Handle it together.

The message stayed in my head long after I dropped my phone.

"Enjoy tonight while it lasts.

By tomorrow, everyone will know who you really are."

I didn’t reply.

I couldn’t.

Sleep didn’t come easy either. 

Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing it—those words, repeating, settling into something heavier than just a threat.

By morning, my chest still felt tight.

Like something was already wrong and I just didn’t know where it would hit from.

Walking into school felt different.

Too normal.

That was the problem.

No one was staring.

No one was whispering louder than usual.

Everything looked the same.

But it didn’t feel the same.

I kept looking around anyway. 

At faces. 

At corners. 

At nothing in particular.

Waiting.

Then I saw her.

Paige.

She was already looking at me.

Like she had been waiting.

A slow smile spread across her lips as our eyes met.

My stomach tightened.

She walked toward me, calm, unhurried.

Like she had all the time in the world.

When she got close enough, she leaned in slightly.

“Hope you slept well.”

My breath caught.

Then she walked past me.

Just like that.

No explanation.

No scene.

And somehow, that made it worse.

I found Aaron before first period.

The moment he saw me, something in his expression shifted slightly.

Not obvious.

But enough.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I didn’t waste time. I pulled out my phone and showed him the messages.

He took it, reading quietly.

His face didn’t change much.

But I saw it.

The way his jaw tightened slightly.

The way his grip on the phone firmed just a little.

“Did you reply?” he asked.

“No.”

“Good.”

He handed the phone back, his eyes still on me.

Then, without thinking too much about it, his hand found mine.

Warm. 

Steady.

“We’re gonna handle it together.”

My breath caught slightly.

Not I will handle it.

Not leave it to me.

Together.

Something about that settled the panic just a little.

Even if everything else still felt uncertain.

By the time we got to class, I could already feel it.

The tension.

Not loud.

But there.

Paige was there.

Sitting like nothing had happened.

But her eyes found mine more than once.

Each time, that same knowing look.

Like she was waiting.

For something.

During the break, Aaron and I stayed in the classroom. 

We both knew she would come.

Paige walked over like she owned the room.

All eyes shifted toward us, the whispers already starting. 

She stopped right in front of our desks, calm, smiling.

“So… you told him,” she said, her voice sweet but sharp.

I lifted my chin and looked her straight in the eyes.

“Yes, I did,” I said clearly, my voice steady. “And if you think that scares me, you’re wrong. Whatever game you’re playing, Paige, it ends here. I’m not hiding anything, and I’m done letting you try to control this.”

Aaron shifted closer to me, his shoulder brushing mine. 

His hand found mine under the desk and squeezed once.

“That ruins the fun,” Paige said softly, her smile widening.

Aaron’s voice cut in, low and firm. “There’s no fun here, Paige. Whatever you think you have on Allison, drop it. We both know how this ends if you keep pushing.”

Her gaze flicked to him, then back to me. 

She tilted her head. “You’ll see.”

Just then, the classroom door opened.

A new student walked in quietly and sat gently on an empty seat near the window. 

He didn’t make a show of it, but the moment he entered, the energy in the room shifted. 

A few girls straightened up. Whispers rippled through the class.

He was cute with soft features, warm eyes, that effortless kind of attractive. 

Not as sharp or intense as Aaron, but enough to turn heads.

Before anyone could say anything, Sophia, our class president stood up with her usual confident smile.

“Hey, new student,” she said brightly.

“Since you’re joining us today, why don’t you introduce yourself to the whole class?”

He stood up slowly, polite and relaxed.

He gave a small, easy smile that made a couple of girls in the front row giggle quietly.

“I’m Liam Hayes,” he said, voice calm and clear. “Just transferred in. Looking forward to the year.”

He sat back down without another word, but the attention lingered on him a little longer.

Later that afternoon, after practice, I stepped out of the gym still wiping sweat from my forehead, my gym bag slung over one shoulder. 

The hallway was quieter than usual.

I didn’t see anyone coming until it was too late.

Our shoulders brushed as I turned the corner. 

I stumbled slightly.

“Sorry,” I said quickly, adjusting my bag.

I was shocked to see Liam.

He turned, and when he saw it was me, his expression softened into that same gentle look from earlier.

“No, my bad,” he replied, smiling a little. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

I expected him to keep walking, but he didn’t.

He stayed there, shifting his bag to the other shoulder.

“Rough day, huh?” he asked, his voice low enough that it felt like we were the only two in the hallway. “So...”

 The gym door opened again which interrupted Liam. 

Aaron stepped out, towel around his neck, hair still slightly damp.

His eyes landed on us immediately.

For a second, something flashed across his face, not obvious, but I caught it.

He walked over casually, like he was barely paying attention.

“There you are,” Aaron said, voice relaxed, almost bored. 

He slipped his arm around my waist smoothly and pulled me closer to him. “Ready to go?”

He didn’t even look at Liam directly.

Liam’s eyes moved from Aaron’s arm around me to my face.

Aaron didn’t wait for a reply. He started walking, guiding me along with him, his hold firm but not rough.

“See you around, Liam,” he said over his shoulder, tone completely nonchalant.

As we moved down the hallway, I glanced up at Aaron. 

His jaw was tight, even though his expression stayed cool.

“Aaron…” I started.

“Come with me,” he said quietly, leading me further away from the gym.

His hand was still on my waist.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

"What is it?" I asked. 

He didn't answer. 

And somehow...

That made it worse that the message I recieved yesterday.