CHAPTER 8 The Aftermath

They all sat in a circle on the floor because their beds were too far apart. 

The suite was huge, but somehow sitting on the floor together felt safer. More real. Like the walls were closer and the world outside couldn't get in.

Vega had stolen all the pillows to make a nest. There were eight pillows in one corner and she was buried right in the middle of them. Only her ponytails were sticking out. One black. One pink. She looked like a dramatic kid in pink and black.

Rosalia had stopped filling her nails. Her emerald eyes were serious now. No more jokes. No more teasing. Her hair was tied back and she sat with her legs crossed, posture perfect on the floor. She looked like someone's older sister who was about giving advice nobody asked for but everybody needed.

Isidora was bringing out the snacks from the kitchen. Arms full. Chips, chocolate, gummy bears, popcorn, and two bottles of fruit wine. The kind of comfort foods you eat when your heart hurts. She set everything down in the middle of the circle like she was setting up for a picnic. 

Tamsin sat with her knees pulled up to her chest. She hadn't said much for sometime. Her cheek still had a faint mark on it. Her lip still looked a little swollen. She was wearing an oversized hoodie now, hiding away in its comfort.

The room smelled like Vanilla from Rosalia, bubblegum from Vega, and something warm from the chocolate Isidora was unwrapping.

For the next few minutes, nobody spoke. Just the sound of chip bags being opened. The steady hum of the AC. The city traffic outside the big window.

Because the fight had already been uploaded on IE campus confessions. 

Rosalia, who already knew about the VASA girls, finally asked Tamsin what happened. She shifted so she was facing her fully.

“Okay,” she said softly. “What really happened girl?”

Tamsin looked ahead. She didn't want to talk about it again but she had to trust her friends. She could see the worry in their eyes.

Isidora reached over and squeezed her arm. Her fingers were warm. “It's okay, Tammy. You don't have to talk if you don't feel like talking. Just do what you want, okay?”

Tamsin took a deep breath. It felt stuck in her chest.

The video posted was 1 minute long. Cut perfectly. Just Tamsin slapping Valentina. Not the part where Ariadna told her to kneel. Not the first slap.

The comments were already nasty. Everyone siding with Valentina and blaming her.

“She thinks she can come here and just own the whole school.”

Vega made a disgusted face. “Own? Girl you've been here one day. You don't even know where your lecture hall is.”

“The VASA girls run IE. What does a newbie like her think?” (Laughing emoji)

“Someone needs to teach her a darn lesson for slapping our queen.”

Tamsin explained. Her voice was steady but her hands shook. 

How Ariadna told her to kneel down and lick her shoes before apologizing because she bumped into her.

How when she refused, Valentina slapped her. So she slapped Valentina back.

The room went quiet when she finished. 

Only the sound of Vega chewing on her bubble gum. Loud. Angry.

Rosalia frowned, elbows on her knees. “Of course they cut it. They always do that. Edit. Post. And then turn you into a villain in the eyes of the whole school.”

She looked at Tamsin directly 

"Listen to me. Those comments and that video? That's all they have. Rumours and edited videos. The VASA girls have been running this school since they came because nobody stood up to them. Everyone was too scared of what they could do.”

Isidora frowned, hugging a pillow to her chest. “Until now, cause tell me why they all saw Valentina slap Tamsin but she became the victim. And Hugo still supported her without thinking twice.

At the mention of Hugo, Tamsin's face dropped before she brightened up again.

Rosalia picked up her phone and showed them the screen. The IE campus confessions post already had over two thousand comments under it. All of them full of hate for Tamsin. 

“Look,” she said, scrolling. “Half of these are from fake accounts. Same typing format. Almost posted at the same time. Same hate comments directed at Tamsin. This is them, stirring up trouble. They can stoop as low as this just to get what they want.”

She set the phone down and faced Tamsin. Her eyes were cold now. The kind of cold that meant she knew more than she was letting out.

“Tamsin stay away from those spoiled brats. They're vain people. They've done some things before—” she stopped herself. Bit on her lip like she had said too much.

“Just stay away from them. They aren't good people. But if they mess with you again….” She reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Tamsin's ear.

“They're dealing with all of us now. And we're not going to let it slide.”

Vega nodded fiercely. “Yeah. We're not going to let them mess with you, last born. Not without going through me first. I'll personally teach them a lesson. Especially that Aitana.”

Isidora nodded firmly too. “We've got your back, Mamacita. No one touches you. Not on our watch.”

Tamsin freezed for a second. Since she moved here no one had shown her real kindness. No one had talked to her nicely. No one had said “we” and had actually meant it. 

Back in New York, she had her girls, but things had changed ever since she moved. She hadn't felt like this for weeks, maybe months.

She felt alive around these people. Relieved. Like she could breathe again.

Then she smiled softly. Real soft. Like it hurts.

And heck her lip did hurt.

“You guys care about me that much?”

The room went quiet for a beat. Like they were all thinking the same thing.

Then Vega threw a pillow at her face. 

Duh last born. You're out girl.”

She said, smiling cutely.

Isidora opened the chocolate and broke it into four pieces and distributed them amongst the four of them.

“To us and our friendship.” she said holding hers up. 

“To us and our friendship,” the other three echoed.

They ate in comfortable silence after that. Every time their phones buzzed, they would look at Tamsin checking if she was fine.

By the time they finished the snacks, the weight on Tamsin's chest had been lifted. Not gone. But lighter.

She looked around the circle. Vega in her pillow fort. Rosalia leaning back on her hands. Isidora smiling at her.

Maybe Madrid wouldn't be so bad after all. 

Maybe she had found her people.

                               ★

The HIMS boys didn't live in the towers like every other student in IE.

Their place was a 20 minutes drive from the campus, tucked behind tall black gates with gold details. From the outside it looked like any other rich Madrid Mansion.

White walls. Big gates. Expensive cars packed outside.

From the inside, it looked like a five star hotel that only four people had access to. 

The rest of the school denied entry unless granted by one of them.

Everyone in IE called it EL Refugio or sector 4. 

The house was black, gold and white. Everywhere. Even the doors had gold handles. At night, the whole house glowed like it was daring the sky to be brighter.

It looked expensive. Because it was.

You walked in and the first thing you saw was the main lounge— Huge with black leather couches, gold lamps and a chandelier that probably cost more than a semester's tuition. It hung low and dangerous, like it was daring you to break it.

Down the hall was the game room. PS5s. Arcade machines DLS, Free fire, Call of duty Mobile, VR helmets, a snooker table, a dart board, chess, checkers, Scrabble, racing games. Name it. The walls were soundproofed so nobody could hear them screaming at 2am when Ivan lost a game. They'd broken two controllers just last month.

Next to it, the snack room. Fridges full. Shelves filled with all sorts of snacks all the way from snack world in China, Italy, London, Dubai, drinks, everything. They never had to go to the cafeteria. They had a private chef but he rarely came because they ordered takeouts. But he quit in the morning. Smith called him at 3am to cook ramen.

Then the movie room. Not a TV. A real theatre setup. Big screens, recliners, the whole thing. Smith was in charge of movie nights. He always picked horror and then screamed the loudest. Then blamed it on “bad sound design.” He always slept right in the middle of it.

The kitchen was huge too. Bigger than most people's apartments. Black marble counters. Gold fixtures. The kitchen was stocked with all kinds of food and other stuff. But they hardly cooked, just ordered takeouts. There was a $400 dollar bottle of olive oil no one had touched. There was an espresso machine that only Mario knew how to use properly.

And from upstairs, you could hear the ripple of water.

The pool.

It was the biggest one on IE grounds. Olympic size, with black and gold tiles. Every year, just once. The HIMS threw the new year welcome party there. That was the only time students were allowed inside. For the rest of the year, it was theirs. Their sanctuary. Their chaos. Their space.

No lecturers. No board. No randoms.

That was the rule of the house.

Whatever happened in the El Refugio stayed in the El Refugio.

That was just the way they liked it.

If you got invited, you were someone.

If you didn't… you were  a loser.

But tonight sector 4 was quiet. Dead quiet. The kind of quiet that came before a storm.

Hugo was lounging on the big black couch, arms crossed. Phone face down. He hadn't talked for hours. Not since he saw the video. Not since he saw Tamsin's name in the comments getting dragged.

Smith was on the floor with a controller playing FIFA but not really focused. He kept losing without realizing. His team was losing 7-0 but he didn't seem to notice.

 Ivan was lazily scrolling on his phone, but his attention was clearly somewhere else. He kept refreshing the campus confessions. He kept seeing Tamsin's face.

While Mario just stared into space.

The fight with the VASA girls and Tamsin has finally been uploaded on the campus confessions forum, and just as malicious as they were, the video was re-edited to make Tamsin look like the perpetrator in the whole saga.

 Classes were officially starting tomorrow so everyone had retired to their students' residence to rest, while still posting different versions of the fight. 

But the tension was still here. Sitting pretty among the boys. Heavy.

Ivan was the first to break the silence. 

“Yo Hugo,” he said, not looking up from his phone. “What you did wasn't cool.

Smith didn't even pause his game.

“Yeah,” he said. “I thought she was supposed to be your sister. You should've listened to her first.”

Hugo’s eyes darkened. His jaw clenched. A muscle ticked.

“Stop,” he snapped low. “What the heck are you guys blabbering about? Stop putting the blame on me. I did nothing wrong.”

Mario finally spoke. He was the calmest of them, but his voice was firm. Like a knife. Like he'd been holding it all day.

“No dude. You were supposed to protect her at least. Everyone knows that Valentina girl is a lying bitch. She's been lying since first year. Everyone knows that already.”

He stood up, walking closer.

“So why did you support her when you could have asked Tamsin what happened first?

Ohh wait. Is it because of her body? You supported her because you sleep with her? Bro, now that's insane.” He said laughing scornfully. But it wasn't funny.

The room went dead silent.

Hugo got up within the blink of an eye. He charged at Mario and punched him square on the face. A loud crack. Blood.

Mario stumbled but when he regained his balance, he charged forward too but Ivan and Smith separated them. It took both of them. Mario was angry. Furious.

“I asked her first!” Hugo yelled angrily. Veins popping out in his neck. “I asked that spoiled brat first. But what did she do? She ignored me! And you know how angry I get when someone ignores me. So what should I have done huh? Stand there and look stupid?”

Ivan and Smith both exchanged worried looks. This wasn't just about the fight anymore.

“Bro,” Ivan said softly. “That's not the point. Even if she didn't reply, you could have tried again later. Now she believes you picked Valentina over her. She believes you didn't even want to hear her side of the story.”

Hugo laughed bitterly and ran a hand through his hair. It came out messy.

“She can think whatever she wants, for all I care. I don't give a damn about her opinion of me. To hell with her and her opinion.”

The words tasted like ash. Wrong.

The room went quiet again. The only sounds that could be heard was Hugo’s harsh breathing and Smith's game over screen.

Smith put down his controller. Ivan sighed tiredly, while Mario stepped forward, wiping blood from mouth with the back of his hand. 

“Alright. You can do whatever you feel is right. Hell you're just so hard to deal with and I'm done with this conversation. I can't even tell what's going on with you anymore.”

He angrily grabbed his bag and jacket and turned storming up the stairs to his room.

Hugo didn't react at first. He didn't move either. He simply lit a smoke. First one in weeks. Then he turned and walked out heading for the balcony. 

The air in Madrid was cool and soothing tonight. The pool below looked dark and still. Like black glass. The city lights looked far away.

Alone, Hugo leaned on the railing. He told himself he didn't care. But his mind wouldn't be quiet.

“Should I have waited for her answer?”

“Why did I believe Valentina?”

“What if she didn't start the fight and I just believed the worst in her?”

“What if I hurt her?”

He hated that little guilt sitting in his chest. It was hot and stinging. He didn't want the others to see it. So he stayed out here, letting the breeze hit his face, wondering if he had made the wrong choice. 

Wondering if she was okay. Wondering if she was crying.

Inside Ivan and Smith both watched him through the glass. He looked smaller out there.

“Give him time,” Smith said quietly. “He'll figure it out.”

“Or he'll self-destruct first.” Ivan muttered. He picked up his phone, going through the comments again.

  Mario's door was closed firmly upstairs.

And Hugo stayed on the balcony, smoking. Until the cigarette burned down to his finger.

He couldn't admit that he had been wrong. Cause admitting he was wrong meant admitting he cared.

And he wasn't ready to do that.

At least not now.

                             ★

The door to Mario's room slammed loudly. 

Inside he threw his bag on the floor. His chest heaved.

His room was just like him. Cold. Clean.

Everything was black, white, grey, and ash. 

No colour. No clutter. Just sharp edges. 

The bed was neatly made with plain white sheets and a black duvet. 

A black desk with scattered sketches and his drawing equipment.

The walls were filled with his paintings and drawings. Some sketches before he came to IE, while some were new ones he'd been working on.

Mario was always dressed in neutral colours and his closet was filled with them. 

The AC was on, making the room smell like cold air and silence. 

Without thinking twice he started breaking things.

Chairs? Kicked over.

Reading lamp. Smashed against the wall.

Books, papers. Everything scattered across the floor.

He was breathing hard, fist still shaking from his confrontation with Hugo.

“Stupid! Stupid!” He shouted kicking the bed frame.

Then his eyes landed on his phone lying face up on the bed.

He rushed over and grabbed it. His hands were trembling with fury.

He'd already found a way to get Tamsin's number.

He opened messages and started typing fast.

“Hey are you alright? I'm sorry about what Hugo did. I just wanted to check if you're okay. Please reply.”

His thumb hovered. He read it again. Then deleted it. Then typed again.

“Hey, can we talk? I'm really worried about you.”

He stared at the screen for a long time.

“What if she didn't reply?”

“What if she blocked him?”

His throat tightened. He couldn't do it. He couldn't send it.

With a frustrated yell, he threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall with a sick cracking sound.

He screamed. Angry and hurt at the same time. Throwing away anything his hands touched.

Downstairs, Smith and Ivan heard the noise and became alarmed.

“What was that?” Smith said, frowning.

“I think he's breaking things,” Ivan replied, already racing up the stairs.

When they reached his door, it was locked from the inside.

“Mario open the door!” Smith banged on the door hard. “Open the darn door bro!”

No answer came. Just more crashing inside.

Ivan knocked again, softer this time. “Mario please, we know you're angry. But don't destroy the whole room. Talk to us, man.”

Silence for a few seconds. Then the sound of Mario kicking something.

“Mario!” Smith shouted. “If you don't open this door now we're breaking it down!”

There was a pause. Then footsteps. 

The lock clicked.

Mario opened the door. His eyes were red. His cheek was swollen while his lip was bleeding. His hair was a mess, and the room behind him was a disaster. He didn't say anything. He just stood there, breathing hard. 

Smith and Ivan exchanged looks before stepping inside.