Chapter 5 Chapter 5
Hailey’s POV
“You walked into my life,” he said leaning closer, “and you don’t get to walk out like it meant nothing.”
I stared at him, my heart beating so hard I thought it might crack a rib.
“Did you… did you mean what you just said?”
He nodded slowly, his dark eyes never leaving mine.
My pulse roared in my ears. Heat flooded my chest, crawled up to my neck and made my skin feel too tight.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice low and steady.
I couldn’t answer because the words were tangled in my throat, choking me.
Without thinking, I grabbed my bag and bolted for the door.
“Hailey….”
I didn’t stop; I didn’t even bother to look back.
My feet pounded against the floor. I didn’t slow down until my lungs were screaming and my legs felt like they might give out beneath me.
Only then did I stop, gasping for air, bent over with my hands on my knees.
What the hell was I doing?
What the hell was he doing?
The memory of his words wrapped around me like smoke, suffocating and inescapable.
‘You walked into my life, and you don’t get to walk out like it meant nothing.’
My chest tightened painfully.
It should have meant nothing. It was supposed to mean nothing. One drunken mistake, one night I could forget and move on from.
But the way he looked at me… the way he said my name…
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block it out. But it didn’t work; the memory keeps flooding back.
By the time I burst through the dorm door, my lungs were burning and my vision was blurred with tears I refused to let fall.
Benita shot up from her bed, her eyes wide with alarm. “Whoa, what happened? Did they expel you?”
I shook my head, gasping for air. “Water,” I croaked. “Please.”
She rushed to grab a bottle from the mini fridge and shoved it into my hands.
I drank like I’d been stranded in a desert, gulping it down so fast some of it spilled down my chin. The cold liquid did nothing to calm the fire burning in my chest.
“Hailey, you’re scaring me,” Benita said, gripping my shoulders. “Did the disciplinary team kick you out?”
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and shook my head again. “If that were the case, I’d be relieved.”
Her brows furrowed. “Then what?”
“Sophia,” I said, still catching my breath. “She confessed to everything.”
“Everything? Is there more aside from her uploading your videos?” She raised an eyebrow, and I nodded.
“Yes. I can’t really remember taking the video that was uploaded, but during the meeting, she confessed that she was the one who drugged me and took the video.”
“That’s a lie.” Benita jumped up from the bed, her eyes glaring with dangerous fury.
“Not gonna lie, she’s the one behind it; she said I’m getting on her nerves just because I’m living my life.”
“That witch.” She snarled.
“They’re suspending her for six months.”
Benita’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Wait, seriously?”
I nodded.
She let out a whoop of victory, pumping her fist in the air. “Yes! Finally! That witch is getting what she deserves!” She spun around, practically dancing. “I knew karma was going to catch up with her! I knew it!”
But when she looked back at me and saw my face, her celebration died.
“Okay, so… Why do you looki like someone just told you the world’s ending?”
I sank onto my bed, clutching the water bottle like it was the only thing keeping me grounded.
“The man I slept with,” I whispered. “The one from the club…”
“Yeah?” Benita moved closer, her voice dropping to match mine.
“He’s Sophia’s father.”
Benita froze. For a full five seconds, she just stared at me like I’d spoken in a foreign language.
Then she exploded.
“WHAT?!” she shrieked, nearly dropping her phone. “You slept with Sophia’s DAD?!”
“Stop yelling!” I hissed, burying my face in my hands.
“How? When…I…” She paced back and forth, hands flailing wildly. “Hailey, what the actual hell?! Of all the men in this city, you picked her father?!”
“I didn’t know!” I groaned, my voice muffled against my palms. “How was I supposed to know?”
She stopped pacing and planted herself in front of me, hands on her hips. “Okay, okay. Wait.” She took a deep breath, clearly trying to process. “So… What happened at the meeting? What did he say?”
I swallowed hard, the memory of his words still burning in my chest like hot coals.
“He said…” My voice cracked, not knowing what to say; if I told her I followed him home, she would surely explode.
“He said what we had mean something. And that he won’t let me walk away from it like it was nothing.”
Benita’s jaw dropped so that I thought it might hit the floor. “Oh my God.”
“I know.”
“Oh my God, Hailey.”
“I know!”
She dropped onto the bed beside me, both hands pressed to her temples. “Okay. Okay. So what are you going to do now?”
“Nothing,” I said flatly.
“Nothing?” She whipped her head toward me. “What do you mean, nothing?”
“What am I supposed to do?” I shot back. “He’s Sophia’s father, Benita. Her father!”
“So?”
“So?” I stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “So, it’s insane! It’s wrong! It’s….”
“Is that what you really think?” She interrupted, her tone softer now. “Or are you just scared?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words could'nt come.
She leaned closer, searching my face. “Be honest with me. Are you just going to give in to him… to get back at Sophia?”