Chapter 4
I ignored Georgina and turned to Rodolfo. "Rodolfo, that's settled. You can head back now. Drive safely."
"Yes, Miss Rutledge," Rodolfo replied.
He hung up, gave me a respectful nod, and turned to leave.
He didn't spare Georgina a single glance the entire time.
To him, she was like nothing but trash in his way.
After Rodolfo left, the tension in the dorm was suffocating.
Georgina was still sprawled on the floor, her sobs fading into desperate, broken sobs.
Emily stood in the corner, head down, barely daring to breathe.
Aleigha walked over and gave my shoulder a reassuring pat.
"Jocelyn, don't let her get to you. She's not worth your anger," Aleigha said.
I nodded and set the thermos down on the table.
I had no appetite for the luxury health delicacy at all.
I pulled out my phone and found the post.
The poster was anonymous, but Georgina had just confessed herself.
Without hesitation, I logged into my main account and left a comment.
[Hey, guys, I'm Jocelyn, the finance major mentioned in the post. First, the car and the driver in the photo are both from my family.]
[Second, as for the defamation from the poster, I've already talked to my lawyer and I'm taking this to court. Third, Georgina, my roommate—see you in court.]
After posting the comment, I tossed my phone onto the bed.
The world felt peaceful again.
I didn't want to see any more of that toxic crap online. Nor did I want to see Georgina's repulsive face either.
I just wanted to sleep it all off.
But just when I thought I could finally get some peace, drama just wouldn't die down.
My comment hit the school forum like a depth charge, sending shockwaves through the whole place.
My phone was buzzing nonstop on the bed, notifications popping up one after another.
I could already picture the forum going absolutely wild right now.
But honestly, I couldn't care less.
All I wanted was to take a shower, climb into bed, and leave all today's drama behind.
I grabbed my change of clothes and headed for the bathroom, but Georgina's tearful, pleading voice followed me. "Jocelyn... please... can you take back the legal notice? I swear I know I messed up..."
I didn't even bother to look back.
I slammed the bathroom door, shutting her out.
Hot water poured down from the showerhead, washing over me and helping me let go of all the pent-up stress.
When I stepped out of the shower, the vibe in the dorm had totally shifted.
On Georgina's bed, the brand-new Chanel dress was nowhere to be found.
She herself was gone, too.
Emily edged over, trying to squeeze out a friendly, nervous smile.
"Uh... Jocelyn, Georgina just grabbed her stuff and went home," Emily said.
"Oh." I kept drying my hair, barely reacting.
Seeing I wasn't about to lose my temper, Emily got a bit braver.
"She was crying the whole time she left, saying she knew she messed up, and... and that the dress was a knockoff. She bought it online just to look good," Emily said.
My hand froze in my hair.
A knockoff? Well, that's something.
"She even said her boyfriend was fake, that she actually hired someone to play the part..." Emily's voice was barely a whisper.
Seriously, I had no words.
How far will Georgina go for her vanity?
Just to prop up her sad little pride, she spun this ridiculous story.
Honestly, it was just sad and ridiculous.
"Jocelyn, you know... she's really miserable right now. Maybe you could let it go just this once?" Emily ventured.
I dropped the towel and gave her a cold stare.
"Miserable? And what about me? She trashed my name, got the whole school gossiping about me. Doesn't that make me pathetic too?" I shot back.
Emily just lowered her head and didn't dare say another word.
"Spare me your overflowing pity," I said, not holding back. "You and her? Birds of a feather. You have no right to plead with me."
Emily's face turned bright red in an instant.
She probably never expected me, the one who had always been the easy one to talk to, to be so harsh.
She bit her lip, her eyes rimmed with red.
"I... I just..." Emily stammered.
"Easy for you to talk when you're not the one getting burned." Aleigha's voice cut in from the side.
She poked her head out from her bunk and looked at Emily.
"Emily, when Georgina posted that crap, you were right there, stirring things up. Now that it's blown up, you're suddenly acting all innocent? You think Jocelyn's stupid?" Aleigha said.
Emily's face turned bright red, and she couldn't come up with a single comeback.
She stomped her foot, turned around, climbed into her bed, and pulled the covers over her head.
The dorm fell silent again.