3. Secret Chamber

For a couple of seconds, she was sucked into a trance as she couldn't look away. That man broke eye contact first, and for a fleeting second, his gaze lingered on her face before meeting her eyes again.  

His gaze visibly darkened, piercing through her soul. All of a sudden, it was too intense, which forced her to avert her gaze.  

A light tug on her hand had her eyes shooting down, and she abruptly let his hand go; unconsciously, she was hugging his arm to her chest. Innessa jerked away from him, a bit flustered and out of breath.  

At that moment, she noticed how tall he was. And he has very broad shoulders, which gives him an intimidating aura.  

"I... I..." She fumbled with her words, swallowing thickly. Her throat was parched. She was so engrossed in his eyes that she didn't notice she was holding him. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed that he had to tug at his hand to get her to let go of him.  

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice, keeping her gaze on the floor. Innessa tucked her strand behind her ear, feeling conscious of herself all of a sudden.  

"Th... Thank you for helping me out-" She looked up only to find him walking away while scrolling through his phone.  

Her eyes darted in the direction of Henry and his goons, and thankfully, they were gone.  

Innessa grabbed her books and bag from the floor as she patted the dust off them. Glancing one last time at where that guy disappeared, she hurried to her dorm.  

She was cautious as she kept looking over her shoulder for any danger. Afraid that Henry would pop out of nowhere.  

Once inside the building, she quickly made her way to her dorm. As soon as she got inside and closed the door, which automatically locked, Innessa let out a breath she was holding as she breathed heavily.  

Toeing out of her shoes, she walked inside barefoot, dropping her bag and things on the chair, and then dropped on the bed face-first, sighing.  

That was scary.  

She let the cool air calm her down. Grabbing her pajamas from the cupboard, she double-checked the door and window, making sure it was locked. Putting her phone on the charger, she stepped into the restroom and showered.  

Innessa stepped out, ruffling her wet hair with the towel as she walked over to the window, staring outside, and to her relief, there was no one there.  

She was sure that Henry was stalking her. It was scary that he knew so much about her, and that wasn't all, he even bullied her. Innessa hated how no one stood up for her and didn't give out Henry's name when the professor asked them, and the way they were so ready to film her at the lockers instead of helping made her feel so out of place. It felt like she wouldn't be able to make any friends at the academy, and the upcoming years would be pure torture for her.  

Innessa couldn't help but recall the man who was there like a knight in shining armor, though he didn't do anything, but his presence made Henry and his friends leave her alone.  

He was alone out there; if Henry wanted, he and his friends could easily tell him to walk away, but they didn't say anything. Instead, they even looked scared as if they just seen a ghost. Innessa was just glad that she got to her dorm safely.  

She wasn't a pessimist, but at that moment, all the negative thoughts kept barging into her head. Today she got saved, but what about the next four years?  

Henry would make her life a living hell, and she couldn't even complain about him to the dean because the so-called jerk was rich and had connections.  

Oh, holy God, one punch is all I ask. One solid punch right across Henry's face, Jesus. Please. Just one solid punch for all the tears I cried because of him today.

Innessa didn't even have dinner because of Henry, and she didn't want to go out after what had happened today. Grabbing snacks from her bag, she had those chips with some water and went to bed.  

The girl kept tossing and turning, but sleep was nowhere in sight. She was worried about the whole ordeal with Henry. She wasn't from a strong background, so who would help her? What if Henry asked his father, and they snatched her scholarship? What then? She was troubled by all of this, and then, on the other hand, there were those cognac brown hues. She still couldn't understand why Henry dashed out of there. Maybe he didn't want someone to recognize him.  

That guy has such beautiful eyes. He was staring at her as if he could stare right through her soul. 

He didn't even bother to hear what she had to say. The dude didn't even ask why she was running from those guys.  

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes as sleep slowly consumed her while her mind kept flashing those beautiful eyes. 

When I see him again, I'll compliment his eyes and thank him.

Inessa woke up late, and it was the weekend. So, she stayed in bed scrolling through her phone. She talked to her father by text, and sometime later she showered and changed into a new set of clothes. She hadn't had breakfast, and she was so hungry.  

A sudden knock on the door had her flinching. Sudden chills ran down her spine in fear of Henry. He wouldn't dare to come to her dorm.  

She hesitantly walked over to the door and glanced out through the peephole. To her relief, it was Scarlett.  

Innessa opened the door to reveal Scarlett, who smiled at her. "You ready?" she asked, making the girl confused.  

"For what?" 

"For our little outing. I told you that I'd fetch you at 1. Does that ring a bell?" Scarlett asked, raising her brows, making Innessa gasp in shock because it completely slipped her mind.  

"Just give me five minutes. I just need to grab my things," Innessa said as Scarlett nodded. "I'll be waiting for you in the lobby," Scarlett said, walking away.  

Innessa quickly grabbed her bag, tied her hair up in a messy bun, applied sunscreen, and some tint on her lips and cheeks. She locked the door and stepped out.  

Innessa spotted Scarlett in the lobby, but she wasn't alone. A girl stood beside her; she was the same height as Innessa. She had honey-blond hair and baby-blue eyes. The girl was donning a pretty sundress with fluffy braided pigtails. She had such an innocent face.  

"I'm sorry I'm late," Innessa said, stopping in front of them as Scarlett waved her hand. "No worries. Innessa, meet my roommate, Darla Green, and Darla meet our neighbor, the golden scholarship student, Innessa Laskin." Scarlett introduced them as Innessa shook her hand. "It's lovely to meet you," she said excitedly, and the girl passed a soft dimple smile. "Scarlett told me about you. I was looking forward to our meeting," Darla said sweetly. She looked like such a doll.  

"Let's get going, I've seen a cafe down the road, two blocks away. It looks so cool. Let's grab something from there," Scarlett said as the three of them walked out of the building.  

"What's your major?" Innessa asked them.  

"Future architecture here," Scarlett said happily.  

"Art," Darla said softly.  

"She's an awesome painter and sculptor. You should see her when she's focused. The girl looks like another entity," Scarlett said, grinning.  

"What about you?" 

"Psychology. I love it." Innessa said excitedly.  

"How old are you?" Darla asked her.  

"I'm 20," Innessa said.  

"That's so cool. You're my twin, then." Scarlett mused.  

"I'm 21," Darla said.  

The girls talked nonstop on their way to the cafe. Scarlett was the most talkative among them, and Darla was the innocent one.  

Innessa was vibing well with them. She had a strong feeling that they'd be good friends.  

Innessa had an iced latte, Scarlett ordered Cappuccino and Darla had a double chocolate iced mocha. The girl bought some pastries and donuts. While sitting at the table outside the cafe, they had their drinks and talked about different stuff.  

Darla was the only one among them who had some family friends at the academy, while Scarlett and Innessa didn't know anyone.  

The girls roamed the streets and had fun. Innessa noticed a board in one of the cafes that said they needed a helper. She had thought about it before. Innessa had plenty of spare hours after classes, so she could easily apply for a part-time job. This way, her parents won't have to send her a monthly allowance. She didn't want to burden her parents so much. Her father had a small convenience store in the town, paying the rent and then sending her money to cover mom's medical bills was tough on him.  

Innessa told the girls that she needed to apply at the cafe for a part-time job. The girls waited for her inside the cafe while Innessa talked to the owner. He was a man in his mid-30s, with blond hair and blue eyes; he was pretty handsome and friendly. Jasper was concerned about whether she could give time properly, knowing she was a student, but Innessa assured him, and he told her to be at the cafe starting Monday.  

She agreed happily as they exchanged phone numbers. The girls were happy for her, and Darla treated them to dinner at a cozy restaurant. The girls exchanged numbers, and Scarlett created a group chat for the three of them named 'Secret Chamber.  '

"Secret Chamber?" Innessa asked, giggling.  

"Yeah, we'll share our secrets here. I always wanted to have a secret chamber group," Darla and Innessa burst out laughing as Scarlett grinned.