Falling Apart

The hallway felt colder than usual. Brielle walked slower than she needed to, clutching her books like a shield. Whispers followed her, sharp, unrelenting.

"She's the one from the video, right?"

"Elijah really threw his life away for her?"

"She seduced him."

Brielle tried to keep her face composed. Her head high. But every glance, every whisper, every click of a phone camera chipped at her armor.

She reached her locker and took a deep breath. Her hands trembled as she spun the dial. It had only been two days since the video leaked. Two days since the world she'd barely built came crumbling down again.

Her suspension was immediate. "Inappropriate conduct," they said. "Violation of school ethics." Meanwhile, Elijah wasn't touched, not officially. He had too many eyes protecting his future. A star student. A scholarship darling. Someone they could "talk to" in private.

She hadn't seen him since that morning after the leak.

Not properly.

And it hurt.

Later That Day...

Elijah sat stiffly in the office of Mr. Coleman, the school's scholarship coordinator.

"Elijah," Coleman said, steepling his fingers, "this... situation is delicate. We understand teenagers make mistakes, but public image matters. Your sponsors are concerned."

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen," Elijah muttered, eyes low.

"We believe you," Coleman said, voice soft but firm. "Which is why we're advising a clean break. Distance yourself. Let the noise die down. You have a future to protect."

He left the office feeling hollow.

He couldn't breath.

That Evening

Brielle stared at her phone, her thumb hovering over Elijah's name. She'd typed and deleted messages all day.

"Are you okay?"

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"You said you wouldn't disappear."

She deleted them all.

She couldn't bring herself to beg for his presence.

Her heart hurt in ways she couldn't explain. And the worst part was, he hadn't even tried. Not one text. Not one call. Not even a glance in the hallway.

The Next Day

They passed each other.

Just once.

In the hallway.

He didn't stop.

He didn't even look at her.

Brielle's knees buckled slightly as she pressed herself against the row of lockers, just to hold herself together.

"Elijah…" she whispered.

At Lunch

He sat alone. Away from their usual spot. His tray untouched. Headphones in, eyes on nothing.

Ariana, however, sat just a few seats away, smiling sweetly as she pretended not to notice him. She leaned over to her friend and said, loud enough for Brielle to hear...

"Some girls just love attention. No wonder she got herself suspended."

Rage boiled in Brielle's chest, but she said nothing.

What was the point?

Elijah didn't defend her. Not here. Not now.

Not anymore.

Flashback: Two Nights Ago

Elijah had begged the board. He'd tried to stop the video before it spread, but Zane was fast. Too fast.

And Ariana? He didn't want to believe it was her.

But the proof was obvious.

She sent it from a burner account. But her voice, her laugh in the background, it was unmistakable.

He had tried.

Tried to reason.

Tried to shield Brielle.

But the sponsors were firm.

He couldn't be associated with scandal.

Not if he wanted the scholarship that could change his life.

"I'll fix it," he had whispered. "I just need time."

But Brielle would never know.

Present

Elijah stood in front of the mirror in the empty bathroom, gripping the sink so tightly his knuckles turned white.

He was suffocating.

Everything inside him screamed to run after her.

To hold her.

To say, "I'm still here."

But every door was closing.

His future. His path. His choices.

If he fought for her, he might lose everything else.

And yet... losing her felt worse.

Meanwhile

Brielle sat in her room, curled under her blankets, music loud in her ears to drown out her thoughts.

Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

She hated this.

This feeling.

This... abandonment.

Again.

Like she didn't matter enough to fight for.

Her phone buzzed.

One message.

From Grace.

"He's scared. But he still looks at you like you're the only thing that makes sense."

She didn't respond.

Because Grace didn't know what it felt like to be the girl everyone turned against.

To be the girl someone almost chose... but didn't.