Chapter 3
The fluffy cushion I'd gotten him was replaced with a coordinating pink one.
The car freshener I'd gifted was gone too, in favor of a wobbly little bobblehead.
Raphael was a year ahead of us and had snagged his license early.
He'd picked up this big SUV specifically for us—during senior year, he'd ferry us around all the time.
Since I got carsick easily, the front seat had always been my spot, no questions asked.
Catching my gaze, Raphael froze for a beat, then stubbornly averted his eyes.
Darnell jumped in with forced cheer to lighten the mood.
"Hey, gang's all here—let's roll!"
Raphael didn't budge an inch.
Instead, he swung open the passenger door for Elise.
She wavered.
"Is this really alright...? What if Melba gets mad?"
Raphael shot me a quick look and whispered, "Don't sweat it—just trust me."
Elise closed the door and thanked him bashfully.
"You've been amazing these last few weeks, driving me around to unwind. And letting me redo your passenger seat any way I liked..."
Then she gave him a cheeky wink.
"And shoutout to Darnell and Curtis for grabbing my luggage earlier."
Darnell darted a desperate glance my way, like he was dying to explain, but he came up empty.
The ride was stone-cold silent until we pulled up to campus.
The moment we parked, I snatched my suitcase and headed straight for the dorms without looking back.
On the way, a couple of helpful upperclassmen offered to carry my stuff, but Curtis and Darnell—who'd caught up—shooed them away.
"Melba, chill out. Raphael's bound to regret this eventually. I'll corner him later and get him to apologize."
I blew right past them and kept going.
Elise blocked the guys' path.
"Melba is just struggling to accept me in the mix—she's jealous, you know.
"I'm a girl; I know how we tick. Let me smooth things over with her."
In a flash, she zipped ahead and blocked my way.
I tried to dodge around her, but as we passed, her face changed.
In a whisper only I could hear, she said, "Wanna find out who's actually more important to them?"
Before I could process it, Elise hit the ground hard.
Three pairs of feet rushed up from behind.
Raphael got there first, pulling her to her feet.
He barked at me, "Melba, if you're not cool with her, fine—but did you really have to shove her around?
"Elise, you alright?"
Freshmen bustling about for check-in all stopped to gawk.
Elise leaned on Raphael as she stood, letting out a sharp gasp of pain.
When our eyes met, she zipped her lips like she'd been zapped.
She had on a skirt, so her bare leg had grazed the rough concrete—the scrape looked nasty.
She mumbled shakily, "I'm okay... Doesn't hurt a bit. Really."
She didn't accuse me directly, but her whole brave-and-mature act nailed the guilt right to me.
Raphael passed her to Darnell for support, his expression stormy as he closed in on me, one step at a time.
"Don't you have anything to say? You hurt her this bad and can't even apologize?"
I locked eyes with him. "If I'd done it, I'd admit it. But no one's pinning this on me if it's not true."
Raphael stared like he couldn't believe his ears. "Melba, what happened to you?
"Ask Curtis and Darnell—do they think you are not in the wrong?"
I glanced over where he was looking.
Darnell's expression was full of obvious disapproval.
And Curtis—the one who was always so rational—wouldn't even meet my gaze.
Rage boiled up inside me. I drew in a deep breath.
Elise was smart about it—she hadn't uttered a peep, yet she'd manipulated that fool Raphael into doing her dirty work.
Curtis stepped in.
"Drop it—let's get her to a doctor first."
Raphael's chest was rising and falling hard. He shoved past me and snatched up my suitcase.
"Handle your own check-in!"
He hurled it through the air; it smashed into the ground, latches bursting open.
Clothes, books, everyday essentials... everything tumbled out in a jumbled heap.
The worst part? Those brand-new black lace bras sprawled across the pavement.
I'd always gone for pastels; Mom kept insisting I was an adult now and should branch out to edgier looks.
She'd picked up a few sets for me over the summer. I'd been too embarrassed to include them, but apparently she'd slipped them in behind my back.