Chapter 152 *
Scarlett’s POV
The girl next to me leaned over. Her eyes were shining with excitement.
"I hope someone compiles all of Sable's work someday. I'd love to read the complete collection."
I forced a smile. "But she's just an anonymous forum poster. We don't even know if she has formal credentials. Treating her like some authority seems like a stretch."
The room went quiet.
Zelda's head snapped toward me. Her expression was ice.
Professor Hayes tilted her head thoughtfully. "That's a fair point, Scarlett. Sable's identity is mysterious. We don't know her formal qualifications."
"But innovation doesn't require a degree. Many breakthrough medical techniques came from field practitioners, not researchers in labs. People who were solving problems in real-time with limited resources."
She smiled. "I've heard that several research institutions are trying to contact Sable for collaboration. They recognize the value of her work regardless of her credentials."
I had nothing to say to that.
I just sank lower in my seat and wished the class would end.
Let them create whatever legend they wanted. As long as they never connected it back to me, I didn't care.
The bell rang. Students started packing up.
I shoved my soggy notebook into my bag and stood up. Lily grabbed my arm.
"You good? You looked like you were going to pass out for a second there."
"I'm fine." I avoided her eyes. "Just surprised by all the Sable talk."
"Yeah, wild coincidence that Zelda knew about her." Lily's voice was dry. "She probably studied the whole curriculum before classes even started."
We headed for the door. I could feel Zelda's eyes burning into my back.
I didn't look at her. Didn't acknowledge her. Just kept walking.
Lily and I grabbed lunch at one of the campus cafes. She talked about her afternoon classes while I picked at a sandwich.
My brain was still processing what had happened in biochemistry.
The Sable thing was a problem. A potentially huge problem.
If people started digging into those forum posts, trying to figure out who I was, they might find connections. Someone might recognize writing patterns or specific details I'd mentioned.
I needed to be more careful.
"Earth to Scarlett." Lily waved her hand in front of my face. "You've been staring at that sandwich for five minutes."
"Sorry." I took a bite. "Just thinking."
"About the Sable stuff?"
I nearly choked again. "What?"
"You got super weird when that came up in class." She studied my face. "Do you know something about it?"
"No." The lie came out too fast. "I just think people are making a big deal out of nothing."
Lily didn't look convinced, but she let it drop.
We finished eating and headed back to the dorm. I just wanted to collapse on my bed and not think about anything for a few hours.
The elevator ride to our floor was quiet. Lily was scrolling through Instagram. I was counting ceiling tiles.
The doors opened. We stepped into the hallway.
I pulled out my room key and headed for my door.
That's when I saw her.
Zelda stepped out of the elevator behind us. She walked past us without a word. Stopped at the door directly next to mine.
She swiped her key card. The lock clicked. She pushed the door open and disappeared inside.
I stood there staring at the closed door.
You have got to be kidding me.
Lily's eyes were wide. "Is she your neighbor?"
"Apparently."
Of course the universe would put Zelda Carver in the room right next to mine.
Because my life wasn't complicated enough already.
Afternoons mean Literature Humanities seminars and Calculus II. These are the heavy hitters of the Core Curriculum—absolute beasts of classes that don't let up until the final exam.
_ _ _ _ _ _
Even at nine-thirty, the East Asian Library remained a ghost town compared to the rest of the school. While the other freshmen were packed into the main stacks, I was the only one here, enjoying a moment of stillness.
The walk back to my apartment was only twenty minutes. Morningside Avenue wasn't far. I'd walked it plenty of times during the day.
I deleted the half-written text and shoved my phone back in my pocket.
I could handle a twenty-minute walk. I didn't need a driver following me around campus like I was some kind of target.
The night air hit my face the second I stepped outside. The kind of temperature that felt good after being stuck in a stuffy library for hours.
I adjusted my backpack straps and started walking toward the 116th Street gate on Amsterdam Avenue.
The campus was quiet. A few students were scattered around. Most were heading toward the dorms. Nobody was going my direction.
I reached the gate and stepped through onto the street.
That's when I noticed the car.
A black Chevy Suburban was parked about half a block down. Engine running. Exhaust clouding in the cool air.
Three men were leaning against the side. They were smoking. Track suits. Gold chains catching the streetlight.
One of them looked up when I walked past.
I kept my eyes forward. Kept walking.
My instincts told me they were here for me. But I wasn't panicking. There was a flicker of excitement running through me. My heart rate picked up.
I wanted to see what they would do.
The first guy flicked his cigarette onto the pavement. He said something to the other two. They straightened up.
Then they started walking.
Not directly toward me. Just casually drifting in my direction. Spreading out slightly.
I counted to five in my head. Adjusted the strap on my backpack.
I kept my pace steady. Didn't speed up. Didn't slow down.
The leader was a bald guy with a tattoo crawling up his neck. He had the build of someone who spent a lot of time in the gym but probably couldn't run more than a hundred yards without getting winded.
He called out behind me. "Little late for a college girl to be walking alone, ain't it?"
I didn't turn around. "I'm fine, thanks."
My voice came out calm. Polite even.
The second guy moved faster. He cut around to my left. This one was wearing a leather jacket. He stepped directly into my path.
"We ain't asking if you fine, princess." His smile showed too many teeth. "We're saying it ain't safe."
I stopped walking.
The third guy was already behind me. Cutting off my retreat back to campus.
They had me boxed in.
The bald guy came up on my right. He took his time. Let me see how big he was compared to me.
He spit on the sidewalk. "You one of them rich Columbia bitches, huh?"
I looked at him directly. Kept my expression neutral.
His eyes traveled up and down my body. "You know what?" The bald guy grinned. "I think you owe us something. Like a... donation. For keeping this street safe."