Back at the apartment on Eleven Street.
After Philip and Lucas left, Odette stood at the entrance for a long while.
She looked at the large, beautifully decorated space in complete silence, feeling utterly out of place.
She still couldn't believe that such a large and luxurious apartment could just be handed to her so casually, even if it was only for a few days.
She entered one of the bedrooms where she'd kept her luggage and took out her towel.
She didn't know if this was a sign from the universe not to give up, or just another false hope that would come crashing down. But one thing absolutely had to be done—she desperately needed a bath.
After setting herself up mentally, Odette entered the massive bathroom with only a gray towel covering her body.
The space that the bathroom alone provided was almost equivalent to her old dorm room where two people could comfortably accommodate.
At one corner of the bathroom was a blurred glass enclosure set up on all sides with a door on one side. Odette cautiously entered the compartment to find a large rainfall showerhead bending down from above.
Only after confirming that the frosted glass genuinely could not be seen through did she take off her towel, exposing her body completely.
Even though she knew she was all alone in the apartment, Odette was not comfortable getting naked in such a large, open space with very good lighting at that.
It was too embarrassing for her.
After a few failed attempts and getting spooked by cold water suddenly squirting out of various jets in the wall, she finally managed to get the warm water flowing properly and took her long-awaited bath.
After she finished, she felt like a completely new person. The automatic smart shower that could release soapy water and then rinse you with perfectly warm water—that was an experience she could never have imagined having in her life.
She dried herself thoroughly and, after much inner debate and hesitation, finally decided to use the pristine white bathrobe that was hung on the bathroom door hook.
'I'll just put it out in the sun tomorrow and it'll be good as new,' she thought, trying to justify it.
Now that she was clean, she could clearly feel the emptiness growling in her stomach.
The kitchen was fully stocked with all kinds of easy-to-make ingredients and snacks that could be eaten straight out of the package. This had been mentioned to Odette by the concierge during the tour.
But the guilt and shame that Odette felt towards Philip couldn't possibly let her eat the things present in the house.
She would rather starve through the night than add more strain to her already heavy conscience.
Luckily, she still had the Tesco meal deal she'd bought and stocked at lunch time—a sandwich and a soft drink safely secured in her backpack.
She took it out and ate the whole thing without leaving a single trace of crumbs.
If she hadn't been kicked out of her dorm, she could have eaten in the cafeteria after cleaning up, as it was open until 8 PM. But this was acceptable for her as well.
After that, she collapsed onto the large bed, which was located in the room where she'd kept her luggage.
Her logic of acceptance was simple: Things like the bathrobe, shower, and bed wouldn't be affected or lose their value simply because she used them, so she felt somewhat fine using those.
On the other hand, things like sealed shampoo bottles, food, and snacks were items that would lose their value if she used or ate them, so she firmly decided against touching those.
---
The next morning, Odette woke up at eight AM—an unusual behavior for someone like her.
But she couldn't help it.
Last night she'd slept like a log. The bed was so incredibly comfortable, like she was sleeping on a cloud.
Plus, there was no noise to keep her awake or jolt her awake in the middle of the night, unlike back at her old dorm.
"Arghhhh," Odette took a long session of stretching on her bed, grunting from her sore body after yesterday's grueling work.
"What time is it now—" Odette reached under her pillow to check her phone.
*Missed call from Mom - 3*
'Ugh... I completely forgot to call my mom last night. It's gonna take a whole lot of explanation,' Odette thought as she rolled around, checking her phone.
Other than her mother's missed calls, there weren't any other messages.
'But why is she calling so early?' Odette wondered as she tried to call back.
But when she swiped up her lock screen, unlocking it, her home screen displayed the time clearly.
Odette jolted up from the bed like she'd been electrocuted as soon as she saw the time.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck... I am so late!" she said with widened eyes as she rushed to the bathroom in just her underwear.
"How did I oversleep that much?" she questioned herself with a pained expression as she frantically brushed her teeth.
After a quick wash-up and throwing on whatever clothes she found first, Odette rushed towards the entrance of the apartment.
Since the college wasn't far, she arrived at the college entrance in about five minutes of sprinting and reached her classroom after two more minutes of fast walking.
The arts and design department had already finished their first period, and the students were scattered all over the place, chatting.
If the classes were to be taken as scheduled on the timetable, the second period should be commencing about now.
But fortunately, the second and third years had organized a club recruitment program where all the first-year students had to attend, so she was safe.
Hearing about the program from her classmate, Odette felt her soul leave her body. She'd been in such a panic for nothing, and she'd even skipped breakfast and rushed straight to college.
After catching her breath, she decided to head to the program anyway.
Now that she'd arrived on campus anyway, she decided to check out the club recruitment program at the gymnasium. Although she didn't think she would be joining anything with her need to work part-time.
She wore flared-out jeans almost identical to what she'd worn yesterday, but she didn't care about stuff like that right now.
With white Converse sneakers and a simple white t-shirt, she carried a large tote bag with her textbooks. She tied her hair up in a practical ponytail.
With just light makeup, her natural beauty was still something to admire.
---
The gymnasium was absolutely filled with students chattering and shouting, upperclassmen screaming and enthusiastically promoting their clubs.
Stalls were set up everywhere, with two second or third-year students waiting at each stall with pens and registration forms ready to sign up any interested freshmen.
There was a huge variety of clubs—the Ashford Chronicle (student newspaper), Debating Union, Entrepreneurship Club, and many more.
At the far corner end of the hall on an elevated stage, there were seven to eight exclusive stalls made specifically for high-class student recruitment.
Clubs like the Equestrian Club, International Cuisine Society, and Automotive Enthusiasts were stationed there, made especially for wealthy students.
Odette walked around checking out the various stalls. Although she did find some clubs she found genuinely exciting, ultimately she decided not to join any.
She was already busy as she was. Plus, what if there was something like a membership fee she couldn't afford?
She was already struggling financially now. She didn't want to add more to her worries.
With this firmly in her mind, she turned around at the center of the gym where students were less densely packed, with all of them flocking to the sides where the stalls were located.
There were only a few people near her. And with her above-average height and striking face, she was easy to spot in the crowd.
"Aahhhh!" Odette screamed in a pained expression, her voice echoing.
Right when she was about to head out, Odette was powerfully yanked backward by her hair.
With much difficulty, she turned her head while clutching her scalp in pain and looked at the person who was brutally pulling her by her ponytail.
"You little bitch," Elizabeth Winslet called out furiously, her face twisted with rage.
She'd spotted Odette from afar about to leave and quickly rushed over to her and yanked her hard by the hair.
"I came to your classroom today and they said you were absent. Who knew we would meet so soon," Elizabeth said with a menacing smile while pulling even harder on Odette's hair.
"Aaaahh, sshh," Odette gritted her teeth in pain and desperately tried to break free but couldn't.
"Senior Eli, why are you doing this to me?" Odette pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes.
"If you don't let go, I'll get mad too and report you," she said, staring at her while trying to sound intimidating.
But Elizabeth did not let go at all. Odette's words could only make her chuckle darkly.
"You think I'm afraid? And what are those fake tears? Are you trying to garner pity from the people?" Elizabeth said, deliberately making her voice much louder to gather more attention.
The surrounding students were now completely focused on them and had surrounded them in a growing circle.
"You bitch, I know that you complained to my boyfriend, saying that I kicked you out!" Elizabeth said even louder, basically shouting at this point.
"Did you know that he broke up with me?! Fucking bitch!" she screamed.
"What?! I never—" Odette was about to plead her case as she didn't have any idea what Elizabeth was talking about. But she was cut off by another powerful pull on her hair and a loud voice.
"Liar!" Elizabeth shouted again, her spit flying.
The whole gymnasium was now an audience for their drama. And with no teachers present, no one stepped up to intervene. They all just stood in silence.
Gossiping and sharing what little they knew about the situation.
This was the most painful part for Odette—not being able to say anything while being falsely ridiculed by other people who didn't know the truth.
Her tears were basically flowing freely now, but she couldn't hide her reddened face as she needed to clutch onto her hair with both hands to reduce the pain from the constant pulling.
"Did you go to his place last night? You fuckin—"
*Clap clap clap.*