Emily’s POV
I walked through the school gates and felt it immediately, the shift. The energy in the air turned cold, sharp.
Like stepping into enemy territory with no armor, no shield. Just me, bare and vulnerable, with a target painted across my back.
Heads turned. Conversations stopped, then started again in hushed tones, just loud enough for me to catch snatches. Traitor. Sellout.
The words wrapped around me like vines, tightening with every step I took.
Amanda stood near my locker, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her expression was a wall—blank but unwelcoming.
Luca hovered beside her, pacing, his hands clenched at his sides like he was holding himself back from exploding.
Then he saw me.
His eyes narrowed, jaw tightening, and before I could say a word, he was in front of me.
“How could you do this?” Luca’s voice rang out, cutting through the hallway noise. Eyes snapped in our direction. “How could you date Adam freakin’ Cooper behind our backs?”
My heart thudded in my chest. I opened my mouth, but the words tangled.
Since the other night, Luca had made his feelings about Adam crystal clear—mocking him, dismissing him like a bad joke. Now I understood why.
“Luca, please—”
“No, Em.” He shook his head sharply, his voice rising with every word. “Don’t even try. His team humiliated us every chance they got. They mocked me for being gay, shoved me around like I didn’t matter. And you? You’re with him? That’s betrayal!”
Each word cut deeper than the last. His anger was real, but what hit harder was the crack in his voice, the way it trembled—not just angry, but wounded. Luca wasn’t just lashing out. He was hurting. Because of me.
Beside him, Amanda said nothing. Her silence was deafening. But it was the look in her eyes, let down, quiet and heavy, that twisted my stomach into knots.
“It’s not what you think,” I tried, voice shaking. “I didn’t plan any of this. I—”
“Spare us the speech.” Luca didn’t wait for an explanation. “You had a choice. And you made it.”
He turned and walked off, stiff and fast. Amanda hesitated, glanced back once, and then followed.
Just like that, they were gone.
And all around me, people stared. Whispers churned like waves, crashing louder.
That’s when Tammy showed up.
She strutted over, arms crossed, lips curled in a smug grin that made my skin crawl. She didn’t even try to lower her voice.
“Well, well,” she sneered. “Look who’s suddenly so pure. You called Sebastian a cheat, and here you are, cheating on him with his enemy.”
My fists clenched. “Excuse me? Are you crazy?”
“Oh, I’m crazy?” she tossed back, eyes sparkling with malice. “At least I don’t pretend to be some loyal girlfriend while drooling over Adam all summer.”
My chest rose and fell. My hands itched to slap that smugness off her face—but before I could even breathe a comeback, Amanda was there.
She marched straight up, face flushed with fury, eyes blazing.
Without hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped Tammy—hard.
The crack echoed off the walls, silencing the hallway for a heartbeat.
“You don’t get to say that!” Amanda hissed. “You have no idea what happened. You’re a terrible friend. You knew Seb was her boyfriend, and you still slept with him. At least Em had the decency to break up with him before moving on. Unlike you, bitch!”
Tammy staggered back, stunned for a second. Then her face twisted and she lunged forward, fury exploding.
But before she could reach Amanda, Luca was suddenly there again, jumping in, arms stretched between them.
“Enough!” he barked. “This is not the way.”
He shoved them apart with surprising strength, breathing hard, face pale.
I hadn’t moved. My legs felt numb. My vision blurred. It wasn’t until I felt the wetness on my cheeks that I realized I was crying.
Amanda turned to me, her expression softening. She gently took my hand and led me to a nearby bench.
I sank down, legs folding like paper beneath me, chest tight.
“I’m sorry,” I choked out between sobs. “I didn’t know how to tell you guys. It all just... happened. That night after I broke up with Seb, I was outside crying, and Adam found me. He took me home. We talked. I didn’t expect anything from it.”
Amanda let out a long breath, sitting beside me, knees brushing mine. “I’m not mad, Em. Just... hurt. You always tell me everything. I just wish you’d let me in. I felt blindsided.”
“I know,” I whispered. “I should’ve told you. I just... I didn’t know how.”
My phone buzzed in my hand. I sniffled, wiped at my face with the sleeve of my hoodie, and glanced at the screen.
A message from Mom.
“They’re coming home,” I murmured.
Amanda blinked, confused. “Your parents?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. Tonight.”
The weight of it all pressed down harder. Because I knew my parents' absence was mostly better than their presence.