Morning in Maplewood was never this heavy.
The sun shone outside, but the corridors, the dorms, the entire atmosphere seemed wrapped in thick, suffocating clouds of tension.
Inside their dorm, Lemon, Riley, Hazel, Autumn, Scarlett, and Evelyn sat quietly.
Normally, their mornings were filled with chatter, teasing, laughter.
Today, the air was stiff and cold.
Evelyn sat at the corner of her bed, hugging her knees, her face pale, her eyes hollow from crying all night.
The others were getting ready, trying to act normal, but it was obvious — nothing was normal anymore.
When they walked to class, they could feel it.
The weight of everyone's stares.
The whispers.
The judgment.
At first, they tried to ignore it.
They kept their heads down and walked straight into the lecture hall.
But even inside, it didn't stop.
Students deliberately turned in their seats to look at Evelyn.
Some giggled cruelly, some whispered loud enough for them to hear.
"That's her, right? The one who killed Alisha?"
"I heard she threatened her before...gosh, why isn't she arrested already?"
"How can she sit here like nothing happened?"
Evelyn sat stiffly between Riley and Autumn, her hands trembling in her lap.
Lemon clenched her jaw so hard it hurt.
Scarlett was already glaring at everyone who dared to speak.
Hazel looked ready to explode.
The class began, but none of them were paying attention.
The only thing Lemon could hear was the pounding of her heart and the rising anger inside her.
Finally, after what felt like forever, the lecture ended.
They hurried back to their dorm.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Evelyn broke down.
"I didn't kill her!" she cried out, her voice cracking with emotion.
"I swear on everything, I didn't! Why are they looking at me like I'm some monster?! I was with you all! You all know I didn't do it!!"
Her whole body was shaking, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Riley immediately hugged her tightly.
"We know, Evelyn, we know. We're with you," she said softly.
Scarlett knelt in front of her, grabbing her hand.
"You're not alone. We believe you. Always."
Hazel wiped her tears away roughly, trying to be strong.
"Those idiots can talk all they want. We KNOW you didn't do it. Screw them all."
Autumn sat beside her, patting her back gently.
"Don't listen to them. They're just scared and stupid. The real killer is out there, not you."
Lemon sat beside Evelyn and whispered:
"You're one of us. We fight together. We survive together."
They sat like that for a long time, letting Evelyn cry out her pain, surrounding her with their silent, fierce support.
Later, when Evelyn finally calmed down and fell asleep from exhaustion, Lemon quietly slipped her phone out and messaged Leon everything.
About the morning.
About the accusations.
About Evelyn's breakdown.
Leon's reply came fast:
"I'm coming tomorrow. No arguments."
The next day, Maplewood felt the same — heavy, suffocating.
Classes were meaningless.
All anyone cared about was the murder, the rumors, the whispers.
At noon, Leon arrived.
He met Lemon outside the dorm with Hazel and Scarlett by her side.
His face was serious, and his eyes softened when he saw Lemon's tired, stressed expression.
"You okay?" he asked, gently.
Lemon nodded stiffly.
"Evelyn's in the room. Autumn and Riley are with her," she said.
Leon sighed deeply, running a hand through his messy hair.
"Let's talk for a bit," he said.
They were about to walk towards a quieter spot when suddenly, loud, snide voices caught their attention.
"I'm telling you, she's the one! That Evelyn girl killed Alisha! She's crazy! She should be arrested! She'll kill us too next!"
A group of girls sat nearby, laughing mockingly, looking directly at Lemon and her friends.
Something inside Lemon snapped.
Before anyone could stop her, Lemon marched up to the nearest girl — a sneering brunette — and punched her hard across the face.
The crack echoed loudly.
The girl stumbled back, clutching her cheek, gasping in shock.
"Say it again, you BITCH!" Lemon screamed, her voice raw with fury.
"Say one more word and I'll fucking break your jaw!!"
The whole courtyard went silent.
Everyone turned to stare.
Leon moved fast, grabbing Lemon from behind, wrapping his arms around her tightly, pulling her back.
"Lemon, stop! It's not worth it!" he whispered in her ear, struggling to calm her down.
Scarlett and Hazel quickly rushed over, shocked.
"I'll take care of her," Leon said firmly.
"You two go back to Evelyn."
They nodded hesitantly and left.
Leon led Lemon to a bench under a tree, away from everyone's eyes.
He made her sit down, still holding her shoulders gently.
"Are you crazy?! Punching someone in front of half the school?!" Leon said, trying to sound angry but failing miserably. His eyes were full of concern.
Lemon's chest was heaving, tears threatening to spill.
"I couldn't take it anymore... They kept saying such horrible things... Evelyn didn't do anything...I hate them, Leon. I HATE them!"
Leon sat beside her, pulling her into a side hug.
"I know...I know you're angry. I'm angry too," he said quietly.
"But you can't lose yourself like that, Lemon. You're stronger than this. You have to be strong...for Evelyn. For yourself."
Lemon buried her face in his shoulder, letting out a shaky breath.
"It's too much sometimes..." she whispered.
"Everything...these murders...the accusations...the fear..."
Leon rubbed her back slowly, calming her.
"You're not alone," he said gently.
"You have all of them. And you have me. Always."
They sat there in silence for a while, letting the breeze wash over them, letting the anger, pain, and fear slowly drain away.
Finally, Leon pulled away slightly.
"I have to go now. I have some work. But...if you ever need me, just call. Day or night," he said, smiling softly.
Lemon nodded, wiping her eyes.
"Bye, Leon," she said quietly.
"Bye, Lemon. Stay strong."
He squeezed her hand once before walking away.
Lemon watched him go, feeling a little stronger, a little steadier.
That night, the girls turned off the lights early.
They all needed rest.
They all needed to pretend, just for a few hours, that life was normal.
The dorm was silent except for the soft breathing of six tired girls.
Lemon lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Her heart was heavy, but there was a fire inside her now.
"Innocent people are getting blamed while the real monster walks free..." she thought bitterly.
She clenched her jaw.
"Enough is enough."
Just as she was about to close her eyes, she heard a faint noise.
A soft sliding sound.
Lemon sat up instantly, alert.
A piece of paper had been slipped under their door.
Heart pounding, she got out of bed and picked it up.
The paper was rough, crumpled, the handwriting jagged and scratchy.
The message read:
"Stop digging or suffer the same fate."
Lemon's hands trembled slightly as she read the words.
She swallowed hard, looking around at her sleeping friends.
The real nightmare had just begun.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps in the hallway.
Someone was outside.
Lemon's breath caught in her throat, her pulse racing. She stepped toward the door, cautiously, and slowly twisted the knob.
She opened it with care, peeking out into the empty hallway.
It was completely deserted.
No one was there.
A shiver ran down her spine.
It didn't make sense.
Lemon stood there for a few moments, frozen in place, feeling her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
Was someone watching her? Had they slipped the note in?
Shaking her head, she finally closed the door and walked back into the room, sitting down on the edge of her bed. She stared at the note for a long time.
Her hands still trembled as she placed it in her drawer, trying to push back the fear that clawed at her chest.
She lay back down, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself. But the thought of someone lurking, someone knowing, someone who wasn't just going to let things go...
She couldn't escape it.
The night was far from over.