Chapter 28 CHAPTER 28

Chapter 28 CHAPTER 28
Chapter Twenty Eight

Henna's POV
"I warned you not to make a fuss about anything! Why didn't you listen?" Caroline yells as she sits up. Her eyes are streaked with angry tears, and her voice is raw. "Do you think you can be a match for them? Do you think Yellow is the only one who is going to bother you in this school? You started this by triggering her, and now everyone is going to bully us!"

"I'm sorry," I whisper, the words feeling small and useless in the wreckage of our room.

She doesn't want my apology. She bunches off the floor, throwing the blanket aside with a look of pure loathing. She begins pulling on her school uniform with jerky, frantic movements.

"You're not sorry! If you were sorry, you'd stop causing trouble that gets me involved! I just want to finish this school quietly without suddenly dying..." She stops abruptly, the word hanging in the air like a threat.

"Dying?" I repeat, my heart skipping a beat.

"You don't know these people," she says, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly flat tone. "You should be asking yourself why you’re even in this school. If you like living, Henna, drop out while you still can."

She finishes dressing without another word and walks out of the room without a single backward glance. I’m left alone, huddled on the floor, crawling into myself as the reality of my situation sinks in.

What the fuck did I just get myself into?

I look toward the gaping hole where our door used to be. Students are passing by in the hallway, their shadows stretching into the room. They don't just pass; they linger, peeping in at the destruction with hungry eyes.

"Did you hear?" someone whispers loudly enough for me to hear. "She’s the one who splashed water on Yellow yesterday. Yellow came to collect her due this morning."

"The audacity," another girl snickers. "I hear she isn’t even from here."

"Exactly. She actually dared to humiliate Yellow in the cafeteria. Even Olenna doesn't dare cross Yellow, but this girl did."

"And now, she got exactly what she deserved. Serves her right."

"I guess we’re going to have another drama in the East Wing this year."

"I think so. This one looks like it'll be a long story compared to last year. That one ended pretty short."

I stare at the doorless space, watching the silhouettes of girls gossiping about me as if it’s morning entertainment. My phone starts vibrating on the floor nearby. I glance at the screen.

It’s Chloe.

I want to take the call. I want to hear a voice from home, someone who knows me as a person and not a "lowest rank" target. But as I reach for it, the tears finally break through. I can’t speak. I can’t tell her I’m okay when I’m sitting in a room with no door, my face stinging from a slap, and my roommate terrified for her life.

I watch the call ring out, the silence that follows feeling heavier than the noise. I stay there on the floor, trying to control the cold, suffocating fear that is seeping into my very bones.

Finally, I force myself to stand up. My legs are shaky, but the silence in the room is becoming louder than the gossip in the hall. I wash my face, scrubbing at the redness on my cheek until it stings, and begin to dress for school. Every movement feels mechanical, like I’m watching someone else put on my uniform.

I step out of the room, feeling horribly exposed without a door to hide behind. I head toward my first class, but halfway there, Ric stops me in the corridor. He looks at me, his eyes searching mine with a look of deep concern.

"Have you eaten?" he asks. I don't say a word. I can't. If I open my mouth, I might just start screaming.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there in time..." he starts, his voice trailing off.

"I'm okay," I reply, pulling my bag strap tighter against my shoulder. "You're not my guardian or my parents, Ric. Don't get in trouble with anyone because of me."

I try to walk away, but he’s too quick. He grabs my hand, his grip firm but careful, and pulls me back.

"You need food in your stomach," he says, already shifting his weight to lead me in the opposite direction. "That's more important right now."

"I don't want to skip classes," I protest, though my voice lacks any real conviction.

"You're already late for your first class," he counters as we turn the corner. "If you walk in there now, you'll just get punished for being late anyway. Might as well be full while you're in trouble."

We walk into the cafeteria, and the effect is instantaneous. Conversations die down, replaced by a low, buzzing hum of whispers. Every pair of eyes in the room follows us like a spotlight.

"Is she the one?" I hear a murmur from a table of girls near the entrance.

"I think so. The one who dared to touch Yellow yesterday."

"Wow! She has some guts..."

"I hear her kind just have useless guts," another voice sneers, dripping with disdain. "Looking for a death wish, more like."

"CAN YOU ALL STOP TALKING!" Ric’s voice booms across the hall, sharp and authoritative.

The room grows deathly quiet in an instant. Ric’s presence is like a physical weight, pressing down on the gossip. He ignores the staring crowd and walks straight toward us. He takes my arm and leads me to a chair. He helps me sit, his body positioned between me and the rest of the room.

Food is brought to us, steaming and smelling far better than I deserve. "Eat and have strength," he says, pushing the tray toward me.

"I'm not hungry," I say, staring at the plate. My stomach is in knots, and the throbbing in my cheek makes chewing feel like a chore. He lets out a long, heavy sigh.

"You don't have to mind Yellow, okay? She’s just trying to get under your skin because you didn't back down."
"I don't have to mind anyone, even you," I say, my irritation finally bubbling over. The pity in his eyes is almost as bad as the malice in Yellow’s. "I think I might have made a mistake walking into this school."

I look around the room at the pale faces and the predatory glares. Everything about this place feels wrong, the hierarchy, the power plays, the way people can just break down your door and strip you of everything, I finally see it now. I'm in no ordinary school. 

"It's not usually like this for everyone," Ric says softly, trying to catch my eye.

"But it's like this for me," I snap back. "Because I'm at the bottom, right? Because I'm just a 'lowly being' who doesn't know the rules."