Chapter 1: The Morning After

Rosa's POV

If anyone had told me that today would be the day my life was ruined forever, I would have cursed them out and called them insane.

The smile on my face outweighed the soreness between my legs when I woke up, as memories from last night flooded back.

Gary's voice in my ear, and the way he kept whispering my name like it meant everything.

I buried my face in my pillow, smiling like an idiot. I had really done it. I had given myself to the man I loved.

Instead of getting up, I lay on my bed, daydreaming about Gary. His smile, his smirk, damn it! I could even hear his voice whispering how he would be my first and my last.

My cheeks flushed as the memories rushed back all at once. I buried my face into my pillow, groaning softly in embarrassment. “Oh my God…”

I couldn't help but keep replaying every second of the night before.

The way Gary's arms wrapped around me, the way he brushed the hair from my face, as he whispered softly against my lips. “Relax, Rosa… I’ll take care of you,” his dirty words and the way he touched me.

“Rosa!!” I buried my face in my pillow. My heart fluttered while my stomach twisted.

The way Gary looked at me last night made my chest tighten. He had looked at me like I was the only girl in the world.

No one had ever looked at me that way before. Of course, why would anyone care about the quiet girl with glasses and braided pigtails?

I grew up in an orphanage where affection was rare, and survival was the focus.

I had already learned not to expect kindness until Gary showed up and changed that.

He made me believe I was special, he held my hand in public when everyone said I disgusted them, he walked me to class, bought me lunch even when I insisted I could pay for myself.

And last night… he told me he loved me. Gary Beaumont loved me! Me out of every girl in school!

For someone like me, those words meant everything and, yeah, I couldn't wait to see him at school.

I sat up slowly in bed, stretching carefully because of the ache and soreness between my legs.

My phone suddenly started ringing beside me, and I picked it up carefully so it wouldn't fall apart completely.

It was my best friend Quinn calling. Why was she calling this early? She travelled, didn't she? Or did something happen? Either way, I picked up the call.

“Rosa! What the hell did you do?!” Her scream came first.

I flinched, startled by her sudden outburst.

“What did I do?” I muttered under my breath.

“What about Gary, Rosa?” She continued. “How could you just go ahead and…”

The phone died before she could complete her sentence. I gulped. What had happened? Did I do anything I wasn't supposed to?

I tried turning the phone back on, but it refused to. “Stupid phone.” I hissed, dropping it back.

It wasn't even worthy of being called a phone. The screen was cracked so badly that half of it had turned blind, and the case was nothing to write home about.

I clicked my tongue as I got out of bed. We'd talk after I charged the stupid phone.

As I hurried to freshen up and prepare for school, my gaze flickered to my reflection in the mirror. My hair was a complete mess; my glasses were crooked on my nose. I was dishevelled.

I pressed my fingers against my lips, remembering how Gary had kissed me last night.

I quickly got dressed for school, choosing my favourite sweater even though it was a little worn out. I brushed my hair carefully and tied it back into my usual pigtails.

Gary always said he liked them.

After I was ready, I waited for Gary to come pick me up as usual, but after waiting for almost twenty minutes… I realized that he wasn't coming.

My face fell. Maybe he was busy and couldn't inform me because my phone had died.

I decided to walk to campus like I usually did before Gary and I happened, but the moment I stepped onto campus, something felt… off.

Usually, I got these weird looks anytime I stepped onto the campus, but today felt different. They were intentional about it.

Students stood in small groups, watching something on their phones and laughing.

And the moment I walked past them, they began whispering and looking at me. They didn't even bother hiding their stares.

My steps slowed, and a strange feeling crept into my chest. Did something happen?

I adjusted my glasses nervously and continued walking, my gaze on the floor. But this time, laughter followed the whispers.

My heart began to beat faster when I noticed that several students were holding up their phones and pointing at me while some were recording.

Was I about to get bullied? Was it because I didn't arrive with Gary today? Wait! Quinn had mentioned Gary. Did he cheat on me? Was he frolicking with another woman?

“What is it? What is the matter?” I snapped, clutching my backpack tighter.

A group of girls near the fountain burst into laughter. “That's her!”

Another girl covered her mouth, giggling.

“Oh my God, she actually showed up.”

Wasn't I supposed to show up before? No, something was very wrong.

I turned around, trying to ignore the stares as I walked toward the main building, but suddenly someone stepped in front of me.

The popular girl, Myra, from my economics class. She looked like she was barely holding back laughter.

“Hey, Rosa,” she called mockingly.

Before I could respond, she shoved her phone in my face. “I didn't know you were hot in bed?”

My brows creased. At first, I didn’t understand what I was looking at. The video was shaky and dark, but it looked like two bodies tangled together in bed.

“Why are you showing me… this?” My breath caught in my throat the second the girl in the video turned slightly.

My glasses slipped down my nose as I stared at the screen. No! No! How was this possible? At that moment, I would have preferred Gary cheating on me to what I was seeing.

The girl in the video was me! And— and the boy above her was Gary!