Ella
After the long, humiliating day, I returned to the dorm room I now shared with Nikolai and Aidan. My stomach churned as I opened the door, dreading what fresh torment awaited me.
The room was just as grand as it had been when I first saw it, but now it felt suffocating. My bed, which had been placed near the window when I first arrived, was now shoved into a cramped corner near the door. To make matters worse, it was piled high with random things—books, clothes, and even a pair of Aidan’s shoes.
Aidan lay sprawled across his bed, tossing a ball into the air and catching it lazily. Nikolai sat at his desk, scribbling in his notebook, as usual. Neither of them acknowledged me as I stepped inside.
I walked over to my bed, glaring at the mess. “What’s all this?” I asked, my voi
