stop playing along.

"Eli, why are you doing this? Are you mad at me?" Derek asked, his hands aimlessly hovering, the gossip behind them louder than ever.

"No," Ella replied, the single word final, dismissing any deeper conversation. She wasn't mad, how could she be? She didn't deserve the luxury of anger. Their worlds—literal worlds—were too far apart for her to feel entitled to such emotions.

Derek blinked, thrown off.

"That's a relief. But if it's not the fireworks, then what's going on? Why are you acting like this?" he pressed.

Ella shook her head.

"No reason," she muttered, refusing to explain further.

Before Derek could respond, a voice cut in.

"So, you are mad, Ella. But don't blame Derek. It's not his fault. When we heard you two had something planned, we... well, we kind of barged in."

It was Bianca, with her blonde hair and sharp, black eyes. Ella barely spared her a glance. Why was she talking now? Did she think Ella had forgotten?

But Derek snapped her back to the present.

"You don't need to apologize, Bianca. It's nobody's fault. I brought everyone out today. It was my duty as class rep."

Bianca lowered her gaze, a smile tugging at her lips, just barely contained.

"But Ella's clearly upset," she pointed out.

"She said she's not," Derek shot back, glancing at Ella, waiting for her to confirm. But Ella stayed silent, refusing to acknowledge him. Anyone who spoke to Bianca in her eyes would immediately be blacklisted. She didn't care what Derek thought about that.

Bianca, sensing an opening, pushed further.

"Come on, Derek, I'm a girl. Ask any girl—we know these things. We get upset easily."

Ella's jaw clenched. The nerve of her.

"When you say 'we,' who exactly are you referring to? You? You and who else?" she shot back, her tone cold, unyielding. "You're the reason so many harmful stereotypes about women exist."

A few girls behind them nodded and muttered in agreement. Someone scoffed.

"I can't believe someone like you, supposed to represent the youth, is reinforcing these stereotypes," they muttered.

Bianca's face flushed as she took a step back, fists clenched. She tried to salvage some dignity.

"Sorry, Ella. I didn't mean to upset you. It was just a generalized statement," she added, but the words felt empty.

"That's not just generalization, Bianca," Ella replied, her voice unwavering. "That's overgeneralization. Big difference."

Bianca's face fell, processing the sting. Ella didn't let up.

"It's like if I had a bad relationship and then started telling everyone that all men are awful because of it. That's just nonsense. One person's actions don't speak for everyone."

Ella's words hung heavy in the air. Everyone, even Derek, was too stunned to speak.

"Ella!" Derek finally managed, panic creeping into his voice. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The murmur spread quickly through the group. Was the perfect couple falling apart? The golden duo of their school? Ella, the perfect student, and Derek, the charming, rich heir with a heart of gold? Had they really come to this?

Before anyone else could speak, Bianca jumped in.

"See, she's mad, Derek." She turned to Ella with an exaggerated softness in her voice. "Don't be upset, Ella. Whatever happened, I'll apologize on behalf of everyone. We shouldn't have crashed your date." She waved to the others, signaling them to apologize.

Ella didn't flinch. She watched with detached amusement as everyone awkwardly shifted, each trying to force a sorry. But from the corner of her eye, she saw the smug smile curling on Bianca's lips. Victory was already in Bianca's grasp, she could feel it. Derek would react. And he did.

"Stop! Everyone, stop," Derek shouted, running his hands through his hair. "You don't need to apologize." He moved towards Ella, but she stepped back, creating more space between them.

He was getting agitated now. He had expected her to collapse into his arms, apologize for her outburst, play the role of the perfect girlfriend. But she wasn't playing anymore.

"Ella," he began, his voice tinged with frustration. "You need to be better than this. Honestly, I'm disappointed. It's natural for them to tag along, I thought you understood that. I'm the class rep, you should know that by now."

The words were like ice water. Ella paused, weighing the impact of his words. For a brief moment, she considered responding in the way he wanted, saying something passive and obedient, like she used to. But she didn't.

Let's break up," she said.

The words landed like a bombshell, leaving a stunned silence in their wake. Everyone's faces froze in shock, Derek's paling the most.

" What?" Derek managed to say, but it came out as a squeak.

"Am I dating you or them?" she asked quietly.

"Me, of course. We're the model couple," Derek replied, without hesitation.

A smirk twisted at Ella's lips. Model couple? Was she that much of a fool?

"Then it certainly hasn't felt like it," she muttered. "Anyway, I've freed up some space for you. Less crowded, so you can get the oxygen to your brain and finally analyze the situation. You'll see who you were really in a relationship with."

With that, she turned to leave, her pace steady, unbothered. The fireworks could wait.

"Wait! Ella! Come back here!" Derek called, but she ignored him, walking away without a second glance.

Her thoughts were clear now—Derek had been too focused on appearances, on the role he was supposed to play, and not on her. Maybe it was time to stop playing along.

Maybe it was high time to stop pretending.

As she walked away, her phone beeped, cutting through the tension.

Even those she'd left behind received the same notification:

Playing time is over, children. Time for your dispatch. Return to campus immediately.