Betrayed By Friends I Choose To Close The Inn To Them Chapter 07

Betrayed By Friends I Choose To Close The Inn To Them Chapter 7

We shouldn’t let the rooms sit empty. That was exactly the kind of person David was. He had been decent to people his whole life. He never imagined someone could accept a favor, then turn around and push the blame back onto him. The first time around, he had given all the best rooms to my classmates and slept in the staff room himself. And what happened? Bennett Inn was nearly forced to close after a flood of complaints. A man in his 50s suddenly looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. “They already found somewhere to stay. Don’t worry about it.” “That’s good.” David sounded relieved. “You focus on preparing. After the test, I’ll take you out for a good meal.” “Okay.” After hanging up, I finished the rest of my lunch and carried my tray to the return station. Beside the tray rack, I ran into an 11th-grade girl from the class next door. She didn’t know me. But I knew her. The first time around, she was one of the very few people who had spoken up for me online. What had she said back then? Something like, “I’m from the class next door, and I stayed at Bennett Inn during those 2 days too. I didn’t hear any construction noise.” Hundreds of replies attacked her.

They said she had been paid off. They said she was lying through her teeth. They said she was a paid shill hired by the hotel. An 11th-grade girl was bullied into deleting her account. I put my tray away and went back to the classroom The first class that afternoon was English, and I listened fairly carefully. The first time around, I had done pretty well on the English section. But this time, I wanted to do better. Not for anyone else. For myself. During the break, Chloe walked to the front of the classroom again. “Everyone, I need to say something.” Her voice was steadier than yesterday, like she had finally gotten something that would make everyone listen to her. “About the hotels I asked yesterday. One of them is willing to give us a group rate, about 40% off. But it’s a little far from the test center. About a 20-minute drive.” Complaints immediately broke out in the room. “20 minutes? That’s too far.” “Parking will be a nightmare. Campus is definitely going to be jammed in the morning.” “On SAT day, everyone will be on the road. 20 minutes can turn into 40.” Chloe waited until the noise died down, then continued. “I thought it was far too, so I asked another hotel. That one is only 10 minutes from the test center, but it costs more. Even with the group rate, it’s still over $200 a night.” “Over $200? For 2 nights? That’s way too much.”

“Forget it. I’ll just stay at the school motel.” “Same. I’ll save the money.” One by one, everyone backed off. Chloe stood at the front, her expression subtle. Her eyes slid toward me again, like she was waiting for me to speak first. I didn’t say anything. · 1 1 I lowered my head and worked on my English worksheet, my pencil scratching across the paper. Chloe stood there for several seconds before walking down and returning to her seat. Before school ended, Mr. Harris came in again. He stood at the front and went over SAT instructions one more time, then finally brought up lodging. “I heard some of you are trying to arrange hotels.” Mr. Harris’s tone was calm. “I’ll say this again. Where you stay is your choice, but don’t push that pressure onto someone else. Especially not onto a classmate’s family. Bennett Inn is a business, not your free room block.” After saying that, he looked at Chloe specifically. Chloe lowered her head, her hair falling over half her face. I couldn’t see her expression. After Mr. Harris left, the classroom stayed quiet for a few seconds. Then Sophie’s voice rang out, not loud, but loud enough for people nearby to hear. “Mr. Harris made it sound like we were forcing Maya. We were just asking. It’s not like we did anything.” “Exactly,” Emma said. “And Maya’s family runs such a big hotel. Helping us a little isn’t going to bankrupt them.

We weren’t even asking to stay for free. Didn’t we say we could help promote it?” “Forget it,” Ava said. “People who own hotels probably live in a different world from us. Maybe she thinks we’re not good enough to stay at Bennett Inn.” The classroom went silent for half a second.

Not good enough to stay at Bennett Inn?