~~ Chapter Four ~~
1086 Words
The classroom was quiet as Professor Michelle handed back the graded project reports. No one looked particularly relaxed especially not Janessa, who had been holding her breath for the past five minutes.
She peeked at the paper as soon as it landed on their shared desk.
Group Five: 18/30.
Below it, scribbled in red pen: "Unoriginal topic. Weak argumentation. Surface-level analysis. Revisit research methods."
Janessa stared in disbelief.
“Eighteen?” she whispered, her voice low but shaking.
“We basically failed a third of the course.”
Winter leaned over and peered at the score like it was a cute photo on i********:.
“Well... it’s not that bad.” She shrugged, casually popping gum.
“Could’ve been worse.”
Janessa turned slowly.
“You’re joking, right?”
Enzo looked like he was trying to read the air eyes darting between the two girls, lips pressed together.
Winter laughed.
“Come on. It’s not the end of the world. We still have other assessments. Let’s not stress over this. Maybe we should go out and celebrate surviving it.”
“Celebrate?” Janessa repeated, her voice climbing.
Winter blinked innocently.
“Yeah. At least it’s over.”
Janessa’s frustration finally snapped.
“No, Winter, it’s not just ‘over.’ We failed because of you. I said we needed to go with a stronger topic. I did the research, I brought sources, I practically begged you both to switch and you shut it down like it was your personal t****k channel!”
Winter crossed her arms, not bothered.
“Oh please. It was three people’s work. Don’t put this all on me.”
“But you pushed your idea. You barely did the actual writing. You were too busy flirting with Enzo to focus on actual ethics!”
Gasps echoed from a few nearby students.
Winter’s face hardened.
“Don’t get mad at me just because he likes having me around more than you.”
The words hit Janessa like a slap. Her fists clenched at her sides.
“You’re delusional.”
“You’re insecure.”
“Enough!”
Both girls turned, Enzo had finally spoken. He wasn’t yelling, but the sharpness in his tone cut through the tension.
“We all messed up. It’s done now.”
Janessa shook her head, jaw clenched.
“You just stood there and let this happen from the start. You knew this topic was trash. But you let her run the show because you liked the attention.”
Enzo didn’t respond. He just stared at her, silent.
It was worse than if he had yelled back.
Janessa grabbed her bag and walked out of the room, heart racing with frustration, humiliation and something else she didn’t want to name.
Behind her, Enzo remained still.
And Winter?
She smiled.
The warehouse sat at the edge of the city, forgotten by daylight and ignored by maps.
Inside, the air was thick with cigarette smoke and tension.
“You said this deal was clean.”
James slammed his palm against the metal table, the sound echoing sharply. “Now the buyer’s backing out, the goods are stuck, and we’re exposed.”
Across from him, ....... leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “Calm down. Nobody’s been caught.”
“Not yet,” another voice cut in. “But the police have been circling the docks for days.”
Silence followed.
They all knew what that meant.
This wasn’t just bad luck. It was the kind of problem that spiraled.
James exhaled slowly. “We wouldn’t be here if Enzo was still running things.”
............ scoffed. “He left. His choice.”
“Yeah,” James snapped, “and somehow everything’s been falling apart since.”
A younger guy at the corner of the room shifted nervously. “What if we call him?”
“No,”( I don't know what name to put here) said immediately. “He made it clear he was out.”
“Out doesn’t mean unreachable,” James replied. “This mess? This has his fingerprints all over it. Old routes. Old contacts.”
....... jaw tightened. “He’s in university now. Clean life. New name.”
“That won’t protect us if this goes sideways.”
The room fell quiet again.
Finally, James reached into his jacket and pulled out a phone.
“He doesn’t have to come back,” he said. “He just needs to tell us how to fix it."
Across town, Enzo stood alone on his hostel balcony, the city lights blinking beneath him like a second sky.
He hadn’t slept.
Janessa’s voice still echoed in his head.
I trusted you.
He gripped the railing, knuckles whitening. He had walked away from one life because he wanted something different. Something clean. Something real.
His phone buzzed.
Once.
Twice.
He looked down at the screen.
JAMES.
His chest tightened.
Enzo let the phone ring.
It stopped.
A message appeared seconds later.
We need you. This isn’t small.
Enzo closed his eyes.
He had promised himself he was done. Promised his mother. Promised the future he was trying to build.
But the past didn’t disappear just because you stopped answering it.
He typed a reply, then deleted it.
Typed again.
I’m not coming back.
Another message came instantly.
We don’t need you back. Just your mind.
Enzo stared at the words for a long time.
Somewhere between the life he left and the one he wanted, a choice waited.
And whatever he chose next would change everything.
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