MELISSA'S POVI was still reeling from the email.The glow of being nominated as a finalist for Miss England hadn’t worn off yet. It still didn’t feel real. I’d read the message over and over again, as if the words might vanish if I blinked too hard. Even with the chaos that had clouded my morning, that one email had felt like a hand reaching down and lifting me from the mess.For the first time in days, I felt light.Hopeful.I had been smiling, hugging a pillow to my chest, letting the idea of Miss World, cameras, gowns, interviews, and finally making something mine swirl around in my head—when my phone vibrated again.Just one name popped up.Xavier Kesh.And I froze. It wasn’t a text. It was a post.My thumb hovered over it for a few seconds, my pulse flickering at my wrist. I wasn’t even sure what I was bracing for—an announcement? A cryptic caption? A quiet unfollow?But when I tapped on it… I saw his face.And everything inside me unraveled.It wasn’t just the way he looked on
XAVIER'S POVSteam curled around me as I stepped out of the bathroom, towel slung low on my waist, my hair still dripping. I rubbed the back of my neck as I reached for my phone on the sink counter, the screen lighting up with endless notifications—Instagram tags, Twitter mentions, message alerts, news pings.I frowned.Thirty-three missed notifications in just ten minutes?What the hell?I tapped the first one and instantly, my entire feed exploded with chaos. Videos. Threads. Heated arguments. Memes. Headlines.Melissa Brown.Reunion Drama.Viral altercation.Oh my gosh.Katrina had mentioned the reunion briefly the other day, but I hadn’t given it much thought. I figured it was just a regular night with awkward hugs and fake compliments. Maybe some petty gossip. But this?This was a digital bloodbath.Video clips showed Melissa rising from her seat, storming toward some guy—Alfred, apparently—and slamming his face into the table after he made some vile comment about her sleeping he
MELLISA'S POVI was having a good dream.One of those warm, fuzzy ones that didn’t make a lot of sense but felt like safety. No pressure. No whispers. No past dragging me down. Just… peace. Until the universe decided to wake me up with a vengeance.My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.Ding. Ding. Ding. One after another, like the world had collectively decided to scream at me through a glowing rectangle.Groaning, I reached across the bed and fumbled for the phone, the screen nearly blinding in the early morning darkness.Thirty-seven notifications. Three missed calls. Fifteen unread messages.And every single one of them… was about me.I sat up slowly, heart in my throat, stomach already sinking as I opened the first group chat.Screenshots. Mentions. Clips.The incident from last night.My jaw clenched as I scrolled through the posts. The comments. The headlines. That video of me grabbing Alfred James by the collar and smashing his smug face against the table. People had turned it into a
KATRINA'S POVAs we left Melissa’s apartment, the car ride was unusually quiet. The soft hum of the engine filled the silence between us. Melissa sat with her eyes fixed on the passing streets, and I couldn’t tell if she was nervous or simply lost in thought. Maybe both.I adjusted my dress slightly, smoothing the fabric of my lilac gown over my thighs. I’d put effort into tonight—I always did—but something about this evening felt heavier. A reunion should’ve felt light, fun. Instead, there was this lingering pressure. Maybe it was because we were both stepping into a room full of old faces, shared history, and maybe a few grudges.When we arrived at the hotel, the valet opened our doors and the warm golden lights of the grand entrance spilled across our faces. Music floated from inside the event hall, low and rhythmic, setting a mellow tone. But the moment we walked in, everything shifted.Heads turned. Conversations paused. The room seemed to still for a few seconds as if the music
MELLISA'S POVAfter the call with Xavier, I sat in my living room, staring at the black screen of my phone as if it might somehow offer an explanation. The silence in the room was deafening, amplifying the growing discomfort in my chest.Why did he hang up like that?Why did he sound so distant?My thoughts chased each other in circles, refusing to give me peace. He hadn’t been himself all day, and now this? The short responses, the way he brushed me off—as though I wasn’t even worth a full sentence. And that wasn’t just anyone on the other line. That was me. Melissa Brown.I dropped the phone onto the couch and let out a frustrated sigh, pushing myself off the cushion and heading toward the kitchen. If I was going to overthink this entire thing, I might as well do it while cooking something comforting. My go-to: mac and cheese. Warm, cheesy, uncomplicated.While the pasta boiled and the cheese sauce simmered, I tried to shake off the tight feeling in my chest. Maybe he was tired. May
XAVIER'S POVAfter I dropped Vanessa off, I didn’t say much. Just a short, casual goodbye and she smiled, waving as she stepped out of the car. No tension, no drama—just friendly. But even as I watched her go, I felt this strange weight pressing on my chest. Not because of her. Because of me. Because I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on in my own head.The drive back to my place was quiet. No music. No usual humming. Just the sound of my tires gliding against the road and the buzzing thoughts running wild in my head. I kept thinking about lunch, about Melissa, about the way I acted. And more importantly—why.By the time I got inside, I was exhausted. The emotional weight of everything pressed down on me more than I realized. I stripped out of my clothes, tossed them into the laundry basket, and headed for the shower. The hot water hit my back like a slap, but it felt good—cleansing, even. Still, no amount of water could wash away the mess building inside my chest.Melissa'