“What the fuck is your problem?!” she yelled before noticing who it was.
Vanessa.
Groaning internally, Elaine thought she was the number one person she had been trying to avoid.
Not because she was scared of her or anything like that, but because she had already deduced that Vanessa was the type to rile people up just for her own satisfaction.
Ignoring her, Elaine tried to walk past, but once again Vanessa held her back, blocking her path.
“What is it?” Elaine asked with an eye roll.
“We meet again, pretty face,” Vanessa said in a voice filled with mock warmth.
“Thanks for the compliment. But I have a name, and it’s Elaine. Elaine Randolph,” she emphasized.
“And I’m really not interested in whatever you’re about to say.”
She attempted to walk away again, but Vanessa blocked her path once more.
“You should at least listen,” Vanessa said before adding, “You’re new here.
You should know your place, lay low, and you’ll graduate from this school with the best experience.
But if you don’t…” her voice sharpened, “…it could ruin your life.
What happened at the basketball court was just the tip of the iceberg.”
Elaine’s fists clenched at the reminder of the court incident, but she refused to let it show on her face.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed a small crowd had formed, watching and waiting for something to happen.
Was this all on purpose?
Elaine thought bitterly.
Just to show who had the upper hand?
“Bullshit,” Elaine scoffed.
“I didn’t realize you were still so pained from the last time. Did what I said give you sleepless nights?”
She laughed lightly before giving Vanessa a slow once-over.
“I guess it did. Thanks for the advice, but I sure as hell won’t be needing it. Save it for yourself.”
This time, she almost managed to walk away before a sharp tug at her hair yanked her back violently.
“Ugh!” Elaine groaned, not expecting it.
Pain shot through her scalp at the inhuman strength pulling at her hair.
“Who do you think you are?!” Vanessa yelled into her face, twisting her around by the hair while her other hand wrapped tightly around Elaine’s throat.
“Let go of me!” Elaine choked out, trying hard not to scream.
Her face had already turned red, veins visible against her neck as Vanessa’s grip tightened painfully.
The crowd grew louder, entertained by the scene unfolding before them.
No one was going to step in.
Elaine already knew that.
Clawing at Vanessa’s hand did nothing.
She wouldn’t budge.
Then, with great difficulty, Elaine shoved a hand into her pocket and pulled out an uncapped pen.
Without hesitation, she drove it straight into Vanessa’s hand.
Vanessa released her instantly, but Elaine didn’t stop there.
Still gripping the pen, she dragged it across her skin as though carving into flesh.
The crowd fell silent.
Clearly stunned.
The moment Vanessa let go completely, Elaine took off running without looking back.
It was the smartest thing to do.
She had felt it.
Staying behind to fight would’ve been suicidal.
By the time she reached the administration building, Elaine finally stopped, bending over with her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath.
“What the fuck was that?” she muttered to no one in particular.
Looking up at the building before her, she realized she was no longer in the mood to make any calls.
She would contact her mother later.
Honestly, she was scared.
She couldn’t bring herself to head back to the dorm yet, so she leaned against the wall and stayed there, feeling exhausted.
“Elaine…” someone called, making her eyes snap open.
For a second, she thought it was Vanessa again.
Relief washed through her when she saw who it was.
“Hey,” she responded weakly, giving a lazy wave.
“What are you doing here?” Kyle asked as he walked toward her, hands tucked into his pockets while his eyes assessed her appearance.
“Waiting… so I don’t get killed,” she answered dryly.
Frowning, his gaze dropped to her neck, where angry red fingerprints were already beginning to form.
“Who did you get into a fight with?” he asked, a judgmental look crossing his face.
“I didn’t get into a fight with anyo— just forget it,” she muttered dismissively.
“Elaine,” he called, making her look back at him.
“In Herbert Wilbur, it’s best for people like you to lay low. It makes things easier.”
She offered him a faint smile that vanished the moment she looked away.
“I’d better get going now,” she said before walking back toward the dorms, fists clenched tightly at her sides.
For some reason, his words sounded even worse than Vanessa’s.
People like you?
Unable to sleep that night, Elaine sat upright on her bed.
There was far too much on her mind for her to sleep properly.
Eventually, she got up and walked toward the window.
Outside, students still roamed around the dorm area, chatting and laughing beneath the dim outdoor lights.
She glanced at the clock.
Nine o’clock.
Curfew wasn’t until twelve.
Instead of staying in her room waiting for sleep that clearly wasn’t coming, she decided to go outside.
She sat in front of the dorm building for a while, watching students come and go.
Some lingered with friends, laughing softly in the cool night air.
She had considered visiting June before coming out, but June wasn’t much of a night owl.
She was usually asleep by ten.
She felt lonely, very right now..
“Uhhh” she sighed loudly.
“If only I had a boyfriend to keep me company at times like this”.
To think she was once so close to having one.
Elaine noticed a few strange looks directed her way but chose to ignore them.
After a while, she stood up and decided to take a walk instead.
She avoided crowded areas, the laughter and noise would only keep her awake longer.
Her eyes had just begun to feel heavy when she spotted two familiar figures in the distance.
Allan and Derek.
Derek was one of the people she somewhat knew.
They shared a few classes together, and from what she had seen, he seemed like a cool guy.
Elaine slowed to a stop, staring in their direction.
It didn’t look like a friendly conversation.
If anything, it looked like they were on the verge of fighting.
There was seriously something wrong with Allan and violence, she concluded before turning away disinterestedly.
“I still can’t believe he wasn’t actually going to mark those questions,” Elaine said, shaking her head.
She had worn a high-neck top to hide the dark purple bruises on her neck, not wanting to attract attention to herself.
Still, she had overheard a few students gossiping about her already.
Thankfully, Gwen wasn’t nosy enough to ask.
“It was obvious,” Gwen replied in her usual flat tone.
“There were over two hundred questions. If it was stressful for you, it would’ve been stressful for him too.”
“Well, thanks for the tip,” Elaine said, though Gwen only waved lazily in response.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sharp crackle of the emergency speaker.
“All students should head to the auditorium,” a voice repeated over and over again.
“Why?” Elaine asked.
“How should I know?” Gwen replied.
By the time they arrived, the place was packed.
Some students had already gone inside while others lingered around outside, clearly uninterested in whatever announcement was about to be made.
Elaine and Gwen had to squeeze through the crowd just to get in.
“Move,” Gwen snapped at a guy blocking the entrance.
Elaine blinked in surprise.
She didn’t understand why Gwen suddenly seemed so aggressive.
Inside, Elaine paused to take in the grand auditorium.
It was massive, a three-storey structure lined with polished mahogany seats, a high stage at the front, a large projector screen, and heavy red curtains hanging behind it.
Gwen led them up to the third balcony, clearly not wanting to remain on the overcrowded ground floor.
“I can’t see June anywhere,” Elaine said, scanning the sea of students below.
“How do you expect to find one person in all this?” Gwen replied.
A few minutes later, the murmurs gradually faded as everyone settled down.
The room grew quiet, though faint chatter from outside still drifted in.
“Good afternoon, students,” a lanky male teacher announced from the stage.
“To avoid wasting anyone’s time, there has been a report of a missing student.”
Whispers immediately spread across the auditorium, but the teacher paused deliberately, allowing the tension to build.
His sharp eyes swept over the crowd before he continued.
“He was last seen on Thursday afternoon.”
The students grew even more restless, impatient to know who it was.
“Derek Westein”.