Chapter 4: The Trap Is Set

As soon as I got to the dorm door, I heard Rachel’s smug voice.

"Mr. Thompson just messaged me. This time Natalie is definitely getting a disciplinary note! Maybe she’ll even get expelled."

"Rachel, you and Mr. Thompson are really close..."

Lillian’s voice dropped suddenly.

"Um... about that grad school recommendation I mentioned before..."

"Don’t worry, that’s a piece of cake."

So that’s how it is.

Last semester, my GPA was 0.3 higher than Rachel’s, but she got the scholarship. I was first in the campus speech contest, but she was the one who represented the school. All the things I never understood before suddenly made sense.

It was like a puzzle snapping into place, and my stomach turned. This is how real college politics worked: not with grades, but with whispered promises and secret deals in hallway corners.

But right now, I had more important things to deal with. I had to catch that creep. I was sick of wearing disposable panties every day.

I opened Amazon. Suddenly, a product caught my eye:

[Colorless, odorless concentrated capsaicin, a must-have for home defense]

I clicked into the details.

[Extracted from Carolina Reaper peppers, takes effect in 10 seconds, lasts for 48 hours]

Now that’s what I need.

I messaged customer service:

[Are you sure it’s spicy enough?]

They replied instantly:

[Don’t worry~ Our capsaicin is 99% pure~ Even elephants will cry!]

Perfect.

I placed the order without hesitation. In the remarks, I wrote in bold:

[Urgent, must be in confidential packaging]

I hovered over the shipping options, wincing at the extra $8 for overnight. Worth it. My heart hammered as I clicked purchase, half-tempted to spring for overnight delivery. I pictured the look on that creep’s face when he realized the panties weren’t just for show this time.