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Chapter 4
I ghosted school for a week.
But apparently I was the talk of campus.]
Someone had posted that night’s video on the campus forum.]
The men’s faces were blurred out. Mine wasn’t.
Every single person on campus knew who I was now.
I couldn’t face going back.
1 kept thinking about jumping off the bridge on the way to campus.[]
God, I was such an idiot
Why did I waste those crucial minutes begging Blake for help?
He was literall
Right?
literally the last person who’d ever give a shit about me.]
I spent another night in my cockroach–infested room in the slums.
Scrubbed my skin raw three times.
I was ready to hide forever when my advisor called.]
“One more absence and the school will expel
“Zara, I know you’re better than this. Come back and finish your education. You worked so hard to get here.“]
She was right. So hard.
Six years of collecting bottles for tuition fees. Over two thousand nights studying by moonlight through other people’s windows.[
I thought maybe other people at school would support me like she did.[]
So I went back.
Big mustake.
Everyone turned against me.]
Soon as I w
is I walked in someone
one started making porn sounds
I kept my head down all the way to my seat.[]
My palms were bleeding from digging my nails in.[]
“Aww, why so shy now. porn star?”
“Eighteen and already getting railed–Bell, you’re the first girl in our class to become a real woman.“[]
Everyone cracked up.
“Shut the hell up!“[]
Blake slammed his fist on his desk.[]
The room went dead silent.
He was breathing hard, then stormed out–first class he’d ever skipped.[]
“What’s Blake’s deal? Isn’t he the one who hates her the most?”
“He’s been weird since karaoke night.“||
Vivian sat there thinking.
Then she walked over to me, pulling out a thick stack of hundreds.
“Oh! Almost forgot to pay yo
to pay you. You drank three bottles that night–here’s forty grand. The extra ten’s for your… services.“[]
1
I stared at the money.]]
All through class, until the room emptied out.[]
Finally reached out and took them. Shoved the money deep in my bag.
Then covered my face as tears poured through my fingers. I clutched my beat–up backpack and sobbed until I couldn’t breathe.[]
I’d thought I wanted money so badly.
But now all I could think about was Mom and Dad, who died way too young.
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