LOGINThat was quite a breeze🤭. . . What do you all think of Monica turning Gabriel down?
DAMIANShe stiffened immediately, like she wanted to run or disappear or sink into the tiles, and I felt my stomach flip in this horrible way.Landon nudged me hard and whistled low. “Guess princess fell off her throne.”I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt, “Shut up.”Dominic leaned back dramatically, “Nah this is crazy. Monica, babe, this is wild. You were like, the hottest gossip of the year and now you’re serving coffee? Just how much could life actually humble a person, huh?”“Cut it out,” I snapped, louder than I meant to. And she stood there staring at me like I was poison. The guys started being rude again and I couldn't control myself. I stood up so fast my chair screeched against the floor. “That’s enough.”Landon smirked. “Relax, dude, we’re just talking. I mean look at her.”“Yeah?” I stepped closer to him. “Then talk less.”Dominic chuckled. “Come on, bro, we’re just messing around. You don’t have to play hero now. I'm sure she had a lotta that while she was moaning on your
DAMIANI swear the last period always feels like someone glued time to the floor and forced it to crawl because they thought it was fun.The boys were already whining like hungry dogs before the bell even rang, Dominic stretching across his desk like he was dying, “Bro I’m starving, I’m actually seeing stars and I’m not even joking,” and Landon groaning, “That’s just your crusty eyelashes poking your eyeballs, shut up, fool” but they were already packing their bags, already plotting their grand escape like we weren’t literally skipping class every other day, and of course Dominic had that annoying grin on his face that meant trouble was cooking somewhere behind that really visible line on his forehead.We stepped into the hallway and my whole body felt wired, like every sound was too loud and every face was in my way. I didn’t even want to be there. I didn’t want to be anywhere. My mind was spinning around that stupid night again, the way her eyes looked broken, quiet, like she didn
MONICAHe hesitated, then said, “Wait, Monica, just—just let me talk to you.”“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said, arms folded tight so he wouldn’t see my hands shaking. “Yes, there is. I—look, I want to apologize.”I laughed. It came out dry and bitter like my feelings for him. “Then apologize by leaving. And staying as far away from me as possible.”He flinched like I’d slapped him. “Monica—”“No.” I took a step back. “You got everything you wanted from me already. The sex, your little ego boost, your bet. What more could you possibly want?” “You think that’s all it was?”“Don’t.”“I’m serious,” he said quickly. “I shouldn’t have done what I did, or said all that crap. Because I lied, okay?”He ran a hand through his hair, looking everywhere but me. “Yeah. You mean everything to me. You always did. I just—screwed up. I didn’t know how to deal with it and I pushed you away and said all that shit, but I didn’t mean any of it.”“Sure.” I scoffed.“I know you still feel it too. Wha
MONICA I grabbed a notepad, pulled my cap lower, and tugged at my mask, thank God Carla made us wear them during shifts. Still, there was no mistaking my hair or voice. I had to get creative fast.I grabbed one of the oversized menus and pretended to be checking something on it as I walked toward their table, blocking my face as much as I could. I even pitched my voice lower when I said, “Hi, Good afternoon and welcome to Bean Dean Cafe, what can I get you guys?”They didn’t notice. Yet.One of them Dominic, I think, the one who always looked like he lived in the gym, grinned. “Yo, Damian, this place is actually nice. Didn’t think you were into coffee.”Damian didn’t laugh. He just shrugged, eyes scanning the menu. “Shut up and order, man.”Another guy leaned back. “So what’s up with you lately, bro? You’ve been acting all weird. Heard you’re hanging around Monica Lee again.”My stomach clenched. I held the notepad steady, pretending to write something even though my brain had comple
MONICA I turned on my heel and walked faster, ignoring the looks we were getting. I could feel Gabriel’s eyes on me from across the hall, and that only made it worse. By the time I got out of school, my head was pounding again. I checked my phone to find no new messages from Dad. The last test from dad was him rudely grounding me for being rude and disappearing last night. The only texts I could find were just Damian’s unread texts stacking up like guilt I didn’t ask for. I took the bus to the other side of town, where the buildings were smaller, older, and smelled like bread and burnt coffee. I stopped outside a small café with a crooked sign that read The Bean Den. The windows were fogged up, and inside I could see warm lights and people laughing over lattes. I pushed the door open, and a little bell jingled. The woman at the counter looked up. She had short brown hair, a messy apron, and the kind of tired eyes that said she’d seen too many teenagers in need of jobs. “Hi,” I sa
MONICA My brain was still spinning from the whole “Because you want to own her” line, so the word charity hit me like a slap. Great. The universe clearly loved irony. People whispered around me, a few laughs slipping out that weren’t exactly subtle. “Guess she’s already charity,” someone muttered behind me. I didn’t turn, but I could feel my face heating up. Gabriel didn’t even look back; he just said in that smooth, unbothered voice, “If you’re so obsessed with her, maybe you should volunteer as her fan club president.” A few people snorted but the guy behind me shut up. Professor Reynolds cleared his throat, pretending he didn’t hear a thing. Typical. He wasn’t going to scold the rich heirs for mocking the janitor’s daughter. That would be social suicide for him, and we all knew it. “Alright,” the professor continued. “For this event, each of you will be partnered up. The goal is to raise funds for the children’s foundation. You’ll design booths, sell something, anything crea







