Andrew came to school the next day.
And nobody noticed.
That was the funny part.
The world didn't stop for villains.
The hallways were still loud.
The bells still rang.
Teachers still assigned homework like gravity hadn't changed.
Andrew walked through East Ridge High with his hood up, hands in his pockets.
His face was calm.
Too calm.
Like something inside him had gone quiet in the worst way.
Matt saw him from across the hallway.
Stiffened.
Steve saw him too.
Swallowed hard.
Cypriana—
Cypriana's breath caught.
Andrew's eyes flickered briefly toward her.
Just a glance.
No warmth.
No anger.
Just… distance.
Then he kept walking.
Like she wasn't even there.
Cypriana's stomach twisted.
She didn't know which was worse.
Him raging…
Or him empty.
Cypriana's day didn't start with Andrew.
It started with whispers.
The moment she stepped into the girls' locker room, the air shifted.
Too quiet.
Too sharp.
Her cheer teammates stood in clusters, pretending not to look.
But they were looking.
Cypriana's fingers tightened around her duffel bag strap.
"Morning," she said casually.
No one answered.
Then—
A giggle.
Soft.
Cruel.
Cypriana turned her head slightly.
Brianna Shaw, one of the loudest girls on the squad, leaned toward another cheerleader.
Not whispering enough.
"So it's true?"
The other girl snorted.
"Obviously. Matt Garetty doesn't just hang around for nothing."
Cypriana froze.
Her chest tightened.
Brianna's eyes flicked up, meeting Cypriana's.
Her smile was sweet.
Fake.
"Oh my god, Cypri. Hi."
Cypriana's voice was careful.
"Hi."
Brianna tilted her head.
"So…"
She dragged the word out.
"How was Montgomery's party?"
Cypriana's jaw clenched.
"It was a party."
Brianna laughed lightly.
"Mm-hmm. That's not what I heard."
Another girl muttered, "I heard she went upstairs with him."
Heat rushed up Cypriana's neck.
Her stomach dropped.
Brianna's smile widened.
"Girl, you're kinda iconic for that."
Then she leaned closer.
Voice lowering, sharper.
"But also…"
Her eyes glittered.
"Kinda desperate."
Cypriana blinked.
"What?"
Brianna shrugged.
"I mean… sleeping with Matt at Steve's party?"
A pause.
Then—
"And now you're following Andrew Detmer around too?"
The room felt like it tilted.
Cypriana's voice came out low.
"I'm not following anyone."
Brianna hummed.
"Sure."
Another cheer girl snickered.
"She wants both."
Someone else whispered the word like a knife.
"Whore."
Cypriana went still.
Her breathing stopped.
The room blurred slightly.
Not from tears.
From rage.
A hot, ugly feeling rising up her spine.
Her fingers curled.
The metal locker door beside Brianna trembled.
Just slightly.
Cypriana froze.
Nobody noticed.
But she did.
Her pulse roared.
Brianna kept talking, oblivious.
"I'm just saying, Cypri. Pick a guy. You're making it messy."
Cypriana's lips parted.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"You don't know anything about me."
Brianna laughed.
"Oh please. Everyone knows."
Cypriana stared at her.
And for a second…
She wanted to hurt her.
Not physically.
Not like Andrew.
But something.
Something to make Brianna feel small.
Cypriana's hand twitched.
The locker door slammed shut suddenly.
BANG.
The entire room jumped.
Girls screamed.
Brianna stumbled back.
"What the hell?!"
Cypriana's heart hammered.
She forced her face into confusion.
"I don't know."
Silence.
The girls stared.
Uneasy now.
Brianna's smile faltered.
"…Whatever."
She grabbed her bag quickly, backing off.
The whispers resumed, but quieter.
Warier.
Cypriana stood trembling.
Not from fear.
From power.
From the realization that the cruelty wasn't just noise anymore.
Now she had something inside her that could answer it.
Later, Matt found her by the bleachers.
She sat alone, knees pulled to her chest, staring at nothing.
Matt's voice was soft.
"Cypri?"
She didn't look up.
Matt sat beside her.
"What's wrong?"
Cypriana laughed quietly.
Dark.
"Do you ever realize how much people hate you for existing?"
Matt frowned.
"What?"
Cypriana swallowed.
"The girls. They're talking."
Matt's face tightened.
"About what?"
Cypriana's voice cracked slightly.
"About you."
Matt went still.
"…What about me?"
Cypriana looked at him then.
Her eyes were sharp.
"About what I did with you."
Matt's jaw clenched.
"Cypriana—"
"And about Andrew."
Matt's face hardened.
"Why would they even—"
"Because they need a story," she whispered. "And I'm easy."
Matt's voice was urgent.
"Cypri, who cares what they think?"
Cypriana laughed again.
That same bitter sound.
"You don't get it."
Matt's eyes softened.
"Then help me."
Cypriana stared out at the field.
Her voice was quiet.
"I'm starting to understand Andrew."
Matt stiffened immediately.
"Don't."
Cypriana's gaze flickered.
"I didn't mean—"
Matt's voice was sharp with fear now.
"Cypriana, don't say that."
Cypriana swallowed hard.
But it was already in the air.
Already true.
Because something inside her had shifted.
Just a little.
A crack.
A darker curiosity.
A question.
What happens when you stop letting people hurt you?
Across the school…
Andrew watched from a distance.
Hood shadowing his face.
His eyes flicked toward Cypriana.
Toward Matt beside her.
Toward the way the world kept pressing in.
Andrew's lips twitched slightly.
Not a smile.
Something colder.
He turned away.
And lifted his camera again.