room 722 (bbangsaz version)

Chapter 8: The Blame Game

Author's Notes: Hi friends, You are all awesome. My thoughts about the parallels are at the end of the chapter, cause they're a little spoiler-y. Enjoy!

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Hanni did her best to still her breathing, pressing hard at her eyes with the backs of her hands. She couldn't do this right now. Not while her friends were still in trouble. Her hands shook as she pressed the button to call the elevator, trying hard to ignore the lingering feeling of Minji's hands on her waist, her breath on her lips. How did it all go so fucking wrong? The elevator opened with a soft ding. Hanni took a deep breath and entered, stilling her nerves. She was going to fix this.

Hanni could hear quiet voices as soon as the doors opened to the lobby. A few feet from her, near the mailroom door, a sharp looking black haired woman was apparently very upset with Minji's boss.

"You told me she was being lenient, Sunghoon," the woman said angrily.

"She is! I swear!" Sunghoon defended, his palms up.

"Does that look like leniency to you?" She growled, jabbing toward the mailroom.

"I have proof! There's a girl who says she's been complaining to Minji all semester about the noise from 721, but I checked and Minji never filed any reports about it-" As if Hanni wasn't already guilty, this revelation nearly made her sick. Minji had been keeping her from getting in trouble all semester.

"Those kids are from 721 you imbecile," she snapped. "Your information is outdated and useless."

"No, only one of them is. There's this short brunette girl that I've seen Minji talking to, I think that she's-" Sunghoon trailed off as a group of students entered loudly, tossing a football. Immediately, he noticed Hanni, looking almost alarmed. The woman followed his gaze to where Hanni stood.

"Can I help you?" She asked, visibly irritated.

"I think so," Hanni said, taking another breath as she stepped toward them. "I live in room 721," Hanni said. If looks could kill, Sunghoon would've been buried by the glare the woman gave him. "And this is all just one big misunderstanding."

The tension in the mailroom was palpable. Hanni had entered and joined her friends, having been told she'd had to plead her case with the dean of discipline. Jay sat in one corner of the room with his head in his hands, quietly rocking himself back and forth. He hadn't even looked up when Hanni came in. Yunjin sat not too far away along the wall, looking completely bewildered with an arm slung over Danielle's shoulders. Haewon and Yujin were in the middle of the floor, lying on their backs, and Kazuha had secluded herself to the far corner. Hanni could only bring herself to stand close to the door. With each passing moment, she felt closer to crying. How could it have all gone so wrong?

"So I guess she turned on you, too, huh?" Kazuha called bitterly from across the room. Hanni had no idea what to say to that. Minji hadn't 'turned on her', she just didn't help. She was doing her job. Involuntarily, Hanni let out a dry sob. If Lexa didn't betray her, then why did all of this hurt so much?

"Are you kidding me?" Danielle snapped at Kazuha, shrugging her sister's arm away as she got to her feet. She joined Hanni against the wall, giving her a sympathetic rub on the shoulder.

"What?" Kazuha asked in the same bitter tone.

"You're the one who invited him!" Danielle snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Jay, even though it was obvious who she meant. He didn't look up.

"Oh," Kazuha chuckled darkly as she stood. "So you're saying this is my fault?" She asked, slowly crossing the room.

"He shouldn't have been here," Hanni said quietly, trying to still her breaths. "You should know he can't control himself."