Forced Apart
Logan found me after school, his face a storm of anger and desperation. I’d barely finished shoving my books into my locker when he cornered me, his presence overwhelming in the otherwise empty hallway. His dark eyes blazed with intensity as he leaned in close, his voice low but fierce enough to send a shiver down my spine.
“We’re not doing this, Emma,” he said, his tone firm and unwavering. “We’re not letting her control us.”
I flinched, his words striking a nerve I wasn’t ready to confront. “What choice do we have?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to sound strong. “You saw what she did last time. She’ll ruin me, Logan. I can’t go through that again.”
“She’s not as powerful as you think,” he shot back, his jaw clenching as if the very thought of Vanessa’s manipulations fueled his anger. “Let her find out. We can deal with it together.”
“Together?” I echoed bitterly, the word tasting like ash on my tongue. “Like last time? When you just stood there while she humiliated me in front of everyone?”
His face twisted, the sharp edge of my accusation cutting deeper than I’d anticipated. For a moment, he looked away, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I told you, I didn’t know how to handle it,” he said, his voice quieter now but no less pained. “I screwed up, Emma. I know that. But I’m not going to let that happen again.”
“You don’t understand,” I whispered, my chest tightening as tears threatened to spill. “She’ll destroy me. And you.”
Logan’s frustration boiled over, his voice rising with a force that made me flinch. “Stop letting her win, Emma! Stop letting her scare you!”
“I can’t,” I said, my voice breaking as the tears I’d been holding back began to blur my vision. “I’m not like you, Logan. I can’t just brush it off and move on. I have to survive here, and if that means staying away from you, then that’s what I’ll do.”
The fire in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something softer—something that looked like heartbreak. His shoulders slumped as my words sank in, the weight of them pulling him down. “So that’s it?” he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. “You’re just giving up?”
“I’m protecting myself,” I said, each word scraping against my throat like glass. I could barely get them out, but they needed to be said. For both our sakes.
Logan took a step back, his hands dropping to his sides as he let out a shaky breath. His gaze lingered on me, searching for something—hope, maybe, or reassurance—but I had nothing left to give. “You’re stronger than this, Emma,” he said, his voice soft but steady. “I know you are.”
But I couldn’t bring myself to answer. The tears that had been threatening finally spilled over, streaming down my cheeks as I turned and walked away. Each step felt heavier than the last, my heart pounding with the weight of everything left unsaid.
As I disappeared down the hallway, the echo of Logan’s presence still hanging in the air, a figure caught my eye. Alyssa stood at the far end of the hall, leaning casually against a locker with her arms crossed. Her gaze flicked between Logan and me, a smug smile curling on her lips. She didn’t say a word, but the look in her eyes was enough. It was a reminder of just how tightly she and Vanessa had us trapped, of how easily they could pull the strings and watch us fall apart.
For now, they’d won.
The thought burned, the helplessness twisting in my chest like a knife. But as I wiped the tears from my face, I promised myself it wouldn’t stay this way forever. One day, I’d find a way to turn the tables. One day, they wouldn’t win.
