CHAPTER FIVE

IVY

Bailey smiled.

My stomach dropped.

“So, Ivy, will you join the planning committee?”

She said it too loud. On purpose. She wanted an audience.

I froze. My damp fingers curled into my hoodie sleeves.

If I said no, she’d make a show of it. If I said yes, she’d find a way to make fun of me anyway.

I looked at my friends. They were never short of words, but even they themselves had nothing to say at that point.

No one spoke.

Bailey was still waiting. The longer I stayed quiet, the more bigger her smile became.

She tilted her head to the side., her eyes glinting. “Something wrong? Thinking too hard?”

Laughter rang in all corners of the room.

I swallowed hard. “Um… I—I don’t… I don’t know. I just—” I swallowed, my hands clenching. “I’ll think about it. Maybe.”

Bailey smiled wider. “Oh, come on, Ivy. Just say yes.”

I hated this.

Nola stepped forward.“Bailey back off. She said she’ll think about it.”

Bailey barely looked at her. “Relax, Nola.” She turned back to me. “Ivy, do you want to or not?”

My face flushed. My feet shuffled, I hated being the center of attention.

I moved back to stand behind Gary.

People laughed, again. Someone whispered something. Bailey smirked.

Bailey and her friends copied me, a clear mockery.

Heat crawled up my neck. I gripped the back of Gary’s shirt.

He felt it. Reached back and squeezed my hand.

Then he looked at Bailey.“You should leave.”His voice was cold.“You’re upsetting her.”

Bailey blinked, faking innocence.“Me? Upsetting Ivy?”She turned back to me. “Is that true?”

I stared at the floor. I didn’t answer.

Bailey sighed, still smiling. “Guess I’ll wait for your answer, then.”

She turned and walked away.

Liam didn’t. Not right away. He had sat through the whole drama.

He hesitated. Looked at me.

Then stood up and left.

I let out a shaky breath.

We walked. My friends stayed close. No one spoke.

The more we walked, the worse it got. My legs shook. Every step I took felt like too much, like my body was giving up on me, but stopping wasn’t an option. Not yet.

The more we walked, the harder it became for me to keep walking. My legs shook, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep going.

My hands were cold. My chest felt heavy.

Tears kept rolling down my face m, but I pushed myself to keep walking.

Halfway down the hall, I stopped. Pressed a hand against the wall.

“Ivy?” Sophia, her voice low.“Are you okay?”

I nodded.

I wasn’t.

Then my legs gave out.

I fell. My vision blurred with the unending tears. My chest hurt.

I hugged my knees. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

My friends gathered around me.

No one rushed me.

Sophia and Diane knelt beside me, on the cold floor that smelt heavily of cleaning detergents.

They didn’t say anything. I was grateful for that.

I should’ve felt better. I didn’t.

All I could think about was how stupid I looked. How I told myself this year would be different.

And yet here I was.

Falling apart. Again.

I forced myself to stand. Forced myself to sit through my last class.

I barely heard what the teacher was saying. My mind wasn’t in that room.

Luckily, Nola and I had the class together. She sat beside me. She didn’t speak. Just held my hands in hers.

That small gesture made my throat tighten.

The last class ended, I grabbed my bag and rushed out. I just needed to get away.

I kept my head down. Moved fast. Heart still racing.

Almost there. Almost outside—

Then I saw him.

Liam.

Panic shot through me.

I turned on my heel, and slipped through the nearest open door.

Happened to be the music room, but it wasn’t empty. Someone was in the room, on the piano seat, playing.

Zain.

I paused at the door, then pushed it close gently.

“Better him than the other”, I thought.

Zain was watching me.

“Who are you hiding from?” he asked.

I swallowed, staring at the floor. No way was I answering that.

He didn’t push. Just continued playing, filling the silence. He talked as he played, I barely heard a word he said.

He asked questions.

My answers were short. Awkward. But he didn’t seem to mind.

Then he looked at the window. “Want me to check if the coast is clear?”

I hesitated. Then nodded.

Zain went outside. I peeked from behind the doorframe also scanning the hallway.

And there he was. Liam. Standing right outside the door.

I ducked back in. Heart pounding.

Zain came back, took one look at me, and he understood. . "Hey, it's okay," he said. "I got this.”

Then he turned and walked back out.

I watched as he said something to Liam. Liam nodded. His face unreadable. Then he left.

A moment later, Zain returned. Shrugged. “All clear.”

Relief crashed over me so fast it made me dizzy.

I swallowed hard. Blinked back tears. “Thanks’, I muttered.

Zain smiled. “No problem. You’re good to go. No need to cry.” His voice was light, reassuring. “Just… be careful, okay?”

I nodded. Whispered another thank you.

Then I left.

Didn’t stop.

Not until I was outside, running to the parking lot, desperate to get home before something else went wrong.