BAD INFLUENCE
Bad Influence – Episode 13&14
(•Tainting Her Innocence•)
GENRE: College romance
By, Mide L.
✧༺✰༻✧ ✧༺✰༻✧ ✧༺✰༻✧
✮{…BRIELLE…}✮
HILLSWORTH COLLEGE*
Hailey stepped into the hallway of Block C, her suitcase rolling behind her as she made her way to Room 209. Her heart pounded, not from fear though, but from the sheer weight of her decision. She had finally left Cecilia’s house for good.
She reached the door and turned the knob and this time around, it was not locked.
Stepping inside, she immediately frowned as a thick cloud of smoke hit her face. The scent was strong, suffocating, making her cough slightly. Her gaze landed on a girl lounging on her bed, a cigarette between her fingers as she exhaled another plume of smoke into the already hazy air.
WHAT DA HELL!!!
Across the room, another girl sat at her study desk, glasses perched on her nose as she read, seemingly unbothered by the heavy smoke filling the space.
Before Hailey could say a word, the bathroom door creaked open, and a third girl stepped out, towel wrapped around her damp hair. She barely spared Hailey a glance before smirking.
“Roomies, seems our fourth roommate is here, she finally decided to show up”
Hailey tightened her grip on the strap of her bag, her stomach twisting at the hostility laced in the girl’s tone. She was already exhausted from dealing with Cecilia…now this?
The girl on the bed let out a slow chuckle, tapping ash into an empty soda can.
“Guess we should welcome her, huh?”
The girl with the glasses sighed, finally looking up.
“Can you guys keep it down? Some of us actually came here to study”
Hailey exhaled sharply, dropping her bag on the only available bed which is for her obviously. She wasn’t in the mood for drama, but something told her she’d just walked into another mess.
The girl smoking on her bed stretched out her legs, tilting her head as she inspected Hailey.
“So you’re finally moving in, about time”
Hailey’s jaw clenched. “And you are…?”
“Riley,and you?”
“Hailey”
“Cute. Hope you don’t mind a little smoke now and then” Riley said.
Before Hailey could respond, the girl who had just stepped out of the bathroom walked over, arms crossed.
“I’m Nia. And don’t worry, you’ll get used to Riley’s bad habits” She shot Riley a teasing look.
“Or not” she added.
Riley rolled her eyes.
“You love me and you know it”
The third girl, the one with glasses, finally shut her book with a sigh. She pulled off her glasses, rubbing her temples before giving Hailey a tired glance.
“Ava and welcome, I guess. Just don’t be too loud, and we’ll get along fine”
Hailey nodded slowly, taking in the group.
“Alright” Hailey muttered, glancing around.
“I guess I’ll just… settle in”
Riley smirked. “Good. Just don’t expect a warm, fuzzy welcome, princess. We’re not exactly the hugging type”
Hailey ignored her, focusing on unpacking. Whatever this was, she’d deal with it. Anything was better than living under Cecilia’s roof.
Nia, still in her towel, rummaged through her wardrobe before pulling out a dangerously short skirt and a tight crop top to wear.
Riley smirked.
“Damn, Nia. Trying to get someone to fall at your feet tonight?”
“Isn’t that the goal?” Nia shot back, adjusting her top. She ran a brush through her hair before grabbing a perfume bottle, spritzing herself with an intoxicating scent.
Hailey watched silently, pretending to focus on her unpacking.
Riley stretched, standing up. Her oversized shirt barely covered anything, and she didn’t seem to care. She pulled on knee-high boots and ran a hand through her messy, dark waves.
“We’re heading out” Riley announced lazily, glancing at Hailey.
Nia winked. “Try not to miss us too much”
With that, the two walked out, leaving the door slightly ajar.
Hailey let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She turned her attention to Ava, who was already back to reading, completely unaffected by the chaos.
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Then Ava, without looking up, muttered, “Welcome to Block C, room 209. You’re going to need patience”
Hailey sighed, flopping on her bed. “I figured”
•••
XAVIER’S PLACE*
Xavier stood in front of the mirror, buttoning up his black shirt, his jaw set in irritation. He hated mornings. He hated lectures even more. But this one… this one was different.
Sliding a silver ring on his finger, he reached for his lighter when the front door creaked open.
His eyes snapped toward the entrance, his mood instantly souring.
A small figure stepped inside… a little girl, no older than five, her tiny hand clutching the fingers of the woman beside her.
Xavier’s entire body went rigid. His grip on the lighter tightened.
The woman’s eyes were cautious, her stance hesitant, but the little girl… she just stared up at him with wide, curious eyes.
His stomach twisted with something dark and ugly.
“How dare you come here?” He asked and the woman flinched, her hold on the child tightening.
“Xavier, I—”
“Get out” He calmly said and she swallowed hard, that tone was vert dangerous.
“Your parents—”
Something inside him snapped immediately.
His vision blurred with fury as he slammed a fist against the nearest surface, the loud thud making the little girl jump. The woman took a step back, but she didn’t run.
“Don’t. Don’t you dare say a word about them”
The woman’s lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze flickering with something…guilt?
He turned away, snatching his phone from the table.
“You have five seconds to walk out, or I’ll make you”
The little girl clutched the woman’s dress. “Mommy…”
Xavier refused to look at her.
The woman hesitated for a moment longer, then exhaled sharply. Without another word, she turned, leading the child back out the door.
The moment it shut, Xavier let out a breath, his fingers running through his hair in frustration.
His morning was already ruined.
And the lecture he was supposed to attend? Suddenly, it didn’t feel so important anymore.
•••
LECTURE HALL•
Hailey stepped into the large lecture hall, her bag slung over her shoulder as she scanned the room. The chatter of students filled the space, but the moment she walked in, a few heads turned.
She knew why.
Her face burned as she ignored the looks, keeping her eyes ahead. She didn’t need to hear what they were saying to know they were still talking about what happened last night.
“Hailey! Over here!”
Jessa called and Hailey’s eyes snapped to where she was sitting, right beside Asher smiled at her.
Relieved, Hailey quickly made her way toward them. But as she walked past a group of students, she could feel their stares. Some were outright glaring.
* What’s her deal with Xavier?
*Did you see how he dragged her off last night?
*He burned Asher’s jacket just because she wore it. Crazy.
Hailey bit the inside of her cheek and kept moving.
She sank into the seat Jessa had saved for her, exhaling a little too loudly.
“Ignore them” Jessa muttered, rolling her eyes as she leaned closer.
“People are nosy as hell”
“Yeah” Hailey mumbled, avoiding Asher’s gaze.
“Asher, I’m so sorry about your jacket” she muttered but he shrugged it off.
“It’s fine. It’s not your fault but that bastard” be gritted his teeth.
The sound of someone tapping a marker against the whiteboard drew everyone’s attention.
“Alright, listen up!” The class rep, a tall guy stood at the front, arms crossed.
“Professor Dawson just informed me that today’s lecture is canceled”
For a second, there was silence. Then…
“Yes!” A few students cheered, already packing up their bags.
“Are you serious?” Someone groaned from the back.
“I skipped my precious sleep for this?”
“This is the third time he’s canceled” another student muttered.
“Why does he even bother scheduling classes?”
Jessa leaned back in her chair, stretching.
“Well, that’s my cue to go back to sleep” she said and Asher chuckled.
Hailey exhaled, relieved that she wouldn’t have to sit through class with all the attention on her. Maybe now, she could slip away before anyone else decided to start whispering again.
“Let’s get something to eat first” Asher suggested.
Hailey, Jessa, and Asher walked out side by side the hallway. Out of nowhere, something cold and thick splattered over her head.
She gasped, her entire body going rigid as the heavy liquid soaked her clothes, dripping down her face and on the floor beneath her. The sharp, acrid smell hit her instantly…paint.
A few droplets had landed on Asher’s sleeve, but Hailey had taken the full hit.
She could hear students laughing at her instead of pitying her.
Hailey blinked, stunned, her breath catching in her throat as she wiped at her face, smearing the paint further.
And then she heard the voice.
“Welcome to Hillsworth College, hunny”
Brielle.
Standing just before them , Brielle smirked, arms folded, with two of her friends snickering beside her.
With a satisfied glance at Hailey’s ruined appearance, Brielle flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked away.
Jessa was the first to react.
“What the actual hell?” she snapped, taking a furious step forward before spinning back to Hailey.
Asher jaw clenched, grabbed a napkin from his bag and tried to wipe some of the paint off her shoulder.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
Hailey swallowed hard, forcing herself to breathe. She could feel every pair of eyes on her, watching, whispering, some even giggling behind their hands.
But she refused to cry. She has promised herself never to cry before anyone.
Jessa was already tugging at her wrist.
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up”
Hailey let herself be led away while Asher waited behind.
Inside the restroom, Jessa turned on the sink and handed Hailey a tissue.
“I swear, Brielle is such a nightmare. She’s been on your case since day one. Ugh, I should’ve thrown my drink at her”
Hailey gave a weak chuckle, dabbing at her face.
“That would’ve made it worse”
Jessa huffed. “Still worth it”
As Hailey tried to wash out the worst of the paint, Jessa leaned against the counter, watching her.
“So how are you going to do this now? Do you have an extra clothe with you or they are at home”
“Actually … I moved into the dorms this morning so yeah my clothes are in my dorm room”
Jessa’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Wait, for real?”
“Yeah” Hailey murmured, wringing water out of her hair.
Jesss watched Hailey clean up with her arms crossed. Despite the mess of paint, her beauty still stood out.
“You know, I’m actually kinda jealous of you”
Hailey paused mid-rinse, glancing at her through the mirror.
“Jealous? Of me?”
Jessa pouted. “Yeah. Even with paint dripping down your face, you still look annoyingly gorgeous. It’s unfair, really”
Hailey let out a small laugh, shaking her head.
“You’re ridiculous”
“No, seriously, If I were you, I’d use this face to get free stuff. Like, I don’t know, make some poor guy buy me snacks every day”
Hailey rolled her eyes playfully. “Not my style”
Jessa was about to reply when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, her face instantly hardening as she read the name on the screen…Brielle.
Her grip tightened, but she quickly angled the phone away before Hailey could see anything. Without opening the message, she locked the screen and shoved the phone back into her pocket, forcing a smile.
“Anyway” she said quickly, brushing off any suspicion.
“We need to get you out of these clothes. You can’t walk around like this”
“Yeah… I should probably go change”
Jessa clapped her hands together.
“Alright, I’m coming with you and i hope your roommates are cool”
Hailey wrung out the last bit of water from her hair and sighed, glancing at Jessa through the mirror.
“They’re… interesting” she finally said.
“Interesting how?”
Hailey grabbed a few more paper towels, dabbing at the wet spots on her shirt.
“One of them smokes like it’s her job, another barely acknowledges anyone, and the third acts like she owns the place”
“Sounds like a reality show waiting to happen”
Hailey let out a tired chuckle. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome, but it’s definitely not what I imagined”
“Well, if any of them give you trouble, just let me know. I’ll deal with them”
Hailey smiled. “I think I’ll be fine”
“Alright then, let’s get you changed. Lead the way, Miss Dorm Girl”
Hailey grabbed her bag and nodded. “Room 209. Let’s go”
With that, the two of them left the restroom.
As Hailey and Jessa walked toward the dorms, the last thing Hailey expected was to hear her name in a trembling, desperate voice.
“Hailey…”
Hailey’s breath caught in her throat as she stared down at Brielle, her cousin now kneeling before her, looking utterly miserable.
“Please, Hailey…Forgive me. Tell me you have… please”
Jessa’s mouth fell open.
“Okay, what the actual hell is going on?”
Brielle was trembling, her fingers clenching tightly around the fabric of Hailey’s shirt as if it was the only thing keeping her together.
This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t Brielle.
“Brielle…” Hailey forced herself to speak.
“Why are you…what happened to you?”
Brielle flinched but didn’t answer. Instead, she gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut as if she was in pain.
“Just say it, say you’ve forgiven me”
Hailey exchanged a worried glance with Jessa, whose expression was unreadable.
“Why should she?” Jessa scoffed.
“After everything you’ve done? The paint, the humiliation…”
“Jessa” Hailey interrupted.
Something about Brielle’s state unsettled her deeply, she’s still her cousin after all.
“Please, just say it. If you don’t…” She trailed off, her swollen lips trembling.
Jessa folded her arms. “If she doesn’t what?”
Brielle’s head snapped up, and for the first time, Hailey saw the sheer terror in her cousin’s eyes. It wasn’t guilt.
It wasn’t regret either.
It was fear.
“Brielle, who told you to do this?”
Brielle visibly stiffened, her grip tightening before she suddenly let go and scrambled to her feet.
“I have to go” she choked out.
“Brielle!” Hailey reached for her, but Brielle jerked away like she’d been burned.
“Just say it, Hailey” she whispered one last time, before turning on her heel and practically running away.
Hailey stood frozen, confused as hell.
Jessa muttered under her breath. “Okay, that was beyond weird”
Brielle wasn’t acting out of guilt. She was acting out of fear.
And there was only one person Hailey could think of who could instill that kind of fear into her cousin.
Xavier.
Hailey’s fingers curled into fists.
What the hell had he done now?
___
💕TBC💕
