[JASMINE – POV]
I didn't owe anyone my story.
Not Lucas. Not Ayo.
But part of me… wanted him to know.
That night, I found myself standing outside Lucas's house, nerves buzzing like live wires. He opened the door in a plain black tee, eyes wide with surprise and something warmer.
"You okay?" he asked.
"No," I whispered. "But I want to be."
He stepped aside, letting me in without a word.
We sat on the couch. I pulled my knees up, arms wrapped tight. And then I told him—everything.
About Ayo.
How it started sweet—too sweet.
How he made me feel seen, special… until I didn't anymore.
The gaslighting. The cheating. The way he made me feel like the problem.
And how I finally left—broken but breathing.
"I wasn't expelled," I said. "That was just the rumor. I asked to transfer. I needed to escape."
Lucas didn't speak for a long time.
Then he said, "Thank you… for trusting me."
He reached for my hand. I let him take it.
"I'm not him," he said, softly but fiercely. "And I never will be."
For the first time in a long time, I believed that.
And I wasn't scared anymore.