The Valentine’s Day Dance is supposed to be magical.
At least, that’s what the decorations want you to believe. Pink and red streamers hang from the ceiling, fairy lights twinkle across the walls, and heart-shaped balloons float above the crowded dance floor.
It’s beautiful. Romantic. And I couldn’t care less. Because tonight isn’t about the decorations.
Tonight is about Noah.
I tighten my grip on my dress, my heart pounding as I scan the crowd. He has to be here. He always shows up to things like this, even when he pretends he doesn’t care.
Tonight, I’m done running. I’m done hiding.
I’m going to find him. I’m going to tell him the truth. I love him. I weave through the crowd, searching for him.
Music pulses through the speakers, couples sway under the dim lights, laughter and conversation swirl around me, but it all feels distant.
Because then—
I see him. And my world shatters. Noah is standing in the middle of the dance floor.
His hands are on a girl’s waist. Her arms are wrapped around his neck.
And then—
He kisses her. I stop breathing.
The noise of the room disappears. The music, the voices, the laughter—it all fades into nothing.
Because the only thing I can hear is the sound of my own heart breaking.
Noah is kissing someone else. Like I never mattered. Like we were never real.
I don’t recognize the girl. Long dark hair, red dress, someone I’ve never seen before.
But it doesn’t matter. Because the truth is clear. I was too late.
“Wow.”
A familiar voice cuts through my haze.
Savannah.
I turn slowly, my body numb.
She’s standing beside me, arms crossed, a smug smile curling on her lips.
“You really thought you were the only one playing games?” she muses.
I stare at her, my mind spinning. “What did you do?”
She tilts her head, fake innocence in her expression. “Me? Nothing.”
Liar.
She did this. I know she did.
Before I can say anything, another voice speaks.
Jason.
He steps up beside Savannah, a slow smirk spreading across his face as he leans in.
“Now you know how it feels.”
The words are like a knife to the gut. Jason. Savannah. They planned this. They wanted me to hurt the way they did.
And it worked.I feel sick. I turn back toward the dance floor, my vision blurring.
Noah is still there. Still with her. Still kissing her. And he hasn’t even noticed me.
Tears burn in my eyes. I waited too long. I lost him. I lost everything.
Suddenly, the phone in my pocket vibrates.
I don’t want to look. I don’t want to see whatever cruel message it has for me now. But my hands move on their own, pulling it out.
The screen lights up.
“Game Over.”
My stomach drops. The phone buzzes again. And this time, a new message appears.
“Do you want to start over?”