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VIENNE'S POV 

‘You'd be more pretty if you had thinner lips.'

My eyes strayed away from the message on my phone which was beginning to set a sense of insecurity in me. Slowly, I threw a glance at my reflection on the mirror attached to my vanity table, not pausing while working out my hair with a comb.

 I was gorgeous. Undeniably pretty.

Not being unnecessarily proud, vain or anything... It's just a fact. Anyone meeting me for the first time would not deny the fact that they have to give me a second once over. 

I let out a humourless scoff at no one in particular. Perhaps at myself. 37 hours had gone since I sent a snap of myself to Ryan, hoping for some complement; but alas! I finally got a response that was supposed to point out ‘a flaw’ on my face. 

I stared once more at my reflection: my brunette fell straight behind me and brown eyes framed by long lashes, average height made taller by the subtle heels I chose because Ryan once said they made my legs look endless. I adjusted the strap of my designer leather bag, fingers tightening until the stitching bit into my skin.

Today, I will fix it.

The drive to Minerva High took fifteen minutes through the city’s most exclusive district. When the school’s grand entrance came into view, my stomach twisted. 

Senior year. A year I was supposed to look forward to, but now felt different.

It was a Monday morning and students in crisp uniforms laughed and hugged, backpacks slung over shoulders that cost more than most people’s monthly rent.

I parked in the senior lot, the engine’s soft purr cutting off into sudden quiet. 

The glances I received wasn't the usual admiring glances that followed the Reyes name. Something sharper. Whispers rippled outward from the students as their phones hovered a little too casually. The air itself seemed to thicken, pressing against my skin.

There he was.

Ryan Knox. My boyfriend.

He leaned against the low stone wall that bordered the fountain, golden hair catching the sunlight, an easy smile flashing at something one of his friends said. Tall, athletic, the kind of effortless charm that made teachers overlook missed assignments and girls overlook red flags. My heart gave a pathetic little skip despite everything.

I walked toward him, heels clicking sharply against the polished stone path. My chest got even more heavy with each step.

“Ryan,” I called, my voice steadier than I felt.

He turned. The smile dropped the instant our eyes met. Blue eyes that once looked at me like I hung the stars now held something flat. Almost bored.

Conversations died mid-sentence. Laughter cut off. The fountain’s gentle splash suddenly sounded deafening.

“Vienne,” he said. 

Just my name. No “hey babe.” No hug. No “I missed you over break.”

I stopped a few feet away, the leather strap of my bag suddenly too tight across my shoulder. “We need to talk. About the break. About why you’ve been acting so cold. Reasons for the our dry texts and the canceled plans. I waited practically all break for you to explain.”

Ryan glanced around, checking who was watching. Half the senior class seemed to be. Perfect. 

His jaw tightened. “Look, it’s over.”

The words landed on me like a bucket of dumped ice water. 

My lungs seized. The stone in my chest cracked wide open, sharp edges slicing everything inside. “What?”

“It’s been coming for a while,” he continued, voice carrying just loud enough for the nearest phones to catch. “You’re… too much sometimes. Always studying, always planning every little detail like life is one of your color-coded schedules. I need someone who knows how to have fun. Someone who doesn’t make everything so serious.”

Heat flooded my cheeks, burning all the way up to my ears as embarrassment settled on me. My eyes stung, but I blinked hard, refusing to let the tears form. Not here. Not in the middle of this courtyard.

Behind Ryan, another figure stepped forward.

Amelia Dawn.

My ex-best friend slid her arm through Ryan’s like she had every right; sharp smirk curling her lips. The same girl who I had once shared secrets and sleepovers with. I didn't notice at first; the subtle snide remarks at my achievements, insinuating that I was “stealing everything”. I hadn't quickly perceived the filthy stench of envy over the years about my grades, clothes, my parents’ money until it exploded at last two years over a boy. Amelia had sworn to make me regret everything.

Now that same girl looked at me with pure satisfaction. And in triumph.

“Something just… happened, Vienne,” Amelia said, voice sweet as poisoned honey. “Sorry you had to find out like this.”

I ignored her turning to Ryan again. “This is a prank right? Ryan, tell me it's a joke”

He scoffed “ what part of me is giving away that I'm joking here, Reyes?”

And that stung more. Reyes?. It's always been either ‘Vee’ or ‘babe’

I reached for his hand, almost grabbing it. “I must have done something wrong. Tell me what it is. I'll fix it” I tried leveling my voice so as not to sound as desperate as I was.

What I got was Ryan harshly yanking his clothing from my fingers as he was almost scowling at me. “Don't you get it? I'm done. I don't need you fixing anything. Leave me alone”

With tha he walksed away with Amelia and the courtyard spun. My pulse roared in my ears, a frantic drumbeat that drowned out everything else. I could feel the eyes.

Curious, pitying, amused. They all burned into my skin. 

The perfect Vienne Reyes. Rich. Beautiful. Top of every class. Reduced to this; publicly dumped on the first day of senior year for the girl who had vowed to break her.

My fingers trembled around the strap of her retro bag. The designer leather suddenly felt cheap. 

I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. I badly needed an escape.

Instead, I lifted my chin, the motion small but deliberate, the way my mother had taught me to face boardrooms I might never enter.

No tears.

Not here.

I turned on my heel, the click of my shoes the only sound cutting through the heavy quiet. Each step away from the fountain felt like walking on shattered glass, but I kept my back straight, brunette falls swaying with forced my grace.

Inside, the fire that had been smoldering all break ignited into something sharper. Something stubborn. Something that refused to stay broken.

This wasn’t the end of my story.

It was only the beginning of my fight.

By the time I reached the edge of the courtyard, the whispers had already started swelling again. But the image stayed burned behind my eyes. Ryana nd Amelia together, the entire school watching my fall.

This wasn't over.

I wouldn't let Amelia win.