BEYOND YESTERDAY

chapter five

CHAPTER FIVE

THE WAY HOME

The moment the mathematics test ended, Eliana quietly raised her hand.

"Sir, may I use the bathroom?"

Her teacher nodded.

Eliana slipped out of the classroom, grateful for a few minutes away from the noise.

She walked toward the girls' bathroom, still thinking about the test. She was confident she'd done well.

But as she pushed open the door, her stomach dropped.

Serena Reed was standing near the sinks.

Beatrice Collins and Kelsey Brown were beside her.

Eliana stopped.

Serena slowly turned.

A smile appeared on her face.

"Well, well."

Eliana immediately looked toward the door.

"Don't even think about leaving."

Before Eliana could respond, Serena grabbed her and shoved her against the wall.

"Do you know what you did to me today?" Serena snapped. "You embarrassed me in front of everyone. You made me look stupid."

"I'm sorry. It was an accident."

"An accident?"

Serena scoffed.

"You really think saying sorry is going to fix everything?"

Beatrice laughed.

"She actually thinks she's getting away with it."

Kelsey shook her head.

"She's pathetic."

Eliana lowered her eyes.

"I didn't mean to."

Serena stepped closer.

"You don't get to decide when this is over."

Then she grabbed a bucket of water and threw it over Eliana.

Eliana gasped as the cold water soaked her clothes.

Serena picked up another bucket and hurled it toward her.

Eliana moved just in time.

The bucket struck the wall and crashed to the floor.

The noise echoed through the bathroom.

Eliana lost her balance and fell.

Pain shot through her already injured side.

She stayed still for a moment, trying to catch her breath.

Serena stared at the mess.

For a brief second, even she seemed shocked by how far things had gone.

Then she turned and hurried out.

"Come on," she told Beatrice and Kelsey.

The three girls disappeared.

Eliana was left alone.

She slowly pushed herself up.

Her face hurt, and she noticed blood from her nose.

She turned on the sink and carefully cleaned herself.

Her hands trembled.

She looked at herself in the mirror.

Her hoodie was soaked.

Her hair was dripping.

Her face looked exhausted.

Just get through the day.

She reached for the door.

Before she could leave, the janitor entered.

"What happened in here?"

Eliana turned.

The bathroom looked terrible.

Water covered the floor, the bucket lay overturned, and several things had been knocked out of place.

"Oh my goodness!"

The janitor hurried forward.

"Who did this?"

"I—"

Eliana took one step.

Her foot slipped.

She grabbed for the wall but couldn't steady herself.

She fell again, twisting her ankle.

The janitor rushed toward her.

"Are you alright?"

But in the chaos, the janitor also lost her balance and fell.

"Ouch!"

Eliana stared at her in horror.

Then she looked around the bathroom.

The broken property.

The water everywhere.

The janitor on the floor.

Her heart sank.

I'm going to have to pay for this.

She knew she couldn't.

She didn't have the money.

Footsteps approached.

Students gathered outside.

"What happened?"

"Did Eliana do this?"

"Of course she did."

"She's always causing trouble."

Someone laughed.

Another student whispered, "She's definitely getting expelled."

Eliana said nothing.

---

The principal's office felt colder than usual.

Eliana sat silently in the chair while the principal made several phone calls.

Then came the words she had been dreading.

"I'm contacting your father."

Her stomach tightened.

No.

Her father's words immediately returned to her.

Don't cause trouble for me at school.

Eliana knew exactly what happened when he was angry.

She lowered her head.

Her job flashed through her mind.

She was supposed to work that afternoon.

She had already missed several shifts.

If she missed another, she could lose the job.

And without that money, college would become even harder to reach.

Everything seemed to be falling apart at once.

---

Her father arrived later, furious.

He barely acknowledged Eliana before demanding to know what had happened.

The principal explained the incident.

"Your daughter will be responsible for two weeks of cleaning duty."

Eliana stared at the floor.

"And because the janitor was injured, you'll need to cover the medical expenses."

Her father's jaw tightened.

"Of course."

"The damaged bucket and school property will also need to be replaced."

Eliana felt smaller in her chair.

She knew what was coming when they got home.

The principal continued.

"Given Eliana's otherwise excellent academic record, we're treating this as a disciplinary consequence rather than suspension."

Her father nodded stiffly.

"Understood."

Eliana barely heard the rest.

All she could think about was work.

Her job.

Her savings.

Her future.

Gone.

At least for now.

---

When school finally ended, Eliana walked through the hallway with her head down.

The whispers followed her.

"There's the bathroom disaster."

"Careful, don't spill water near her."

"Maybe she should get a job as a janitor."

Laughter followed.

Eliana kept walking.

She didn't respond.

She couldn't.

She simply pulled her oversized hoodie tighter around herself and walked through the school doors.

The afternoon air hit her face.

She took a slow breath.

Then she began the journey toward the place she dreaded most.

Home.

Or, as Eliana had secretly started calling it—

her hell.