But Olivia shook her head.
“No.”
“Liv—”
“She wouldn’t risk it.”
Her voice trembled.
“Everyone loves her.”
Mia snorted.
“Exactly.”
Olivia stared at the floor.
“I must’ve done something wrong.”
“You didn’t.”
“I must have.”
“Olivia—”
Her voice rose.
“Why else would everyone turn on me so fast?!”
The question shattered in the air.
Mia had no answer.
The silence stretched painfully between them.
Finally, Olivia spoke again.
Quietly.
“There was something weird tonight.”
Mia looked at her.
“What?”
Olivia frowned slightly, remembering.
“When I fell on stage…”
Her stomach twisted again at the memory.
“I saw something in Brett Cole’s pocket.”
Mia stiffened.
“A photo.”
“What kind of photo?”
Olivia hesitated.
Then she whispered,
“A picture of me.”
The words seemed to suck the oxygen out of the room.
Mia’s expression changed instantly.
“What?”
Olivia rubbed her arms.
“It looked old.”
“How old?”
“From my old school.”
Mia’s heart skipped a beat.
“What?”
Olivia’s voice turned uncertain.
“I think… it was one of those pictures.”
“Which pictures?”
“The ones people used to post online.”
Her stomach twisted.
“The ones where I looked…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
But Mia understood.
Awkward.
Lonely.
Pathetic.
Her face paled.
“That’s… weird.”
Olivia looked up.
“Right?”
Mia forced a small laugh.
“Probably just a coincidence.”
But her voice sounded tight.
Too tight.
Olivia frowned.
“You think?”
“Yeah.”
Mia stood up quickly.
“I mean, maybe someone just printed it as a joke or something.”
Olivia studied her carefully.
Something about Mia’s reaction felt…
Off.
Too fast.
Too dismissive.
But she was too exhausted to press further.
Mia grabbed Olivia’s mug and shoved it into her hands.
“Drink this before it gets cold.”
Olivia obeyed automatically.
The chocolate was warm.
Sweet.
Comforting.
But it didn’t chase away the cold inside her chest.
An hour later, Olivia finally fell asleep on the couch.
Her breathing was uneven.
Her face still wet with tears.
Mia stood in the dim living room watching her.
Her chest ached.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Olivia didn’t hear her.
Mia walked quietly onto the balcony and slid the door shut.
The night air was cool against her skin.
She pulled out her phone.
Her hands trembled slightly as she dialed.
The call connected on the third ring.
A rough male voice answered.
“Mia?”
She exhaled.
“Hey, Miguel.”
“You okay?”
Her eyes filled with frustration.
“No.”
“What happened?”
Mia leaned against the railing and stared at the streetlights below.
“They destroyed her.”
“Who?”
“Sophia Davis.”
There was a pause.
Then Miguel muttered a curse.
“That family again.”
Mia’s jaw tightened.
“She’s worse than her sister.”
“What did she do?”
“They framed Olivia.”
“For what?”
“Bullying.”
Miguel scoffed.
“Seriously?”
“They edited a video.”
Mia’s fingers curled around the phone.
“And everyone believed it.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then Miguel said quietly,
“You shouldn’t get involved.”
Mia laughed bitterly.
“Too late.”
“Mia—”
“I told you,” she said fiercely. “I’m not letting them get away with this.”
“Mia, listen—”
“No.”
Her voice shook with emotion.
“You didn’t see her tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was destroyed.”
Mia’s chest tightened painfully.
“Like… completely broken.”
Miguel sighed.
“This isn’t your fight.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Because of me?”
“Because of what they did to you.”
Her voice hardened.
“I told you, I’d make them pay.”
“Mia—”
“I’ll help Olivia expose them.”
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
“She’s the only one who can stand up to Sophia.”
Miguel sounded uneasy.
“Does she know?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Mia swallowed.
“Because right now she’s fragile.”
“How fragile?”
Mia looked back through the glass door.
Olivia was still curled on the couch like a wounded animal.
“Very.”
Her voice softened.
“I’ll guide her.”
“Mia…”
“I’ll help her fight the Davis family.”
Her jaw set firmly.
“And this time…”
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“They won’t win.”
Behind the balcony door—
Olivia stood frozen in the hallway.
Her hand still resting on the bathroom door handle.
Her heart slammed violently against her ribs.
Every word had reached her.
Clear as glass.
She’s fragile.
I’ll guide her.
She’ll help us fight the Davis family.
The air felt suddenly too thin to breathe.
Her chest tightened.
Her stomach twisted painfully.
Mia’s voice continued outside.
Soft.
Determined.
But Olivia couldn’t hear the rest.
Because one thought echoed endlessly inside her head.
Even Mia.
Her vision blurred with fresh tears.
Even the one person I trusted…
She backed away slowly.
Silently.
Carefully.
Before Mia could see her.
The bathroom door clicked shut.
And inside the small room, Olivia slid down against the wall.
Her hands covered her mouth to stop the sound of her sob.
Because the worst part wasn’t the humiliation.
Or the betrayal at school.
It was the realization creeping into her chest like ice.
Maybe she had been right all along.
Maybe she really was—
Just a loser pretending to shine.