Betrayed By Friends I Choose To Close The Inn To Them Chapter 05

Betrayed By Friends I Choose To Close The Inn To Them Chapter 05

The classroom went silent for half a second.

Then whispers surged up all at once.

“Sold out? How?”

“Rooms sell out early on SAT weekend. That’s normal.”

“But… we haven’t booked yet.”

“You never said you were booking.”

My voice stayed calm.

Chloe’s smile stiffened.

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Something appeared in her eyes that I had never seen before.

“Maya.”

She walked down from the front and stopped beside my desk, lowering her voice so only I could hear.

“Why didn’t you say that earlier? I already brought it up in front of everyone.”

I looked up at her, my eyes steady.

“You never asked me.”

Chloe’s expression changed.

That flash of irritation quickly turned into hurt.

Her eyes reddened slightly, and she pressed her lips together like she was about to cry.

“Maya, are you mad at me?”

Her voice trembled softly.

“I feel like you’ve been avoiding me all day.”

“No. You’re overthinking it.”

“Then why did you move to the back? You always sat next to me before.”

“The front row is too loud.”

Chloe’s expression froze.

That stopped her cold.

She stared at me for several seconds before turning back to her seat.

She didn’t speak the whole way back.

She didn’t look back either.

The rest of the classroom was still whispering.

I lowered my head onto my arms again and buried my face.

My eyes felt hot, but I wasn’t going to let anyone see.

The first class that afternoon was math.

I forced myself to focus.

I had already taken the SAT once, so these topics weren’t unfamiliar, but I didn’t dare relax.

This time, I had to do well.

Not to prove anything to anyone.

For myself.

I didn’t want other people’s mistakes to drag down my future again.

During the break, Chloe didn’t talk to me again.

She sat at her desk, looking down at her notes, occasionally whispering to the people beside her.

It was like she was deliberately putting distance between us.

I didn’t care.

The last period before school ended was study hall

Mr. Harris came in.

He was in his 40s, wearing a plaid shirt and faded khakis, with his usual travel mug in his hand.

He didn’t speak fast, but every word carried weight in the room.

“Everyone, Chloe came to talk to me this afternoon about SAT lodging.”

Mr. Harris stood at the front and set his travel mug on the desk.

“My position is simple. Where you stay is your own arrangement. Just don’t be late.”

“But 1 thing. Don’t dump your pressure onto a classmate.”

As he said that, his eyes swept briefly in my direction.

I lowered my gaze and pretended to study my worksheet.

“Bennett Inn is Maya’s family business, not a charity You’re all almost graduates. You should understand that by now.”

The classroom went quiet for a few seconds.

Then I heard Sophie mutter, “It’s not like we forced her…”

Mr. Harris didn’t respond to her.

He continued going over test instructions.

I looked at the rows of formulas on my paper, feeling something sit heavy in my chest.

Mr. Harris was a good teacher.

The first time around, he had also spoken up for me.

When the online attacks were at their worst, he had sent 1 message in the class group chat.

“As far as I know, there was no construction noise at Bennett Inn during those days.”

But that message was quickly buried.

No one wanted to listen.

No one wanted to believe him.

The final bell rang.

I packed my things and got ready to leave.

Chloe suddenly stood, walked to the front, and picked up the eraser.

She looked back at me.

On the bus ride home, I watched the streets slide backward outside the window.

My phone buzzed.

It was a message from Laura.

“Maya, a guest just changed their plans today and canceled 5 rooms. If your classmates need

them, tell me.”

I stared at the message for a long time.

I typed a few words, deleted them, and repeated that several times.