LOOM OF THORNS

CHAPTER 4: COURT OF PUBLICATION

BECCA'S POV

The whispers followed me like a swarm of angry bees as I reached the Faculty of Food Science and Human Ecology. Usually, I was a ghost in these halls, but today, I was a spectacle.

I saw him then. Josh was standing by the large mahogany doors of the lecture hall, looking breathtakingly handsome as usual, surrounded by his political aides.

He was actually my senior by two years, a 500-level Computer Engineering student. Intelligent, wealthy, famous. His girlfriend Ada is the "Queen NUAT"—tall, dark-skinned, and curvy, with high cheekbones and a look that could draw blood. She was in her finals studying Management and Accounting.

Ladies swoon at the sight of him. Until today, I had never paid attention to him. I was riled up at the thought of him leaving without a "thank you." Silly boy, I muttered to myself. He looked perfectly put together today—no blood, no wrinkles, no sign of the man who had trembled in my closet just hours ago.

Our eyes met. My heart leaped. I expected him to walk over, to tell the crowd to back off, to speak up for me, to explain that I had simply helped a fellow student in need.

Instead, Josh looked right through me. He turned back to his friends, laughing at a joke one of them made, completely ignoring the girl who had stitched his skin and fed him her last plate of rice.

"So, is it true?" a voice shrilled. It was Amanda, a girl known more for her expensive weaves and loud gossip than her grades. She blocked my path, holding up her phone. "The Holy Queen of Clothing and Textile has been busy with the King of NUAT? Late at night in the lab? My source says you two were 'very close'."

A circle of female students began to form. I felt the heat rising in my neck, my hands clutching my books so hard my knuckles turned white.

"I was working on my project," I said, my voice steady despite the tremor in my soul. "'Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.' 2 Corinthians 8:21. My conscience is clear, Amanda."

"With the lights off? And Josh bleeding?" someone shouted from the back.

My stomach dropped. So the "admirer" had seen more than just a hug. I looked at Josh again, a silent plea in my eyes. Say something. Tell them you were in danger.

Josh simply leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. He winked at me. He didn't say a word. He let the silence stretch, letting the crowd tear at my reputation. To him, an "affair" with a quiet nerd was probably better for his image than admitting he was being hunted.

I realized then that I was truly alone. I took a deep breath, straightened my shoulders, and looked Amanda in the eye.

"I don't owe you an explanation for my kindness or my late hours," I said, my voice ringing out. "You do not pay my tuition. I'm an adult. If you have nothing better to do than watch me work, perhaps you should make yourself productive. Now, excuse me."

I pushed past the crowd, my head held high. But as soon as I rounded the corner and entered the ladies' room, I collapsed against the sink. The tears I had been holding back finally spilled over.

Josh was a coward. As I splashed cold water on my face, I whispered a shield against the pain: "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."

I would hold my peace. But I would never forget how it felt to be abandoned by the person I had saved.

JOSH'S POV

The amber glare of the afternoon sun filtered through the library windows. I was leaning against the wall, my mind still racing from the chaos in the lab last night, when the click-clack of heels echoed on the tiles.

I didn't need to look up to know it was Ada.

"I didn't know the NUATSU President was offering free counseling sessions to Home Science students now," she said, her voice dripping with a sweetness that didn't reach her eyes.

I straightened up. "It wasn't a counseling session, babe. It was an accident."

"An accident?" She stepped into my space, her hand resting on my chest as a claim. "The pictures on the blogs don't look like an accident, Josh. You looked very comfortable in her arms."

"I was injured," I said calmly, though my pulse thrummed.

I looked away, my jaw tightening. I had bluffed about that drive to the Vice-chancellor, and I had just told my pursuers that I hid it in Becca’s bag to buy myself time. Looking at Ada’s sharp gaze, I knew I couldn't mention that.

"It’s handled, Ada," I said. "Don't worry about her. She’s nothing."

"She better be," Ada whispered.

I kissed her, and she walked away. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I had successfully hidden the "drive" from her, but I had just fueled a fire I wasn't sure I could put out.