Chapter 4
+25 BONUS
Maybe it was because of how serious I made it sound, but the police arrived in less than 10 minutes.
“Who called us?” one of the officers asked, stepping through the crowd.
“That was me! Over here!” I jumped up as I waved, my voice loud enough to carry through the gathered students. The crowd parted like a curtain, and I stepped forward.
年
When the police officers got closer, I started sobbing. “Officer, I was assaulted about a month ago. I don’t remember anything–it’s like my memory’s been wiped. I think I was drugged. Please don’t think I’m imagining things. I have a witness!”
I pointed straight at Harvey.
The officer turned to him, his notebook already out. “You witnessed the assault? When did this happen?” The second the officer addressed him, Harvey froze like a deer in headlights. His earlier bravado evaporated. “I–I don’t know anything, Officer. I swear, I didn’t see anything!” he stammered, his face pale and sweaty. The officer’s gaze flicked back to me.
Tears streamed down my face as I pleaded, “He knows about it! Everyone here heard him say it just now, even has a video!”
and he
Turning back to Harvey, I begged, “Harvey, I get it. You’re scared because the perpetrator is a teacher. But you don’t have to be afraid anymore. The police officers are here, and they’ll protect us. Let’s report this scumbag together and make sure he’s held accountable!”
Harvey’s face turned crimson, and he shrank into himself like a cornered animal. “What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with me! I don’t know anything!”
“He does know,” another voice chimed in.
I turned to see another roommate of mine, Melanie Walker stepping forward from the crowd. She stood beside me, her chin raised.
“I’ll vouch for her. Harvey said all of that, and he showed us the video too.”
HE
After saying that, Melanie flashed me a smile.
Melanie ran a side hustle as a social media marketer. I knew she wasn’t entirely speaking up for me–she just wanted to dig deeper into the gossip.
With a witness stepping forward, the police officers gave Harvey a little psychological nudge, and he spilled everything.
“I was just messing around!” Harvey blurted. “That day, I was testing out a new telescope I bought. When I aimed it at the grove, I saw two people there, and I, uh, decided to record it with my phone.”
The officer’s expression darkened. “You just happened to point your telescope at the grove and saw this? Why were you using it in the first place? Were you working with the man who assaulted Ms. Lewis?”
“No, that’s not it!” Harvey protested, shaking his head furiously. “I was just… I was using it to look at the female dorms across the way. Sometimes the girls leave their curtains open when they shower or change. But that should have nothing to do with this matter, right?”
Harvey was pretty honest. The police officers barely asked him anything, and he confessed everything on his own.
Chapter 4
+25 BONUS
Hearing this, the girls present were furious and started angrily cursing Harvey for being shameless.
The police then asked, “How did you know that man was Ms. Lewis’s faculty advisor?”
Harvey shifted uneasily, his eyes darting around. “After I recorded the video, I stayed around the grove to see who it was. I waited for quite a while before I saw the guy come out.”
The officer nodded. “And did you see Ms. Lewis come out too? What state was she in?”
Harvey shook his head. “No… I didn’t wait for her to come out. Once the guy left, I got a call from my girlfriend, so I went to get coffee from the college’s cafe.”
As Harvey spoke, he glanced at Rose.
Rose’s face was ghostly pale, and Harvey became worried. “Officer, my girlfriend’s not feeling well. Can I take her to see a doctor?”
The officer glanced at Rose. “You’re not going anywhere. You can arrange for someone else to take her, though.” As another roommate moved to help Rose, she quickly came over and grabbed my hand.
“Yvette, please, don’t go any further with this. Even if you prove everything, your reputation is already ruined. I’ll get Harvey to apologize the way you want, just like you said, okay?”
I hadn’t even responded when Harvey got impatient. Maybe it was because he had already spilled his secrets, but he showed no restraint.
“Rose, you’re too kind. She’s the one who wanted this to blow up. Her reputation’s already shot, so what does it matter? You’re the one who said she only got that scholarship because she slept with her faculty advisor, right? Let’s just play along and see how long she can keep this up.
I suppressed a laugh inside.
I could play this game to the end, but it looked like his girlfriend wouldn’t last much longer.
