The air felt like it was closing in on you, heavy with tension as you sat across from Professor Anderson. You could feel your palms growing cold against your thighs, the faint trickle of sweat forming on your temple. Your breath hitched, bracing yourself for whatever scathing words he was about to throw your way.

"Do you know what's worse than being invisible, Ms. Paradis?"

He finally opened his mouth, his voice was low.. deliberate. Each word felt like it was crawling toward something dark.

Your eyes immediately shot up to meet his, expression serious—even as the rest of you tensed with dread, wondering what he's going to say next—

"Being invisible and useless."

You blinked. A lump formed in your throat, the sting of his sentence settling deep in your chest. "I—I'm sorry, sir—I—"

"You're coasting through college without any real direction. You're neither excelling academically nor contributing socially. The anonymous. You have no club, no involvement. A liability."

Shock froze you in place. Tears stung at the corners of your eyes, but you couldn't let them fall. Not now. Not here. Not in front of this.. monster.

Your tongue tasted bitter, like you'd swallowed something rotten. You couldn't even argue back, couldn't form a single word to refute his claims. You knew how he is—well this was the reason you put on your vigilante Zorro thing with Talia—but this.. this is too much.

It's not true.

It's not you

...

Right?

The professor's voice rose, sharp and cutting, "And the audacity to 'expose' me?" His voice was venomous while gesturing with his fingers, as if he'd been waiting for this moment to crush you. "You think your little performance could stand up to someone like me? You think people would believe someone like you?"

Beneath all the hurt, you can still feel your blood boiling. How dare he. Your jaw clenched, and for a brief moment, you felt like you could scream at him, defending yourself—"Sir—"

"No excuses. Can't you see?! You're on the verge of getting expelled, Paradis!"

The room spun.

The word echoed in your mind, reverberating around the office like a death sentence. You felt the weight of it, like a physical blow, knocking the wind out of you.

Expelled.

You could feel your worst fear wrapping itself around you like a cold, suffocating weight. Your vigilante stunts.. everything you'd done to rebel.. to carve out some sense of identity in this soulless college system—it all felt meaningless now. Suddenly, regret pooled in your stomach.

The tears you had been holding back for so long broke free, one slipping down the corner of your lip as realization dawned on you. He wasn't just a heartless professor—he's a man with the power to crush your future.

Stupid Rena.

"I'll just give you a last warning, though," he threatened, voice dropping into something almost mocking. "I might not expel you just yet, but you're guaranteed a D in my class."

By now, it's not surprising. I'll just drop his class and retake another semester—

"Oh, and don't think you can just back out of my class to save your GPA. I'll make sure you stay enrolled—and you can kiss that scholarship of yours goodbye."

Your body went limp as the panic surged through you. Your mouth worked before your brain could catch up, the words falling out in desperation.

"You can't do this!"

"Watch me."

Eyes gleamed with a cruel satisfaction, Anderson sat back in his chair, crossing his arms as though he had all the time in the world to savor your agony. He knew. He knew just how tight things were for you. Your scholarship wasn't just some—perk; it was the only thing keeping you afloat. Without it, college wouldn't just be hard—it would be impossible.

"No—no—" you stammered, shaking your head, trying to will this nightmare away. "You—you can't do that. My scholarship—I worked so hard—"

"And that's exactly why you'll learn a lesson," he interrupted coldly. "You're skating by, causing problems, thinking the world will bend to you. Well, it won't. And you'll see that soon enough. I'll make sure every door to maintaining that scholarship is locked. Even a partial scholarship."

Rage flared in your chest, a mixture of fear and fury burned hot and bitter. Your voice cracked as you snapped back, "How can you be so heartless? What did we ever do to make you treat us unfairly?!"

For a long moment, he just stared at you. No smile, no smirk, no hint of remorse. Just cold, hard indifference. The silence was suffocating. Your hands curled into fists at your sides, helpless anger boiling up inside you. The professor finally stood, adjusting his glasses with deliberate calmness, voice icy as he delivered his final blow,

"Good luck finding a club that will take you now."

He kept his promise.

Unfortunately. Not like any other men in this country—scratch that, maybe men only kept things violent and mean.

You wanted to scream, cry—anything to release the suffocating pressure in your chest. You're exhausted. Your mind was on overdrive, running through every possible option.. when a random poster on the corkboard caught your eye.

[ Female Backup Singer Needed ]

Must:

Have been singing all her life

Genre preferred: Pop, Rnb, Hiphop

Chill attitude optional

ERIO Club

The words were scribbled out in bright, mismatched colors, and you wonder how could a poster be so tacky. You read over the details again. A singing club—something you hadn't even considered.. The club's name didn't even sound familiar. They must've not been listed on the system. Will this maintain your scholarship, though?

Fuck it, this is my last shot.

The GPS led you to a back alley behind one of the campus buildings. This place was off the grid, almost hidden—familiar though. Hesitating for a moment, you observed the plain wood door, wondering what the hell you're doing.

The door swung open, revealing a narrow hallway. You stepped in cautiously, the dim lighting doing nothing to calm your nerves. Music and laughter echoed from the room ahead—but as you turned the corner into the main space, your heart stopped.

A guy, leaning against the table across from the stage. His back to you, talking casually with the other bandmates. You weren't entirely sure, but something about the way he stood was painfully familiar.

You tried to shake the feeling off, but your feet betrayed you as you felt it slightly wobbled. Slowly pulling you closer, step by cautious step.. heart racing.. the noise of the club fading as you focused on the blonde figure in front of you. You couldn't quite see his face yet, but everything about him screamed—

No way. Nah, not here. He couldn't possibly be in this strange.. hidden club. You felt ridiculous creeping behind him, movements barely audible over the sound of music filling the room, but you couldn't stop. This was your last chance to join a club—any club—and if it's him—please don't be him.

Just as you were a few feet away, one of the boys in the group caught sight of you. His eyes widened slightly, catching the guy's attention. He turned around slowly—almost lazy..

And you froze.

Once again.

Dominic Hunt.

Your breath hitched as his eyes locked onto yours. Dominic's brows raised for a split second, and then—there it was—that damn lopsided grin. He scoffed softly, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Is this becoming your habit?" he drawled, pushing off the column with ease.

Feeling the building irritation bubbling up inside of you, heat flushed through your entire body, and you could practically feel your eye twitching. The bandmates stood up in concern, eyes darting from you to Dominic—who for once—looked taken aback, his usual cocky expression faltering as his smirk faded into wide-eyed surprise. Your face turned crimson, the frustration finally hitting its peak as you glared at him—

"OH HELL NAH—"

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Cecylia Costania @rcpcs

You can elevate your experience by also listening to songs I added to this story's playlist! I'll reveal the Playlist by the end of this story, so.. Stay Tuned!

The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

And you froze. (If this being a Netflix series lol)

https://youtu.be/aAQZPBwz2CI