The next morning at Westview High felt like walking into a crime scene.
Except the victim was still alive.
And everyone was staring.
Olivia Carter kept her head down as she stepped through the front gates. The familiar campus—sunlit brick buildings, palm trees swaying in the warm California breeze, the buzz of students before first period—felt completely different now.
Hostile.
Eyes followed her immediately.
Whispers spread like ripples across water.
“That’s her.”
“Look.”
“Oh my god, she actually showed up.”
Olivia’s fingers tightened around the strap of her backpack.
Her stomach twisted violently.
Maybe coming to school had been a mistake.
But hiding would only prove them right.
She forced her legs to keep moving.
Across the courtyard, a group of cheerleaders stood by the fountain.
Sophia Davis was in the center of them.
Of course she was.
Her blonde hair gleamed under the morning sun, her posture straight and elegant even in a casual sweater and jeans. She looked effortlessly perfect—like she had stepped straight out of a magazine.
Students hovered around her.
Comforting her.
Congratulating her.
Someone handed her a latte.
Sophia smiled gratefully.
The picture of grace under pressure.
Then her gaze lifted.
Locked onto Olivia.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to freeze.
Sophia’s expression didn’t change.
Her lips curved into a gentle smile.
The same soft smile she always wore.
But her eyes—
Her eyes were cold.
Sharp.
Victorious.
The look lasted less than a second.
Then Sophia turned away, laughing lightly at something one of the girls said.
Like Olivia had never existed.
Olivia’s chest tightened painfully.
She walked faster.
The hallway was worse.
Phones came out the moment she entered.
Someone whispered loudly enough for her to hear.
“Is she seriously pretending nothing happened?”
Another voice snorted.
“Classic fake queen.”
Olivia’s face burned.
Her locker suddenly felt miles away.
She reached it, hands shaking as she spun the combination.
The metal door creaked open.
For a moment she just stared inside.
Someone had taped a piece of paper to the inside of the door.
Her breath caught.
Slowly, she peeled it off.
It was a printed screenshot.
A blurry photo of her from the gym last night.
On the floor.
Glitter smeared across her hands.
Sophia standing above her.
The caption was written in bold red letters.
“Queen of Losers.”
The words hit like a punch to the gut.
Olivia’s vision blurred.
She crumpled the paper instantly and shoved it into her backpack.
“Nice poster.”
Her head snapped up.
Three guys leaned against the lockers across the hall.
One of them snickered.
Another raised his phone and pretended to take a picture.
“Careful,” he said loudly. “She might bully you if you laugh.”
The hallway erupted in scattered laughter.
Olivia slammed her locker shut and walked away.
Fast.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
By the time she reached her first class, her chest felt like it might collapse.
English class.
Her favorite subject.
Or at least it used to be.
She slipped into her seat near the window.
Most of the class was already there.
The moment she walked in, the room went strangely quiet.
Olivia kept her eyes on her desk.
Pretend nothing is wrong.
Pretend everything is normal.
The chair beside her scraped back.
Someone sat down.
She smelled expensive cologne.
Clean.
Sharp.
Her stomach twisted.
She didn’t need to look up to know who it was.
Ethan Hunt.
The most popular guy in school.
Basketball captain.
Campus legend.
And until last night…
Someone who had looked at her like she was special.
Olivia stared at her notebook.
Her hands trembled slightly.
Ethan didn’t say anything.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
The silence stretched.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Finally, Ethan spoke.
“Are you okay?”
His voice was low.
Quiet enough that the rest of the class couldn’t hear.
Olivia almost laughed.
Was she okay?
Her reputation was destroyed.
Half the school thought she was a bully.
Someone was plastering humiliation posters in her locker.
And the one person she trusted might be using her for some secret revenge plan.
But sure.
Totally okay.
“I’m fine,” she said stiffly.
Ethan didn’t respond.
She could feel his gaze on her.
Studying.
Searching.
It made her skin itch.
“You don’t look fine,” he said after a moment.
Olivia’s patience snapped.
“What do you want me to look like?”
Her voice was sharper than she intended.
A few students turned their heads.
Ethan didn’t react.
He simply leaned back in his chair.
“I want you to look like someone who didn’t spend last night crying.”
Heat rushed to her face.
“I didn’t cry.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Olivia clenched her jaw.
“Why do you care?”
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Ethan didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes flicked briefly toward the door.
Then back to her.
“Because something about last night didn’t add up.”
Her heart skipped.
“What do you mean?”
“The video.”
His voice lowered.
“The cuts were sloppy.”
Olivia blinked.
“That’s what Mia said.”
Ethan’s gaze sharpened.
“Mia?”
“My roommate.”
He nodded slowly.
“Smart girl.”
Olivia hesitated.
“Do you think it was fake?”
Ethan studied her for a long moment.
Then he said quietly,
“I think someone wanted to destroy you.”
The words sent a chill down her spine.
Before she could respond, the classroom door opened.
Sophia Davis walked in.
The room instantly brightened with chatter.
“Congrats again!”
“You deserve it!”