Chapter 55: RUMORS

I groaned out loud, the sound more pained than I intended. The thought of her lips on mine made my skin crawl, not because it was awful, but because I didn’t know how to process it.

Why the fuck would she kiss me?!

? Is she… gay?

Oh my goodness, no no no. Must be a mistake.

I grimaced, throwing the blanket off and scrambling out of bed. My feet hit the cold floor as I made a beeline for the bathroom, muttering a string of curses under my breath.

Once inside, I slammed the door shut and leaned against it for a second, trying to gather myself. The memory refused to let go, looping in my head like a broken record.

“please, get it together,” I whispered harshly, moving to the sink and gripping the edges.

I avoided looking at the mirror at first, but my reflection caught my eye anyway. My hair was an absolute mess, sticking out in wild directions, and my face looked pale and drawn. Perfect. I looked exactly how I felt: like someone who’d just been thrown into emotional turmoil before breakfast.

Splashing cold water on my face didn’t help. If anything, it only made me more awake and cleaned the sleep crust in my eyes, and made me more aware of the tight knot of confusion and frustration in my chest.

“Oh! Fuck me…” I murmured, staring at the water swirling down the drain.

What the hell was I supposed to do now?

By the time I was done freshening up, my mind felt as foggy as when I’d woken up. I threw on my second uniform, smoothing the skirt and straightening the blazer, and threw the one I worked yesterday into the laundry basket, clearing up my bed, but it didn’t do much to untangle the thoughts still spinning in my head.

A knock at the door pulled me out of my haze. Tiffany entered, balancing a tray with my morning macchiato. “Here you go, Miss Blakely, Good morning, I hope you slept well.” she said softly, setting the cup on my desk.

"Yes" LIES!! But I nodded in thanks, watching as she left and shut the door behind her. Taking a sip, and another, until I was no longer tasty, momentarily silencing the noise in my head. By the time I’d finished, I kept the cup on the table and picked the napkin to wipe my lips.

I grabbed one my cute bear bag, slung it over my shoulder, and headed downstairs, my phone buzzing endlessly in my hand with messages from the school group chat. I scrolled absently, skimming through the nonsense chatter.

At the bottom of the stairs, I almost bumped into my mother, who was standing there with her coffee cup in hand. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing as they darted between me and my phone.

“Why the rush to school today, your sisters left home in a hurry I thought the house was on fire?” she asked, and took a slow sip, watching me over the rim of her cup.

I shrugged, keeping my tone as nonchalant as I could manage. “I have no idea,” I said, brushing past her.

She turned slightly, still holding her cup, and spoke again, “And what’s this I’m hearing about a murder at your school?”

I froze mid-step. Murder? Murder at the school? How did she find out? And I know it wasn't from the school. The school had taken down everything, which meant they didn’t want it escalating further. If I said too much, it could lead to more questions, more rumors, and potentially jeopardize the school's reputation which will also affect the trip to EDEN, and that was the last thing I wanted.

I turned back to her, forcing a neutral expression. “No idea what you’re talking about,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Maybe you should stop listening to gossip and coming to me with it.”

Her eyes narrowed further, but she said nothing, taking another sip of her coffee.

Then, after a moment, she asked, “Where were you last night after your test, Your sisters came home before you?”

“What's with the questions this morning? Am I writing an exam right now. I was at a friend’s if you must know,” I replied flatly.

She raised a brow, clearly not satisfied. “Which friend?”

“None you should know,” I replied curtly, adjusting my bag on my shoulder. “Now excuse me, I have classes.”

As I turned to leave, she added, “Where’s your car? I didn’t see it in the parking lot. Did you trade it? Or did you get into trouble with it?” She paused, “Wouldn’t surprise me if you did.”

I stopped, my stomach tightening with frustration. Turning slowly, I gave her a look of pure disgust. “Hear the things you say to your own child,” I Hissed. “Don’t you get tired?”

Without waiting for a response, I walked out of the house, the door clicking shut behind me.

The moment the sun hit me, I pulled the Uber app, checking the ride’s progress. It would still be a few minutes.

Outside the estate was quiet, with no taxis in sight. Of course, no taxi would dare pull up here. This wasn’t the kind of neighborhood where cabs idled or honked impatiently, or kids played around.

I sighed, leaning against the stone pillar of the gate as I waited. Taking the house driver wasn't a good idea, considering the fact that I wasn't going straight to school, and he might report everything to my mother.

The car finally pulled up, a sleek black sedan with tinted windows. The driver rolled down the window and gave me a polite nod. I straightened, opened the door, and slid into the backseat without a word.

“Platinum 88” I said shortly, and the driver nodded again, pulling away from the building.

I exhaled and allowed myself to sink into the seat, sending a quick text to Tabitha to inform her of my arrival.