supposed to do when I have a twin sister who is the school slut and she is the one who has had sex exactly with the boy on whom I had a crush. Every single time from the time we had been born she has taken away every thing that I loved and I wanted. And now I have to bear the brunt of that everywhere. At home, at school and I have not even done anything at all. I wish I were dead before I was born,” said Artemis as she screamed in frustration. Barbara was standing there covering her mouth with both her palms.

She had never seen her best friend react in a way like this. She had always known that if anyone could handle and tolerate anything then it was Artemis and no one else but it seems that she was wrong in her opinion.

“I wanted to say that spilling tears is not going to help you in any way. The responsibility of your sister’s actions are hers and hers alone and you are not involved in them in any way so that is not going to be what you are. You are different from your sister, are you not Ms. Tissian?” asked Luke as he looked at her carefully. There was something very strange in this girl which was pulling him towards her. He could not resist the images that were flooding his mind regarding Artemis in his bedroom just in the way that he wanted her to be.

“Then what do you suggest I do Sir? Tell me…someone tell me…please,” said Artemis as she kneeled down on the floor of the gymnasium and then started sobbing.

“I suggest you hold back your tears till the time that you cannot make her pay you back for every single thing that she has done to you. Payback is the sweetest thing that you can ever have in your life Ms. Tissian. So stop crying and learn how to fight,” said Luke as he walked away from both the girls there.