Emma spotted Katie near the lockers, scrolling through her phone like nothing was wrong. Anger bubbled in her chest as she marched toward her. She couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling anymore—Katie was hiding something.
“Hey, Katie,” Emma said sharply, crossing her arms.
Katie glanced up, her expression instantly shifting to guilty surprise. “Oh, hey, Em. What’s up?”
“What’s up?” Emma repeated, her voice laced with disbelief. “How about the fact that you were whispering with Victoria at her party? Or how you keep disappearing whenever things go sideways? What’s going on?”
Katie’s eyes widened, and she let out a nervous laugh. “Seriously, Emma? Are you really accusing me of something right now?”
“You tell me!” Emma snapped. “You’ve been acting weird ever since this whole thing started. I mean, how do I know you didn’t—” She stopped herself, the words catching in her throat.
Katie’s expression hardened. “Go on. Say it. You think I leaked the list, don’t you?”
Emma hesitated, guilt creeping in. “I don’t want to think that, Katie, but you’re not exactly giving me a reason not to.”
Katie scoffed, shoving her phone into her pocket. “Wow. I’m your best friend, Emma. And now I’m the bad guy because I talked to Victoria for five seconds? You’re being paranoid.”
“Am I?” Emma countered, her voice trembling with frustration. “Because ever since this started, you’ve done nothing but push me into situations that make things worse!”
Katie’s face turned red, but before she could respond, the bell rang.
“This isn’t over,” Emma said, her heart pounding.
Katie didn’t reply. She just turned and walked away, leaving Emma standing alone with the sinking feeling that she’d lost something important.
The rumors started spreading by lunchtime.
“I heard Liam made a bet with Victoria,” a girl whispered to her friend near Emma’s locker. “He’s only hanging out with Emma because of it.”
“Bet?” the other girl asked, eyes wide.
“Yeah, something about messing with her and getting her to fall for him. It’s so messed up.”
Emma froze. Her stomach twisted as the words sank in. Was that why Liam had been around so much? Why he kept showing up, acting like he cared?
She found him in the courtyard during study hall, sitting under a tree with his usual casual confidence.
“Liam,” she said, crossing her arms as she stood in front of him.
He looked up, his dark eyes scanning her face. “What’s up, Williams?”
“Don’t ‘Williams’ me,” she snapped. “Is it true?”
Liam frowned. “Is what true?”
“The bet,” Emma said, her voice shaking. “Did you and Victoria make a bet about me?”
Liam stood, his brows knitting together. “What? Where did you hear that?”
“It doesn’t matter where I heard it,” Emma said. “Just tell me if it’s true.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “No, Emma. It’s not true. Victoria’s just messing with you.”
“Why should I believe you?” she asked, her voice breaking.
Liam’s expression softened. “Because if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
Emma didn’t know what to say. She wanted to believe him, but doubt gnawed at her.
“Whatever,” she muttered, turning to leave.
“Emma,” he called after her, his voice firm. “You’ve got to stop letting Victoria get in your head. That’s exactly what she wants.”
Emma didn’t look back.
The next morning, Emma walked into school and felt her chest tighten. Something was wrong.
She noticed it immediately—the way people stared at her, their laughter louder than usual. By the time she reached her locker, her worst fears were confirmed.
The TV in the hallway was playing a video of her falling into the pool at Victoria’s party, her wet clothes clinging to her skin. Someone had added dramatic slow motion and a laugh track.
Emma froze, her breath catching in her throat.
“Morning announcements,” Victoria’s voice said from behind her, smug and triumphant. “Thought it was worth sharing. You’re a star, Emma.”
Emma turned to face her, anger and humiliation boiling over. “You’re disgusting.”
Victoria shrugged. “It’s not my fault you make it so easy.”
Tears stung Emma’s eyes as she pushed past her, ignoring the laughter that followed.
Katie caught up with Emma in the hallway, her face pale. “Emma, wait!”
“Why?” Emma snapped, spinning around. “So you can defend her again?”
Katie looked hurt, but she didn’t back down. “I didn’t know about the video, I swear.”
Emma laughed bitterly. “Of course you didn’t. You’re just conveniently clueless every time Victoria does something horrible.”
Katie’s face crumpled. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I just… I didn’t have a choice, okay?”
“What are you talking about?” Emma demanded, her heart pounding.
Katie hesitated, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I leaked the list.”
Emma’s breath caught. “What?”
“I didn’t mean to!” Katie said quickly, tears filling her eyes. “Victoria found out about it somehow, and she said she’d ruin me if I didn’t give her a copy. I thought… I thought I could keep her from using it. I didn’t think—”
“You didn’t think at all,” Emma interrupted, her voice cold.
“Emma, I’m so sorry,” Katie said, reaching for her.
Emma stepped back, shaking her head. “You betrayed me.”
“I didn’t have a choice!” Katie cried.
“You did,” Emma snapped. “And you chose her.”
She turned and walked away, ignoring Katie’s sobs.
The library was quiet, but Emma’s mind was anything but. She sat at an empty table, staring at her open notebook, her heart heavy with betrayal and anger.
“Rough day?”
She looked up to see Liam sliding into the seat across from her.
“What do you want?” she muttered.
He leaned back in his chair, watching her carefully. “Just checking on you. You look like you’ve been through hell.”
“Yeah, well, you can thank Victoria for that,” Emma said bitterly.
Liam’s expression darkened. “Emma, you can’t trust anyone right now. Not Katie, not anyone. Victoria’s pulling strings you don’t even see yet.”
Emma frowned. “What do you mean?”
“She’s not just out to embarrass you,” Liam said quietly. “She’s out to destroy you. And trust me, she’s got bigger plans than this.”