They Fined Me for Arriving Early

"You... already finished eating?"

I had come straight from a tutoring job, and the strap of my backpack was digging painfully into my shoulder.

"Mia, your timing really is terrible. Ms. Grant just left."

Zoe Clark, our class treasurer, answered with a smug edge to her voice.

"We still wanted to go to karaoke, so everyone agreed to move dinner up by an hour."

I froze. No one had told me the time had changed. Our faculty adviser was already gone, and almost every plate on the table had been picked clean.

I looked at Zoe. "If you moved it up an hour, why wasn't there a message in the group chat?"

She frowned impatiently. "It was last minute. People told each other privately."

"No one told me."

"Maybe if people liked you more, someone would've remembered."

I clenched my fists. "I wasn't late. I came at the time we were told.

"You changed the time without telling me. That's your problem, not mine."

"Enough."

Tessa Lang, our class president, went back to her seat, grabbed her purse, and started waving everyone toward the door. "We're graduating. Don't ruin the night over something this small."

Then she raised her voice. "Everyone, we're moving to karaoke. The room is already booked."

She looked at me.

"Mia, cover the rest of the bill before you leave.

"You just got that $1,300 scholarship. You're the richest person in the class right now.

"You're our top student. Picking up a little extra for everyone is the least you can do."

That was when I understood. They had done this on purpose. They moved dinner earlier so I would arrive after everyone had eaten, tricked me into paying a $50 "late fee" at the door, and now expected me to cover the rest of the bill too.

Before I could answer, Tessa led the dozen or so students still in the room toward the exit. Even people I normally got along with avoided my eyes, staring at their phones or laughing with each other as they walked past me.

A server stepped in front of me holding the check. "Miss, the total came to $1,450. There's an $800 balance remaining. Card or tap?"

I stared at her. "I didn't eat anything. You need to ask the person who made the reservation. She just left."

The server pointed toward the empty doorway.

"She told us you were paying for the dinner, and we can only collect from the customer who's still here.

"If you refuse, I'll have to call security or the police.

"Our cameras show you walking in with the group, and everyone else is gone. Right now, you're responsible for the unpaid balance."