Chapter 18 Chapter 18
Hailey’s POV
The morning light filtered through the dorm window, soft and golden, but it did nothing to ease the knot of anxiety twisted tight in my stomach.
I stood in front of the mirror, brushing my hair with mechanical movements, my mind a chaotic mess of thoughts I couldn’t organize.
Pregnant.
The word echoed in my head like a drumbeat, relentless and inescapable.
Behind me, Benita was rummaging through her closet, humming something cheerful under her breath. She pulled out a jacket and slipped it on, then glanced over at me with a knowing smirk.
“You keep checking your phone,” she said, her tone teasing.
I froze mid-brush. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are,” she said, crossing her arms. “You’ve looked at it like five times in the last ten minutes.”
“I’m just checking the time,” I lied, setting the brush down a little too forcefully.
Benita laughed, a light, playful sound. “Sure. And it has nothing to do with the phone that certain someone sent you, which is currently sitting on your nightstand, fully charged and waiting.”
I shot her a glare. “I’m not waiting for it to ring.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, grinning. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“You’re a jerk,” I muttered, grabbing my bag.
“And you’re in denial,” she shot back, still smiling. “Come on, let’s go before we’re late.”
———
The walk to campus felt longer than usual, every step weighted with dread. My stomach churned uneasily, and I kept my hand pressed lightly against it, as if that could somehow calm the nausea threatening to rise.
When we finally reached the lecture hall, I hesitated at the door, a sick feeling washing over me.
“You okay?” Benita asked, glancing at me with concern.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Just… nervous.”
“It’s fine,” she said, squeezing my arm gently. “Come on.”
We walked in together, and immediately, I saw her.
Sophia.
She was sitting in my usual seat, surrounded by a cluster of students who hung on her every word like she was some kind of celebrity. Her laugh rang out, loud and grating, and when she turned and saw me, her expression shifted into something cold and venomous.
A slow, cruel smile spread across her lips.
“You’re here” she said, her voice carrying across the room.
Everyone turned to stare at me, and I felt my face flush with heat.
“Come sit with us, Hailey,” Sophia said sweetly, gesturing to the empty seat beside her. “We’d love to have you.”
The false warmth in her tone made my skin crawl.
I didn’t respond. I just turned and walked to the far end of the classroom, as far from her as possible, and dropped into a seat near the back.
Benita followed, sliding into the seat beside me. “Ignore her,” she whispered. “She’s just trying to get under your skin.”
“I know,” I muttered, pulling out my notebook.
But it didn’t matter that I knew. Sophia’s presence alone was suffocating, a constant reminder of everything she’d done to me and everything she’d gotten away with.
The lecture started, but I couldn’t focus. My eyes kept drifting toward Sophia, who kept glancing back at me with that same smug, hateful look.
It was like she wanted me to know she’d won.
Halfway through class, I felt my stomach lurch violently. The nausea I’d been fighting all morning suddenly became unbearable.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I whispered to Benita.
She gave me a worried look but nodded.
I grabbed my bag and slipped out of the classroom, my hand pressed to my mouth as I hurried down the hallway.
But as I turned the corner, I heard a voice, loud and unmistakable, thundering from one of the offices down the hall.
Damien.
I froze, my heart skipping a beat.
“You reduced her suspension without consulting me?” His voice was sharp, cutting through the walls like a blade.
I shouldn’t have been listening. I should have kept walking, gone straight to the bathroom like I’d planned.
But I couldn’t help myself.
I crept closer, pressing myself against the wall near the door, my pulse racing.
Inside, I could hear Professor Mendez’s voice, quieter and defensive. “Mr. Alejandro, I assure you, the board made the decision based on….”
“The board made the decision because my daughter bribed them,” Damien interrupted coldly. “And you allowed it.”
There was a pause, tense and heavy.
“I didn’t realize you were opposed to the decision,” Professor Mendez said carefully.
“I specifically told Sophia to accept the consequences of her actions,” Damien said, his voice low and dangerous. “She went behind my back. And now she thinks she can manipulate her way out of anything.”
I swallowed hard, my hands trembling.
So he hadn’t wanted her suspension reduced. He’d actually wanted her to face consequences.
That knowledge stirred something complicated in my chest, something I didn’t want to examine too closely.
I was about to leave when the door suddenly swung open.
I barely had time to react before Damien stepped out, his expression dark and furious.
And walked straight into me.
I stumbled backward, my balance completely gone, my heart lurching as I started to fall.
But his hands shot out, catching me by the waist and pulling me upright before I could hit the ground.
For a moment, we just stood there, frozen.
His hands were warm and steady against my sides, his grip firm but careful. His dark eyes locked onto mine, surprise flickering across his face before it was replaced by something deeper, something that made my breath catch.
“Hailey,” he said quietly, his voice rough.
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, a sharp, furious voice cut through the air.
“Get your hands off him, wench!”
I turned, my blood running cold.
Sophia stood a few feet away, her eyes blazing with fury, her fists clenched at her sides.
And in that moment, I knew things were about to get a whole lot worse.