Chapter 4

Damian walked away, his arm protectively around Gigi, leaving me standing alone in the center of the ravenous crowd. The whispers escalated into outright jeers. "Look at her, still crying." "Pathetic." "She really thought Damian would pick her?"

Someone in the chaotic throng shoved me. I lost my balance, my weakened body unable to recover, and I crashed to the ground. My elbow hit the hard tile with a sickening thud. A sharp pain shot through my arm.

Then, a harsh flash erupted. Someone pulled out their phone, recording my humiliation. Another flash. And another. "Stop," I choked out, my voice raw, tears blurring my vision. "Please, stop."

But they didn't. Instead, a wave of cruel laughter washed over me. "Look at the whale, beached." "She deserves it for being such a psycho." "No wonder Damian hates her."

Each word was a jagged shard of glass, tearing at my insides. Blood wasn't flowing from a physical wound, but my soul felt like it was bleeding out. I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the throbbing in my arm, and ran. I ran past the mocking faces, the blinding flashes, the cackling laughter that chased me like a pack of wolves.

I didn't stop until I found myself on the deserted rooftop of the school. The wind whipped around me, cold and unforgiving. I leaned against the railing, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I hate myself. The thought was a venomous whisper in my mind. I hate this body. I hate this life. I hate everything.

A dark, dangerous thought flickered. What if I just...jumped? Would Damian even care? Would he feel a pang of regret for creating this monster of self-loathing? Or would he just be relieved the "fat pig" was finally gone? The boy who was once my beacon of light had become the heaviest shadow in my life, threatening to extinguish me entirely.

Then, the sky opened. Cold raindrops began to fall, first a gentle patter, then a steady downpour. I welcomed the rain, letting it mingle with my tears, washing away the shame.

A shadow fell over me. A large umbrella appeared above my head, shielding me from the rain. I looked up, my eyes bloodshot, to see Damian. He stood there, looking at me with an unreadable expression. He knew this spot. This was where I always came when the world became too much. He always knew.

"Elena," he said, his voice surprisingly soft over the drumming rain. "I... I didn't mean it like that."

My heart, already battered, gave a weak flutter of hope.

"You really shouldn't have said anything about Gigi cheating," he continued, a hint of exasperation in his tone. "Her parents are incredibly strict. It could ruin her. I was just trying to protect her."

He paused, then added, "If you just apologize to her, Elena, I promise... we can go to prom. We can make it official. Just like we planned." His words were a cruel bait, dangling a false future before my eyes.

He held out a folded handkerchief. It smelled faintly of his usual cedarwood cologne, a scent that used to make my stomach flip. I didn't take it.

He sighed, his hand retracting slightly. Then, as if on instinct, his pinky finger extended, a small, childish gesture he used when he was trying to coax me. His earlobes, I noticed, were faintly red. It was a familiar charade, a performance of contrition.

Then, his phone buzzed. A saccharine pop song filled the air. He glanced at the screen, his face hardening. "I have to take this," he muttered, dropping the umbrella into my hand. He walked a few steps away, his back to me, the rain beginning to soak my hair.

"Elena," he called over his shoulder, his voice now flat, devoid of any warmth. "Don't you dare bully Gigi again. You need to learn your lesson."

And then he was gone, leaving me alone again, under the umbrella that now felt like a mockery, the rain finally drenching me to the bone.