Bound by law

Chapter 58: Trouble with Mia

The next day at university, Estelle's mind was still a whirlwind of emotions and desire after her heated encounter with Celeste. Her body hummed with the memory of what had happened, and she couldn't shake the image of Celeste's dark, possessive eyes from her thoughts. It was consuming her, and she found it impossible to focus on anything else.

But as she sat in class, trying to keep her thoughts from drifting too far into dangerous territory, her phone buzzed in her bag. She glanced down, seeing a message from Mia.

Mia: I think I messed up. Big time. Meet me outside, ASAP.

Estelle frowned, her heart sinking. Mia was always getting into trouble, but this message had a different edge to it—something more serious. Without a second thought, she grabbed her things and slipped out of class, making her way toward the courtyard where Mia usually hung out.

When she reached the courtyard, she spotted Mia pacing nervously by the fountain, her face flushed with anxiety. As soon as she saw Estelle, she rushed over.

"Estelle, I screwed up. Big time," Mia blurted out, her eyes wide. "There was this prank... and, well, let's just say it got out of hand."

Estelle sighed, already knowing this wasn't going to end well. "What did you do, Mia?"

Mia groaned, running a hand through her hair. "It wasn't supposed to be a big deal! Just some harmless fun. We were going to mess with the dean's office—move some stuff around, leave a fake letter, that kind of thing. But someone pulled the fire alarm, and now the campus police are involved."

Estelle's eyes widened. "You what? Mia, that's not a prank—that's serious!"

"I know, I know!" Mia said, wringing her hands. "But I didn't pull the alarm! I swear it wasn't me. But now they're saying I'm part of it because I was seen near the building."

Estelle groaned, rubbing her temples as the gravity of the situation hit her. This was bad. Really bad. Mia had a tendency to get involved in stupid things, but this was on another level.

"And now?" Estelle asked, dread building in her chest.

"They want to talk to me. Officially," Mia said, her voice small. "And if they think I'm responsible, I could get suspended, or worse."

Estelle's heart sank. She knew Mia didn't mean for things to get this out of hand, but that didn't change the fact that they were in serious trouble. And of course, she would get dragged into it, one way or another. She always did when it came to Mia.

"Okay, okay," Estelle said, trying to calm herself down. "We'll figure this out. Maybe we can explain the situation to the dean, tell them it wasn't you."

Mia nodded, but her eyes were still filled with panic. "I don't know if they'll believe me."

Just as Estelle was about to reassure her, a familiar, sharp voice cut through the courtyard, making her heart drop.

"Estelle."

Estelle turned to see Celeste, standing just a few feet away, her arms crossed and her expression unreadable. She had a presence that made the entire atmosphere shift, and Estelle immediately knew this wasn't good.

"M-Miss Thorne," Estelle stammered, feeling a sudden surge of panic.

Celeste's eyes narrowed, flicking between Estelle and Mia before locking onto Estelle with a gaze that sent a shiver down her spine. "What exactly is going on here?" she asked, her voice cold and controlled.

Estelle swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Celeste's disapproval settle over her. She knew Celeste wouldn't be happy about this. In fact, she was already bracing herself for the storm that was about to come.