...
The dorm didn't feel like a room anymore.
It felt like a place where something had been disturbed… and hadn't settled back yet.
Even after everything from yesterday, nothing was resolved. Diana's purse was still missing. The tension hadn't left—it had just… spread.
Quiet.
Unspoken.
Dangerous.
I woke up to voices.
Low.
Sharp.
"…I'm telling you, I didn't misplace it," Diana was saying.
"I believe you," Gabrielle replied, "but we can't just accuse anyone without proof."
I stayed still on my bed, my eyes barely open.
Mia was awake too, but she didn't say anything.
Marvel?
She was silent.
Too silent.
Classes that day felt useless.
Every word the lecturer said went in one ear and out the other. My mind was stuck back in the dorm—replaying every moment, every glance, every word.
And then—
"Still thinking about it?"
Hudson's voice.
I didn't even look at him this time. "I'm not in the mood."
"That's funny," he said, pulling a chair beside me anyway. "You're never in the mood. But you still listen."
I sighed. "Hudson…"
"You didn't do it," he said suddenly.
That made me pause.
I turned slightly. "What?"
He leaned back, studying me. "You don't look like someone who steals. You look like someone who gets blamed."
My chest tightened.
"That's not comforting," I muttered.
"It's the truth," he said. Then, softer, "Be careful. Not everyone around you is clean."
My mind flashed immediately to Cassie.
Then… Marvel.
Before I could respond, he stood up. "I'll see you later," he added, like he had already decided something.
And just like that, he left me with more thoughts than I started with.
By the time I got back to the dorm, something felt… off again.
Too quiet.
Mia wasn't there.
Marvel wasn't there either.
Only Cassie.
She was kneeling beside her bunk, her back turned to me.
I stepped in slowly. "Cassie?"
She flinched.
Actually flinched.
My brows furrowed. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," she said quickly, standing up too fast.
Too fast.
Something fell.
A small pouch.
My eyes dropped to it.
Then back to her.
"…Cassie?"
Her face had gone pale.
"It's not what you think," she said immediately.
My heart started beating faster.
"Then what is it?"
She didn't answer.
That was my answer.
Before I could say anything else—
The door opened.
Mia walked in.
Then Marvel.
And just like that, the moment snapped.
Cassie bent quickly, picking up the pouch. Too quickly.
Too carefully.
Marvel's eyes flicked between us.
Sharp. Observant.
Suspicious.
"What's going on?" she asked casually.
"Nothing," Cassie said immediately.
I didn't speak.
But I knew one thing now.
Cassie was hiding something.
Later that evening, the tension returned like it never left.
Diana came back again.
Still searching.
Still frustrated.
"I'm reporting this if it doesn't turn up," she said.
My chest tightened again.
Reporting meant serious trouble.
Not just whispers anymore.
Real consequences.
And somehow… I still felt like I was standing too close to the center of it all.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I texted Sami.
"Are you free?"
His reply came almost instantly.
"Always for you."
That alone made my chest ease a little.
When I saw him, I didn't even try to act strong.
"I think I know something," I said immediately.
He frowned. "What?"
"I don't have proof," I added quickly. "But Cassie… she was acting weird. And I saw something."
Sami's expression darkened. "You think she took it?"
"I don't know," I whispered. "But something isn't right."
He stepped closer, his voice low. "Then we find out."
I shook my head. "No. If we're wrong, it'll make things worse. And if we're right…"
"If we're right?" he pressed.
I swallowed.
"Then everything is about to explode."
As we stood there, my phone buzzed.
Hudson.
Again.
Sami noticed immediately. "He doesn't give up, does he?"
I sighed. "No."
"Do you want him to?"
I looked at Sami.
Really looked at him.
Then shook my head. "Yes."
He nodded slowly, like he believed me… but still didn't fully trust the situation.
Back in the dorm that night…
I couldn't sleep.
Not with everything running through my mind.
Not with Cassie turning on her bed every few minutes.
Not with Marvel unusually quiet.
And definitely not with the feeling that something was about to happen.
Then—
A soft sound.
I opened my eyes slightly.
Cassie.
She was up.
Moving slowly.
Quietly.
Too quietly.
She bent near the bags again.
My heart started racing.
This was it.
This was the moment.
I held my breath.
Watching.
Waiting.
Not making a sound.
Because this time…
I wasn't going to miss it.