Boarding School Connecticut

Chapter 13

The Restricted Section

The world melts away as I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the terror. My heart thumps a frantic rhythm against my ribs, a drumbeat of fear. Suddenly a suprised scream pierces the tight seal of my eyelids, and then Bryce's grip slackens, making me stumble away from the wall, gasping for breath.

Slowly, cautiously, I crack open my eyes. The scene before me is surreal. Bryce sprawls on the grass several feet from the porch steps, a crumpled figure groaning in pain. Matteo straddles him, a whirlwind of fists connecting with sickening thuds. Costa frantically claws at Matteo's back, trying to pull him off his friend.

My mind races, struggling to catch up with the sudden shift in power, when I suddenly notice a pair of green eyes, filled with worry.

"Are you okay?" Luca's voice cuts through the cacophony, soft and warm, a lifeline thrown in a storm, as he stands next to me.

When did they get here?

I manage a shaky nod, voice still trapped in my throat. My eyes drift past him, to see Emil. His face is etched with a mixture of shock and something else I can't quite decipher. He breaks eye contact hurriedly and scurries down the stairs, to aid his friends.

The dorm door bursts open, flinging Josefine out with a confused gasp. Her eyes dart between the figures locked in a chaotic struggle, finally landing on me. "Oh my god," she breathes, the words tumbling out in a rush. "What happened?"

She rushes towards me, her worried gaze never leaving mine. As she reaches me, Luca tears himself away from me,the urgency in his eyes mirrored in his hurried steps towards Matteo.

Josefine reaches out, gently drawing my arm closer to her. A sharp gasp escapes her lips as her eyes fall on the angry red marks circling my wrist and the fading bruise blooming on my cheek. Her touch is soft, a stark contrast to the rough grip that had left those angry marks just moments ago.

"Did Bryce do this?" Josefine whispers, her voice trembling and her eyes glistening with tears. I reach out and brush my hand against hers, a small gesture of comfort.

"It's not your fault," I whisper back, my voice raspy from the surge of adrenaline. "He's just a bad person."

Her eyes dart away from me to the unfolding scene. Bryce struggles to rise from the grass, his face a grotesque mask of pain. His right eye is already swollen shut, and a crimson streak runs down his nose, a testament to Matteo's fury. Costa and Emil hover around him, their faces etched with a mixture of fear and anger. Luca stands between them and Matteo, a determined expression on his face as he tries to restrain his friend's violent outburst. Luca's voice explodes across the scene.

"Piss off, Bryce!" he yells, his fury barely contained."Don't ever come here again or next time I will be the one to put you in your place."

"We are over," Josefine screams at him, her voice laced with the raw emotion of betrayal. "You will never get a second chance. Not after hurting Tulsi!"

The words hit me like a physical blow. My heart stutters in my chest for a moment, then races with a sense of relief.

Josefine spins away from him, her gaze finding mine. Matteo, his anger simmering but under control, places a comforting arm around my shoulder. He begins leading me inside the house,followed by Luca. Josefine brings up the rear, slamming the door shut behind us with a resounding bang that echoes through the hallway.

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The door slams shut with a resounding boom, the final punctuation mark on a scene straight out of a nightmare. Bryce struggles to his feet, a pathetic figure with a bruised face and a bloody nose. Costa lets out a bark of laughter that hangs in the tense air.