Chapter 12: Breaking Free
The dining hall was silent, the atmosphere thick with dread. The entire staff’s bodies shivered as they looked around, knowing that they were all doomed. They were all fired; their fates were sealed.
Naomi stormed into her room, the weight of the day pressing down on her. She desperately needed to escape this cruel place. Maybe going to the reverend school would have been better; at least it would bring her closer to God—not this life filled with suffocating expectations and unbearable pain. At least there, she’d have some semblance of purpose, some sense of relief from the crushing weight of her parents’ expectations.
She immediately grabbed her phone and locked the door behind her. With a trembling hand, she called Rose.
One ring. Two rings. Finally, Rose picked up.
"Hello? Naomi? How are you doing?" Rose’s voice was frantic. "What’s going on?"
"Rose, why are you—what happened?" Naomi struggled to catch up with her best friend’s rapid-fire questions. Her breath was shallow, her chest tight. She had to steady herself before speaking.
"Are you okay? I didn’t see you—"
"Rose, please, can you calm down? What’s going on?" Naomi interrupted, her heart racing in her chest, the sound pounding in her ears. She could feel herself unraveling, but she forced herself to take control.
"I saw the anonymous post!" Rose exclaimed.
Naomi raised an eyebrow. "What anonymous post?"
Her heart raced again, but this time, it was for an entirely different reason. The urgency in Rose’s voice sent a shiver down her spine.