It had been two days since Estelle walked out of Celeste’s office, leaving their relationship in an unresolved, tense silence. The weight of Celeste’s admission still lingered in the back of Estelle’s mind, but she had done her best to push it away, focusing on her work and ignoring the gnawing feelings that refused to leave her alone.
But the more she tried to ignore it, the more restless she became.
“You know what we need to do?” Mia said, plopping down on the couch next to Estelle. “Something stupid. Something to shake all this off.”
Estelle raised an eyebrow. “Something stupid?”
Mia grinned, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Yes, exactly. You’ve been tense for weeks, and this whole thing with Professor Thorne is driving you crazy. We need to do something reckless. I’ve got an idea.”
Estelle rolled her eyes. “Mia, I’m not in the mood for one of your ‘ideas.'”
Mia waved her hand. “Trust me. It’s going to be great. How about we break into the campus pool?”
Estelle blinked in disbelief. “The pool? As in, the campus pool? Mia, that’s a terrible idea.”
Mia shrugged. “That’s what makes it fun. Come on, it’ll just be the two of us. A midnight swim. No one’s going to be there this late, and I’ve heard the security is practically non-existent. Plus, you need to do something to shake all this stress off. This is perfect.”
Estelle hesitated, but deep down, Mia’s offer sounded tempting. After everything with Celeste, maybe a night of doing something crazy would take the edge off. And she knew Mia was right—she’d been so consumed with work and emotions lately that she hadn’t had any real fun in weeks.
“All right,” Estelle said, surprising herself with her own words. “Let’s do it.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “Wait, really? You’re actually going along with this?”
Estelle grinned, feeling a strange sense of freedom bubble up inside her. “Yeah. Let’s do something crazy.”
A couple of hours later, under the cover of darkness, Estelle and Mia were sneaking through the campus grounds, making their way toward the locked gate of the swimming pool. The moon hung high in the sky, casting long shadows across the empty campus, and the cool night air added to the thrill of their plan.
“This is ridiculous,” Estelle whispered, though she couldn’t help the grin on her face as they approached the gate.
“Ridiculously fun,” Mia shot back, fishing a hairpin from her pocket and attempting to pick the lock. After a few seconds of fiddling with it, the gate clicked open with a soft snick.
“See? Easy,” Mia said, pushing the gate open and gesturing dramatically. “After you, Miss Brooks.”
Estelle rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the excitement bubbling up inside her. She slipped through the gate, Mia right behind her, and they made their way to the edge of the pool.
The still, dark water glistened under the moonlight, and the quiet of the empty campus felt both eerie and exhilarating. It was as if they had the whole world to themselves.
“We’re really doing this, huh?” Estelle asked, kicking off her shoes.
“Oh, we’re doing this,” Mia replied, already shimmying out of her clothes down to her swimsuit. “Come on, don’t chicken out now!”
Estelle shook her head, a laugh escaping her lips as she quickly stripped down to her own swimsuit. Before she could think twice, she dove into the cool water, feeling it wash away the tension that had been gripping her for weeks.
The water was refreshing, and as she surfaced, she let out a small whoop of joy. Mia followed her in, splashing water in Estelle’s direction. For a few minutes, they swam, laughed, and splashed each other, their giggles echoing off the pool walls.
It felt good—better than anything Estelle had done in weeks. For a moment, everything else faded away: the internship, Celeste, the tangled mess of emotions that had consumed her.
But just as she was starting to feel truly free, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed across the pool deck.
“Mia,” Estelle whispered, panic rising in her chest. “Did you hear that?”
Mia froze, her eyes wide. “Oh crap.”
The footsteps grew louder, and Estelle’s heart raced as she quickly pulled herself out of the pool, scrambling to grab her towel. Mia followed suit, and they stood dripping wet, looking around for an escape route.
Before they could move, a tall, shadowed figure emerged from around the corner, stepping into the moonlight.
And Estelle’s heart dropped.
Standing there, arms crossed, was the campus security officer.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the officer barked, his flashlight casting a beam of light across the pool deck.
Estelle’s stomach twisted. “We… uh… we were just…”
The officer narrowed his eyes, looking between Estelle and Mia, then down at their soaking wet swimsuits. “You know the pool’s off-limits after hours, right?”
Mia, always quick on her feet, flashed a sheepish grin. “Yeah… about that… we just thought a midnight swim sounded fun.”
The officer didn’t look impressed. “You’re both in a lot of trouble. Campus rules are clear—no unauthorized access to facilities after hours.”
Estelle’s heart pounded in her chest. Getting caught like this wasn’t exactly the kind of crazy adventure she had in mind.
“Names,” the officer demanded, pulling out a notepad.
Mia, still trying to play it cool, gave her name first. “Mia Anderson.”
The officer scribbled it down before turning to Estelle. “And you?”
Estelle swallowed hard. “Estelle Brooks.”
The officer paused for a moment, looking at her more closely. His expression shifted slightly, as if something had clicked. “You’re the student of Professor Thorne, right? She’s mentioned you.”
Estelle’s stomach flipped. Mentioned her? Of course, Celeste would be connected to this somehow, even indirectly.
“Yes,” Estelle said quietly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
The officer shook his head. “You two are lucky I’m in a good mood tonight. I’ll be reporting this to your professor, but I won’t take it further. Just… don’t let me catch you here again, understand?”
Mia grinned, her relief palpable. “Understood, officer. You won’t see us again.”
The officer nodded, then gestured toward the gate. “Get out of here.”
Without a second thought, Estelle and Mia grabbed their things and made a quick exit. They slipped through the gate and out into the cool night air, both of them laughing breathlessly as soon as they were far enough away.
“Oh my god,” Mia gasped, leaning against a tree. “That was insane. I can’t believe we actually got caught!”
Estelle’s heart was still racing, but a grin spread across her face despite the lingering embarrassment. “I can’t believe he knows Celeste.”
Mia nudged her playfully. “Of course he does. That woman is everywhere in your life, even when she’s not around. It’s like you’re cursed.”
Estelle laughed, shaking her head. “Yeah, maybe I am.”
As they walked back toward their apartment, the adrenaline from the night’s adventure began to wear off, but something else lingered in Estelle’s mind. The officer had mentioned that he would report this to Celeste.
Estelle’s stomach flipped at the thought. What would Celeste say when she found out about this?
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