“Will you give up? And risk not winning?”
…
~ Elizabeth ~
The floor was cold beneath me, despite the thickness of my school uniform. Yet somehow, the chill seeped into my bones, leaving me frozen.
It hurts.  
My heart screamed.  
It hurts.  
My red eyes itched painfully.  
It hurts.  
My bones felt locked in ice.  
I tried to sit up from the hard floor of the dark room but fell back almost immediately. It was as if every ounce of strength had been drained from me, and I had nothing left to give.
"Dearest Evelyn, I’ve been holding a torch for you since middle school. I know you feel the same. Will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"
His words echoed through my mind, sharp and cruel.
It hurt so badly. But worse than the pain was how foolish I felt.
How could I have ever thought that Patrick and I could be something?  
Patrick — the student president.  
The all-time basketball star.  
The guy every girl in school fawned over like bees to honey.  
How could I have let myself get carried away by the euphoria I felt around him? How?
My phone dinged, and I reached into my backpack with trembling fingers. The screen glowed with ten missed calls — all from Evelyn.
Three messages followed:
: I’m really sorry, Liz… I should have told you.  
: Please allow me to explain.  
: Where are you, Bess? We need to talk.
Bess?  
The name had never tasted so bitter.
She still had the audacity to call me Bess? After everything? Really? How dare she?
I gripped my phone tightly. My fingers trembled from the pressure.
How dare she!
My body shook, fury burning through me like wildfire. I had never felt so raw, so exposed. It sucked.
…
After a while, I somehow managed to stand and switch on the lights. I made my way to the restroom and splashed water on my face.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and almost recoiled.
Pale skin. 
Puffy, bloodshot eyes. 
Disheveled hair.  
I looked like a shadow of myself.
With a sigh, I grabbed a face towel and patted my face dry.
Then I left the small room and walked back into the main part of the library. The nerdy librarian sat sipping coffee, staring at me without a word.
Usually, I’d be uncomfortable under her gaze — but not today. Today, I welcomed the silence.
I dropped my bag on a table, pulled out my Kindle, and flipped to the book I’d been reading: *Unrequited Affections* by loverdebs19.
I resumed from where I stopped. The poem read:
‘ I feel cold,  
Not from the  
Cold…  
But from the  
Numbness of  
My heart.  
My body shakes  
With personation.  
And my heart aches.  
Will it ever end? ’
A tear dropped from my face to the screen.
How could I relate to this so deeply — so much it stung?
…
Time flew by unnoticed. When I finally glanced at my wristwatch, it was already 4 p.m.
School was officially closed. Only the sports teams or late club members would still be around.
I slipped out of the library, moving silently through the halls, hoping to avoid everyone and just get to the other side—
But fate had other plans.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk…”
The mocking sound echoed down the hallway. I turned and saw them — the infamous Queen Bee and her flock… and one face I hadn’t expected to see.
Evelyn.  
My best friend… or so I thought.
My heart flamed with anger. How dare she?
“Does it hurt, love?”  
Sarah’s voice made my stomach churn. She circled me like a predator, dizzying me.
“What do you want, Sarah?” I asked, keeping my voice steady even as my chest trembled.
“Nothing…” she said, stopping in front of me.  
“Did you actually believe Patrick could be yours?”  
How… how did she even know that?  
My gaze shifted to Evelyn. And just like that, it clicked.
She told them.
How could I have been so stupid?
“I never thought you’d do this, Evie…”  
My voice broke despite trying to stay composed.
“Oh, you thought you knew me that well, didn’t you?” she scoffed.  
“You’ve only known her for what—months?” Rose chimed in, curling her blonde hair around a finger. “We’ve known her since middle school. Did you really think she’d choose you over us?”
Had I been so blind? So naive?
Sarah leaned in, her voice laced with venom. “Did you expect her to cheer you on when you finally caught Patrick’s attention? When she’s been in love with him for years?”
I turned to Evelyn, my voice barely audible. “Is that true?”
She nodded, her lips curled into a smug smile. “He was my first crush. Unlike you—with your long list.”  
Her words cut deep, and a quote I once read echoed in my mind: The people closest to you can wound you the most. And oh, how she proved it.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” I asked, my voice raw.
“So you could escape our trap?” Sarah answered before Evelyn could. “Definitely not.”
Then Evelyn said something that made my skin crawl.
“You know what, Elizabeth? You’re really pitiful. First, you lose your home and your twin in Katrina. Your parents are divorced. Your mom’s a wreck. And now… here you are, alone.”
She laughed. Actually laughed. Malice dripped from every syllable.
“And the one guy you love? Doesn’t love you. He loves me.” She waved the ring on her finger like a victory flag.
I blinked slowly. Then smiled—cold and sharp.
“Oh, he does?”
Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” I said lightly. “Just remembered something… Patrick’s engaged. So, a girlfriend and a fiancée? That’s quite a crowd.”
Their faces shifted—confusion first, then suspicion.
“How… pitiful,” I whispered with a cruel smile, turned, and walked away.
Yes, I was broken. Yes, I was hurt.
But it felt strangely good to know that I had sown a seed of doubt.
And maybe… just maybe… I still had a little fight left in me.
---
A/N: What do you think of the chapter, guys?