chapter 7 " Breaking Point "

Brentford Academy thrived on silence. On rumors whispered behind manicured hands and masked by polite nods. But today, silence was dead.

It was war.

Helena’s name was everywhere. Echoed in the hallways. Splashed across bathroom stall doors. Whispered between students as they refreshed their phones.

“Did you see the video?”

“She’s just like Sophia.”

“No wonder Greg went dark.”

She walked through the school like a marked target. Eyes followed her. Phones flashed. Smirks curled behind fake apologies.

She wanted to scream.

But she kept walking.

Head high.

Even as her stomach twisted.

Even as her throat burned with unshed tears.

Tessy walked beside her like a shield.

“Don’t say anything,” Tessy warned, her voice low. “They want a reaction. Don’t give them one.”

Helena nodded, jaw clenched. “You shouldn’t walk with me.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you’ll get dragged into this.”

“I’m already in it,” Tessy said fiercely. “They’re already calling me names. ‘The chubby sidekick.’ ‘The billionaire’s embarrassment.’ I don’t care.”

Helena’s chest tightened.

She didn’t deserve Tessy.

No one did.

But even courage has limits.

When they got to homeroom, a note was waiting on Helena’s desk.

“Report to the Headmaster’s Office. Immediately.”

Tessy inhaled sharply. “What now?”

Helena swallowed. “I guess we find out.”

Headmaster Voss’s Office

The walls were lined with leather-bound books and framed degrees. Behind the massive mahogany desk sat Headmaster Voss, stoic, clean-shaven, and frighteningly calm.

Beside him stood Vice Principal Oduro, arms crossed.

Helena stood alone on the carpet, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

“I don’t understand,” she said carefully. “Why am I here?”

Voss folded his hands. “We received a troubling message from the Brentford Community Board.”

Helena blinked. “What message?”

He slid a laptop forward.

Pressed play.

And her world shattered.

Onscreen: grainy security footage.

Her and Greg.

In his bedroom.

The kiss.

The whispers.

The intimacy.

Everything.

She gasped and stepped back.

“That’s not— That was private!”

Vice Principal Oduro didn’t blink. “Private or not, it was recorded. And now, it’s circulating among students. As of this morning, over 47 parents have reported it to the board.”

Helena’s voice cracked. “I didn’t know I was being recorded. I didn’t even—this wasn’t… It’s not what it looks like.”

Voss’s gaze was unreadable. “Miss James, we are investigating the legality of the recording. But the immediate concern is damage control.”

“Damage control?” she repeated, stunned. “You think this is about PR?”

“You are on a scholarship,” he said. “And Mr. Carter is a donor’s son. Do you see the... imbalance in optics?”

She did. Loud and clear.

“Someone set this up,” she said, quieter now. “Someone wanted this leaked.”

“Be that as it may,” Voss replied, “we’ve received a formal accusation.”

Helena looked up. “What kind of accusation?”

Vice Principal Oduro answered this time.

“Someone has claimed you seduced Mr. Carter for personal gain. That you targeted him—intentionally.”

The blood drained from Helena’s face.

“They’re lying.”

“We are not making a judgment at this time,” Oduro said. “But until we conclude the review, you will be suspended from all student leadership activities, scholarship endorsements, and class rep privileges.”

Helena stared at them.

“They’re trying to erase me.”

Headmaster Voss closed the laptop.

“Dismissed.”

Outside the Office

Tessy was waiting.

Helena didn’t say anything.

She just stood in the hallway, hollow, numb, broken open.

Then, from somewhere nearby, she heard a familiar laugh.

Bianca.

Down the corridor. Leaning against a locker, surrounded by her polished circle of girls. All of them watching Helena.

Bianca smiled.

Lifted her phone.

And waved.

Helena turned to Tessy, her voice shaking.

“Someone’s going to pay for this.”

Cliffhanger Ending:

That night, Helena sat in the dark corner of her dorm room, phone on silent.

A message popped up on her screen.

Unknown Number: You weren’t the first. But you might be the last. 🎥

Attached to the message was a new video file.

She opened it.

And gasped.

It wasn’t her.

It wasn’t Greg.

It was Sophia.

Years ago.

Same angle. Same room.

Same trap.

Her fingers trembled.

This wasn’t just a scandal.

It was a pattern.

And now she was next.

Helena didn’t pack a bag.

She didn’t say goodbye.

She simply walked out of Brentford’s front gates.

And never looked back.

Her mother’s apartment was small, quiet—almost too quiet. The kind of silence that echoed. Mrs. Tricia had been surprised when Helena showed up at the door unannounced, her uniform crumpled and eyes hollow.

She didn’t ask questions. Not yet.

Helena went straight to her room and closed the door.

And didn’t come out for hours.

Back at Brentford…

Tessy was frantic.

She had waited for Helena all through lunch, texted her, called her. Nothing.

It wasn’t like her to just vanish.

Finally, when panic outweighed patience, she tried one more time:

Tessy: Where are you? I’m worried.

A few minutes later, a message came in.

Helena: I’m home. Had to leave.

Tessy stared at the screen, stunned.

Tessy: You left without telling me?

Helena: I didn’t want anyone to stop me.

Tessy: Send me your address. I’m coming over.

There was a pause.

Then… Helena sent it.

Later That Evening — Helena’s Home

The knock was soft.

Helena opened the door slowly to find Tessy standing there, arms crossed, eyes red from crying.

“What the hell, Helena?”

Helena stepped aside without a word. Tessy walked in and looked around—tiny space, a tired couch, no warmth in sight. The smell of something burnt lingered from the kitchen.

“You could’ve at least told me,” Tessy said.

“I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me.”

“I don’t feel sorry for you,” Tessy snapped. “I care about you. That’s different.”

Helena sat down, her voice weak. “It’s all ruined, Tessy. Everything. My name. My record. My chance at university.”

Tessy sat beside her and grabbed her hand. “No, it’s not. We’ll fix it. We’ll find whoever leaked that video. You’re not alone.”

But Helena didn’t respond.

Her eyes were distant.

Her body was still.

That Night

Helena stared at the ceiling from her bed.

Her mother had gone to work the night shift. The house was quiet again. Too quiet.

The texts. The faces. The video. The betrayal.

It all swirled in her head like poison.

“You seduced him.”

“Just like Sophia.”

“She’s not scholarship material after all.”

She got up slowly. Walked into the bathroom.

Opened the cabinet.

She found a bottle of her mum’s sleeping pills. Not many. But enough.

She stood there, staring at them in her hand.

Maybe this will silence them.

Maybe this will end it all.

And then…

Darkness.

The Hospital — The Next Morning

The beeping was soft. Steady. Sharp.

Helena opened her eyes slowly to white walls and fluorescent lights.

And Tessy.

Sitting beside her, clutching her hand like it was the only thing holding her together.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” Tessy whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. “You don’t get to leave me like that.”

Helena blinked slowly. Her mouth was dry. Her voice cracked. “I didn’t think anyone would care.”

“I care,” Tessy said fiercely. “I care so much it hurts. And if I ever see Bianca again, I swear—”

The door opened. A nurse walked in and smiled kindly. “Good, you’re awake. You gave us quite the scare.”

Helena turned her face to the ceiling. The guilt, the shame, the weight of the world pressing down on her again.

But Tessy never let go of her hand.

Back at Brentford

Greg sat on the edge of his bed, phone in hand.

No texts from Helena.

No messages.

No one had seen her since yesterday.

The last thing she had said to him was “Don’t touch me.”

And now, she was gone.

His stomach was twisted. His heart—clenched.

He scrolled through the video again, rage burning in his chest. He knew Bianca was behind it. But what he didn’t know… was why Helena left so suddenly.

Until Leo walked into his room, pale and shaky.

“You heard?” Leo asked.

Greg looked up. “Heard what?”

Leo swallowed. “Helena’s in the hospital. She… tried something.”

Greg stood up, his blood freezing in his veins. “What?”

Leo nodded, solemn. “She overdosed.”

Greg didn’t speak.

Didn’t breathe.

He just grabbed his jacket—and ran.

Cliffhanger Ending

As Greg sped down Silver Ridge Road, his mind raced with memories. Her laugh. Her fire. Her stubborn eyes. The night they kissed.

And the last time he saw her…

He hit the brakes outside the hospital and rushed toward the entrance.

He had to see her.

He had to fix this.

But inside Helena’s room, Tessy’s phone buzzed.

A new message.

Unknown Number:

She broke faster than I expected. You’re next, chubby girl. 🕷️

Tessy stared at the screen in horror.

This wasn’t just about Helena anymore.

Someone was coming for all of them.