Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Amelia's POV

"Maybe you've considered..."

I spoke at the same time: "Moving out? Into a double room."

"Although the rent would be a bit higher."

"I know," her brow relaxed slightly, "but I can't take it anymore. Last week they asked to copy my homework three times in one week."

"Last month someone went into my room while I was at the library." She paused. "I don't know what they were looking at. But I have my suspicions."

I thought of my uniform, photographed laid flat during the mere ten minutes I was out. Naomi's draft papers, her notes, all those densely handwritten materials—Tiffany and Madison might not be interested in academic research for now, but this was a significant risk.

"Maybe..." I chose my words carefully, "could I invite you to be my roommate?"

I was unfamiliar with extending invitations, so I worried both about seeming presumptuous and about the awkwardness if she said no.

I worried about a friendship still exploring its boundaries.

But Naomi looked much more straightforward about it.

"Of course," she looked at me as if it were obvious. "Why else would I bring this up? Look, we're both quiet, we won't throw all-night parties or bring strange men into the dorm, and we can discuss homework together."

"Who could be more suitable than us?"

I smiled, and some of that suffocating feeling that had been pressing on my chest since morning lifted a little.

"We can go to Housing Management today," I said. "If you'd like."

"I was about to suggest that," she said.

While Naomi was inside handling the paperwork, I stood on the steps of Housing Management and called Evelyn.

It took her a while to answer, her voice still thick with sleep.

"Amelia? I've stayed up until three in the morning three nights in a row... I don't have class this morning, don't wake me, I want to sleep until noon."

I could guess what she'd been busy with.

Classes, shooting videos, editing, helping me sell second-hand luxury goods—just yesterday she'd mentioned she seemed to have found a major client interested in those bags.

Evelyn, my good friend, had been constantly helping me all this time.

My chest tightened with that acidic feeling again.

"I know," I said softly, "but listen to me first—I'm fine. Whatever you see on the forum later, I'm fine."

I was truly afraid she'd see those comments on the forum without any preparation and be moved to tears.

This shouldn't be hers to bear.

"Do I need to calm down before I look?"

"Probably."

"Okay," she said, something in her tone tightening, "okay, I'm calm, I—"

"Oh. Oh, those absolute—"

"Evelyn."

"I'm calm," she said, the faint sound of teeth clenching coming through, "I'm completely calm. I'm just. Processing. Because you said you're fine, so I'm just angry, I'm not—I'm just very, very angry. Because I put so much effort into that video, and these people—"

"I know." I said immediately: "They're idiots."

"Right! How can there be people like this? They've completely lost their minds, and they're probably illiterate too! That A+ is right there!" She cursed loudly.

I nodded continuously, agreeing with every word.

After a long while, she let out a breath.

I seized the opportunity: "Get out of bed and eat something, you must be hungry."

"You're right, I need to eat so I have the energy to curse them out!"

The sound of clothes rustling came through, "Where are you?"

"Outside the Housing Management office, I'm about to move into a double room with Naomi."

"Oh." Evelyn's tone lightened somewhat, "That's actually good news. Do you need me to bring you an avocado sandwich? My family's chef invented some new combinations."

"I'd love that, I'm starving."

"Wait for me," she said indistinctly, sounding like she still hadn't put down her phone. I guessed she was still browsing the forum.

Just as I was about to hang up, she suddenly stopped.

"Amelia."

"Hmm?"

"The tide seems to be turning wrong," she said. "Someone's started targeting Samuel."

My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately pulled out my phone.

Then I saw those posts—

The thread titles were restrained: [Discussion] Several Questions About the New Captain, Hope for Rational Discussion. The body text was lengthy, with wording carefully maintained in an ambiguous zone that just barely didn't constitute accusation.

Someone said that a truly disciplined captain wouldn't let personal relationships seep into the field. Although it was just the cheerleading squad, if he could use personal connections to squeeze out an innocent girl, couldn't he possibly interfere with player selection?

The comment section was more direct.

Seriously, did this kind of thing happen when Joseph was around?

Did he get to lead the team through merit, or through something else? Does anyone know how he got the captain position in the first place?

Someone who can't even manage the people around him—why should he manage a team?

I turned my phone screen face down.

I knew all too well what kind of trick this was. The exact same routine—I'd been experiencing it all this time.

Cheerleading squad positions were earned through competition and selection, football team seats too, and the captain's position even more so—especially now, when this new captain had just pulled off a comeback victory in his first game and dared to bleed on camera.

Samuel hadn't done anything wrong, and that was the problem. They'd been waiting for a handle they could exploit, and now they'd found one.

My stomach sank, and I glanced down at my unread messages.

Samuel was still in the hospital, still immersed in the sweet affair from this morning, sending intermittent messages while I was in class.

I'd been busy and hadn't opened them, but I knew what they'd be.

About the manga he was following, jokes he'd come across, little tricks for making his girlfriend happy, and—he missed me.

As always.

His steady chat frequency showed he still didn't know what was happening on the forum.

"Wait a moment," I said to Evelyn, then dialed Samuel's number.

He picked up after two rings. "Hey—"

"Hey," I said, "how are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?"

"Much better, pretty good, they're saying I might be discharged later today—"

"That's good." I softened my voice, as if mentioning it casually. "After you're discharged, rest well, don't run around, and don't worry about things that have nothing to do with you."

"What things that have nothing to do with me?"

"Like someone organizing a hiking summer camp ten kilometers away," I said. "Last time you couldn't sit still like this, ran off to watch the excitement during your recovery period, and then got scolded by the coach for three days."

He laughed, with a bit of guilty conscience at being called out. "I didn't..."

"You did. What did I say last time?"

"...Said to let me rest."

"Right, and what did you do?"

"...Went to extra training."

"So," I said, "this time, behave. Go back to the dorm, eat, sleep. Keep your phone for talking to real people, don't use it to browse random stuff."

"Okay, okay," he replied in a tone of helplessness with me: "I'll listen to you. But I really can't..."

"By the way, how's your written coursework going? Sports majors have to take written exams too!"

He let out a wail, "I'll study, I learn fast."

"I'll check." I maintained a strict tone: "If you fail, I'll consider whether to continue this relationship. I have all A's, I don't want a boyfriend who fails classes."

He gasped on the other end of the phone, "I'll quit my phone tonight and start studying! But, I mean... can I come study by your side?"

"We'll see, rest first."

He made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "Yes, ma'am."

I hung up the phone.

Evelyn called back quickly, "Did you tell him—"

"I told him to look at his phone less."

Evelyn paused, and it took her a long time to speak: "You know what this means. If you make him stay quiet—"

"He won't jump out to defend me." I walked down from the steps of Housing Management, my footsteps slow. "And won't turn himself into an even bigger target because of it."

"It also means you have to handle it alone! Those unreasonable slanders, and the doubts Samuel's attracted..."

"I was planning to handle it alone anyway." I slowly sat down on the last step and took a deep breath.

"I can do it."

I could solve this, just like I'd solved many things in my absurd life.

"I need to deal with those targeting me first, then reduce the negative impact on Samuel before he notices..."

I murmured, calculating where to start.

Evelyn was silent for a long time. I could hear her breathing and the sound of a chair scraping lightly on the floor.

Suddenly, she spoke.

"Amelia!"

"Hmm?"

"Check the forum."

"Someone's spoken up!"