Chapter 22
Seeing that Damon’s attention was back on her, Maura said, in a hushed tone, “It’s all… blurry.” Her eyes, wide with distress, darted around like a trapped animal.
Unbelievable, many were whispering, their gazes fixed on Aurora Alimin, Maura’s biggest fan, a charming, chatty piece of work. She doesn’t deserve this, Maura thought.
Damon had betrayed panic written all over his face. “Thirty seconds,” he said. “If we hadn’t…”
Getting expelled was the least of her worries.
Unease rippled through the calm tension.
Guilty, Aurora rolled her eyes. Whatever happened…
Damon, with a heavy sigh, adjusted the light, the low hum of the projector blinking on. The direct glare momentarily blinded her, Maura thought. The camera, positioned high above, caught Ainsley grabbing her hair and shoving her into the water. He’s going to make sure Aurora gets expelled. Then Bodwill will send that bitch…
For years, the Crawford family had treated her as the favored daughter; for decades…
With that in mind, Maura didn’t bother with the boys. Instead, she headed straight for the security room to view the footage.
Victor explained their presence as they entered the security room. The guard’s eyes fell upon the weakened Maura, noticing her shallow breaths, half-lidded eyes, and blanched lips. He exclaimed, “Jesus, she’s in bad shape! Shouldn’t we call an ambulance?”
Maura was freezing, her teeth chattering incessantly. The cold seeped through her clothes, chilling her to the bone; she felt as if she’d been plunged into an ice bath, but no matter how much she shivered, she wasn’t leaving, not until Aurora’s dirty behavior was exposed.
“I’m fine. Don’t blame Aurora,” Maura began, but before she could finish, she covered her head, her brow furrowing in pain, and tears, welling up, streamed down her cheeks.
“Maura, what’s wrong? Is your head still hurting?” Alison, unaware of what had actually transpired in the water, assumed the headache lingered.
Maura nervously glanced at Aurora, met her gaze, and quickly looked away, shivering slightly. “N-no, it’s nothing.”
Seeing Maura’s reaction, Alison immediately glared at Aurora. “Aurora, that’s enough. You’ve got the nerve to threaten Maura in front of all of us? You really think no one can handle you? Enjoy your freedom while it lasts. Once we see the footage, I’m calling the cops for sure.”
Aurora tilted her head, her expression both innocent and serious. “I haven’t said a word.”
Just hearing Aurora’s voice made Maura’s face pale with fear as the memory of suffocating in the water flooded her mind. She shrank back involuntarily, thinking, Aurora’s indeed a psycho.
Alison didn’t miss the terror in Maura’s eyes and immediately flew into action, her sense of justice ignited. “Maura, what are you afraid of? She’s just some country bumpkin dragged out of the sticks. It took you this many years to even remember she exists; doesn’t that tell you she’s not important? She’s nothing compared to you, a real daughter who’s been by his side all this time.” Alison’s words struck a chord, strengthening Damon’s resolve to stand by Maura.
“Alright,” the guard finally said, leaning forward to rewind the footage to half an hour prior. “Take a look.”
Damon was the first to rush over, Erik quickly claiming the other side. After watching the footage, Erik chuckled, casting a strange glance at Maura. “Did you really say Aurora pushed you? Got any shame left?”
Damon’s expression was strained, but seeing Maura’s frail state, he persevered. “Where are your manners, huh? A real gentleman doesn’t shame a girl like that. It’s obvious they were just… roughhousing.”
Just moments ago, he’d been yelling at Aurora, threatening to kick her out, and now, after watching the footage, he called it “roughhousing.” Could his double standards be any clearer?
Alison, sensing something amiss, released Maura and leaned in to examine the footage. Then, she fell silent. She thought, Wait a minute, it looks like Maura was trying to push Aurora into the water. And Aurora actually saved her!
The few who had initially seen the footage looked stunned, piquing the curiosity of the other students. They crowded around, craning their necks for a better view. After a few seconds, everyone’s demeanor toward Maura shifted.
Due to Maura’s carefully cultivated image as the sweet, innocent goddess of Merenda High, almost everyone had instinctively blamed Aurora. But the footage didn’t lie. It clearly showed Maura had set Aurora up.
Eyes darted around awkwardly, especially those who had been the most vocal earlier. Their faces flushed with embarrassment, speechless.
Aurora, half-sitting on the desk, tilted her head and stared at Maura, who was slumped against the cabinet, drenched and looking like a drowned rat. “Well, I think that proves my innocence, huh?”
No way, Alison thought. Maura’s kind and pure. There’s no way she’d do something like this—there has to be a misunderstanding.
Alison, still focused on the footage, finally noticed something. Right before Maura fell into the pool, the two had been talking. She latched onto this, believing she’d found something incriminating about Aurora, and loudly declared, “Aurora did it on purpose. You definitely said something nasty to Maura. I clearly know your type—country hicks are all foul-mouthed and love to stir up trouble. You must’ve insulted Maura, and she snapped and pushed you.” With that, she stamped her conclusion onto the situation.
The room was so small that even the students from classes A and F, standing just outside, overheard everything.
Maura felt a chill run down her spine. Her body was weak, but she stumbled toward the computer, her urgency barely concealed.
She saw herself approach Aurora, attempt to push her, fall into the pool instead, and Aurora jump in to pull her out. The footage was crystal clear—Maura had tried to shove Aurora into the water.
“But the part where Aurora grabbed my hair and shoved me underwater? Why isn’t it there? Why isn’t it showing up?” Maura thought.
Maura’s eyes widened in panic, her face paling as she shoved Damon aside, frantically scrubbing the progress bar back and forth. But no matter how many times she replayed it, all she could see were splashes of water, too blurry to make out Aurora’s hands.
Her shocked expression must have been obvious, as Alison, feeling a touch of pity, offered a lifeline. “Maura, did you… slip?”