It was my birthday. Not that it mattered—not this year. The thought of celebrating felt ridiculous, considering everything I was dealing with. I hadn’t told anyone, but of course Logan and Caleb knew. There were no plans, no cake, no balloons. Just another day of trying to keep my head down and survive the mess I’d made.
But something about today felt... off. The hallway buzzed with whispers as I walked to my locker, students sneaking glances in my direction before quickly looking away.
When I reached my locker, Alyssa was already there, her face pale, her phone clutched tightly in her hand.
“Emma,” she said, her voice hushed and urgent.
“What?” I asked, frowning.
She didn’t say anything. Instead, she held out her phone.
On the screen was a picture of Caleb and me leaving the hospital, along with a scan of the paternity test. My heart stopped. The caption beneath it was brutal:
Looks like Emma’s got herself a baby daddy. Congrats with twins, Caleb and Emma!
I stared at the screen, my breath caught in my throat. “Oh my God,” I whispered, the words barely audible.
Alyssa looked around nervously, leaning in closer. “Emma, it’s all over school. Everyone’s talking about it.”
“Who... how?” My mind raced, my chest tightening as the walls seemed to close in. And then it hit me. Caleb had seen Vanessa at the hospital that day. Vanessa.
“Emma, are you okay? Is it true?” Alyssa asked, her voice pulling me back to the present.
But I wasn’t listening. My mind was spinning. The picture. The test. Vanessa must have been behind it. She had to be.
I took a shaky breath, clutching my bag tightly as I tried to steady myself. “I have to go.”
Then I spotted him—Caleb. He was standing near the entrance, his face dark and stormy as his eyes scanned the room.
Before I could react, his gaze locked onto Jake, sitting with a group of guys at a table near the center of the cafeteria. Caleb’s jaw clenched, and I could practically feel the fury radiating off of him.
“Where is she?” Caleb barked, storming toward Jake’s table.
Jake looked up, frowning. “What are you talking about?”
“Vanessa,” Caleb growled, his voice low but menacing. “Where is that dirty bitch? Why isn’t she here?”
Jake stood, his expression hardening. “Watch your mouth, Caleb.”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Caleb snapped, jabbing a finger at Jake. “You were at the hospital with her that day. How could you do this? How could you two do this to us?”
Jake’s face darkened, and he took a step closer to Caleb. “Back off, man. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The hell I don’t!” Caleb roared, slamming his hand on the table. “You think I wouldn’t figure it out? You think I wouldn’t know it was her? She took that picture, didn’t she?”
“Caleb, stop!” I shouted, but he didn’t even glance at me.
“You’re insane,” Jake said, his voice cold. “And if you don’t back off right now—”
“What?” Caleb interrupted, stepping closer. “What are you gonna do?”
Jake didn’t answer. Instead, he shoved Caleb back, hard.
“Don’t touch me!” Caleb shouted, lunging forward.
The cafeteria erupted into chaos as the two of them collided, fists flying. Jake managed to duck Caleb’s first swing, retaliating with a punch to Caleb’s jaw. Caleb stumbled but recovered quickly, grabbing Jake by the collar and throwing him into the table.
“Stop it!” I screamed, tears streaming down my face as I watched them go at each other, neither one backing down.
Teachers rushed in, shouting commands as they tried to pull the two of them apart. Caleb struggled against their grip, his face red with fury.
“You ruined everything!” he shouted at Jake, his voice cracking. “You and your sister—how could you do this to us?”
Jake glared back at him, his voice low and venomous. “You brought this on yourself, Torres.”