The sun was already dipping low when Nelly got home from school, her bag heavy with books… and something more important: a second phone hidden in her uniform pocket.
She headed upstairs quietly, her feet aching, her eyes tired — but she stopped outside Jimmy's door, hesitating.
The memory of his lifeless body in her arms a few days ago still haunted her.
She knocked gently.
> "Come in," his voice called faintly.
She opened the door slowly.
Jimmy was sitting up this time, propped with pillows, a bandage still wrapped around his arm and another across his brow.
He looked… better.
> "Hey," Nelly said.
Jimmy smiled slightly. "Hey yourself. You survived school?"
> "Barely."
> "They didn't pour acid on your food this time?"
> "Not yet," Nelly smirked. "Maybe tomorrow."
He chuckled, and for the first time, it wasn't laced with cruelty or sarcasm. It was soft. Genuine.
She stepped closer.
> "I just came to see how you were doing. You look… less dead."
> "I feel less dead," he replied, then paused. "Because of you."
Nelly blinked.
> "About that day…" Jimmy looked down, then back up, his voice gentler than she'd ever heard it. "Thank you, Nelly. I mean it. For helping me. For fighting for me. Even after everything I did to you."
She sat on the edge of his bed, arms folded. "You were a grade-A devil."
> "I was," he admitted. "I was stupid. Mean. I laughed when I should've listened. I hated you for no reason."
Nelly shrugged. "Hating me was the trend in this house."
> "Still," he said, reaching out and lightly touching her wrist, "I'm sorry. Truly. For every shove, insult, prank… and that itchy uniform."
She let out a laugh. "That uniform nearly sent me to hell, Jimmy."
> "I swear it wasn't poison," he laughed. "Just itching powder… premium level."
> "Premium wickedness," she replied, smirking. "You're lucky I didn't use rat poison in your tea."
He gasped dramatically. "So that's why I kept running to the toilet!"
They both burst into soft laughter.
Then silence.
Not awkward — just still.
> "I don't expect you to forgive me," Jimmy said after a while, his tone softer now. "But I really hope you can… maybe not hate me."
Nelly looked at him, a little surprised. "I never hated you, Jimmy."
> "You should've," he said.
> "I just wanted peace. And maybe… someone who didn't want to break me."
Jimmy looked at her — really looked at her — and for the first time, she saw something vulnerable in his eyes.
> "Maybe I'm finally seeing you for the first time."
She stood to leave, clearing her throat.
> "Rest. You still look like a half-dead chicken."
> "I take offense to that," he laughed. "I'm at least a whole dead chicken now."
Nelly rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
Just as she reached the door, Jimmy called softly:
> "Nelly?"
She turned back.
> "Thank you… for not leaving me."
She didn't answer.
She just smiled — a real, gentle one — and quietly closed the door behind her.
Ohhh yes 😈🔥 — the drama intensifies. That twist is everything. Now Luna's crew is watching, stalking, and plotting in secret. This is giving full-on "power vs truth" vibes — and now, even the adults aren't safe.
Let's weave your idea right into the end of Chapter Nine, so it flows naturally from Madam Grace giving Nelly the phone. Here's the extended version of Chapter Nine including the spy, the anonymous message, and the threatening confrontation at Madam Grace's home:
---
CHAPTER NINE (continued)
"Ears in the Shadows"
...
Grace reached into her bag and pulled out a small phone.
> "This is my old one. It still works. It has a recording app. You need to start gathering proof, Nelly. His words. His threats. Their insults. Everything."
Nelly stared at the phone like it was a golden key.
> "If we can't make them believe you… we'll make them listen."
And for the first time since her world shattered… Nelly felt something rise in her chest.
Not just strength.
A plan.
*************
Unbeknownst to either of them, just beyond the corner of the building, hidden behind a thick bush near the school's water tank… a pair of eyes were watching.
A senior boy — tall, quiet, and mostly invisible around school — had seen the entire exchange.
The hug. The phone. The serious conversation.
His fingers moved quickly as he typed something on his device.
> Anonymous Message sent to: Luna B.
"Cleaner just gave Nelly a phone. Looked serious. Might be plotting something. You're welcome."
He hit send and walked away.
---
THAT NIGHT – MADAM GRACE'S APARTMENT
Grace had just finished braiding Joy's hair when a hard knock rattled her wooden door.
She frowned. It was past 9PM.
She opened it halfway — and froze.
Luna. Bella. Clara. Kylie.
Standing at her doorstep like a row of serpents.
> "Well, well," Luna said with a cold smile. "Evening, madam."
> "What is this?" Grace asked quietly.
> "You've been very busy lately," Kylie chimed in. "Having secret meetings with trash like Nelly."
> "We don't like secrets," Bella added, stepping closer. "They make us... cranky."
Clara glanced around the room, her eyes landing on Joy, who was peeking out from the corner.
> "You might want to tell us what's going on before we start asking louder."
Grace straightened her back.
> "I don't owe any of you an explanation."
> "Wrong answer," Luna hissed. "You think giving her a phone will save her? You think you're some kind of hero?"
> "I'm just a cleaner," Grace said calmly. "What I do with my daughter or her friend is my business."
Kylie's voice dropped low.
> "Prepare to lose your job, madam."
> "And maybe your daughter's safety too," Bella whispered, dark and threatening.
> "You monsters!" Grace snapped. "She's a child!"
Luna raised a brow. "Then stay in your lane, madam cleaner. Stay out of ours."
The girls turned sharply and walked out into the night — but Luna paused at the doorway, smiling to herself.
> "Don't worry. We won't be back."
She looked over her shoulder at Grace.
> "Next time, you'll come to us."
And with that… they disappeared into the darkness.
But Grace knew — they weren't finished.
They were just beginning.