By the time Hanna walked into the cafeteria, the tension in the air was palpable. Conversations hushed as heads turned in her direction, eyes lingering on her like a spotlight. She tried to ignore the stares, focusing on the tray in her hands, but the whispers hit her like darts.
“She’s been sneaking around with Elordi?”
“Didn’t she just get back with Finn? What’s going on with her?”
“Did you see the post? I knew she wasn’t as innocent as she seemed.”
Hanna’s chest tightened as she sat down at the table where Emily and Talia were waiting. Emily’s face was red with anger, her phone clutched tightly in her hand.
“She posted it fifteen minutes ago,” Emily said, shoving the phone toward Hanna.
Hanna stared at the screen, her heart sinking. The post was brutal in its simplicity—a collection of photos taken from the shadows. One showed her and Talia talking behind the old gym, their heads bent close in conversation. Another showed her leaving the strip mall with Elordi, his hand brushing her arm as they spoke.
The captions were vague but sharp: “Secrets and lies. How long before they all come crashing down?”
“She’s turning everyone against you again,” Emily said, her voice shaking with fury.
Hanna set the phone down, her appetite completely gone. “I expected this,” she said, though the tremble in her voice betrayed her.
“We can’t just sit here and take it,” Talia said, her tone sharp and panicked. “She’s making it look like you’re sneaking around with Elordi. People will believe it.”
Hanna clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she took a deep breath. “If we escalate, she wins,” she said, her voice firm despite the storm brewing inside her. “We stick to the plan. We release what we’ve got on her at the right time. If we act now, we’ll look desperate.”
Emily frowned, her eyes narrowing. “But what if waiting makes things worse? What if people believe her and start turning on you completely?”
Hanna opened her mouth to respond, but the words stuck in her throat. She knew Emily was right—every second they waited gave Ciara more time to twist the narrative. But if they rushed their plan, they risked losing their chance to bring her down for good.
Her phone buzzed on the table, and all three of them looked down at it. A message from Finn lit up the screen:
Finn: We need to talk.
Hanna’s chest tightened. She could feel Emily and Talia’s eyes on her, waiting for her reaction.
“You think he saw it?” Talia asked cautiously.
“Of course, he did,” Emily snapped. “Everyone has.”
Hanna swallowed hard, her fingers brushing against the edge of her phone. “I’ll talk to him later,” she said quietly, tucking the phone into her pocket.
Emily slammed her hand down on the table, drawing a few glances from nearby students. “You’re letting her get away with this, Hanna! You can’t keep waiting for the perfect moment. She’s not going to stop.”
“She will,” Hanna said, meeting Emily’s furious gaze with a steady one of her own. “When we take her down on our terms.”
The bell rang, cutting off the conversation. As the cafeteria emptied, Hanna stayed behind for a moment, staring at the photos on Emily’s phone. Ciara had drawn the first blood in this round, and it had worked. The school was turning against her again, whispers filling every corner.
As she stood to leave, Hanna clenched her fists, determination hardening her resolve. Ciara might have the upper hand now, but Hanna wasn’t going to back down. Not this time.
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