Chapter:19
1449 Words
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The Dorm, One Week After Break
Sunlight streamed through the large lounge windows, warming the cozy space that had been silent for weeks. Now, laughter and the sound of rolling suitcases echoed through the dorm halls once more.
Emily was the first to burst through the door, her curls bouncing as she spun into the room. “Home sweet chaos!” she declared.
Sarah followed right after, designer sunglasses perched on her head. “Ugh, I missed my bed. And my skincare fridge.”
Maddie sauntered in last, carrying a woven bag of handmade bracelets and a new tattoo tucked behind her ear. “I brought snacks, sage, and stories,” she sang, tossing her stuff onto the couch.
Alex stood in the kitchen, stirring a cup of tea. She turned and smiled warmly as her friends stormed in, filling the space with chatter and stories. It felt good. It felt whole again.
“Alex!” Emily shrieked, dropping her duffle and wrapping her in a hug. “How was it? How was the hotel? Are you okay? Did anyone try to murder you?” she added dramatically.
Alex laughed, pulling back. “Calm down, Em. It was fine. No attempted murders. Just long shifts, quiet halls, and way too many towels.”
Sarah leaned on the counter, sipping an iced coffee. “We were wondering if you'd turn into a hotel ghost and never return.”
Maddie plopped onto the beanbag. “More like a haunted Cinderella.”
“Well,” Alex said with a grin, “this Cinderella is clocking out for now. I took time off the job—gonna focus on classes and the new semester.”
Emily clapped. “Yes, girl! That’s what we like to hear.”
Sarah arched a brow. “Didn’t peg you for the ‘work hard, then chill harder’ type.”
Alex gave her a playful look. “I’m not chilling. I’m catching up. Hotel work was a full-time mental marathon.”
They all nodded, understanding. Maddie pulled out the painted canvas she’d taken with her over the break and placed it back above the couch. The four girls stared at it in silence for a moment—laughing on the couch, frozen in time.
Emily glanced at Alex. “You’re really growing on us, you know.”
Alex chuckled. “Took you long enough.”
Later That Night
In her room, Alex sat at her desk, surrounded by notebooks, a vision board, and steaming ramen. She felt good. Grounded. The silence of the hotel had been cleansing in a strange way, and now, back in the heartbeat of campus life, she was ready.
Unbeknownst to her, trouble hadn’t forgotten her just yet.
Because somewhere else in the city, Ethan Richmond—still healing, still hiding—was thinking about her too.
And very soon, their paths would cross again.
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A Few Days Later – Movie Night in the Lounge
The dorm lights were dimmed, the coffee table piled with popcorn bowls, candy wrappers, and Maddie’s strange homemade trail mix that no one could quite identify—but everyone somehow loved.
“I swear, if you pick a horror movie again, Emily, I’m not sleeping tonight,” Alex warned, curled up in a blanket on one end of the couch.
Emily dramatically clutched her chest. “Excuse me! Hereditary is a masterpiece!”
Sarah rolled her eyes from her corner, hugging a sequin pillow. “Masterpiece of trauma. Let’s do something light. Comedy?”
Maddie raised her hand. “I vote rom-com. Or… hear me out… we finally watch that 2000s dance movie marathon I’ve been begging for.”
Everyone groaned—lovingly.
“Okay, okay,” Emily sighed. “How about we each pick one scene from a favourite movie and act it out? Make a mini movie night of us?”
Alex laughed. “You want us to perform?”
“You’re not backing out now, girl,” Sarah smirked. “You survived holiday hotel hell, you can survive Maddie doing Step Up 2 choreography in pajamas.”
Maddie, already standing and stretching like a professional dancer, winked. “Let’s gooo.”
They took turns reenacting scenes. Emily overacted dramatically from Mean Girls, Sarah channeled her inner Elle Woods, Maddie danced like her life depended on it, and Alex surprised them all by doing a perfect, deadpan monologue from The Devil Wears Prada.
The girls howled with laughter.
Afterward, they collapsed on the floor, surrounded by empty bowls and tears of joy.
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The Next Morning – Kitchen Conversations
The smell of fresh waffles filled the air.
Alex stood by the counter flipping them while Maddie brewed tea, Sarah read the news on her tablet, and Emily filled everyone’s mugs with coffee.
“This is starting to feel like a family,” Sarah said suddenly.
Everyone paused.
Maddie smiled. “Yeah. A chaotic, caffeine-addicted, emotionally dramatic family.”
Alex turned around with a plate of waffles and said, “Well, if I’m stuck with you three, I guess it could be worse.”
“Rude,” Emily teased. “But accepted.”
They all sat around the small table, talking about professors, classes, boys, girls, annoying group projects, and their weird neighbors down the hall who played heavy metal at 3AM.
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Later That Week – Support Comes Full Circle
Alex had a particularly rough day juggling assignments, and it showed.
She came into the dorm late, shoulders heavy, face tired.
Without a word, Sarah stood up and took her bag.
Emily wrapped her in a blanket.
Maddie handed her a paintbrush and pulled out a small canvas.
“We’re doing art therapy tonight,” Maddie said softly.
Alex blinked, overwhelmed by the gesture.
“I didn’t even say anything,” she whispered.
“You didn’t have to,” Sarah replied. “We’re friends, remember?”
As they painted in silence, laughter slowly returned to the room, and so did Alex’s light.
She had started her journey alone.
Now she was part of something bigger.
A sisterhood she never saw coming—but one she’d protect with everything in her.
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Late Night Confessions – In the Lounge
The night was quiet. Rain tapped lightly against the windows, and a soft Lo-fi playlist played from Maddie’s speaker. It was one of those rare calm nights when no one had homework, deadlines, or drama to attend to.
The girls were lounging in their shared space—Emily painting her nails, Sarah sipping wine from a tea mug, Maddie sketching in her notebook, and Alex curled up on the couch, wrapped in her favourite blanket.
Emily glanced over at Alex, who had been unusually quiet.
“You good?” she asked gently.
Alex hesitated, then nodded—but it wasn’t convincing. Sarah raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been off all day.”
Alex took a breath. Her chest felt tight, her hands fidgeting with the edge of the blanket.
“There’s something I haven’t told you,” she said quietly, almost to herself.
That got their attention.
Maddie sat up. Emily muted the music. Sarah leaned in.
Alex looked down at her hands.
“I didn’t just stay behind during the holidays because I wanted to earn money,” she began. “I mean… that was part of it. But the real reason was... I didn’t want to go home.”
Silence.
“My dad left when I was ten,” she said, her voice steady but heavy. “My mom’s doing her best, but she’s sick. It’s not something I tell people because… I didn’t want anyone to pity me.”
Maddie reached over and gently took her hand.
“I send most of what I earn home,” Alex continued. “Hospital bills, groceries, whatever I can. That’s why I took the hotel job. I didn’t want to sit around while she’s struggling.”
Sarah’s eyes watered. “Alex…”
“I didn’t want you guys to think I was... weak, or needy. So I kept it in.”
Emily got up from her seat and knelt in front of her. “You’re the strongest person I know. And I’m sorry if we ever made you feel like you couldn’t tell us.”
Maddie leaned her head on Alex’s shoulder. “You’re not alone, okay? Ever.”
Alex blinked back tears. “I didn’t expect to find friends here. Not like this.”
“Well,” Sarah smiled, wiping her eyes, “too bad. You’re stuck with us now.”
They all huddled around Alex in a long, warm hug—no words needed.
Outside, the rain continued to fall.
Inside, Alex finally felt safe.
- Writer
