Chapter 4
The morning everyone was leaving campus, the weather was actually gorgeous.
I was wheeling my small suitcase out of the dorm, hadn’t gotten very far when I heard the two voices I least wanted
to deal with behind me.
“Quinn! You’re heading out even though you don’t have a ticket?”
Kira hurried to catch up, her eyes full of curiosity: “Did you… find somewhere to crash?”
Derek was frowning at me too, looking at me like I was some clueless kid causing problems: “I thought you said you didn’t get a ticket? Where exactly are you going with that suitcase? Don’t tell me you’re really taking some sketchy
Greyhound…”
The disgust in his voice was practically overflowing.
“Oh god! You seriously?! Those buses are stuffy and packed with all kinds of weirdos, reeking of this nasty mix of
cheap diesel fumes and body odor.”
He crossed his arms and deliberately took a step back, like I’d already picked up that smell he found so revolting.
So he knows bus rides are uncomfortable too!
Yet he thought it was no big deal for me to sit for over ten hours.
‘Derek, don’t be so mean… Quinn’s probably just out of options.”
Kira turned to me, putting on her saintly “I’m looking out for you” face: “That little apartment I mentioned before–yeah, it’s small and kind of run–down, but it’s fine for a temporary crash pad… I can give you the key right now, it’s gotta be better than squeezing onto some gross bus.”
The way she said it, like I was already so pathetic and homeless that I needed her charity handout of a dump.
Derek nodded along, thinking I was being completely unreasonable: “See how sweet Kira is? Stop being so
ingrateful.”
Just take the key and go stay there, it’s better than you wandering around aimlessly. Plus it’ll make it way easier for you to get to the library and save our spots.”
Watching their little tag–team performance, the last tiny bit of hope I’d been holding onto finally died completely.
[forced a smile: “Thanks, but I’m good. I’ve got somewhere to go.”
‘Somewhere to go?”
17:09
She Slandered Me to Millions. (Cue the Fake Tears Live!) But Her Viral Performance? All My Courtroom Evidence!
20.9%
Chapter 4
Derek’s frown deepened, clearly not believing me: “Where could you possibly go? Do you even have any family or friends around here?”
“Home,” I answered calmly.
“Home?”
Derek looked like he’d heard the funniest joke ever.
“How are you getting home without a ticket? You gonna fly there or something?!”
He probably meant it as sarcastic mockery.
But I nodded seriously:
“Yeah, taking a private jet.”
The air instantly went dead silent.
Kira’s fake expression froze on her face like someone had hit pause.
Derek was completely stunned, took him several seconds to process what I’d said, then his face flushed with anger at being mocked.
“Quinn!”
“Have you lost your damn mind?! Do you hear the garbage coming out of your mouth? A private jet? Why don’t you say you’re taking a rocket ship while you’re at it!”
“If you didn’t get a ticket, fine, but do you really need to make up such obvious lies just to save face? This just makes me respect you even less!”
Kira snapped back to reality then, gently pushing Derek’s arm, her voice all soft and fake: “Derek, don’t get mad… Quinn’s probably just… she’s probably really upset and panicked, that’s why she’s saying stuff like this… we should try to understand…”
Derek’s eyes were full of disappointment and disgust: “Understand? How am I supposed to understand this?”
‘Quinn, I never realized you were so shallow and completely delusional!”
“A private jet? You actually had the nerve to say that! Do you have any idea what that even means? You had to fight for three days just to get one business class train ticket!”
I looked at his furious face, then at Kira’s barely concealed glee, and suddenly felt completely over this whole thing.
Wasting my breath on these two was like trying to teach calculus to toddlers.
I couldn’t be bothered to explain anymore.
17:09
She Slandered Me to Millions (Cue the Fake Te
4
“Whether it’s BS or not, you’ll find out soon enough.”
With that. I ignored whatever spectacular expressions were happening behind me and walked steadily toward the temporary access road that had been set up near the east campus gate.
Sure enough, the east gate area had been cleared and cordoned off with temporary barriers.
An obviously expensive private jet sat there quietly.
