chapter 34 " Blood in the glitter "

The next morning at Brentford was unlike any other.

The hallways were too quiet. The stares were too long. The whispers carried more venom than usual.

Helena sat by the infirmary window, dressed in a fresh hoodie and jeans Tessy had brought from the dorm. Her head ached, but it wasn’t from sleep. She hadn’t slept. Not after what had almost happened.

Not after Henry.

Not after the cold, scrawled note slipped under her door before dawn.

“Sophia was drugged too. This time, you got lucky.”

– S.

Helena turned it over in her hand again and again.

The “S” wasn’t just a letter now—it was a warning.

Across the infirmary, the door creaked open. Greg stepped inside, his expression tight, jaw clenched. He closed the door behind him and walked straight to her.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly.

She nodded once. “I will be.”

Greg dropped into the chair beside her. “They took Henry out this morning. The police are questioning him.”

“Will he get expelled?” she asked.

Greg looked away. “I don’t know. His parents are connected. They’re talking lawyers. Damage control. Brentford is worried about ‘bad press.’”

Helena scoffed bitterly. “Because my trauma is less important than their image.”

“I won’t let this go,” Greg said. “He crossed the line. And whoever left that note… they knew what was going to happen.”

Helena stared out the window. “Do you think it’s her?”

Greg didn’t have to ask who.

“Sophia?”

Helena nodded. “If she’s alive… if she’s back…”

“Then we need to find her,” Greg said. “We need to figure out what happened to her. Because this? This is more than petty rivalry. This is revenge.”

There was a soft knock at the door.

Tessy poked her head in. “The dean wants to see you both.”

Helena’s heart skipped. “Now?”

Tessy nodded, eyes somber. “Now. And... Bianca’s already there.”

Helena stood slowly, the paper still clenched in her fist.

This time, she wasn’t walking into that office as a victim.

She was walking in as a survivor.

And she wanted answers.

Cliffhanger Ending — Chapter Thirty-Four

Inside the dean’s office, Bianca sat with her arms crossed and a smug smile on her face.

On the desk in front of her was a flash drive.

“This,” she said, tapping it with one perfectly polished nail, “contains everything. The video. The proof. All of it.”

Greg narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing, Bianca?”

Bianca turned to him and smiled.

“Cleaning up what Sophia started.”

Helena followed Greg down the hallway, boots clicking against the marble floor. Tessy brought up the rear, her expression tight. They entered the dean’s office—Dean Whitaker sat behind the desk, clasping her hands. Bianca reclined in the chair beside her, exuding false calm.

Greg set down the strange flash drive Bianca had tapped dramatically earlier. Its label read: “Evidence.” He looked at Helena.

“What’s on this?” he asked Bianca.

Bianca’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Let’s call it… insurance.”

She slid the drive across to Dean Whitaker. “Facts. Details. Proof that Helena and Greg were behind the…whatever happened at the party.”

Dean Whitaker blinked slowly. “I assume this includes the statement about the drink?”

“It does,” Bianca said smoothly. “It shows Helena asked Henry to slip something in her drink. A desperate attempt to stay in the spotlight.”

Helena stiffened. “That’s a lie.”

Bianca shrugged. “Don’t take my word for it. Check the drive.”

Dean Whitaker paused. “I’ll review it. But I want your side, young lady.” She looked at Helena. “Care to comment?”

Helena swallowed hard. “Yes.” She took a step forward. “I was drugged—or Henry tried to drug me. Theo stopped him. He slipped it and I didn’t know until he was pulled away. If there’s proof... evidence from the club—I have that statement.”

Greg pulled out his phone. “I— We—have video. Theo’s got it.”

“It’s coming,” Helena said. “But that’s not all.” She looked at Bianca. “You’re lying. You’re trying to destroy me because you’re jealous.”

Those in the room murmured. Dean Whitaker leaned forward. “Bianca?”

Bianca narrowed her eyes. “I just want the school to know the truth—before rumors run wild.”

Helena swallowed. “You’re putting me at risk—not saving anything.”

Dean Whitaker held up her hand. “Enough.”

She turned to Bianca. “I’ll need time to review the drive and statements.”

Then she looked at Helena and Greg. “You two will remain suspended until this is resolved.”

Helena's stomach twisted.

Suspended.

Again.

Hallway — Later That Day

Helena slumped against the lockers. Tears burned, but she forced them back. Her hands shook.

“Tess...” Greg’s voice was soft. She looked up to find him closing the distance.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “This isn’t over.”

Tessy stood equally close. “He’s good at digging up proof. We’ll get everything you need.”

Helena nodded, voice small. “I just—God—it’s always escalated. I’m so tired.”

Greg lifted her chin. “Then we haven't given up yet.”

Cut To — Bianca’s Bedroom

Bianca watched cassette stills of Helena and Greg arguing behind the club bar. She paused on Helena’s tear-streaked face.

Her lips quivered—smirk or regret? You couldn’t tell.

She whispered into the night:

“They’ll fall. Every single one of them. I’ll make sure of it.”

Yet in the reflection of her mirror, a flicker of doubt crossed her eyes. Because this game might be bigger than revenge.

And sometimes saving yourself means losing everything else.

Helena, Greg, and Tessy left Dean Whitaker’s office feeling hollow. The news had landed like a hammer—another suspension, another set-back. But worse was the suspicion hanging in the air. Despite Helena’s assurance, doubt lingered among staff and students.

Commons Area

They settled on a plush burgundy couch in the student lounge, the flash drive cold and heavy in Greg’s pocket.

Tessy leaned forward. “We need to move fast. Let me get Theo and search his backup.”

“He’s already on it,” Greg said, “He’s pulling from Theo’s computer cache and the club’s security.” His voice was steady, but Helena could hear the tension threading through it.

Helena stared at the floor. “What if adults start believing Bianca instead? What if Dean Whitaker thinks ‘the truth’ is on that drive?”

Greg reached for her hand. “He won’t. The thing she’s done—slipped the drink, spread a rumor—if we can’t prove it… it’ll look like Sophia’s note was right. About people in white wanting to silence me.”

Tessy frowned. “Then we need more than video. We need context. Timeline. Test results.”

Library Archives – Later That Afternoon

The three of them spread out across a large wooden table, forensic timeline notes, Sophia’s printed audio transcript, and security camera map from Theo’s files.

Tessy traced her finger over the map. “Look—club entrance cams show Henry circle in fifteen seconds after he delivers that drink. But there’s no close-up of Helena taking it.”

Helena met Greg’s eyes. “He followed me, tried to push the soda. Everything after was him, not me.”

He squeezed her hand in support.

Tessy clicked her laptop open. “Examine the admin hallway at 12:02 AM—there’s a camera covering Dean’s office corridor. Reminder: Sophia’s voice specifically said she was silenced before her voice could be heard.”

Helena swallowed. “Do you think Bianca’s trying to do the same to me?”

The room grew quiet. The threat hanging around them now wasn’t just rumor—it was real.

Bianca’s Dorm Room – Evening

Bianca paced by her vanity, the USB drive in her hand. She’d trusted it would accomplish what she’d set out to do: discredit Helena, end her. But Dean had delayed action; instead of triumph, she had drawn attention.

And that note… Sophia’s name. It echoed in her mind.

She clicked the drive once more and noticed something new: a hidden file called “Helena_Alibi.PPT”.

Bianca paused. The file wasn’t on her laptop before. Like it was seeded there deliberately—by someone else.

Her carefully constructed narrative was slipping.

Commons Area – Night

Helena lay back on the couch, exhaustion finally overtaking her.

Greg rested beside her, tucked by her side, protective. Tessy leaned against the arm, eyes tired but fierce.

At that moment, Helena’s phone buzzed.

A notification: a shared folder from Theo, titled “HelenaProof”.

Inside: a short, grainy clip from behind the bar at the party. It showed Henry’s movement, Helena recoiling, Theo stepping in—then a flash of Bianca standing nearby, smiling.

Her breath caught—there in the frame. Bianca, by the drink bar. She might have been watching… or feeding lines.

Tessy opened the clip on the laptop. “Look—Bianca’s the one standing right there when Theo stops Henry. She captured it all.”

Helena’s eyes filled. “We have to show Dean Whitaker.”

Greg nodded. “Yes. Now.”

The three of them left the lounge with fresh energy—purpose renewed. They had proof. They had truth.

And they knew this was only the beginning.