Chapter 29

Chapter 0029

ASHANTI’S POV.

I’m awoken by a banging sound on my room door. Tessa shakes on her bed as well and we both look at the door, totally confused as another loud banging sound crashes through the atmosphere.

“Who the f**k is that?” Tessa asks, jumping down from her bed.

“Ashanti! Ashanti opens up this door right now!”

That voice.

It’s Rhea’s.

What the hell is she doing banging at our room door at six am in the morning?

“Ashanti!” She screams my name yet again and Tessa unlocks the door. “Where is she?” She pushes Tessa from the doorway and barges into the room like it’s hers. I step down from the bed and look at her with the most confused look on my face. Other girls are already standing at the door, some

stepping in to watch the scene.

“Rhea, what are you doing here and why are you being so loud in the morning?” I ask with my arms.

spread out, palms facing up.

“How dare you!” She strides over to me and the next thing I feel is her palm colliding with my cheek and the spot stings. My head sways to the side from the impact of her smack. “How dare you try to feign. innocence.”

“Why did you hit me?” I rake my fingers through my hair, taking it all behind as I cast her a furious.

glare.

“Because you are a thief and a lying piece of shit!”

“I didn’t steal anything. And I’m no lying piece of sh it!” I fire back at her, furious. Every atom in my body is urging me to smack her as well, but I know things won’t end well for me. I will be punished. I don’t want to scrub toilets today.

“Oh yeah?”

“What is going on here?” Lisa barges into the bedroom and stands between Rhea and I, fuming, but I know that anger is directed to me.

“She stole my necklace.” Rhea accuses, pointing. her index finger at me.

“What?” I blink rapidly, trying to clear the fog of disbelief that has clouded my vision, surprise momentarily distorting my perception of reality.

This can’t be happening.

“Ashanti, is that true?” Ma’am Lisa’s voice is dangerously calm.

“No, it’s not! I haven’t stolen anything from her.”

“Liar! You’ve always been meaning to steal that necklace from me because it was a gift from our father. You stole it!”

“I didn’t…I…” my voice catches in my throat, my words halt mid sentence. My eyes dart around the

room, searching for confirmation, seeking

reassurance that what I’m witnessing is a figment of my imagination. That Rhea is not accusing me of stealing a necklace I know nothing about its existence.

“See, she’s guilty. That’s why she can’t even say anything.”

“I didn’t take your necklace, Rhea, you are

mistaken.” I look at Ma’am Lisa. “I swear it’s not with me.”

“Are you sure about that?” She asks firmly.

“Yes.”

“And you don’t mind getting your things checked right here and now?”

“Please, by all means, go ahead and scout this place. You won’t find anything.” I give her the go ahead.

She walks past me and heads straight to the closet where she opens it up and starts taking out my folded clothes, one by one and throwing them on the floor. I can see Rhea smirking at me from my peripheral vision. I can’t wait to prove her wrong.

A few minutes go by and Ma’am Lisa is still taking out my clothes from the wardrobe and dumping them on the floor. She does that to all the shelves i the wardrobe, before moving the bags. The first bag. she searches belongs to Tessa. She doesn’t find anything in it. She takes out my own bag and zips it open. After rummaging through the bag for some time, she suddenly stops and pulls out a glittering necklace from the bag.

“What is this?” She asks, turning to look at us.

“That is my necklace!” Rhea cries and covers her mouth with her hands. I stumble back, my body recoiling as if struck with an invisible force. My face contorts with a mix of disbelief and shock.

“I… I…” I stutter. “I didn’t know how that got there. I swear.” Lisa sighs and shakes her head.

“I’m not even surprised.” She hands the necklace back to Rhea who thanks her immensely and puts it back on.

“This doesn’t make any sense.” That’s Tessa.” Ashanti didn’t steal that necklace.

“And you know how?”

“I know her. She will never take anything that doesn’t belong to her. You have to investigate this issue properly.” She tries to defend me.

“There’s no investigation to be conducted. The jewelry was found in her bag, meaning she stole it.

Case closed. The only thing which awaits her right now is punishment!” She turns to me. “Severe punishment!” She enunciates the last words. I shut my eyes. My heart is clenching and unclenching in my chest.

The trouble never ends.

I don’t even have the strength to keep defending myself. What will be done, will be done.

“Stealing is a very shameful act. For the next three.

days, you will scrub every corner of this building while spending nights on the cold floor in a

dungeon cell. You will be served just a single meal per day. That will teach you a lesson not to steal people’s belongings. Guards!” She screams at the top of her voice and almost immediately, three men, dressed in uniform come rushing into the room. She points at me. “Take her away.” The guards grab both my arms and start dragging me out of the bedroom like I’m a criminal. I look at Rhea and the satisfied smirk on her face makes my heart ache. I take a picture of it with my eyes and save it in my memory.

She framed me and I’m not going to let it slide.

I’m going to pay her back in her own coin.