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CHAPTER THIRTY- TWO

Author: Cherish
last update Last Updated: 2025-06-21 00:59:36

“Seriously?” Claire’s voice echoed loud enough that people turned.

I didn’t look at her, but I knew the tone. Like she’d just watched someone put ketchup on ice cream.

I kept my eyes on my tray.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said, looking straight at Liam now. “Her?”

Liam didn’t even move. He didn’t look at her. He just kept looking at me.

And that made everything even worse.

‘Please look away,’ I silently begged.

As if my prayers were heard, he just picked up his fork and started eating, like she hadn’t said anything. Thank God.

I had my hands clenched in my lap. It hurt, but I guess I needed it too.

Claire laughed. Like, what the hell? She looked almost offended.

No one answered. The rest of the guys looked unbothered.

“This is actually sad.”

She grabbed her bag. Looked at me like I was nothing.

“Come on,” she said to Rose.

Rose got up slowly. She looked at me, didn’t say anything. Then she followed Claire out. Nobody stopped them.

The whole table went silent, until_

“Don’t m
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  • SECRETS & SCANDALS   CHAPTER FIFTY - TWO

    IVY'S POV Liam’s head was on my shoulder. Warm… and heavy. He was completely out. Breathing slow and steady. Definitely not faking it. I’m pretty sure he was really tired. I moved some hair out of his face and he kinda huffed, then leaned in closer. I smiled, shook my head, looked back at the movie playing – She’s the Man. I wasn’t even following the movie anymore. Just felt him there, leaning on me, breathing. Then the credits came on, and yeah, I noticed it was late. I turned toward the doorway and just… froze. Liam’s mom was there. Leaning on the frame. Smiling like she already knew what she was seeing. My face instantly went hot. I didn’t know if I should wake him or just… I don’t know… disappear. “Liam,” she said softly, walking in. He stirred, blinked, looked at me, then at her. “It’s late,” she said. “You should take Ivy home.” “Oh, no, I can get home myself,” I said, but they didn’t even look at me. Liam stretched, grabbed his jacket, and just went, “Let’s go.”

  • SECRETS & SCANDALS   CHAPTER FIFTY- ONE

    IVY'S POV By the time I got to the porch, I was dripping. My clothes were clinging to me. I couldn’t stop shivering. My fingers were stiff. I couldn’t even move them right. Aunt Linda must’ve been watching, ’cause the second I stepped up, she yanked the door open and pulled me in quick. “Ivy! Oh my God. What happened? Why were you out in the rain?” she asked, trying to get the towel tighter around my shoulders. I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. My chin was trembling. I couldn’t hold it anymore. I dropped to the floor and cried like crazy. Loud, very loud. I couldn’t breathe right. I sat there, soaked and hunched over, shaking badly on the floor. I didn’t even know who I was crying about anymore. My parents. Sophia. Derek. All of it. Just stacked on top of each other. Every time I let someone in, something happened. Either they left or turned into someone I didn’t recognize. And I keep thinking it’s something I did. Like I must’ve done something wrong. Aunt Linda didn’t ask ques

  • SECRETS & SCANDALS   CHAPTER FIFTY

    DEREK’S POV I shouldn’t have picked up that FaceTime call. She looked happy. Light. Like her day had been good. I watched her smile as she talked. She told me about her little date with Zane, called it “just fun,” said she rejected him nicely and that they’re still friends. Then she said something else. Liam. That he liked her too. Has confessed to her not long ago.I don’t even know why I acted like that. I just nodded. Said dumb stuff like “cool” and “alright,” pretending I was fine. I wasn’t fine. The whole time, I just kept thinking. It should’ve been me. Not those guys. Me. She said she likes them “as friends.” Same thing she’s said about me a hundred times. But it felt different now. She talked about them like they meant something. Like they were part of her life. And I wasn’t. I felt it in my chest. It just kept getting worse. I stopped listening after that. Told her goodnight and hung up. Then I sat there staring at the screen. Her name still there. I didn’

  • SECRETS & SCANDALS   CHAPTER FORTY - NINE

    IVY’S POV I opened the message from Liam. “Hey. You good?” Just two words, but I couldn’t stop staring—like they were saying a lot more. Like if I looked long enough, I'd know exactly what to say. My fingers hovered over the screen, then... Another buzz. He was calling. I picked up. “Hey,” I said, really quiet. “You home now?” His voice was soft. “Yeah.” “How was your day?” I shrugged without thinking, forgetting he couldn’t see me. “It was okay. Just long. Tiring.” He paused for a second. “So… did you and Zane talk?” I swallowed. “Yeah. I told him no. I said we’re better as friends.” There was silence for a bit. “I kinda figured,” he said eventually. “You okay?” “I think so.” Another pause. “So… just friends?” I smiled a little. “Yeah. We’re good.” His tone shifted. He sounded a little lighter. “Okay. Good. I mean—not good for Zane, but, yeah… I get it.” After that, the conversation felt easier. He started asking random stuff. Like

  • SECRETS & SCANDALS   CHAPTER FORTY - EIGHT

    Ivy’s POV The weekend came way too fast. Saturday. The date with Zane. I didn’t sleep much the night before. I just kept thinking—should I even be going? Zane was nice. Really nice. He didn’t deserve to be led on, not even a little. And I knew I didn’t like him that way. Like… like like him. And I hated that I was still going. But I also felt bad for dodging him so many times. And for spending way too much time with Liam lately. I mean… Zane asked me first. And I kept putting him off. I thought maybe I’d tell him today. Just be honest. But the idea made my chest tighten. Like, would it ruin the whole thing? Would it make it awkward? I didn’t know if I should tell him before the date, so he doesn’t waste his time and money… or after, so I don’t kill the mood right away. I didn’t know what was worse. Anyway, morning came. I hadn’t really decided anything yet. But I still got out of bed and tried to look decent. Not too much, but not like I didn’t care either.

  • SECRETS & SCANDALS   CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

    IVY’S POV I didn’t want to go to school. But I had to. I couldn't exactly stay at home forever. Everything felt off. I didn’t even know how I was supposed to act around Liam. Or Zane. Both of them. The two of them were always in my head. I just wanted things to calm down again. But no, that was gone. Zane kept showing up—during break, after class, walking me down the hall like it was no big deal. And Liam... I don’t even know. He was just there. Everywhere. I’d turn around and there he was. He acted like nothing happened. Like we hadn’t gone through anything weird. We were talking again. Like usual. But it didn’t feel usual. It felt different. I didn’t even know what we were doing anymore. Liam was acting like someone else now. And it was all the little things. If I tripped, even slightly, he’d catch me. I coughed—he handed me water. Dropped my pen—he already had another. It was weird. Not bad. Just weird. Because this wasn’t how Liam acted. Not with anyone. A

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