Chapter 188

The drive to campus felt different this time.

Not easier.

Just heavier.

The previous afternoon had ended with administration informing them that a former student had agreed to cooperate with the investigation.

A former student who had originally declined.

A former student whose experience apparently mattered enough that the dean himself had personally called Abigail afterward.

Now they were on their way to meet her.

Neither Abigail nor Emma had talked much during the drive.

Both were thinking about the same thing.

What if her story sounded exactly like Abigail’s?

What if it didn’t?

What if this really was bigger than any of them realized?

The questions sat heavily between them as Emma pulled into a parking space outside the administration building.

“You okay?” Emma asked quietly.

Abigail stared out the window for a moment.

“No.”

Emma appreciated the honesty.

After everything that had happened, pretending felt pointless.

Emma reached over and squeezed her hand.

“We don’t have to do this alone.”

Abigail looked over at her and managed a small smile.

“I know.”

A few minutes later they were walking through the administration building once again.

The dean met them in the hallway.

“Thank you both for coming.”

Abigail nodded.

Emma offered a polite smile.

The dean led them toward a smaller conference room than usual.

“This isn’t a formal proceeding,” he explained as they walked.

“It’s just a conversation.”

A conversation.

Somehow that made Abigail more nervous.

The dean stopped outside the room.

Then opened the door.

And both Abigail and Emma froze.

Immediately.

Emma looked at Abigail.

Abigail looked at Emma.

Then both looked back into the room.

Because sitting at the conference table was someone they both recognized instantly.

Not because of the investigation.

Because she was famous.

Very famous.

Jade Monroe.

Award-winning singer.

Multi-platinum recording artist.

One of the biggest names in music.

Someone whose songs Abigail had listened to for years.

Someone who sold out arenas.

Someone who definitely wasn’t who she expected to see sitting inside an administration conference room.

The dean noticed their reactions.

“Surprised?”

“A little,” Emma admitted.

Jade laughed softly.

“I get that a lot.”

The tension in the room eased slightly.

Only slightly.

Because nobody forgot why they were actually there.

After introductions, everyone sat down.

For a moment nobody spoke.

Jade’s hands remained folded on top of the table.

The confident public persona Abigail had seen in interviews wasn’t there.

This version of Jade looked thoughtful.

Guarded.

Careful.

Almost nervous.

The dean gave her an encouraging nod.

“You can start wherever you’re comfortable.”

Jade was quiet for several seconds.

Then finally spoke.

“I almost didn’t come.”

The room remained silent.

“I almost ignored every call.”

She looked down briefly.

“I spent a long time convincing myself none of it mattered anymore.”

Abigail felt her stomach tighten.

Because she understood that feeling.

More than she wanted to.

Jade looked up.

Then directly at Abigail.

“Then they told me what happened to you.”

Silence.

“I knew exactly who they were talking about.”

The room became very still.

Jade leaned back slightly in her chair.

“When I came here, I was eighteen.”

Abigail’s chest tightened immediately.

“I was studying music.”

A small smile crossed Jade’s face.

“Back then I wasn’t famous.”

That earned a small laugh from Emma.

Jade smiled briefly.

Then it disappeared.

“Professor Shields was one of the first professors who took an interest in me.”

Abigail’s stomach dropped.

The similarities were beginning already.

Way too quickly.

“At first it felt nice.”

Jade’s voice remained calm.

Measured.

“She told me I was talented.”

Another similarity.

“She told me I had potential.”

Another.

“She told me I was special.”

Abigail looked down immediately.

Because she’d heard those same words.

Almost word for word.

Jade noticed.

Of course she did.

Because she’d seen that reaction before.

“Then she started showing up.”

The room fell silent.

Coffee shops.

Practice rooms.

Campus events.

Study spaces.

Hallways.

Parking lots.

The details changed.

The pattern didn’t.

Every story sounded familiar.

Painfully familiar.

Jade looked directly at Abigail.

“I kept telling myself I was imagining it.”

Abigail closed her eyes briefly.

Because she’d said those exact words.

Over and over.

For months.

Jade continued.

“There was one night that changed everything for me.”

The room grew quiet again.

“I was twenty.”

Another pause.

“I was out at a club with friends.”

The dean remained silent, allowing her to tell the story in her own words.

“I met a woman there.”

Jade laughed once, but there was no humor in it.

“At least I thought she was just some random woman.”

Abigail felt her stomach tighten.

“She had a wig on. Different colored contacts. Different clothes than I’d ever seen her wear.”

Jade shook her head slowly.

“I didn’t recognize her.”

The room became very still.

“We spent the evening together. We kissed. We talked. I thought I had met someone new.”

Emma’s jaw tightened.

Abigail already had a bad feeling about where this was going.

Jade looked up.

“The next morning I woke up naked in bed with her and realized it was Professor Shields.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

Even the dean looked stunned.

“I remember just sitting there staring at her because I couldn’t believe it.”

Jade swallowed hard.

“And she acted like it was normal.”

Abigail felt sick.

“Did she ever acknowledge who she was?” the dean asked quietly.

Jade nodded.

“Eventually.”

A bitter laugh escaped her.

“She told me she didn’t think I’d have talked to her if I’d known.”

Nobody in the room had a response to that.

Because they all understood what it meant.

The deception had been intentional.

Jade looked directly at Abigail.

“That’s when I started realizing some of the things she was doing weren’t normal.”

She leaned back in her chair.

“And once I started paying attention, I couldn’t stop seeing it.”

The way she showed up everywhere.

The way she always seemed to know where students were.

The way she pushed boundaries and then acted like it was harmless.

The way she made people question themselves before they questioned her.

The next hour felt like listening to an alternate version of Abigail’s own story.

Different names.

Different locations.

Different years.

Same behavior.

Same escalation.

Same discomfort.

Same self-doubt.

Same attempts to create distance.

Same refusal to respect boundaries.

With every story Jade shared, Abigail felt something inside her sinking lower.

Because she wasn’t listening to a coincidence.

She was listening to a pattern.

A pattern that stretched back years.

Years.

Then Jade said something that made the entire room go silent.

“I transferred.”

The dean looked up.

Emma’s expression changed.

Abigail stared at her.

Jade nodded slowly.

“I told everybody it was because my music career was taking off.”

A sad smile crossed her face.

“That wasn’t the whole reason.”

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

Because suddenly this wasn’t just about discomfort.

This wasn’t just about awkward interactions.

This wasn’t just about unwanted attention.

Someone had changed the course of their education because of it.

Emma felt sick.

Not because she doubted Jade.

Because she believed every word.

And while Jade spoke, another thought kept replaying in her head.

How did I miss this?

How many times had Abigail come home upset?

How many times had she mentioned Shields?

How many signs had Emma overlooked because she assumed it wasn’t that serious?

The guilt settled heavily in her chest.

Jade seemed to notice.

Because when she looked at Emma, her expression softened.

“This isn’t your fault.”

Emma blinked.

Jade smiled faintly.

“Trust me.”

A pause.

“I didn’t realize how bad it was either until I got away from it.”

The guilt didn’t disappear.

But it eased.

Just enough.

When the meeting finally ended, Jade stood.

Then looked directly at Abigail.

“I’m sorry this happened to you.”

Abigail swallowed hard.

“Thank you for coming.”

Jade smiled softly.

“No.”

Her eyes shifted toward the investigation files.

“Thank you for speaking up.”

And somehow that hit harder than anything else she’d said all day.

The dean gathered a few folders while Emma and Abigail stood.

The tension that had filled the room for most of the meeting had eased slightly.

Not gone.

But lighter.

Before anyone could leave, Jade looked back at Abigail.

“Can I tell you something?”

Abigail nodded.

“Sure.”

Jade smiled.

“I’ve heard a lot about you around the music scene.”

Abigail blinked.

“You have?”

“Absolutely.”

Jade folded her arms across her chest.

“Abigail Carter. The next big musician. Songwriter. Maybe even producer.”

Abigail immediately laughed.

“Okay, now I know you’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not.”

Jade pointed at her.

“See? That’s exactly why people like you.”

Emma looked entirely too proud standing beside Abigail.

“She’s talented.”

Abigail rolled her eyes.

“You’re biased.”

“Very.”

That earned a laugh from everyone.

Jade’s expression softened.

“I’m serious, though.”

Abigail stopped smiling.

Jade continued.

“Once all of this is over, if you’re interested, I’d love to take you to one of the studios I work out of.”

Abigail stared at her.

“What?”

Jade shrugged.

“Show you a few things. Introduce you to some people.”

Emma’s eyebrows shot up.

The dean looked amused.

Jade smiled.

“Maybe even work with you.”

For a second Abigail genuinely thought she had heard her wrong.

“You’re serious?”

“Completely serious.”

Abigail looked at Emma.

Emma looked just as shocked as she felt.

“I…”

Abigail laughed nervously.

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

Jade smiled.

“Good.”

A few moments later both women exchanged phone numbers.

Abigail looked down at the contact now sitting in her phone.

Jade Monroe.

It still felt unreal.

Jade slipped her own phone back into her pocket.

Then looked at Abigail.

“And I mean it.”

Abigail looked up.

“If you ever need to talk, call me.”

Jade smiled.

“Same goes for you.”

Abigail laughed.

“You probably have people calling you twenty-four hours a day.”

Jade grinned.

“Maybe.”

Then she winked.

“But I always have my phone on me.”

Abigail laughed.

“Always?”

“Always.”

Jade started toward the door before glancing back one last time.

“I always have my phone on me.”

A pause.

“Even on stage.”

That finally got a genuine laugh out of Abigail.

The first real laugh she’d had all day.

And as Jade disappeared down the hallway, Abigail found herself feeling something she hadn’t felt much lately.

Hope.

Not because the investigation was over.

It wasn’t.

Not even close.

But for the first time since all of this began, it felt like something good might come out of the other side of it.

The drive home felt lighter than the drive there.

Not because the investigation was over.

It wasn’t.

Not even close.

But for the first time since this entire nightmare started, Abigail felt like she could finally see beyond it.

She spent most of the drive staring out the window while Emma drove.

Every now and then she would glance down at her phone.

Still half convinced she’d somehow imagined the entire conversation with Jade Monroe.

The contact was still there.

Jade Monroe.

Abigail shook her head.

Emma smiled.

“You’ve looked at that contact at least fifteen times.”

“I have not.”

“You absolutely have.”

“Okay maybe ten.”

Emma laughed.

By the time they pulled into the driveway, Abigail felt something she hadn’t felt in weeks.

Excitement.

Real excitement.

Not about the investigation.

About her future.

The moment they walked through the front door, Ashley looked up from the couch.

“Well?”

Megan looked up too.

“What happened?”

Abigail dropped her bag near the door.

Emma immediately disappeared into the kitchen to grab water.

Ashley pointed dramatically.

“No. Sit down.”

Emma laughed.

“She’s serious.”

“I am serious.”

Megan nodded.

“We’ve been waiting all day.”

Abigail looked around the room.

Then smiled.

“Actually…”

That got everyone’s attention.

She pointed at the couch.

“You three sit down.”

Ashley blinked.

“Oh.”

Megan looked confused.

Emma narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“What are you planning?”

“Just sit.”

A few moments later all three of them were sitting across from Abigail in the living room.

Ashley looked like she was preparing for a presidential announcement.

Megan looked amused.

Emma looked cautious.

Abigail took a deep breath.

Then smiled.

“Okay.”

The room went quiet.

“I’ve made a decision.”

Ashley immediately leaned forward.

“Oh this is serious.”

Abigail nodded.

“It is.”

Emma’s attention sharpened.

Abigail looked around at all three of them.

Then spoke.

“I want to learn the music industry.”

Nobody interrupted.

“I want to learn how to produce.”

Another pause.

“I want to get back into my songwriting.”

Emma smiled immediately.

“And?”

Abigail smiled wider.

“And I want to be a performer.”

The room stayed silent for exactly two seconds.

Then—

“FINALLY.”

Ashley practically shouted it.

Megan started laughing.

Emma looked like she wanted to cry.

Abigail laughed.

“What?”

“What do you mean what?” Ashley said. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that forever.”

Megan nodded.

“Me too.”

Emma smiled softly.

“I think it’s a great idea.”

Abigail looked around at them.

All three looked completely supportive.

Not hesitant.

Not doubtful.

Supportive.

And somehow that meant everything.

Then Abigail turned toward Emma.

“I need something from you.”

Emma immediately sat up straighter.

“What?”

Abigail pointed at her.

“I need you to be my manager.”

Emma blinked.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Ashley immediately lost it.

Megan laughed.

Emma looked genuinely shocked.

“Your manager?”

“Yes.”

Abigail nodded confidently.

“Because Megan can’t do it.”

Megan pointed at herself.

“Correct.”

“She’s going to make it to the WNBA.”

Megan grinned.

“I like this plan already.”

Abigail pointed toward Ashley.

“And Ashley can’t do it.”

Ashley gasped dramatically.

“Rude.”

“Because you’re going to be a famous artist.”

Ashley immediately smiled.

“Continue.”

Abigail looked back at Emma.

“So that leaves you.”

Emma stared at her.

Then smiled.

One of those soft smiles she only reserved for Abigail.

“Of course I’ll be your manager.”

Abigail smiled immediately.

Emma pointed at herself.

“No one is going to take care of you better than me.”

Ashley groaned.

“Oh my God.”

Emma ignored her.

“I’ll take business classes if I have to.”

Megan laughed.

“You actually would.”

“I absolutely would.”

Abigail reached over and squeezed Emma’s hand.

“I know.”

For a moment the room grew quiet.

Comfortable.

Warm.

Then Abigail pointed at Megan.

“Also.”

Megan immediately pointed back.

“Also.”

“When you get drafted.”

Megan grinned.

“When.”

“Yes, when.”

The grin widened.

“I need courtside seats.”

Megan laughed.

“Deal.”

Then she pointed at Abigail.

“But only if I get VIP passes.”

Abigail held out her hand immediately.

“Deal.”

They shook on it.

Ashley laughed.

“This is the most expensive friendship agreement I’ve ever witnessed.”

Abigail turned toward her.

“And you.”

Ashley immediately pointed at herself.

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

Ashley sat up straighter.

“What about me?”

Abigail smiled.

“When it’s time for my first album…”

Ashley froze.

“I want you to design the cover.”

The room went silent.

Ashley blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then looked at Abigail.

“Really?”

“Really.”

Ashley looked genuinely emotional.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

For a moment she didn’t know what to say.

Then she smiled.

A real smile.

One that made Abigail realize how much that meant to her.

“I’d love that.”

Abigail nodded.

“Good.”

Then she looked around the room.

At Emma.

At Megan.

At Ashley.

The people who had become family.

The people who had stood beside her through every hard moment.

The people who had never let her face anything alone.

And suddenly she had another idea.

A ridiculous one.

But she loved it.

“My first album.”

The others looked at her.

“I want all of you on it.”

Ashley blinked.

“What?”

“I want everybody featured.”

Emma laughed.

“Megan doesn’t sing.”

“So?”

Megan pointed at Abigail.

“Thank you.”

Abigail shook her head.

“I don’t care.”

Ashley started laughing.

Emma joined her.

“I’m serious.”

Abigail smiled.

“If you’re singing, talking, laughing, telling a story…”

She pointed around the room.

“I want all of you on it.”

The room grew quiet.

Not because it was funny.

Because it wasn’t.

It was sincere.

Emma looked down briefly.

Megan smiled softly.

Ashley’s eyes suddenly looked suspiciously shiny.

And for a moment nobody spoke.

Then Abigail held out her hand.

Right in the middle of the group.

“What?” Ashley asked.

Abigail smiled.

“A pact.”

Megan immediately knew.

Emma did too.

Slowly Emma placed her hand on top of Abigail’s.

Then Megan added hers.

Then Ashley.

The four hands stacked together.

Four lives.

Four dreams.

Four futures.

Connected.

“No matter what happens,” Abigail said quietly.

The room went still.

“No matter where we end up.”

Emma squeezed her hand.

Megan nodded.

Ashley smiled.

“We stay family.”

A beat passed.

Then three voices answered together.

“Deal.”

Ashley stretched out across the couch dramatically.

“So.”

Abigail smiled.

“So?”

Ashley pointed at her.

“I feel like we’re missing something.”

Emma immediately knew.

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes.”

Megan looked confused.

“What are we missing?”

Ashley sat up.

“The famous person.”

Abigail blinked.

Then immediately started laughing.

“Oh.”

Ashley pointed again.

“Exactly.”

Megan looked between them.

“What famous person?”

Emma covered her face.

Because she already knew what was about to happen.

Abigail shook her head.

“I completely forgot to tell you.”

Ashley looked offended.

“You met a celebrity and forgot to tell us?”

“It was kind of a stressful day.”

“That’s not an excuse.”

Megan looked at Abigail.

“Who was it?”

Abigail smiled.

Then casually said—

“Jade Monroe.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

Megan blinked.

Ashley blinked.

Neither moved.

Neither spoke.

Then—

“BULL.”

Ashley practically yelled it.

Emma immediately started laughing.

Abigail nodded.

“I’m serious.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Ashley stood up.

“No.”

Emma laughed harder.

Megan was still processing.

“Jade Monroe?”

“The Jade Monroe?”

Abigail nodded.

“The Grammy-winning Jade Monroe?”

“Yep.”

“The sold-out-arena Jade Monroe?”

“Yep.”

“The impossible-to-get-a-ticket-for Jade Monroe?”

Abigail laughed.

“Still yes.”

Ashley immediately sat back down.

Hard.

“Okay. I need a minute.”

Megan looked completely stunned.

“Why is nobody leading with that information?”

Emma pointed at Abigail.

“That’s what I said.”

Abigail shrugged.

“There was a lot going on.”

Ashley looked offended again.

“A lot going on?”

She pointed dramatically.

“You met Jade Monroe.”

Megan shook her head.

“I would’ve led with that.”

“Immediately,” Ashley agreed.

“Before hello.”

“Absolutely.”

The room erupted into laughter.

After a moment, Abigail’s smile softened.

“That’s not even the crazy part.”

That got everyone’s attention again.

Emma smiled.

Because she knew exactly what was coming.

Ashley pointed.

“Continue.”

Abigail leaned back into the couch.

“She offered to take me to one of her studios.”

Silence.

Again.

“WHAT?”

Ashley nearly fell off the couch.

Megan looked equally shocked.

Abigail laughed.

“She said she wants to show me around.”

Emma smiled proudly.

“Keep going.”

Abigail rolled her eyes.

“She wants to introduce me to people.”

Megan’s jaw dropped.

Ashley looked ready to faint.

“And she said she might even work with me.”

This time nobody spoke.

Not because they didn’t have anything to say.

Because they were genuinely stunned.

Ashley finally pointed at Abigail.

“Okay.”

A pause.

“You are aware that this is insane, right?”

Abigail laughed.

“Little bit.”

Megan shook her head.

“No.”

She pointed.

“That’s huge.”

Abigail looked down for a second.

Because hearing it out loud made it feel real.

Maybe for the first time.

Huge.

The word settled somewhere deep inside her.

Huge.

Then Megan suddenly sat forward.

“Wait.”

Everyone looked at her.

“If you go to the studio…”

She pointed at herself.

“Can I come?”

The answer came so fast that everyone started laughing.

“Hell yeah.”

Megan blinked.

“Really?”

Abigail looked genuinely confused.

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t know.”

Abigail immediately shook her head.

“Megan, you were coming regardless.”

Megan smiled.

“You were going to ask me?”

“Of course.”

Abigail pointed at her best friend.

“You’re my best friend.”

The room softened instantly.

“I wasn’t going to do something like that without you.”

Megan’s smile widened.

“Okay.”

Ashley immediately pointed at herself.

“Am I invited?”

Emma laughed.

“There it is.”

Ashley looked offended.

“What?”

Abigail laughed.

“Yes.”

Ashley pointed at herself dramatically.

“Good.”

Then she pointed toward Emma.

“What about the manager?”

Emma sat up straighter.

“Obviously I’m going.”

Everyone laughed.

“Of course you are,” Megan said.

Emma looked pleased with that answer.

“Good.”

Ashley looked around the room.

Then suddenly froze.

“Oh my God.”

The others looked at her.

“What?”

Ashley pointed at Abigail.

“You realize this could actually happen.”

Abigail blinked.

“What?”

“The music thing.”

The room quieted slightly.

Ashley leaned forward.

“I’m serious.”

For once there wasn’t a joke attached.

No sarcasm.

No dramatic exaggeration.

Just sincerity.

“You could actually do this.”

Abigail looked down briefly.

Because that was the scary part.

Not dreaming about it.

Believing it.

Emma reached over and took her hand.

Immediately.

Without hesitation.

The same way she always did.

“She’s right.”

Abigail looked over.

Emma smiled.

“You can.”

Megan nodded.

“So can you.”

Ashley pointed dramatically.

“And when you’re famous, don’t forget us.”

Abigail laughed.

“Impossible.”

Ashley smiled.

“Good answer.”

The room fell quiet again.

Comfortable.

Easy.

The kind of quiet that only happened between people who truly loved each other.

And sitting there between her fiancée, her best friend, and one of her closest friends, Abigail realized something.

For the first time since this entire nightmare began—

She wasn’t thinking about Professor Shields.

She was thinking about the future.

And that felt like the biggest victory of all.