Chapter 184

Morning came too fast.

Abigail woke before everyone else.

The room was still dim, sunlight barely starting to filter through the curtains, but the second she opened her eyes the weight in her chest came back immediately.

Administration.

The meeting.

The rumors.

Professor Shields.

Her stomach tightened instantly.

Carefully, trying not to wake Emma, Abigail reached for her phone from the nightstand.

Big mistake.

Notifications flooded the screen immediately.

Texts.

Missed calls.

Social media tags.

Her jaw tightened.

Ashley had sent multiple screenshots sometime during the night.

Ashley: Campus is actually insane right now 😭

Abigail opened the first screenshot.

A TikTok.

Blurry footage from the hallway.

Not the fight itself—but the aftermath.

Emma unconscious in her arms.

Ashley yelling at students to move.

Paramedics arriving.

The caption read:

“Professor Smith defended her GIRL and then passed out omg???”

Abigail closed her eyes briefly.

Another screenshot.

Campus discussion page.

“Nah Professor Smith really loves Abigail because the way she swung on Shields???”

Another one.

“I fear I support women’s rights AND women’s wrongs because Professor Smith ate 😭”

Abigail dropped her head back against the pillow.

Unbelievable.

Beside her, Emma stirred slightly. “What’s wrong?”

Abigail immediately locked the phone. “Nothing.”

Emma cracked one eye open. “…That was definitely a ‘something’ face.”

Before Abigail could answer, her phone buzzed again.

Ashley.

Ashley: WAIT THERE’S MORE

Abigail almost ignored it.

Almost.

She opened it anyway.

A screenshot from another post:

“Not gonna lie Professor Smith can fight and now I love her even more.”

Another:

“If somebody was harassing my girl I’d fight too idc.”

Emma leaned slightly against her shoulder now, awake enough to notice her expression changing.

“…What are you reading?”

Abigail sighed deeply and handed her the phone.

Emma read the first post.

Then the second.

Then suddenly she laughed.

Actually laughed.

Abigail stared at her. “Emma.”

“What?” Emma said through another laugh. ” ‘Women’s rights and women’s wrongs’ is kinda funny.”

“You assaulted a professor.”

“She assaulted my peace first.”

That dragged a reluctant laugh out of Abigail despite herself.

At the exact wrong moment, Ashley burst through the bedroom door dramatically without knocking.

“GOOD MORNING TO THE CAMPUS CELEBRITIES—”

Megan walked in right behind her. “Ashley—inside voice.”

Ashley ignored her completely, climbing onto the end of the bed dramatically. “Do y’all understand the cultural impact y’all had yesterday?”

Abigail covered her face briefly. “Please stop talking.”

“No,” Ashley said immediately. “The students are obsessed. One girl said—and I quote— ‘Professor Smith defending Abigail was the hottest thing I ever seen.'”

Emma dropped her face into Abigail’s shoulder laughing.

Megan sat down nearby, shaking her head. “The internet was a mistake.”

Ashley pointed at Emma. “You got a fan club now.”

Emma looked mildly pleased about it. “Good.”

Abigail stared at all of them like they’d lost their minds.

Then her phone buzzed again.

This time—

The room shifted immediately.

Because the sender wasn’t Ashley.

It was university administration.

And attached beneath the message—

Was a formal complaint filed by Professor Shields. 

The mood in the room shifted immediately.

One second Ashley was still laughing about “campus celebrities,” and the next everyone was staring at Abigail’s phone.

Silent.

Waiting.

Abigail’s jaw tightened slightly as she opened the email, Emma shifting closer beside her to read over her shoulder while Megan sat up straighter instantly, already focused.

Ashley leaned in dramatically from the end of the bed. “Read it.”

“I hate you,” Abigail muttered.

“Love you too. Read it.”

Abigail exhaled slowly before opening the attachment.

The second her eyes started scanning the page, her expression darkened.

Emma noticed immediately. “What?”

Abigail kept reading for another second before handing her the phone instead.

Emma took it.

And the more she read—

The worse her expression got.

“What the hell?” she muttered.

Ashley immediately snatched the phone next.

“Oh nah,” she said instantly. “OH nah.”

Megan reached over calmly. “Let me see.”

The room got quieter with every passing second.

Because the complaint was bad.

Not exaggerated bad.

Calculated bad.

Professor Shields claimed Emma had “violently assaulted” her without warning after “misinterpreting a professional conversation.”

No mention of the harassment.

No mention of taking Abigail’s phone.

No mention of repeatedly following her around campus.

Nothing.

Instead, it painted Emma as unstable, aggressive, emotional, and dangerous.

Ashley looked genuinely offended reading it.

“She basically called Emma crazy,” she said.

Emma leaned back against the headboard slowly, disbelief all over her face. “She left out literally everything.”

“She did that on purpose,” Abigail said quietly.

Megan nodded immediately. “Obviously.”

Ashley kept scrolling. “Wait—she said she feared for her safety?” Ashley looked up. “Girl YOU got beat up too.”

Emma looked offended. “Exactly.”

That dragged the smallest smile out of Abigail despite the tension.

But it disappeared quickly.

Because underneath the frustration, reality was starting to settle in.

This wasn’t just gossip anymore.

This was official.

Emma leaned back against the pillows, rubbing a hand slowly over her face. “So now what?”

Megan answered before Abigail could.

“Now we stop panicking and think.”

Everyone looked at her.

Megan sat forward slightly, calm but focused. “There were witnesses.”

Ashley nodded immediately. “A lot of witnesses.”

“Exactly,” Megan continued. “Students saw what happened. Students saw Shields following Abigail around. Somebody literally recorded the aftermath.”

“She took my phone,” Abigail added quietly. “Emma heard almost the entire conversation.”

Megan pointed immediately. “That too.”

Ashley snapped her fingers. “And the students are already talking online.”

Abigail groaned softly. “That is not helping.”

“Yes it is,” Ashley argued. “Because people are already saying Shields was being weird with you.”

Megan nodded slowly. “Public opinion actually matters more than people think in situations like this.”

Emma looked over at Abigail. “Do you think administration already knows there’s more to the story?”

Abigail hesitated.

“…I don’t know.”

And honestly?

That was the scariest part.

The uncertainty.

Not knowing whether they’d walk into that meeting tomorrow and be heard—

Or already judged.

Ashley suddenly grabbed her phone again. “Actually hold on.”

Her fingers moved quickly across the screen before she turned it around dramatically.

“See? Students already defending y’all.”

Emma leaned over slightly to look.

A post filled the screen:

“Professor Shields has been acting weird with Abigail for weeks. Everybody knows it.”

Another:

“If Professor Smith defended her because Shields was harassing her then honestly??? valid.”

Another:

“Y’all calling her violent but leaving out why she snapped.”

Emma blinked once.

Then looked at Abigail.

“…Okay maybe the internet doesn’t hate us.”

“The internet LOVES y’all,” Ashley corrected immediately.

Megan laughed softly. “That’s honestly the least surprising part of this entire situation.”

Abigail shook her head, but she could feel the tension in her chest easing just slightly.

Only slightly.

Because even with the support—

Even with witnesses—

This could still go badly.

And the second that thought hit, the fear came rushing back.

Emma could lose her job.

Their relationship could become public before they were ready.

Stress like this wasn’t good for the baby.

Abigail’s face shifted without her meaning it to.

Emma noticed instantly.

“Hey.”

Abigail looked over.

Emma’s expression softened immediately. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“That thing where you disappear into your head.”

Ashley pointed. “Yeah, stop that.”

Megan nodded in agreement. “You’re not alone in this.”

Abigail looked down briefly, exhaling slowly.

“It’s just…” She stopped herself for a second before continuing quieter. “This doesn’t only affect me.”

Emma’s expression softened deeper immediately because she understood exactly what Abigail meant.

The job.

The pregnancy.

The future.

All of it.

Emma reached for her hand again, squeezing gently. “We’ll handle it.”

Abigail looked at her.

Still scared.

Still worried.

But trying.

Emma held her gaze steadily. “Together.”

That word settled heavily in the room.

Ashley immediately ruined the moment.

“Aww.”

Megan elbowed her instantly. “Ashley.”

“What? That was cute.”

Emma laughed softly despite herself.