DON’T STOP (Lila and Darrell) novel Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Bella

I stood up abruptly, my legs shaky. The concrete was freezing ander my bare feet.

“I need to think.” I said.

“Bella-

“I’m fine.” Lie. “Just… go home. Please. I need to be alone.”

He stood too, looking helpless. “I don’t want to leave you like this.”

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“I know.” I touched his cheek, softly. “But I need space. I’ll call you when the sun rises. Promise”

He searched my face, then nodded slowly. Kissed my forehead long and lingering, like he was afraid it might be the last time.

Then he walked away, footsteps echoing down the stairs until the night swallowed him.

I stayed on the ledge a long time after he left.

The campus was quiet except for the distant hum of traffic somewhere far off. My phone buzzed once, probably another worried text from him, but I didn’t check.

Instead, I opened the grade portal again.

Advanced Literary Theory-Prof. D. Black

Final Grade: F

I stared at it until it blurred.

Then I closed the app.

And in the dark, with no one around to hear, I made a decision. I wouldn’t go to class this morning.

Instead, I would go straight to his office very early, before the building even stirred, before anyone else could interrupt.

I was going to beg if I had to.

I was going to cry if that’s what it took.

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I would do whatever he wanted, whatever it took to make him change that F. Even if it meant settling for a D. Even if it meant crossing every line I’d ever drawn for myself.

Because if he refused… if he looked at me with those cold blue eyes and told me no, that my future was already over. I would kill myself; no, I would stab myself with the knife right in his face, ending my miserable life in his office and leaving him with nothing but guilt for the rest of his life.

I slipped back into the room as quietly as I could, easing the door shut behind me. The hallway light cut off when the latch clicked, leaving everything in soft shadows except for the faint glow from Lara’s phone screen.

She was sitting up in bed now, propped against the pillows, knees drawn to her chest. Her eyes flicked up immediately.

Chapter 48

PPP

carly, she whisprsed…

“Hey,” I managed back, barely audible.

I could feel her staring as I crossed the room. She seemed to be really watching me, not just glancing. I dropped onto my bed without bothering to pull the covers over myself, staring up at the ceiling tiles. My skin still prickled from the cold outside, but the real chill was deeper.

Lara didn’t speak right away. She just kept looking. I sighed, long and tired.

“Are you alright?” she finally asked, voice gentle.

I rolled onto my side to face her and forced a small smile. “Do I look that bad?”

“No, not at all” She hesitated, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m just… you seem off. And I saw your results in the portal. You got an F in Mr. Black’s course.”

I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached. “Oh well.”

“So… will it affect your scholarship?”

The question cracked something open inside me. My throat tightened, eyes burning all over again. “Yeah,” I whispered. “It will.”

Lara let out a soft breath. “So what are you going to do?”

I shrugged, shoulders heavy. “I don’t know. I’m planning to beg Mr. Black.”

“Mr. Black?” Her eyebrows shot up. “The same Mr. Black? The one who literally never smiles, never bends the rules, never even looks sympathetic? He won’t even want to see you, let alone listen.”

“Then what should I do?” My voice broke on the last word. Tears spilled over before I could stop them, hot and fast down my cheeks. “I don’t know how to fix this mess. I don’t want my mom overthinking because of me. I promised her. I tried so hard. But this is what I get? What am I supposed to do now?”

The sobs came harder, chest heaving. I curled in on myself, arms wrapped tight around my knees like that could hold everything together.

Lara was across the room in seconds. She climbed onto my bed and pulled me into her arms without hesitation. “k’s okay,” she murmured, rubbing slow circles on my back. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” I choked out against her shoulder. “It’s my fault.”

She eased back just enough to look at me. “Your fault? What do you mean?”

I swallowed hard, wiping at my face with the sleeve of my T-shirt. The memory burned fresh all over again.

“I embarrassed him in class,” I said quietly. “A couple of weeks ago. He asked me to connect his laptop to the projector-said his cable wasn’t working. So I did. But when the screen came up… a message popped up. From his fiancée. It was… explich Really explicit.”

Lara’s eyes widened.

“I should’ve closed it immediately. I know that. But I was curious. Shocked, maybe. I scrolled. Just a little. Reading. And then- I realized-the whole class could see it. Because his laptop was already mirrored to the big screen. Everyone read it. The whole room went dead silent.”

8:22 amp pp

Chapter 48

ang covered her ath with her hand.

“When he noticed…I trailed off, veice cracking again. “He was furious. Face red, jaw locked. He shut everything down fast, but the damage was done. After class he pulled me aside and said, very quietly and very coldly. You’ll regret this, Miss Sunday*

I pressed my palms to my eyes, trying to stop the tears: “My curiosity finally killed me. Literally That F wasn’t random. I was revenge. And now everything’s falling apar because I couldn’t mind my own business.”

“Damn,” Lara breathed, eyes wide. “That’s huge.”

“I know, right?” I said softly, dropping my gaze to the rumpled sheets between us. My voice came out smaller than I wanted. “I apologized to him right after class in the hallway. I thought he’d let it go. I mean; it’s been three months. Nothing happened. No snide comments, no extra assignments, no weird vibes. I actually started to relax. Maybe he just forgot. Or maybe he really did fail me intentionally.” I let out a shaky laugh that didn’t sound like one. “Gosh, I don’t even know anymore.”

Lara exhaled slowly through her nose, the sound heavy in the quiet room. “Whether he did it intentionally or not, you still failed. And we have to do something about it. We can’t just sit here.”

“Like what?” I rubbed my temples, head throbbing. “My brain is completely fried. And you’re right. He won’t even want to see me. He’ll probably tell me to make an appointment that he’ll ‘forget’ to keep or just stare at rae with that look until I leave in shame.”

Lara swallowed, then shifted closer on the bed. “Look at me, Bella.”

I lifted my head. Her expression was serious… more serious than I’d seen in months. Not pitying. Determined.

“I have an idea,” she said quietly. “It might help. To be honest… it’s helped me once before. Right here, in this school.”

My heart gave a curious thud. “What is it?”

She hesitated for half a second, glancing toward the door like she was making sure no one could overhear. Then she leaned in, voice dropping to a near-whisper.

“I’m about to tell you a secret. So you’d better promise to keep it—really keep it. No matter what happens next. And you have to swear you’ll do it right if you decide to try.”

I searched her face. Whatever this was, it wasn’t casual roommate advice This was the kind of thing people buried

“Sure,” I said, nodding slowly. “I promise.”

She held my gaze for a long beat, like she was weighing my words. Then she let out a small breath and spoke.

“Okay. Listen carefully.”