Chapter 742
Chapter 742:
Time stretched on, so long that her skin wrinkled under the steady stream of water. Eventually, she stepped out of the bathroom. The dorm room was eerily still, her roommates gone for the break, leaving her alone in the quiet.
Relief washed over Bonita at the thought of her roommates being away. They would have grilled her about everything, and she wasn’t in the mood to answer their endless questions. After all, she was known for her unwavering support of Neal, always watching his live streams and hyping him up to anyone who’d listen. Her roommates were well aware of her obsession.
Bonita grabbed her phone again, opening Neal’s chat window. The last message she sent still lingered there: a simple “Where are you?” She paused, her fingers hovering over the keys. Thoughts swirled in her mind as she typed and deleted, typed and deleted, before finally settling on, “Want to have dinner together tomorrow?” Just as her thumb hovered over the send button, the dreaded notification appeared: Neal had blocked her.
The rejection hit her like a heavy weight. It felt as though an impenetrable door had slammed shut in Bonita’s face, leaving her on the other side, locked out.
Exhaustion washed over her, and instead of retreating to the comfort of her bed, she collapsed onto her desk, barely aware of her surroundings.
Time passed in a blur until a soft knock echoed at her door.
With sluggish effort, Bonita pushed herself up from the desk and made her way to the door, only to find Fernanda standing there, an unexpected presence.
“I just got back, so I came to check on you,” Fernanda said gently, her voice a soothing comfort amidst the chaos.
Bonita’s first words tumbled out before she could stop them. “Did you find Neal?”
Fernanda shook her head. “No. None of us can reach him.”
A wave of panic gripped Bonita as she clutched Fernanda’s arm, her voice trembling with distress. “What if something’s happened to him? I’m so scared… I can’t even reach him. He blocked me!”
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 @ gⳑ𝗮𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝗍𝖊𝗅𝘴﹒𝖼𝗈𝗺
Fernanda’s brow furrowed in surprise. She hadn’t expected Neal to take such an extreme step.
“Don’t worry,” Fernanda reassured her quickly, her tone calm but firm. “Neal’s not a child. He’s in his twenties and knows how to handle things. I’ll go look for him tomorrow, and I’ll update you as soon as I can.”
“But what if this is too much for him? He’s so proud. Why did his father have to show up now? I didn’t know that man was his father. If I had… If only I had known…”
Fernanda interrupted, her words firm yet comforting. “Stop torturing yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong. Regardless of who that man is, he’s the one in the wrong. You were right to stand up for yourself. Bonita, don’t blame yourself for what’s happened.”
Late into the night, Fernanda had come to Bonita’s room, worried about her well-being.
Bonita had always been compassionate, especially toward Neal, but she carried the weight of responsibility far too heavily on her shoulders.
Bonita wiped her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. Her voice cracked as she nodded. “I understand. But when you go tomorrow… could you take me with you?”
Fernanda gently pulled out a tissue and wiped away the tears on Bonita’s face, her voice soft and kind. “It’s probably better if I go alone. You might make things more complicated. He cares so much about what you think, and after yesterday… the last thing he probably wants is to see you.”
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