KATHERINE

THE END OF THE MYSTERY

CHAPTER 5 OF 5 : THE END OF THE MYSTERY

The Last Time Anyone Had Seen Katherine, And The Scream Sophie Had Heard.

The Officers Also Began Searching The School Grounds And Checking The Security Cameras To Find Out If Katherine Had Left The School That Night.

While Everyone Was Searching For Her, Katherine Was Still Trapped In The Dark Room.

She Had Been Sitting On The Chair For What Felt Like Hours When She Heard The Door Unlock Again. Nate Walked Into The Room And Closed The Door Behind Him.

Katherine Looked At Him. "What Do You Want?"

Nate Didn't Answer. He Walked Towards The Table And Placed A Thick File On It Before Opening It.

Katherine Watched Him Carefully.

"What's That?"

Nate Pulled Out Several Photographs And Documents.

Katherine Looked At Them, And Her Expression Slowly Changed.

She Recognized Some Of The Girls In The Pictures.

They Were Students From The School.

"Who Are They?" Katherine Asked.

Nate Looked At Her. "Girls Who Made The Same Mistake You Did."

Katherine Stared At The Photographs, And Then She Noticed The Names Written On The Documents. There Were Several Of Them, Along With Their Grades, Personal Information, And Notes About Their Meetings With Nate.

Her Eyes Widened As She Put Everything Together.

"You Did This To Them."

Nate Remained Silent.

Katherine Looked At Him In Disgust. "You Were The Reason They Left The School."

Nate Finally Sat Down In Front Of Her. "They Left Because They Couldn't Handle The Pressure."

"Pressure?" Katherine Scoffed. "You Were Blackmailing Them."

Nate's Expression Didn't Change.

He Had Been Using His Position As A Lecturer To Target Female Students. He Would Threaten Their Grades And Use Personal Information Against Them, Then Force Them Into s****l Situations They Did Not Consent To. When They Tried To Resist Or Threatened To Tell Someone, He Would Blackmail Them With Their Academic Records And Other Information He Had Collected About Them.

Some Of The Girls Had Been Too Afraid To Speak Up, And Eventually They Had Dropped Out Of The School Just To Escape Him.

Katherine Looked At Him With Anger. "You're Sick."

Nate Leaned Back In His Chair. "I Simply Give Them A Choice."

"You Don't Give Anyone A Choice," Katherine Said. "You Threaten Them Until They Do What You Want."

Nate Smiled.

"And Now You've Become One Of Them."

Katherine's Eyes Narrowed. "What Does That Mean?"

Nate Stood Up And Walked Towards Her.

"You Found The Room. You Started Asking Questions. You Saw Things You Were Never Supposed To See. I Couldn't Let You Walk Away."

Katherine Realized Exactly What He Intended.

"You Brought Me Here To Do The Same Thing You Did To The Other Girls."

Nate Looked At Her.

"Yes."

Katherine's Heart Beat Faster, But She Refused To Look Away.

"You Really Think I'm Going To Let You Get Away With This?"

Nate Smirked. "You Don't Have Much Of A Choice."

Katherine Glared At Him. "You Picked The Wrong Girl."

For The First Time, Nate's Smile Faded Slightly.

He Walked Towards The Door And Opened It.

"You'll Understand Soon Enough."

He Walked Out And Locked The Door Behind Him.

Katherine Sat Quietly On The Chair, Her Mind Racing As She Tried To Think Of A Way To Escape. She Now Knew The Truth About Nate And The Girls He Had Hurt, And She Knew That He Intended To Do The Same Thing To Her.

But Katherine Wasn't Going To Give Up.

Back At The School, The Investigation Was Already Growing Bigger. The Police Were Collecting Evidence, Questioning More Students, And Looking Through The School's Records To Find Out If There Were Other Students Who Had Disappeared Under Similar Circumstances.

Lizzy Stood Outside The Hostel, Her Eyes Filled With Fear And Anger.

"I Just Want My Daughter Back," She Said.

Sophie Stood Beside Her, Feeling Guilty About Keeping The Truth From Her.

"We're Going To Find Her," Sophie Said.

Lizzy Looked At Her. "You Better."

None Of Them Knew Where Katherine Was, But For The First Time, The Search Was No Longer Just In Their Hands.

The Police Were Now Looking For Her Too.

And Somewhere Inside The School, Nate Was Still Walking Around Like An Ordinary Lecturer, Completely Unaware That His Secret Was Beginning To Come Apart.

The Police Had Been Searching The College For Days, And The Investigation Had Finally Become More Serious. Lizzy Refused To Leave The Police Station Without Her Daughter, While Katherine's Father Stayed Beside Her, Trying To Keep Her Calm Even Though He Was Clearly Worried. Sophie, Carla, Dawn, Maddie, And Alex Had All Given Their Statements About The Party, The Blackout, Katherine's Scream, And Everything That Had Happened After She Disappeared.

Back At The College, The Police Continued Searching Every Possible Place Where Katherine Could Have Been Taken. They Checked The Dormitories, The Hallways, The Bathrooms, The Storage Rooms, And Eventually Returned To The Old Building Behind The Library. One Of The Officers Noticed Something Strange About The Door And Walked Closer To Examine It.

“There Are Fresh Marks Around The Lock,” He Said.

Another Officer Walked Over And Looked At It. “Break It Open.”

The Door Was Forced Open, And The Officers Carefully Entered The Building. It Was Dark And Dusty, With Old Furniture And Boxes Scattered Around The Room. They Searched Every Corner Until One Of Them Found A Small Piece Of Katherine's Clothing On The Floor.

“This Belongs To Her,” He Said.

Everyone Immediately Became More Alert.

They Continued Searching Until They Found A Large Wooden Shelf Standing Against One Of The Walls. Something About It Didn't Look Right, So One Of The Officers Moved It Aside And Discovered A Hidden Door Behind It. The Door Was Locked From The Outside.

The Officer Quickly Opened It.

The Moment The Door Swung Open, They Saw Katherine Sitting On A Wooden Chair With Her Hands And Legs Tied.

“Katherine!” One Of The Officers Called.

Katherine Immediately Lifted Her Head. She Had Been Sitting In The Dark For What Felt Like Forever, And For A Moment She Couldn't Believe The People Standing In Front Of Her Were Actually There.

“Police?” She Asked Weakly.

“Yes. You're Safe Now.”

The Officer Quickly Untied Her Hands And Legs While Another Officer Checked The Room. Katherine Slowly Stood Up, Her Legs Weak From Being Tied For So Long, But She Didn't Break Down. She Was Exhausted, Angry, And Relieved All At Once.

“Who Did This To You?” The Officer Asked.

Katherine Looked At Him.

“Nate.”

The Officer's Expression Changed. “Nate Who?”

“My English Lecturer.”

The Officers Looked At Each Other Before Turning Their Attention Back To Katherine.

Katherine Told Them Everything. She Told Them About The Files Nate Had Shown Her, The Girls Whose Names And Pictures Were In Them, And The Things He Had Done To Them. Nate Had Been Using His Position As A Lecturer To Control And Threaten Female Students, Especially Those Who Discovered His Secret. He Had Used Their Grades Against Them And Blackmailed Them Into s****l Situations They Had Never Agreed To. Many Of The Girls Had Been Too Afraid To Report Him And Had Eventually Left The School.

The Officers Immediately Began Collecting The Files And Other Evidence From The Room.

“There Are Enough Documents Here To Support A Serious Investigation,” One Of Them Said.

Katherine Looked At Him. “Then Make Sure He Can't Do This To Anyone Else.”

“We Will.”

As The Police Took Katherine Out Of The Building, She Saw Her Mother Running Toward Her.

“Katherine!”

“Mom!”

Lizzy Pulled Her Daughter Into Her Arms And Held Her Tightly, Tears Running Down Her Face.

“I Thought I Lost You,” She Whispered.

Katherine Held On To Her Mother And Finally Allowed Herself To Cry.

“You Found Me.”

Her Father Walked Over And Put His Arms Around Both Of Them. For The First Time In Days, Lizzy Felt Like She Could Finally Breathe Again.

Meanwhile, Nate Was Still On Campus, Completely Unaware That The Police Had Found Katherine And Everything He Had Tried To Hide Was About To Come Crashing Down.

He Was Walking Through One Of The College Hallways With A Few Books In His Hands When Two Police Officers Suddenly Appeared In Front Of Him.

“Nate Williams?”

Nate Stopped. “Yes?”

“You Need To Come With Us.”

He Stared At Them In Confusion. “Why?”

“You're Under Arrest.”

Nate's Face Immediately Changed.

“Arrest? For What?”

The Officer Took Out His Handcuffs. “For The k********g Of Katherine And For Your Involvement In The Abuse And Blackmail Of Several Female Students.”

Nate Took A Step Back.

“You Have No Proof.”

“We Found The Proof.”

The Officer Handcuffed Him While Another Officer Walked Past Carrying The Files And Other Evidence Found In The Hidden Room. Nate Looked At Them And Suddenly Realized That His Secret Was No Longer Safe.

Students In The Hallway Stared At Him In Shock As The Police Led Him Away.

Within Hours, The News Spread Throughout The College. The Students Who Had Known Something Was Wrong But Had Been Too Afraid To Speak Finally Began Coming Forward. One After Another, The Girls Who Had Been Victims Of Nate's Threats And Manipulation Gave Their Statements, And Their Stories Matched The Evidence The Police Had Already Found.

The College Immediately Suspended Nate From Teaching, And After The Investigation Was Completed, His Teaching License Was Taken Away. He Was Charged For His Crimes And Would Have To Face The Consequences Of Everything He Had Done.

For Katherine, However, The Most Important Thing Was That She Was Finally Home.

Her Family Made Sure She Was Never Alone. Her Mother Stayed Close To Her, Her Father Checked On Her Constantly, And The Rest Of Her Family Did Everything They Could To Make Her Feel Safe Again. Her Friends Also Refused To Leave Her Alone.

Maddie Would Come Over Just To Sit With Her And Talk About Random Things. Alex Tried Her Best To Make Katherine Laugh, Even Though Everyone Could Tell She Was Still Angry About What Had Happened. Carla And Dawn Visited Often, Bringing Food And Trying To Keep The Atmosphere Light.

Sophie, Her Roommate, Was Always There.

One Evening, Katherine Was Sitting On Her Bed While Sophie Sat Beside Her.

“You Know You Don't Have To Pretend You're Fine Around Us, Right?” Sophie Asked.

Katherine Looked At Her And Gave A Small Smile. “I Know.”

“You Can Talk About It If You Want.”

“I Don't Really Want To Talk About It.”

“That's Fine Too.”

Katherine Looked At Her Friend For A Moment Before Resting Her Head Against Her Shoulder.

“Thank You.”

Sophie Smiled. “You Don't Have To Thank Me.”

A Few Minutes Later, Maddie Walked Into The Room With Alex, Carla, And Dawn Behind Her.

“We Brought Food,” Maddie Said.

Alex Held Up A Bag. “And Before You Ask, Yes, I Picked The Good Stuff.”

Katherine Finally Laughed.

“There She Is,” Alex Said With A Smile. “I Was Starting To Think You Forgot How To Laugh.”

Katherine Looked Around The Room At All Her Friends And Smiled. For The First Time Since She Had Been Taken, She Felt Completely Safe.

She Knew She Wouldn't Forget What Happened, And She Knew It Would Take Time Before Everything Felt Normal Again, But She Also Knew She Didn't Have To Face It Alone.

Her Family Was With Her.

Her Friends Were With Her.

Sophie Was With Her.

And Nate Could No Longer Hurt Anyone.

Katherine Looked Out The Window And Watched The Sun Slowly Disappear Behind The Buildings.

It Had Been A Terrible Chapter Of Her Life, One She Never Wanted To Experience Again, But It Was Finally Over.

She Turned Back To Her Friends And Smiled.

“Okay,” She Said. “Who Ate My Food?”

Everyone Suddenly Became Quiet.

Katherine Narrowed Her Eyes.

“I'm Serious.”

Alex Slowly Looked Away.

“It Wasn't Me.”

Katherine Stared At Her.

“You're Lying.”

The Room Burst Into Laughter.

And For The First Time In A Long Time, Katherine Laughed With Them.

She Was Home.

She Was Safe.

And Whatever Came Next, She Would Face It With The People Who Loved Her By Her Side.

A Few Days Had Passed Since Katherine Returned To College, And Her Life Was Slowly Falling Back Into Its Usual Routine. She Had Become More Comfortable Attending Classes Again, And Although She Still Had Difficult Moments, She Was Determined To Focus On Her Studies And Not Allow Everything That Had Happened To Take Away The Life She Had Worked So Hard To Build. Her Friends Were Also Doing Their Best To Make Things Feel Normal, And Most Days, Katherine Found Herself Laughing And Enjoying Their Company Just Like She Used To. However, While Katherine Was Finally Beginning To Feel Like Herself Again, Something Else Was Quietly Changing Within Their Group, And This Time, It Had Nothing To Do With Nate.

It Started With Carla.

Carla Had Recently Been Spending A Lot Of Time With Daniel, Sophie's Ex-Boyfriend. At First, Nobody Thought Much Of It. They Had Seen Carla Talking To Him Around Campus A Few Times, And When Anyone Asked, Carla Always Said They Were Just Friends. Sophie Knew About It Too, But She Didn't Say Anything Because She Didn't Want To Create A Problem. Daniel Was Her Ex, And Their Relationship Had Ended Months Ago, So She Had Convinced Herself That Whatever Carla Was Doing Had Nothing To Do With Her Anymore.

But That Became Harder To Believe When Carla And Daniel Started Showing Up Everywhere Together.

One Afternoon, Sophie Was Walking Across Campus With Katherine After Their Lecture When She Suddenly Stopped. Katherine Took A Few Steps Before Realizing Sophie Was No Longer Beside Her, So She Turned Around To See What Had Caught Her Attention. Sophie Was Staring Across The Courtyard, And When Katherine Followed Her Gaze, She Saw Carla Sitting At A Table With Daniel. They Were Talking And Laughing Together, And Daniel Looked Completely Comfortable Around Carla.

Katherine Immediately Looked At Sophie. “That's Daniel, Right?”

Sophie Didn't Take Her Eyes Off Them. “Yeah.”

“Your Ex?”

“Yeah.”

Katherine Could Hear The Change In Sophie's Voice, And Before She Could Say Anything Else, Sophie Started Walking Toward Them. Katherine Followed Closely Behind, Unsure Of What Sophie Was About To Do.

When Carla Looked Up And Saw Them Approaching, Her Smile Slowly Disappeared. She Looked From Katherine To Sophie And Immediately Knew That Something Was Wrong.

“Sophie,” Carla Said.

Sophie Stopped In Front Of The Table And Looked At Daniel Before Turning Her Attention To Carla. “What Are You Doing With Him?”

Carla Looked At Daniel For A Moment Before Looking Back At Sophie. “We're Just Talking.”

Sophie Let Out A Small Laugh That Had No Humor In It. “Just Talking?”

Daniel Shifted Uncomfortably In His Seat. “Sophie, It's Not What You Think.”

Sophie Looked At Him. “I Wasn't Talking To You.”

Carla Stood Up. “What's Your Problem?”

“My Problem Is That You Know Everything That Happened Between Me And Daniel, And You're Sitting Here With Him Like None Of It Ever Happened.”

Carla Crossed Her Arms. “You Two Broke Up A Long Time Ago.”

“I Know We Did.”

“Then Why Are You Acting Like I Need Your Permission To Talk To Him?”

Sophie Stared At Her In Disbelief. “I'm Not Saying You Need My Permission. I'm Saying You're My Friend, Carla. You Know What He Put Me Through, And You Know How Much It Hurt Me.”

Carla's Expression Hardened. “And I Also Know That You Don't Own Him.”

Sophie Went Quiet For A Moment. The Words Clearly Hurt More Than Carla Realized.

“I Never Said I Owned Him,” She Finally Said. “I Just Expected My Friend To Have Enough Respect For Me To Stay Away From Him.”

Carla Shook Her Head. “Maybe I Don't Feel The Same Way You Do About Him.”

Sophie Looked At Her For A Few Seconds Before Taking A Step Back. “Fine.”

Katherine Could See That Sophie Was Trying Hard Not To Lose Her Temper, So She Gently Touched Her Arm.

“Sophie, Let's Go.”

Sophie Nodded And Walked Away With Katherine Following Her.

They Didn't Say Anything Until They Were Far Enough Away From The Cafeteria.

Katherine Looked At Her Friend. “Are You Okay?”

Sophie Took A Deep Breath. “No.”

She Stopped Walking And Looked Down At The Ground. “I Know Daniel Is My Ex. I Know I Can't Tell Carla Who She Can Date, But She Is Supposed To Be My Friend. She Knows What Happened Between Us. She Knows How Badly He Hurt Me, And Out Of Everyone, She Chose Him.”

Katherine Didn't Immediately Respond. She Knew Sophie Was Hurt, And She Also Knew That There Was No Easy Answer.

“Maybe You Should Talk To Her Again When You're Both Calm,” Katherine Said.

Sophie Shook Her Head. “I Don't Know If Talking Will Change Anything.”

Unfortunately, Things Didn't Get Better.

Over The Next Few Weeks, Carla And Daniel Became Closer. What Had Started As Casual Conversations Eventually Turned Into Something More Serious, And Before Long, Everyone Knew That They Were Dating. Carla Didn't Hide It, And She Didn't Apologize For It Either. She Was Happy With Daniel, And She Believed That Her Relationship Was Her Own Choice.

Sophie, However, Couldn't Look At It The Same Way.

She Tried To Pretend That It Didn't Bother Her. She Continued Going To Classes, Studying, And Spending Time With Katherine And The Others, But The Distance Between Her And Carla Became More Noticeable Every Day. They No Longer Sat Together At Lunch, They Rarely Talked Outside Their Classes, And Even When The Entire Group Was Together, Sophie And Carla Would Barely Look At Each Other.

Katherine Noticed Everything.

One Afternoon, The Girls Were Sitting Together Outside One Of The Lecture Halls. Maddie Was Talking About An Assignment While Alex Was Complaining About One Of Their Lecturers. Dawn And Carla Were Listening, But Sophie Was Sitting Quietly Beside Katherine.

Carla Eventually Turned Toward Her.

“Sophie, Are You Still Angry With Me?”

Sophie Looked At Her. “I'm Not Angry.”

Carla Raised An Eyebrow. “Really? Because You've Barely Spoken To Me.”

“Maybe I Don't Have Anything To Say.”

Carla Sighed. “This Is Getting Ridiculous.”

Sophie Looked At Her. “You Think I'm The One Making It Ridiculous?”

“I Think You're Punishing Me For Being Happy.”

Sophie Stared At Her. “That's Not What I'm Doing.”

“Then What Are You Doing?”

Sophie Was Silent For A Moment Before Saying, “I'm Trying To Understand How My Best Friend Could Do Something Like This To Me.”

Carla Looked Away.

“I Didn't Do Anything To You.”

“You Knew It Would Hurt Me.”

“And I Was Supposed To Stay Away From Him Forever Because You Dated Him?”

“No,” Sophie Said. “But I Thought You Would At Least Care About How I Felt.”

Carla Didn't Answer.

Sophie Picked Up Her Bag And Stood.

“I Guess I Was Wrong.”

She Walked Away, Leaving Carla Sitting There In Silence.

Katherine Watched Sophie Leave And Then Turned To Carla.

“You Know She Isn't Really Angry About Daniel Being Your Boyfriend.”

Carla Looked At Her. “Then What Is She Angry About?”

“She Feels Betrayed.”

Carla Looked Down At Her Hands.

“I Never Wanted To Hurt Her.”

“I Know.”

“But I Like Daniel.”

Katherine Nodded Slowly. “Then You Need To Decide What's More Important To You And Be Honest About It.”

Carla Didn't Respond.

That Evening, Sophie Was Sitting Alone In Their Room When Katherine Walked In. Sophie Was Lying On Her Bed, Staring At The Ceiling.

Katherine Sat Beside Her.

“You Know You Can Talk To Me, Right?”

Sophie Turned Her Head And Looked At Her.

“I Know.”

“You Don't Have To Pretend You're Fine.”

Sophie Sighed. “I Just Never Thought Carla Would Be The Person To Hurt Me Like This.”

Katherine Put Her Hand On Her Shoulder.

“Sometimes People Make Choices We Don't Understand.”

Sophie Looked Away.

“I Miss My Friend.”

Katherine Knew Exactly What She Meant.

Sophie Didn't Just Miss The Girl Who Used To Sit Beside Her At Lunch Or The Girl She Used To Laugh With. She Missed The Friendship They Had Before Daniel Came Between Them.

And What Hurt Most Was That Neither Of Them Seemed Ready To Give Up Their Side Of The Story.

As The Days Continued, Sophie And Carla Became More Distant, And The Group That Had Once Been So Close Slowly Started To Feel Different. Everyone Could See The Tension, Even When Neither Girl Said Anything About It.

Katherine Could Only Hope That One Day They Would Realize That Their Friendship Was Worth More Than The Person Who Had Come Between Them.

But For Now, Sophie And Carla Were Drifting Further Apart, And Neither Of Them Knew How To Stop It.

Katherine Had Not Been Sleeping Well Since She Returned To College. At First, She Thought It Was Just Because She Was Still Getting Used To Being Back. The First Few Nights, She Would Lie In Bed For Hours, Staring At The Ceiling And Waiting For Sleep To Come. But Whenever She Finally Managed To Fall Asleep, The Same Memories Would Find Her. The Dark Room. The Cold Wooden Chair. The Rope Around Her Wrists. And Nate’s Face When He Finally Removed His Mask.

Sometimes, Katherine Would Wake Up Suddenly In The Middle Of The Night, Her Heart Beating So Fast That It Felt Like It Was Trying To Escape Her Chest. She Would Sit Up, Look Around Her Room, And Remind Herself That She Was Not There Anymore. She Was In Her Room. She Was Safe. The Door Was Locked, Her Friends Were Nearby, And Nate Was Gone. Still, Her Body Did Not Always Believe What Her Mind Was Telling It.

She Never Told Anyone About The Nightmares. Not Her Mother. Not Her Father. Not Michael. Not Even Sophie, Who Was Her Roommate And Probably The Person Who Knew Her Better Than Anyone At College.

Katherine Kept Everything To Herself Because She Did Not Want Anyone To Start Treating Her Like She Was Fragile. She Had Already Spent Enough Time Being The Girl Everyone Was Worried About. She Wanted To Be Katherine Again, The Same Katherine Who Could Walk Into A Room Without Everyone Watching Her Face To See If She Was Okay.

So Whenever Someone Asked, She Simply Said She Was Fine.

One Morning, Sophie Was Sitting On Her Bed, Putting On Her Shoes, When She Looked At Katherine And Frowned. “You Look Tired,” Sophie Said.

Katherine Looked At Herself In The Mirror And Smirked. “Maybe This Is Just My Face.”

Sophie Rolled Her Eyes. “No, Seriously. You Look Like You Barely Slept.”

“I Slept.”

“How Long?”

Katherine Paused For A Second. “Long Enough.”

Sophie Studied Her Face, Clearly Not Convinced, But She Did Not Push Further. “Fine. But If You Fall Asleep During Class, I’m Taking Pictures.”

Katherine Grabbed Her Bag. “Try It And I’ll Delete Your Phone.”

Sophie Laughed As They Walked Out Together.

For A Few Hours, Katherine Managed To Forget About Everything. She Went To Her Lectures, Took Notes, Answered Questions When The Lecturer Called On Her, And Even Joked With Sophie During A Short Break. She Tried To Act Like Everything Was Normal, And For A While, It Worked.

But During Their Afternoon Lecture, Her Eyes Became Heavy. She Blinked Several Times, Trying To Stay Awake, But Her Head Slowly Dropped Before She Quickly Straightened Again.

Sophie Turned To Look At Her. “You’re Falling Asleep.”

“I’m Not.”

“You Literally Just Nodded Off.”

Katherine Whispered, “I Was Thinking With My Eyes Closed.”

Sophie Covered Her Mouth To Stop Herself From Laughing.

After Class, They Went To The Library To Finish An Assignment. Katherine Opened Her Notebook And Stared At The Same Question For Several Minutes Without Writing Anything. The Words On The Page Seemed To Blur Together, And Her Mind Kept Drifting Back To That Room.

She Closed Her Eyes For A Moment And Took A Slow Breath. “I Can Handle This,” She Whispered To Herself.

Across The Table, Sophie Looked Up, But Katherine Immediately Started Writing Again.

Meanwhile, Things Between Sophie And Carla Had Been Slowly Changing. For Weeks, They Had Barely Spoken To Each Other. The Argument Over Daniel Had Created A Distance That Neither Of Them Knew How To Cross. Even When They Were With The Rest Of The Group, There Was Always An Awkward Silence Between Them.

One Afternoon, After A Lecture, She Saw Sophie Walking Toward The Dorms And Quickly Caught Up With Her. “Sophie, Wait.”

Sophie Stopped And Turned Around.

Carla Took A Deep Breath. “Can We Talk?”

Sophie Hesitated Before Nodding.

They Moved To A Quiet Spot Near The Building, Away From The Other Students.

“I’m Sorry,” Carla Said.

Sophie Looked At Her Without Saying Anything.

“I Know What I Did Hurt You,” Carla Continued. “I Knew What Happened Between You And Daniel, And I Still Chose To Date Him. I Should Have Thought About How You Would Feel Before I Did It.”

Sophie Looked Down At The Ground. “I Wasn’t Angry Because You Dated Him. You’re Allowed To Date Whoever You Want. I Was Hurt Because You’re My Friend, And It Felt Like You Didn’t Care About How I Felt.”

Carla Nodded Slowly. “I Do Care.”

“I Know That Now.”

“I Missed You,” Carla Admitted.

Sophie Finally Smiled. “I Missed You Too.”

For A Moment, Neither Of Them Said Anything. Then Carla Opened Her Arms, And Sophie Stepped Forward And Hugged Her.

“I’m Still Mad At You A Little,” Sophie Said.

Carla Laughed. “That’s Fine.”

“And I Still Don’t Like Daniel.”

“I Know.”

“And If He Hurts You, Don’t Come Crying To Me.”

Carla Pulled Away From The Hug And Smiled. “Deal.”

By The Time They Returned To The Dorm, They Were Talking Like They Used To.

Later That Evening, Katherine, Sophie, Carla, Dawn, Maddie, And Alex Were All Sitting Together In The Common Area. Alex Looked Between Sophie And Carla And Narrowed Her Eyes.

“Wait A Minute,” She Said. “Are You Two Talking Again?”

Sophie Smiled. “Yes.”

Alex Put A Hand Over Her Heart. “Finally. I Was Getting Tired Of The Tension.”

Dawn Laughed. “You Were The One Making Jokes About It Every Day.”

“Exactly,” Alex Replied. “Someone Had To Keep The Situation Entertaining.”

Everyone Laughed.

Katherine Smiled At Them, Happy To See Her Friends Together Again. For The First Time In A While, The Room Felt Completely Normal.

But Sophie Still Noticed Something.

She Looked At Katherine Carefully. “Are You Sure You’re Okay?”

Katherine Turned Toward Her. “Yeah. Why?”

“You’ve Been Quiet Lately. And You Look Exhausted.”

Katherine Shrugged. “College Is Stressful. That’s All.”

Sophie Watched Her For A Moment. “Are You Having Trouble Sleeping?”

Katherine’s Heart Skipped For A Second.

She Forced A Smile. “Not Really.”

It Was Another Lie.

She Wanted To Tell Sophie Everything. She Wanted To Explain That Some Nights, No Matter How Hard She Tried, She Could Still Feel The Rope Around Her Wrists. She Wanted To Say That Sometimes She Still Heard Nate’s Voice In Her Dreams And Woke Up Feeling Like She Was Back In That Room.

But She Couldn’t.

She Was Afraid That If She Told Them, They Would Start Watching Her Again. They Would Ask If She Was Okay Every Few Minutes. Her Parents Would Worry More. Sophie Might Refuse To Leave Her Alone. And Katherine Did Not Want Her Friends To Look At Her Like She Was Someone Who Needed To Be Protected From Everything.

She Did Not Want It To Become The Only Thing People Saw When They Looked At Her.

That Night, After Everyone Had Gone To Their Rooms, Katherine Lay In Bed And Stared Into The Darkness. She Heard Sophie Breathing Quietly From The Other Side Of The Room.

Katherine Closed Her Eyes And Tried To Sleep.

For A Few Minutes, Everything Was Quiet.

Then Her Mind Started Remembering Again.

The Room.

The Chair.

The Door Opening.

She Opened Her Eyes And Took A Deep Breath. “This Is Not My Life Anymore,” She Whispered.

She Turned Onto Her Side And Pulled The Blanket Closer.

She Knew The Memories Might Not Disappear Quickly. Maybe They Would Stay With Her For A Long Time. Maybe Some Nights Would Always Be Harder Than Others.

But Katherine Also Knew Something Else.

She Was Still Here.

She Was Still Going To Class.

And Katherine Knew She Would Be Fine Eventually.