Breaking the News
I told Sarah everything after school. The words tumbled out in a chaotic rush as I paced back and forth in my bedroom, unable to keep still. The kiss with Caleb. Alyssa’s smug warnings. Vanessa’s ultimatum. Logan’s frustration and anger. By the time I finished, I was breathless, my emotions raw and exposed. Sarah sat on the edge of my bed, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her jaw set in a way that told me she was about to let me have it.
“Emma,” she began, her voice sharp with disbelief. “You’re seriously going to let Vanessa win again? After everything she’s already done to you?”
“What choice do I have?” I snapped, my voice trembling with the effort of keeping my emotions in check. “You don’t understand. If she finds out—”
“No,” Sarah interrupted, rising to her feet. Her eyes were fierce as she stepped into my path, forcing me to stop pacing. “What I don’t understand is why you’re letting her control your life. You and Logan deserve to be happy, but you’re too scared to fight for it.”
Her words hit like a slap, and I hugged my arms around myself, the familiar tightness in my chest constricting my breath. “You didn’t see the way they looked at me last time,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “The whispers, the laughter—it was like I wasn’t even human, Sarah. I can’t go through that again.”
Her expression softened slightly, but the frustration still burned in her eyes. She placed her hands on her hips, her voice steady but gentler. “I get it, Emma. I do. But every time you give in to Vanessa, you’re letting her win. Don’t you see that? She thrives on making you feel like this—on making you feel small and powerless. And now Alyssa’s joining in, too? They’re only going to keep coming after you if you keep running.”
I turned away from her, my throat tight, and sank onto the bed, burying my face in my hands. The weight of her words pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating. “I don’t know what to do,” I whispered, the helplessness I felt spilling out in my voice.
Sarah sat down beside me, her tone softening further. “You need to decide what matters more,” she said quietly. “Protecting yourself from Vanessa or being with Logan. Because you can’t keep living like this, Em. It’s tearing you apart.”
I stayed silent, the choice she laid out swirling in my mind. Protecting myself felt safe. Logical. But every time I thought about Logan’s hurt expression, the fire in his voice when he told me not to let Vanessa win, the walls I’d built around my heart wavered. I didn’t know if I had the strength to fight—but I wasn’t sure I had the strength to let him go either.
________________
Meanwhile, Logan was making life difficult for Vanessa in ways that didn’t go unnoticed. He’d started pulling back, distancing himself from her games and her carefully orchestrated plans. He barely responded to her texts, his replies short and curt, and at school, he avoided her as much as he could. His focus was elsewhere, his attention straying to something—or someone—Vanessa couldn’t control.
It didn’t take long for her to notice the change, and when she did, her frustration boiled over. One afternoon, she cornered him by the lockers, her usual air of calculated confidence replaced by something colder and sharper.
“What’s going on with you?” she demanded, her tone clipped. Her narrowed eyes searched his face for answers, her lips pressing into a thin line. “You’ve been acting weird.”
Logan’s expression was unreadable, his voice flat as he replied, “Maybe I’m tired of playing games.”
He brushed past her without waiting for a response, his indifference stinging more than any argument could. Vanessa’s eyes followed him, her suspicion growing as she watched him walk away. She crossed her arms, her mind racing with possibilities. What had changed? What—or who—had shifted Logan’s loyalty?
It didn’t take long for her to find a clue. In class, she caught him glancing at Emma when he thought no one was watching, his gaze lingering for just a moment too long. Vanessa’s lips curled into a cold, knowing smile. The pieces fell into place, and with them came a new plan.
If Logan wasn’t going to play by her rules, she’d find another way to get what she wanted. After all, Vanessa always thrived on control. And if she couldn’t have Logan, she’d make sure Emma didn’t either.
