Stella's POV
Walking through the hallway felt like walking through a minefield. Every step was heavy, every whisper felt like a bullet aimed at us. The air was thick with gossip, and the stares were relentless. I could feel their eyes boring into me, their curiosity sharper than any knife.
I tried to keep my head down, my shoulders tense. Beside me, Gwen was stiff, her jaw clenched, eyes blazing with anger. Her fingers were curled into fists, knuckles white as we passed by another group of girls huddled together, their faces lit by the glow of their phones.
They were whispering, giggling behind their hands. One of them glanced up at us, her eyes narrowing before she burst out laughing, showing her friends whatever was on her screen. I didn’t need to look to know what it was.
The video. Liam and Harper. Caught in the act. The image of them tangled together in the student council office flashed in my mind, and my stomach churned. I felt sick just thinking about it.
“Seriously?” Gwen’s voice was cold, dripping with fury. She spun around, her eyes locking onto the group of girls. “Keep laughing and I’ll cut your throat.”
The girls froze, their eyes wide in shock. One of them looked like she was about to cry. Another just stared at Gwen like she was a monster.
I grabbed Gwen’s arm, pulling her away before she could do something reckless. “Don’t,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “It’s not worth it.”
“They’re laughing at her!” Gwen snapped, her eyes blazing with anger. “They’re laughing at Harper. After everything...” Her voice wavered, but she quickly swallowed it down, her face hardening again. “It’s disgusting.”
I tightened my grip on her arm, trying to ground her. “I know. But this won’t solve anything. We need to find Harper.”
Gwen let out a sharp breath, her shoulders dropping. “Yeah. You’re right. But if I hear one more laugh...” She let the threat hang in the air, her glare enough to send the girls scattering down the hall, their laughter fading into nervous whispers.
We kept walking, pushing past more groups of students who turned to stare as we passed. Their eyes were full of curiosity, judgment, and pity. It felt like a spotlight was following us, exposing every emotion on our faces. I tried to keep mine blank, but my heart was racing, my hands shaking.
Then my phone buzzed. I jumped, my heart skipping a beat. For a second, I was terrified it was another text, another link exposing someone else’s secrets. Or worse... another message about the festival records. I couldn’t handle another shock right now.
But it was just Mia. Relief flooded through me, my body sagging as I answered the call. “Mia?”
“Where are you?” Her voice was frantic, shaky. “Are you with Gwen?”
I glanced at Gwen, who was staring at me, her brows furrowed. “Yeah, she’s here. Why?”
“Good,” Mia said, her voice trembling. “I... I need to talk to you. Both of you. It’s about Harper.”
My stomach dropped. “What? Is she okay? Where are you?”
“I’ll text you the location,” Mia said, her voice cracking. “Just... just get here, okay? It’s important.” She hung up before I could ask anything else.
I looked at Gwen, my heart racing. “That was Mia. She wants to meet us... somewhere.”
Gwen raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “Somewhere? Like what, a secret hideout? Is she running an underground mafia now?”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed, the sound escaping before I could stop it. Gwen grinned, her eyes losing some of their anger. “Hey, I’m just saying. Wouldn’t put it past her. Mia can be a sneaky little gremlin when she wants to be.”
I shook my head, trying to bite back another laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”
Gwen shrugged, her grin widening. “I aim to please.” Then her face grew serious again, her eyes flicking down the hallway. “We should go. Before the entire school starts whispering about us too.”
She was right. I could already see students watching us, their eyes curious, their phones clutched tightly. It felt like a nightmare, the walls closing in, the whispers growing louder.
“Yeah. Let’s go.” I tightened my grip on my phone, forcing my feet to move. We walked faster, weaving through the crowds, ignoring the whispers and stares.
Mia’s text came a minute later, a location I didn’t recognize. Gwen leaned over my shoulder, frowning at the screen. “What the hell? Is she hiding in the dungeons? Where is that?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my fingers trembling as I typed out a quick reply. “But she sounded serious. Really serious.”
Gwen’s face softened, worry flickering in her eyes. “Mia doesn’t get scared easily. Something must’ve happened.”
I nodded, my heart sinking. “Yeah. And I think... I think it’s about the video.”
Gwen’s jaw tightened, her shoulders squaring. “Then let’s go. We’ll get answers out of her. Even if I have to shake it out of her myself.”
I wanted to smile at her stubbornness, but the knot in my chest wouldn’t loosen. The hallways were growing emptier as we got closer to the location Mia had sent. It was a part of the campus I’d never been to before, the walls dim and the lights flickering. It felt abandoned, eerie.
We turned a corner, and there she was. Mia was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed, her face pale and her eyes red. She looked up as we approached, her shoulders stiffening.
“Mia?” I called out, my voice echoing off the empty hallway. “What’s going on?”
Mia’s eyes flicked to Gwen, then back to me. She looked exhausted, broken. “We need to talk.” Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper. “About Harper.”
My chest tightened, panic flaring inside me. “What happened?”
Mia swallowed hard, her eyes glistening. “I think... she’s in trouble. And it’s worse than we thought.”
Harper was in trouble. And whatever was happening... we were already too late.