Chapter 5: Dorm Room Turbulence
1311 Words
Chapter 5: Dorm Room Turbulence
(Scarlet's POV)
Parker's humiliation rippled through Crestwood Academy like a shockwave. My name was trending on "Hive," the school's anonymous gossip app, though no one dared to type it out fully. They were terrified of Damon and smart enough not to provoke Chloe directly.
Instead, the threads were filled with cryptic whispers.
*"Did anyone hear about the gym incident?"*
*"Is it true about the scholarship girl?"*
Hundreds of comments stacked up under the posts. Then, just as the speculation reached a fever pitch, the threads vanished. Deleted.
In their place, a new notification from the Student Council was pinned to the top of the feed. It was a revised Code of Conduct for scholarship recipients. The boldest line caught my eye immediately: **Scholarship students are strictly prohibited from entering paid-tier exclusive zones without explicit faculty authorization.**
It was a direct reference to the lounge. A warning shot.
The debate died instantly. No one knew exactly what happened between Damon and me, but one thing was crystal clear to everyone: I had made an enemy of Chloe Sterling.
At Crestwood, scholarship students are bottom feeders. We survive by staying invisible and sticking together. But that night, the divide became a canyon.
I walked into my dorm room to find silence.
My three roommates stood in a semi-circle, blocking the path to my bed. The House Prefect, a girl who usually borrowed my notes, stepped forward. She looked pained, wringing her hands.
"Scarlet," she started, her voice trembling. "We think... maybe you should request a room transfer."
Behind her, the other two nodded vigorously.
"Yeah, Scarlet. Please. Just try to understand our position."
I looked past them. My clothes were already folded into my duffel bag on the desk. My books were stacked in a cardboard box. My bed was stripped bare, just a naked mattress staring back at me.
It was 9:00 PM. Curfew check was in twenty minutes.
I twirled my room key around my index finger, the metal cool against my skin. I didn't yell. I didn't cry. I just looked at them until they shifted uncomfortably.
"Oh, don't apologize," I said, a dry smile touching my lips. "I get it. You're not mean, you're just cowards. There's a difference."
I walked over and picked up the duffel bag. I unzipped it slightly, checking the contents.
"Thanks for packing my bags, by the way," I added, my voice dripping with ice. "I hope you didn't steal anything while you were violating my privacy."
The door swung open. The Dorm Warden, a stern woman who catered exclusively to the wealthy parents, marched in. She frowned when she saw me still standing there.
"Miller? Why are you still here? The transfer paperwork is pending, but you need to clear the room."
I hoisted the bag over my shoulder and looked her dead in the eye.
"It's 9 PM. Unless you want a lawsuit for endangering a minor by kicking her out onto the street at night, I'm not stepping a foot outside this building."
The Warden froze, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. She knew the liability laws better than I did.
"I'm not leaving the building," I repeated. "But I'm done with this room."
I brushed past the stunned roommates and walked out. I went straight down the stairs to the common room. I dropped my bag onto the plush leather sofa in the center of the lounge.
The Warden followed me to the landing, fuming. "You can't sleep there! That is a communal area!"
I kicked off my shoes and sat down, crossing my legs.
"Since my assigned bed is unavailable, I'm taking the couch," I said, pulling a textbook from my bag. "You can call the cops. Your call."
(Third Person POV)
Chloe Sterling was just leaving the country club when the news reached her. She hadn't bothered to go to the dorms herself. She had sent a freshman lackey to scope out the situation.
The girl reported back breathlessly.
"The Warden was screaming outside the common room, but Scarlet just ignored her," the girl said. "She's asleep on the couch right now. The lights are on, but she doesn't seem to care."
Chloe sat in the back of her chauffeured SUV, examining her freshly manicured nails. The red polish gleamed under the streetlights.
She let out a cold, sharp laugh.
"She didn't run?" Chloe asked.
"No. She threatened to sue the school."
Chloe's amusement faded into a sneer. Scarlet hadn't fled the campus in shame. The girl was stubborn.
*Cockroach,* Chloe thought. *You think you can survive Crestwood just because you have a thick skin?*
"Let her sleep," Chloe said, dismissing the lackey on the phone. "We'll see how long she lasts when the real pressure starts."
The weekend arrived slowly.
Julian was waiting outside the public library, thirty minutes from campus. It was neutral ground, far away from the prying eyes of the Hive.
"Are you really okay?" Julian asked the moment he saw her. His eyes scanned her face for bruises.
Scarlet took the stack of study guides from his hands.
"Aside from being the campus pariah and technically homeless? I'm living the dream, Julian," she said.
Julian frowned. He adjusted his glasses, looking helpless. He knew he couldn't stop her. He had no power against monsters like Damon or Chloe. Scarlet had told him years ago: *If you can't fix it, don't preach about it.*
He watched her check the bus schedule on her cracked phone screen.
"Do you have to go to Ethan's?" Julian asked quietly. "I can talk to my mom. She can front the money for your tuition gap. You don't need to tutor him."
Scarlet stopped scrolling. She shoved the phone into her pocket and hugged the books to her chest.
"I don't need your pity money, and I definitely don't need your mom's drama," she said firmly. "I handle my own mess. Just hand me that textbook."
"Scarlet-"
"Hand it over, Julian."
He sighed and passed her the book. She took it, turned, and boarded the approaching bus without looking back.
The bus only went as far as the base of the hill. Scarlet walked the remaining ten minutes up the winding driveway to the Easton estate.
When she rang the doorbell, the maid who answered looked nervous. The bass from the stereo system inside was shaking the windows.
Ethan Easton was throwing a party.
The living room was a chaotic sea of designer clothes and expensive liquor. But Ethan wasn't dancing. He sat on the edge of a velvet sofa, twirling a switchblade between his fingers.
A blonde boy stood in front of him, sweating profusely.
"I swear, man, she really came out with Damon," the boy insisted, his voice cracking over the music. "We all saw it. Damon even backed her up. Parker is still in the hospital!"
Ethan didn't look up. "That just proves Chloe is useless."
He looked like an angel, with delicate features inherited from his actress mother, but his eyes were dead. He slowly raised the knife, pointing the tip at the boy's chest.
"You've been talking for five minutes," Ethan said softly. "But you haven't told me anything interesting. Like... did she mention me? While I was gone, did she miss me?"
The boy swallowed hard. The blade was inches from his throat. The dancers around them ignored the scene, too terrified to intervene.
"Yes..." the boy stammered, desperate to please. "Yes, she missed you. She asked about you."
Ethan's expression didn't change.
"I can't hear you," he whispered.
With a flicker of movement, the blade lashed out.
"Ah!"
The boy stumbled back, clutching his left cheek. Blood welled up between his fingers, dripping onto the expensive rug.
Ethan looked bored. He wiped the blade on the sofa cushion.
Scarlet pushed open the living room door.
- Writer
