LAURA
I reach for the taped letter, but she pulls back just out of reach.
The crowd doesn't move. Some people laugh quietly, some just watch. Either way, I feel small, painfully, humiliatingly small.
I glance at Peter, hoping he'll speak up, but he just looks away, uncomfortable. No help coming.
Before I can react, Giselle starts reading.
"Hey there, Peter… I hope this letter finds you with a smile on your face…"
My breath catches. Hearing my words, private thoughts meant for no one, echo through the quad… it's like the ground disappears beneath me.
"Stop," I manage to say, my voice shaky.
Giselle pauses for a second, then keeps going.
I reach again, but the crowd shifts, closing me in. Someone bumps my shoulder, and I stumble but catch myself.
She continues reading every line, every vulnerable, honest thing I wrote.
By the time she finishes, the letter feels like it belongs to everyone but me.
Then she turns to Peter.
"So?" she says loudly. "Do you want to be her Valentine?"
Peter doesn't answer. He doesn't even look up. His face is tense, like he wants the moment to disappear but doesn't know how.
My chest aches. Not because he said no, he didn't say anything, but because he didn't even look at me.
The crowd murmurs. The embarrassment is too much. I push my way through the ring of people and run toward the girl's restroom.
Inside, I lock myself in a stall and finally let go, all the hurt, humiliation, and frustration pouring out as I cry into my hands. Tears sting my eyes and my throat aches.
"How could I be so stupid?" I whisper to myself. "This is never going to stop."
I press my palms to my eyes until I hear voices entering the restroom, and instantly go silent, breath held, trying to pull myself together.
The voices I hear aren't girls' voices at all.
They're low, loud, unmistakably male.
Richard.
Isaac.
Peter's best friends.
My heart sinks.
I look around the stall. The tiled floor. The smell of aftershave.
"Oh no," I whisper to myself.
I'm in the boys' restroom.
"Giselle's hilarious," Richard says. "Did you see the girl´s face when she started reading?"
They crack up, and the sound makes my stomach twist. They're talking about me like I'm some kind of sideshow attraction.
"Did you know Pete's dating Mallory?" Richard adds.
"I thought it was just a one-time thing."
"Nope. Guess not. He says she's horny." Richard says and then he moans a few times as if he is having sex right there.
Pig.
More laughter. A small hiccup escapes me.
I slap a hand over my mouth, but it's useless.
Silence.
Then another damn hiccup.
Footsteps approach, and suddenly Richard's face appears above the stall door, because of course these stalls have no ceilings.
"Well, look where she ran off to." He says.
I push the door open and step out, trying to walk past them, but Isaac moves in front of me.
"Where are you rushing to?" he asks with a mocking grin. "I was just warmin gup for you."
I wipe my face quickly. I don't want them to see how shaken I am, it'll only fuel them.
Not enough humiliation for one day, apparently.
Richard steps closer. "Remind me your name again?"
I stay quiet and move to leave, but he blocks me. I step back until my shoulders hit the wall.
"Don't touch me," I warn him.
He doesn't touch me , but he leans closer, one hand on the wall near my shoulder, trapping me.
"It's fine," I tell myself. They're just trying to scare you.
"You're not my type anyway," Richard says casually. "I prefer my girls hot. You have a nice ass though."
Another student starts to open the restroom door, but Isaac stops it.
"Hey!" The boy protests.
"Occupied," he says sharply. "Piss off!"
I've had enough. When Richard leans in again, I shove him. Hard.
He only rocks back a step, then laughs.
He grabs my wrists, holding me in place. I try to pull free, but he's stronger. Panic rises in my throat.
I open my mouth to yell—
"Let her go."
The voice is calm. Steady.
I look over.
Jae steps out from one of the stalls.
He must have been there the whole time.
He heard everything. The boys, the teasing, the crying. All of it.
Perfect. Just perfect.
"Jae?" Isaac's grin wavers. "Dude, chill."
Jae doesn't look at him. His eyes are locked on Richard, jaw set.
"I said let her go," Jae repeats, voice low.
Richard sighs like he's bored. "What, man? You gonna start something over her?"
Jae doesn't blink. "Let. Her. Go."
Richard finally releases me. Slowly.
Then he steps toward Jae, squaring up like he wants trouble.
I should run, I know I should, but my legs won't move. I'm frozen.
"Jae—" I start, trying to warn him not to escalate, but he cuts me off.
"Go," he says without looking away from Richard.
So I do. I slip past Isaac and get out of the restroom, sprinting down the hallway.
"Help!" I call out when I spot a teacher. "There's a fight, please come!"
By the time we get back, Richard and Isaac are already stumbling out of the restroom.
Richard's holding his nose like it's about to fall off, and Isaac keeps shaking out his arm like he pulled something.
They both look like they definitely lost.
I push into the restroom, searching for Jae.
He's gone.
"What did you do to him?" I demand.
Neither of them answers. The teacher sends them straight to the principal's office.
But Jae is nowhere.
"Laura!" someone calls. I turn to see James running toward me, waving. "Why aren't you answering your phone?"
"I—"
"Doesn't matter. Jae's beating the crap out of Leeroy!"
"What?" My whole body goes cold.
We race to the quad.
A crowd has formed, of course. They're cheering like it's entertainment.
Jae is on top of Peter, holding him down while Peter struggles. Both of them look furious.
The cheering makes my stomach churn.
I grab James. "Do something!"
He blinks at me. "Why?"
"James!"
He hesitates, but before he moves, a school staff member rushes in and breaks it up. Jae is pulled back, breathing hard, a cut above his eyebrow.
Peter's face is smeared with blood.
My chest tightens.
"Why were they fighting?" I ask James.
"No clue," he says, but he's smiling like he's proud.
"Why are you smiling?" I ask.
"Because Leeroy had it coming," he says simply.
Normally I'd tell him not to call Peter "Leeroy," but right now I don't have the energy to correct anybody.
James studies me. "Are you okay? You look like you were crying."
"I'm fine," I lie. "I'm late for class."
"Sure? We can talk—"
"I'm okay," I say again, and walk off.
I go straight to the principal's office to wait.
Peter comes out first, holding an ice pack to his nose. He stops when he sees me.
"What happened?" I ask.
He looks at me for a long moment. "You should ask your boyfriend."
"My—what?" I blink at him, confused.
He just shakes his head and walks off as Jae steps out of the office. Their eyes meet for a second, tense and sharp, before Peter finally leaves.
Jae's eyebrow is bandaged, and his right hand is wrapped. He looks at me quietly, expression unreadable.
"Are you okay?" I ask softly.
He doesn't answer. His gaze stays steady, intense.
Then he turns and walks away.
I stand there for a second, paralyzed.
Should I follow him?
Probably not. Probably.
But my feet decide for me, and I run to the parking lot.
By the time I reach it, Jae's Land Cruiser is already pulling out.
I didn't even get to thank him.
Great.
Just great.
***
JAE
I LOST IT. I FUCKING LOST IT!
My hands are glued to the steering wheel, knuckles pale, jaw locked tight.
I don't have a plan or destination. I'm just driving because stopping means thinking, and thinking is the last thing I want right now.
Normally, when things blow up, I go to Adam's house.
Or to our tiny studio space to mess with music until my brain chills out.
But I haven't stepped foot in that place since the night Adam ended up in a coma almost a month ago.
He's not gone. Not yet.
But the guilt hits like a punch every single day. We argued before he was found at the pier.
Our last conversation was a mess, sharp words, stupid pride.
It's complicated, and I don'twant to go down that shithole right now.
And today? Today I did the exact opposite of what I´ve been told.
Garret, the lawyer, keeps warning me to stay out of trouble, keep my head down, don't get involved.
But how was I supposed to just stand there and watch her get humiliated again?
I've seen those girls go after her since the first week I transferred here.
I told myself it wasn't my business, that getting involved would only make things worse.
But then those guys stepped in, cornering her, laughing like it was all a game.
And something just snapped in me. I couldn't walk away.
Fuck no.
Not this time. Not ever again.
I should've talked to her afterward. I know that.
But the second she looked at me, like she didn't know whether to thank me or sprint in the opposite direction. I froze.
What was I going to do, walk up all casual and say, "Hey, I'm good. Just ignored legal advice, picked a fight, and probably earned myself a suspension. Hope your day's going better"?
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I dig it out while keeping one hand on the wheel.
Bianca.
Of course.
"Nope," I mutter, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat.
We broke up almost a month ago, but she keeps calling. Late at night. Early morning. I already picked her up twice when she wasn't in great shape, and I'm not doing that again.
If I keep showing up every time she calls, she'll never stop calling.
She has people she can rely on. I'm not her emergency contact anymore.
And on top of all that, my dad—Mr. Song—is flying into town today with his wife, Daciana.
The second he hears I've been suspended, he's going to start one of his speeches. Loud. Sharp. The kind that leaves your ears ringing even after he slams the door.
Not that he'll actually punish me. He won't.
For all his power and ego, there's exactly one thing in this world my dad is afraid of:
Me.
Our relationship is… ugly. Complicated in a way I don't talk about. Not to friends. Not to teachers. Not to anyone.
If I were someone else, someone who didn't care about consequences, I would've killed him for it. For the things only I know about.
But that's not who I am.
I'm not the one who destroys people. I´m not a murderer.
He is.
***
LAURA
The next day, I stay at home. By late afternoon, James shows up. I hide in my room at first, but he doesn't leave.
Eventually, I find him in my little sister Sofia's room, playing video games with her.
"Hi, Laura," James says, smiling.
I cross my arms.
"Sof, you're not supposed to be playing right now." I block the TV.
"It's just one game," Sofia groans.
"Come on, Laura," she adds.
"Nope. You're grounded. Go do something productive."
Sofia sighs dramatically, turns off the TV, and walks past me.
"Don't tell Grandma," she whispers.
"I'll think about it."
I turn to James.
"I'm not great company today. You should go."
I leave the room, but he follows me and stops at my door.
"It's okay. I can handle you."
"James, really. I don't want to talk about it." I try to open the door, but he doesn't move.
"I heard what happened yesterday. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I said I don't want to talk about it."
"So you're just… not going back? You're skipping school forever now?"
"As long as I can," I snap.
"Laura," he says gently, "you can't let them control your whole life. You can't stop living because of those two brainless bitches."
Behind him, Sofia is pretending not to eavesdrop.
I give her a look. "Back to your room."
When she disappears, I whisper, "It was awful, James. Half the school saw it. They'll never forget."
"Yes they will. Trust me. Teenagers forget that kind of thing fast."
He pauses. "A letter, though? Really?"
I close my eyes. "I know. I know. I feel so stupid."
"And Peter? He's… apparently dating Mallory."
I can't help it, my voice cracks. "I know."
"Well," James says, shrugging, "they're perfect for each other.
Meanwhile, you deserve someone way better than a stonefish. There are more fish in the sea."
I squint at him. "A… stonefish? Really?"
He grins. "Point is: forget him. He's not worth it."
"Do you think I'm… not pretty?" The question tumbles out before I can stop it.
He blinks, startled. "What? No. Not at all."
"Then date me."
The second I say it, I regret it.
James freezes, and somehow that hurts even more. I don't even like him that way, not even a little, but it still stings that he doesn't even consider it.
I push him aside and try to shut my door, but he blocks it with his foot.
"Laura, wait. It's not like that!"
"Go away."
"No! I'm not leaving." He tries to wedge his arm in. "Let me talk!"
"SOFIA!" he calls, trying to get backup.
"Don't you dare Sofia!" I yell. "James, seriously, go!"
He keeps pushing lightly against the door.
"What's wrong with me then?" I shout. "If I'm not ugly, why—"
"There's nothing wrong with you," he fires back. "I'm your best friend. I can't date you."
"Oh, that's convenient," I mutter.
"And… I'm actually dating someone."
I stop.
Stare.
Processing.
"You have a girlfriend?"
"Eww," Sofia and Cesar say at the same time, making faces at us.
James and I both turn and stare at them.
"When did you get in here?" I ask Cesar, but they scamper off.
I let James inside.
He wanders toward the paused TV. Éomer stands beside Gandalf at Helm's Deep.
"Seriously?" he asks.
"What? It's a good movie."
He shakes his head, smiling. "You're something else."
"So?" I sit on the bed. "Who is she? Do I know her?"
"No."
"Where'd you meet her?"
"Gaming."
"That's… actually really cool. What's her name?"
He hesitates.
"James," I warn, "just tell me."
"Why should I? You didn't trust me enough to tell me what happened yesterday."
He's not wrong.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to be alone for a while. I wasn't ready to talk."
He finally sighs.
"Her name's Gabriela."
"Gabriela?"
"Gaby. She's from Brazil. But she lives here."
I grin. "James has a girlfriend. Wow."
"Yeah, yeah," he mutters. Then, more serious: "Listen, you need to go back to school. You can't keep hiding. You're stronger than this."
He's right. As much as I hate it, he's right.
I can't let what happened freeze me completely.
"I'll be waiting for you in the morning tomorrow," James says. "Every class."
I smile a little.
"You're a good friend."
"Best friend," he corrects, poking my forehead.
"Ow," I say, even though it didn't hurt. He pulls me into a hug, warm and solid.
"Thank you," I whisper.
A moment later, he pulls back and makes a goofy face. I can't help smiling.
"You should do that more," he says. "You have a pretty smile."
He gets up before things get weird and heads for the door.
"Oh, almost forgot. Jae got suspended."
Shit.