Chapter 2 Hairline fractures

Zahra read the note again at least ten times.

"Even flawless girls crack.

Can't wait to watch you break."

- J

The petals still clung to the edge of her locker like silent witnesses.

She'd thrown them away, wiped the floor clean, hidden the note deep in her backpack - but it still clung to her skin like sweat. Every voice in the hallway felt too loud. Every glance too sharp. Her world had shifted slightly to the left, and no one else seemed to notice.

She walked into Chemistry late.

Mr. Etim didn't say a word. Zahra never came late. That alone earned her a free pass.

As she slid into her seat, her eyes drifted to the back of the class - to Tyler, arms folded, hoodie up, scribbling into a notebook. His gaze flicked up just once.

Their eyes met.

She blinked.

He didn't.

Then he looked away.

That was the moment Zahra felt it - her first true suspicion. Tyler. Silent. Observant. Always arriving early, always leaving alone. Something about the way he moved, like he knew how to disappear in a crowd, like he had experience being unnoticed. Like he meant to be unnoticed.

But he didn't even know her, did he?

And why petals?

If it was him... why the theatrics?

By break, her nerves had become a ticking clock.

She sat outside under the almond tree where she usually did, pulling apart her sandwich more than eating it. Across from her, Aaliyah talked non-stop, scrolling through her phone with bright, sharp eyes.

"...And I swear her highlight looked like she dipped her face in glitter. Like, girl, relax."

Zahra gave a dry chuckle, but her eyes were scanning faces in the quad.

Jayden - not close enough to care.

Jordan - now walking toward them, flanked by two boys from the basketball team.

Her heart picked up speed.

He caught her eye.

"Zahra," he said, slowing as he reached her.

Aaliyah perked up immediately.

"Jordan," Zahra replied coolly.

He leaned slightly, his eyes flicking over her like he could tell something was off. "You good?"

She hesitated. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" His voice lowered, just a touch. "You look... tense."

Zahra stared at him, trying to read his face.

He didn't seem smug. Didn't look like someone who had just left a threatening note on her locker.

But then again, he'd always been good at hiding.

"I'm great," she said, too quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Jordan opened his mouth to say something, then stopped. His jaw tightened like he was holding back.

And in that pause - that split second of silence - Zahra's mask cracked again.

Just slightly.

"Did you want something?" she added, sharper now.

He raised a brow, half-smile returning. "Nah. Just checking on the queen of perfection."

She hated how he said that.

How easy it was for him.

How close to the truth he'd unknowingly hit.

As he walked away, Zahra turned back to Aaliyah, who was now watching her over her straw.

"What?" Zahra snapped, more harshly than she meant to.

Aaliyah blinked, caught off guard. "Nothing. You just... snapped. What's going on with you?"

Zahra exhaled through her nose. "Nothing's going on."

"You sure? Because you've been weird all day. Like... twitchy."

Zahra forced a laugh. "Maybe it's the Milo fumes from this morning."

Aaliyah smiled at that, but Zahra didn't miss the way her eyes lingered a second too long.

She was watching her. Closely.

Was she... gauging her reaction?

Zahra's throat dried.

Could it be Aaliyah?

She knew about Jordan. She saw the way Zahra kept everything bottled. She liked attention. And she'd been weirdly possessive lately. Almost like she didn't want Zahra talking to anyone else - especially Jordan.

But petals?

Petals weren't her style.

Too subtle.

Too poetic.

No, if Aaliyah had a message, she'd say it with lip gloss and Instagram captions.

Still... the way she was looking at her now. Sweet smile. Glittering lashes. Head slightly tilted.

Zahra suddenly felt the urge to escape.

After school, she went to the library - not to study, but to think. To breathe.

Only two students sat at the far end, whispering over a textbook. Zahra ducked into a corner table near the windows and sat down.

She pulled the note out again, flattening it against her thigh.

"Even flawless girls crack."

How did they know?

Whoever wrote this didn't just want to rattle her.

They wanted her to break.

Slowly.

Publicly.

That was the real game.

This wasn't about petals or poetry. This was about control. Someone was watching her. Studying the way she moved, the way she carried her perfect life. And now, they were poking holes in it.

One petal at a time.

She reread the signature. J.

There were so many J's in her life, it almost felt like a joke.

Jordan. Jayden. Julia from Year 11. Jonah, the artsy boy who once asked for her number and got curved.

She suddenly wondered if J even stood for a name at all.

What if it stood for something else?

A nickname?

An alias?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, the library door creaked open.

Zahra didn't look up - not until she heard the chair across from her drag.

Tyler sat down.

Uninvited.

Her chest thudded.

He didn't say anything. Just looked at her. Calm. Sharp. Quiet.

Zahra swallowed. "Do you... need something?"

His gaze dropped to the paper in her hands.

Too late. He'd seen it.

His eyes flicked back up, unreadable.

"You should be careful," he said finally.

Zahra's spine stiffened. "What?"

"People are watching. You know that, right?"

Her fingers clenched around the note.

He stood up just as silently and turned to leave, pausing only once by the door.

Then, over his shoulder, he added:

"Not everyone wants to see you stay perfect."

And just like that, he vanished into the hallway.

Zahra sat there for a long time, the words echoing.

She didn't know if Tyler was warning her or threatening her.

But one thing was certain:

The game had started.

And she was already a piece on the board.