Chapter 55

A surge of noise rippled through the audience seats as people caught wind of the chaos.

"Oh my goodness. That is absolutely wild! I find it hard to believe that anyone would actually have the nerve to mess around at school."

"You've got to be kidding me. This is disgusting!Hurry up, open that door-let's find out who's inside!"

Joyce's eyes gleamed.

She recalled Elissa's earlier promise to reveal Arabella's true nature for all to see.

Clearly,Elissa hadn't left anything to chance.

Outrage colored Joyce's voice as she made her way to the equipment room. "This is beyond inappropriate! Someone's behaving like this right in school?" she shouted for everyone to hear. "We need to get this door open and expose whoever's inside!"

Staff members, just as frustrated and unable to track down the key, joined Joyce's efforts.Several hands started pushing against the door,Joyce among them.

After a few tries, the lock finally started to loosen. One final push, and the door swung open,revealing the scene inside.

Tangled together and completely undressed,two people froze in shock as the door burst open.

"Ah!"

The unexpected entrance left the two of them staring in wide-eyed disbelief, their faces clearly showing just how rattled they were.

Neither face was familiar, except the girl, whose head was pressed into the man's chest.

"Daisy!" Joyce called out, her voice crackling with false outrage while her eyes sparkled with vindication. "Honestly, do you have any decency left? First, you tried to steal my boyfriend, and now you're turning the school's anniversary into a scandal!"

The outburst quickly drew a crowd.

"No way. That's really Daisy?"

"Sure, she's attractive, but who'd imagine she'd be shameless enough to hook up in the equipment room?"

"My eyes-why did I have to see that?"

"I used to feel sorry for Daisy when she got bullied,but now... maybe she deserved it. If this goes public, it'll drag our school through the mud."

For the girls, especially, whatever sympathy they had left for Daisy was wiped away by disgust.

Their own reputations felt at risk simply for being students here.

Stunned silence gripped most of the crowd, but Joyce wasn't finished. She squared her shoulders,her voice ringing out. "Daisy, you slut!You've just ruined the entire anniversary celebration!"

Intent on humiliating the girl inside, Joyce strode forward, ready to drag her out into the open for everyone to see.

"Were you searching for me?" A voice rang out behind her.

Joyce froze, as if struck by a jolt of electricity.Her head turned slowly, eyes wide, to find Arabella smiling in the middle of the crowd.

"Who knew you missed me so much, Joyce?"Arabella called out, her words dripping with amusement. "You really couldn't wait even a few minutes before you came looking."

A ripple of surprise swept through the students,quickly followed by a wave of guilt.

"It's not Daisy. Stop trying to blame her, Joyce."Kaitlyn's voice cut through the whispers.

Murmurs of agreement rose around them. "Yeah,that's enough. Why keep picking on Daisy?Being pretty isn't a crime."

"But if that's not Daisy, then who's in there?"someone wondered aloud.

Curiosity buzzed in the air.

The staff intervened, separating the tangled

pair. Within seconds, everyone caught sight of the girl's face.

"Wait-Elissa?" came a shocked gasp from the crowd.

Disbelief washed over Joyce as she stared at the scene, her confidence unraveling.

"This can't be right... Elissa?" she muttered,stumbling backward in shock.

Nearby, Kenny could hardly hide the mix of disbelief and pain flickering in his eyes.

Elissa's dazed expression changed as she realized all eyes were glued to her. Once awareness hit, she glanced down,saw her nakedness, and shrieked. Desperately, she grabbed for anything to cover herself before bolting behind the equipment.

"So Elissa was the one caught red-handed? No one saw that coming."

"For someone who always acted above it all,she sure isn't shy in private."

"Honestly, I never realized Elissa had such a body."

With opinions quickly shifting,even the few who had defended Elissa after her last scandal began to look away in disgust.

"That's revolting, Elissa! How could you sink so low?"

"Right-are you trying to destroy the dance department's reputation for good?"

Insults piled on. Embarrassment, anger, and dizziness nearly overwhelmed Elissa as she struggled to stay upright in the middle of itall.