Chapter 7
1126 Words
Chapter 7
I sat alone in the library. The silence should’ve been comforting, but it wasn’t.
My eyes felt heavy, burning from lack of sleep. Every time I blinked, flashes of that video came back, dark, shaky… the sound of someone struggling.
I gripped my phone tighter, staring at the screen. I hadn’t opened the message again. I couldn’t.
But it was still there, waiting and haunting me. I swallowed, forcing myself to scroll instead, anything to distract my mind.
That’s when I noticed it. I’d been added to the school group chat. My stomach tightened as I opened it.
Videos, clips, screenshots of me getting whispered about. Of me slapping Adrian and Jane slapping me.
Comments flooded under them—lots of laughing emojis and mockery.
“Scholarship girl got guts 💀”
“Who does she think she is?”
“She’s going to regret that 💯”
I locked my phone immediately. I couldn’t do this. Not today and not with everything else already sitting on my chest.
“Emma Fosh, please report to the principal’s office.” The announcement echoed through the library.
That’s my name. I slowly stood up, my fingers tightening around my phone.
What could go wrong?
The walk to the office felt longer than usual because my mind wasn’t even on it. It kept going back to the message.
‘You’re already involved. Involved in what?’ I thought to myself.
Once I arrived at the Principal’s office, I knocked.
“Come in and sit down, Emma.” Principal Clarke’s voice was calm.
I sat down quietly waiting.
She folded her hands on the desk, studying me carefully. “It’s no longer news what happened on your first day,” she began. “I’ve seen the videos.”
Of course, she had.
“I understand emotions can run high,” she continued, “but what you did was unacceptable.”
I didn’t argue, I didn’t defend myself, I just sat there.
“…for that, you’ll be serving a full day detention. Starting now.” She said, her voice was calm, too calm. Like she was dealing with something routine.
I blinked. That was it?
Somehow that felt bigger than it should’ve. Like this wasn’t just punishment, it meant something.
Adrian really was untouchable.
“I understand,” I said quietly.
She paused.
And for a second I thought I saw something in her eyes, something softer almost like she didn’t want to do this.
But she only nodded. “You may go.”
The detention room was quiet. Too quiet.
There wasn’t any teacher yet, just students. I stepped in slowly, scanning the room. Then I saw John sitting at the far end. His face was still marked from last night, bruised, swollen.
There was a girl with headphones on, drawing. A small group is talking among themselves.
Matt walked in shortly after me and sat down as if nothing mattered, as if last night didn’t happen and none of this mattered.
I took a seat and kept my head down. I wanted to stay invisible.
But time passed, slowly. No teacher came. No one questioned it. It was like we were just left there to be forgotten.
After a while, I stood up. I needed water. Something to steady myself. I walked to the dispenser, removed the upper plastic cup, took in the second cup, and poured water into it, I was used to not taking the first cup I saw at the dispenser.
John also walked up and stood beside me, took out a cup, and poured water into it. My eyes flickered to the cup in his hand. The first cup, the one I didn’t take.
I hesitated then spoke. “Are you okay?”
He didn’t look at me just nodded while he drank his water. He was silent like he didn’t have the energy for words.
Before I could say anything else Matt’s voice cut in. “Still alive, huh?”
John stiffened, “You should mind your business,” he muttered.
Matt laughed. “Or what?”
That was it, the tension snapped. John turned, anger flashing across his face. “You think this is a joke?” he snapped.
“I think you talk too much,” Matt shot back.
Voices rose.
The room shifted. Everyone is watching now.
“It’s not worth it,” I said quickly, stepping between them.
I grabbed John’s arm gently. “Just sit down…please.”
He didn’t respond, he didn’t even look at me. Instead, he started coughing. At first, it was light. Then violent. His body jerked forward.
“John?” I said, confused. “Hey, are you okay?”
He coughed again, this time, it was harder. Blood spilled from his mouth, dripping onto the floor. Very dark and thick.
My breath caught.
“Oh my God…”
He gasped, choking, his fingers clawing at his throat like he couldn’t breathe.
I began to panic. “Help!” I shouted. “Someone help him!”
The girl with the headphones yanked them off, jumping up. “I’ll get the nurse!” she said, already running out.
No one else moved fast enough, no one else did anything. Matt stood up slowly, his jaw tight. “Told you to stay out of it,” he muttered, though it wasn’t clear who he was talking to.
“John, stay with me,” I said, dropping to my knees beside him.
My hands grabbed his shoulders. He was shaking. His body is cold.
“Tell me what’s wrong…please…”
He tried to speak, and he grabbed my wrist suddenly, tight. His lips moved. “Don’t… trust…” his grip tightened painfully around my wrist, “…them…”
I wasn’t sure of what I heard, “Don’t trust who?”
He tried to speak again but nothing came out. Just more blood. Then his body went still. Too still.
My hands froze on him. “John…?”
No response.
My heart started pounding.
“No… no, no, no…”
I shook him slightly.
“John!”
Nothing.
His eyes were empty. Just like that, right there in front of me. He went cold right under my hands.
Someone screamed, and a chair scraped loudly against the floor. “Oh my God… he’s not breathing!”
My breathing turned uneven, and my hands were shaking. The room blurred, and the voices felt far away. But the blood on my hands felt real. I stared at them but my mind was blank.
No thoughts. Just one thing echoing.
You’re already involved.
My phone buzzed again. I froze. Slowly I pulled it out, blood smearing on my phone screen as I tried to unlock it. Another message.
“Told you.”
- Writer
