Chapter 225
Catherine’s POV
“Lucy is our enemy now, Sasha. And in this school, that makes us allies. Go clean up. We have a class to attend p>
“You are so kind. I can’t believe I ever thought of you as an enemy. I made your life a living hell because I badly wanted Julian. It was so stupid of me. I am so ashamed of myself p>
I looked at her, feeling a strange flicker of pity, but before I could offer a word of comfort, a cold, mocking laugh from Tessa, who was staring at Sasha with disgust. “You amaze me so much, Cat. You want to forgive her all of a sudden because she’s on the receiving end? Doesn’t work that way p>
“Tess p>
She didn’t let me finish. “How sure are we that this is not just an act? Your kindness is indeed a big disadvantage. You waste it on undeserving people like her p>
An act? I paused to think. This could be very much possible but it still doesn’t change the fact that bullying is bad.
“You should think twice before extending grace to this wicked girl,” Tessa said, her voice dripping with vitriol. She moved closer to Sasha and snorted, before turning back to me, her arms crossed tightly, her eyes fixed on me like she was waiting for me to make a decision based on all she just said.
Sasha’s voice came, her lower lip trembling. “Tessa, please forgive me. I know how much I hurt you two p>
Tess shifted her gaze to Sasha, looking at her in a way that could have turned the girl to stone. “Quit your act. I can read through you. You’re thinking about playing the ’good girl’ and forming some kind of alliance. Well, count me out p>
“What happened here means nothing,” Tessa snapped, taking a step forward. “Just because we chose to be the bigger people and save your ass from Lucy out there doesn’t mean we’re friends. It doesn’t mean you’re part of this circle. You’re still the same person who made our lives a living hell for years p>
“I know and I’m sorry,” Sasha whispered, a single tear escaping her eye. “I really am. I was just trying to p>
“Shove the apology down your throat, girl,” Tessa cut her off, her voice dropping into a dangerous deep tone. “I don’t want to hear it. An apology doesn’t erase the years of psychological warfare. It doesn’t fix the things you broke p>
I stepped in, placing a hand on Tessa’s arm. “Tessa, hey, let’s not be like that. She’s obviously in a bad place. Maybe if we just p>
“Don’t be like that?” Tessa whirled on me, her eyes wide with a mix of disbelief and fury. “Catty, have you completely lost your mind? Have you forgotten when I was playing her little puppet? Have you forgotten the way she used to lead me around this school like a dog on a leash? I was her errand girl, and you were her punching bag. We couldn’t even fight her and no one was willing to help us. At least we helped her, she should be more than grateful p>
Tessa just ranted on. The words stung because they were true. I stood there, silent, as the memories flooded back. I remembered the weight of Sasha’s demands, the way she would mock my clothes and how she almost separated me and Tessa. I remembered the feeling of being trapped, unable to fight back.
But even then, a question had always lingered in the back of my mind—one I had never really asked. I looked at Tessa, seeing the raw anger in her eyes.
“I remember, Tessa,” I said softly. “I remember every second of it. But… I never understood why you did it. I was the new girl, I was vulnerable. But you? You were always the fiercest person I knew. Why did you let her control you? Why did you become a part of her group p>
Tessa’s face went pale, her jaw tightening so hard I thought her teeth might crack. She looked at Sasha, then back at me, a bitter, jagged smile touching her lips.
“You want to know why?” Tessa asked, her voice trembling with a decade of suppressed rage. “You want to know the leverage she had? It’s simple, Catherine. This sneaky bitch had something against me p>
“What was that p>
I bit her lip hard like she was fighting for control and over her emotions. “She was threatening to expose that I was having an affair with the Dean p>
My eyes popped open. The air left my lungs in a sharp gasp. I stared at Tessa, my mind racing to reconcile the girl standing in front of me with the image of someone sleeping with a school official. Impossible! Tessa would never stoop so low.
The Dean? Dean Miller? The man was old enough to be our grandfather. The thought was nauseating, impossible. Could Tessa really do such a thing? Could she really have been that desperate, or that calculated?
Before I could even find the words to ask, Sasha spoke up. Her voice was small, cracked with genuine remorse. “Tessa… I’m so sorry about that. Truly. I was… I was a monster. But I want you to know that I’ve deleted the video. It’s gone. I swear to you, it’s not on my phone or my cloud anymore p>
Tessa shook her head in sheer annoyance, turning away from us and staring at the tiled wall as if she couldn’t stand the sight of either of us. “You can’t be threatened anymore p>
I stood there, completely lost, looking between the two of them. My head was spinning with the weight of the revelation.
“Video?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. “What video? What are you both talking about p>
Tessa didn’t look at me. She just stared at the wall, her shoulders hunched. “The video Sasha and her girls made of me,” she said, her voice hollow. “The one where they caught me sneaking into the Dean’s office p>
I blinked, my gaze shifting to Sasha, who was nodding slowly, her face etched with guilt. I looked back at Tessa, my heart hammering against my ribs. Her answer was like pieces falling into place, but I still couldn’t believe it.
“Uhm,” I said, my voice rising as the shock finally settled in. “So you did really have an affair with him p>