Betrayed By Friends I Choose To Close The Inn To Them Chapter 10

Betrayed By Friends I Choose To Close The Inn To Them Chapter 10

A good man like that was nearly destroyed by those people the first time around.

“David, they’ll arrange their own lodging. Don’t worry about it.”

David still wanted to say something, but Laura lightly nudged his ankle under the table.

“Enough. Maya said no, so no. Don’t put this back on her.”

David had no choice but to stop talking and lower his head to eat.

I looked at them, my chest aching.

The first time around, I hadn’t protected them.

This time, I couldn’t let them pay for my kindness again.

–

The day before the SAT, I went to school to get my admission ticket.

There weren’t many people in the classroom.

Everyone was doing last–minute review.

Chloe wasn’t there.

Sophie wasn’t there either.

Only a few boys I barely talked to were sleeping at their desks.

I got my admission ticket and headed out.

Just as I reached the door, I ran into Mr. Harris.

“Maya, after the test, don’t rush to compare answers. Go home and rest.”

“I know. Thank you, Mr. Harris.”

“And don’t listen to the gossip. Focus on your test.”

I nodded and walked out of the school building.

On the field, some people were playing basketball. Some were lying on the grass in the sun.

Everything looked so normal, as if the things from the first time around had never happened.

But I knew they had.

I remembered every detail.

On SAT day, David woke up at 6.

He wore his old Ohio University hoodie and said it was his lucky hoodie.

Laura stuffed a granola bar, a bottle of water, and a note into my backpack.

The note read, “You’ve got this.”

I wanted to laugh a little, but I didn’t refuse.

The test center really was close to Bennett Inn.

It was a 5–minute walk.

David insisted on driving me anyway, and I couldn’t argue him out of it, so I let him take me to the

building.

The entrance to the Ohio University testing building was packed with people.

Students, parents, teachers, campus security, and volunteers crowded near the doors.

Some people held admission tickets and checked their information.

Some hugged their parents.

Some flipped through notes at the last second.

Some closed their eyes and took deep breaths.

I stood in the crowd and slowly inhaled.

SAT.

Here we go.

The first section was Reading and Writing.

The first time around, I had done okay on this section, but not steadily enough.

This time, I had prepared better.

Every one of them sounded like I owed her an explanation.

When she saw that I was already holding David’s flowers, she shot him an annoyed look.

“You sure moved fast.”

David laughed under his breath and didn’t dare answer.

I smiled, took Laura’s flowers too, linked arms with both of them, and walked with them toward the

parking lot.

After only a few steps, I saw Chloe.

She stood at the test center entrance, surrounded by a few classmates, her face awful.

Sophie stood beside her, saying something quietly

Chloe shook her head, her eyes red like she had just cried.

I didn’t stop.

I walked past her.

She saw me.

The moment our eyes met, her expression changed

Her lips moved, like she wanted to say something.

I looked away.

3 days after the SAT, scores still hadn’t been released, but the internet was already busy.

Post–test analysis.

Complaints about questions.

People guessing whether this year’s curve would be forgiving.

I was curled up at home scrolling through my phone when a post suddenly appeared.

The title read, “Don’t Book Bennett Inn for SAT Weekend. Construction Noise Made It Impossible to Sleep.”

I froze.

Then I tapped in.

The post was about my family’s hotel.

The poster’s ID was unfamiliar.

The profile picture was a flower, and the account had been created 3 days ago.

The post said,

“I booked this hotel before the SAT, but every night after 10 p.m., there was still construction going on. Drilling and banging went on until 2 or 3 a.m. I called the front desk 3 times, and each time they said they’d handle it, but nothing changed. I only slept 3 hours the night before the test, and my brain was completely blank the next day. Seriously, don’t book this place.”

There were already a few comments under the post.

“Construction during SAT weekend? Is this hotel serious?”