Chapter 153 The girls bathroom
Chapter 153 The girls bathroom
Chapter 154: The Girls' Bathroom (Elena’s POV)
The bell for first period hadn’t even rung yet, and the air in the senior girls' bathroom already smelled like a combination of strawberry body spray, hairspray, and pure anxiety.
I was standing in front of the middle mirror, adjusting the collar of my green button-down shirt, when Sarah walked in. She slammed the heavy wooden door behind her, her face completely pale. She didn't look at the other girls doing their makeup by the sinks; she walked straight over to me and grabbed my forearm.
"They're actually here," Sarah whispered, her voice tight. "I just saw them by the principal's office. Maya is wearing her old varsity jacket like nothing ever happened, and Chloe is handing out invitations to some after-school lounge party right in front of the guidance counselors."
"I told you they weren't bluffing last night, Sarah," I said, keeping my voice level as I turned on the tap to wash my hands. "Chloe’s dad has the entire district board under his thumb. If they say the suspension is overturned, the school administrators have to let them back into the building."
"But it’s completely unfair," Amber’s voice chimed in from the end of the sink line.
She was standing there with Jessica, both of them holding their compact mirrors. Ever since they invited me to the ridge party last night, they had decided that I belonged to their social circle now. In a school like Northview, when the top-rated girls decide you're in, the rest of the hallway follows their lead.
"Maya lied about the timestamps," Jessica said, applying a layer of lip gloss. "Everyone saw the files you leaked to the student council, Elena. If she thinks she can just walk back into the cheer lounge and sit at our table after trying to ruin the hockey captain's life, she’s completely insane. None of the dance team is going to talk to her."
"She doesn't care if you talk to her, Jessica," I said, drying my hands with a paper towel. "She just cares about walking across that graduation stage on Friday so her family can save face. It’s all about their reputation."
Before Jessica could reply, the bathroom door swung open again.
The room went completely silent. The sound of running water seemed to echo against the tile walls as Maya and Chloe walked in.
Maya looked exactly the way she did before the court hearing—confident, polished, and completely unbothered by the rumors. She walked straight past Sarah and me, heading toward the large mirror at the end of the room. Chloe followed right behind her, dropping her designer bag onto the counter with a loud thud.
Chloe looked at Amber and Jessica first, a sharp, mocking smile on her face. "What’s wrong, girls? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. I thought this was the senior lounge block."
"This is a bathroom for students who actually belong on this campus, Chloe," Amber said, crossing her arms and stepping forward. "We all know why you're back. Your dad had to beg the district supervisor to sign that clearance paper."
"He didn't have to beg anyone, Amber," Chloe snapped, her eyes narrowing as she adjusted her ponytail. "He just reminded them of the legal definitions of unverified digital evidence. You guys shouldn't believe everything a political science nerd prints out from her bedroom computer."
Maya didn't say anything at first. She slowly pulled a tube of red lipstick from her pocket, applied it perfectly in the mirror, and then turned around to face me. The old, sweet persona she used to pretend to have around the hockey team was completely gone. Her eyes were completely cold.
"You really thought you did something special, didn't you, Elena?" Maya asked, leaning against the sink counter. "You spent all that time digging through the school server logs just to have the district throw your little project into the trash bin in less than twelve hours."
"The district didn't throw it out, Maya," I told her, keeping my English direct and refusing to take a step back. "They just delayed the investigation because your family threatened a lawsuit. The county clerk still has the verified timestamps. Coming back to school for four days isn't going to fix your legal record."
"I don't care about the county clerk," Maya hissed, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper so the girls by the stalls couldn't hear. "By Friday afternoon, I will have my diploma, and I’ll be leaving this trash town behind. But before I go, I'm going to make sure the administration reviews your financial aid applications for the autumn term. Julian’s dad knows the head of the scholarship board, Elena. You think you’re so smart, but let’s see how smart you look when your university funding gets pulled because of a security violation."
Sarah took a step forward, her face turning red with anger. "You wouldn't dare do that, Maya. That's illegal."
"It’s not illegal to request a formal audit of a student who accessed private school databases without permission," Chloe chimed in, laughing as she checked her nails. "Elena used school infrastructure to pull those files. That’s a direct violation of the student handbook. If we push it, the board will have to flag her transcript before Friday."
I felt a small lump form in my throat, but I didn't let my expression change. They were trying to attack the one thing that mattered most to my future—my university clearance. Julian was using them to hit me from inside the school while he stayed safe over at his academy.
"Try it," I said flatly, looking Maya straight in the eyes.
Maya’s smile faded slightly. "What did you say?"
"I said, try it," I repeated, my voice loud and clear enough for every girl in the bathroom to hear. "If you submit that audit request, the board will have to look at the original data logs again during the hearing. They’ll see exactly who helped you forge the timestamps from day one. You think Julian is going to protect you when his father’s security company gets investigated for data tampering? He’ll drop you in a second to save his own family's business."
Maya stared at me, her fingers tightening around her lipstick tube until her knuckles turned white. She knew I was right. Julian was only using her as a shield because he didn't want his own name tied to the school board mess.
"You're a b—," Chloe started, taking a step toward me.
"That's enough, Chloe," Jessica interrupted, stepping directly between us. She looked at Chloe with absolute disgust. "The warning bell just rang. Go find your own corner of the hallway. Nobody here wants to listen to your threats anymore."
Maya grabbed Chloe’s arm, pulling her back toward the exit. "Come on, Chloe. Let’s go. We don't need to waste our time with these people. We have a meeting with the graduation director anyway."
They slammed the heavy wooden door behind them as they left, leaving the bathroom in a tense, angry silence.
Sarah looked at me, her eyes full of worry. "Elena, do you think they can actually touch your scholarship? If Julian’s father really has connections with the board—"
"They can't do anything if we expose the audit before they even submit it," I said, zipping my backpack closed. I looked at Amber and Jessica, who were both watching me with serious expressions. "Are you guys still throwing that senior meeting after fifth period?"
"Yeah," Amber said, nodding quickly. "In the old dance studio. Only the girls are allowed."
"Good," I said, walking toward the door. "Tell the rest of the cheer line to be there. If Maya and Chloe want to use the student handbook against me, we’re going to use the entire senior class voting block to lock them out of the graduation committee before Tuesday ends."