Emma’s POV
The days after the party passed in a blur. Caleb, in his usual style, wasn’t content to leave things as they were. Over the next few days, he made it his mission to win back my trust, showing up at my locker with coffee, slipping notes into my bag, and even dragging me to a quiet corner of the library to talk.
“I’m not giving up on us, Emma,” he said one afternoon, his voice firm but gentle. “You’re worth fighting for.”
His persistence was exhausting but endearing, and though I tried to keep my guard up, a small part of me started to believe him.
Logan, on the other hand, seemed to be unraveling. I caught him watching me in class, his gaze heavy with something I couldn’t quite decipher. When I passed him in the hallway, he opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself, his frustration clear.
I avoided them. I avoided everyone—the usual spots at school, ducked out of conversations, and turned off my phone more often than not. Every text from Caleb, every call from Logan—they all went unanswered. Even Sarah, with her unwavering loyalty, was struggling to get through to me.
“Emma, you’re allowed to feel hurt,” she said one afternoon, sitting cross-legged on my bed as I buried myself in a book I wasn’t even reading. “But you can’t just shut down. It’s not going to fix anything. You need to talk to someone—them preferably. Or at least figure out what you want.”
“What I want is to be left alone,” I muttered, not looking up.
Even though I saw Caleb was trying, I couldn’t forget what I’d seen at that party. The image burned into my mind. The smug look on her face afterward haunted me, playing on a loop whenever I closed my eyes.
Two weeks passed, and I almost let myself believe things were getting back to normal. But then Sarah came to me during lunch, her face pale as she leaned across the table. “Emma, you need to hear this.”
“What now?” I muttered, bracing myself for more drama.
She hesitated, then said quietly, “People are saying Caleb and Vanessa have been hooking up behind your back.”
I froze, my stomach dropping. “What?”