"What the hell is going on at this Academy," I sighed as I overheard another gossip in the hallways this morning about Giovanna and Gunwook allegedly having hooked up last night. Allison looked stark white, and she had not said a word during breakfast.

"Are you okay?" I searched her face for answers. "Last night at that BBQ place, things were tense. I noticed that... Do you want to talk about it?"

Allison shook her head and stirred in her noodles. She didn't want to talk, but I think she should. Something was bothering her.

"Is it Jiwoong?" I asked with a sigh. That man had it bad for her. Even a blind person could see that.

The name made her eyes flash upwards. "Don't mention him."

Okay, sore subject.

"Hanbin?" I asked, and she gave me an even darker scowl. On that ethereally beautiful face, it was quite a sight, she still looked good. Sexy even.

"Both?" I gasped because I had heard stranger things this last week. Choonhae, Ricky, and Yujin in that locker room. Billie, Keita, and Matthew in the studio? And now Gunwook and Gio? What the fuck were we doing in here? A sexified Cluedo?

Allison dropped her chopsticks with an angry sigh.

"Later today, news will come out, and I don't want you to judge me for it." She said, and I raised my brows.

"Allison, I'm the last person to judge someone, dude. Trust me."

She gave me a knowing look. Yeah. That thing.

In a rattle of words, she spewed the events of last night and this morning to me, making my body's hairs rise in indignation. No way. No fucking way.

"They can't do this, Alli. They can't! You have rights!"

I'll be damned if I stand here and watch it happen again. Jinnie's rights had been violated, and I had done nothing. My rights had been –

Nope, not going there. Not going there.

I visualized an orange, a thing I had learned from my therapist.

Orange, orange, orange. I'm thinking about an orange, not him.

Him.

Bile rose in my throat as I thought about my former manager and the things he had done to me. To us.

To Quasar. To our hopes, dreams, and our bodies.

"They have a right to expel me!" Allison shuddered as she discarded her bowl of food. "And if not me, they will expel Hanbin. I can't do that to him. I have to do this!"

I reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"You can, and you will talk about this. I trust Kooyoungnim. Do you want me to tell him for you? Hannah can't force you! That's assault, Alli!'

Allison was on the verge of crying, and we were display in the middle of this dining hall. I made her stand up and quickly walked the two of us to the nearest recording studio. It was empty.

I made her enter before me and closed the door behind me.

"Allison, don't!" I said as she started sobbing into her hands. I ran for her and hugged her to me. "I'll help you, alright? I'll help you!"

I will never let Allison fall to Jinnie's faith. Never.

Over my own dead body. This time.