The hallways of The Enlighteners buzzed with lunchtime chatter, but my world felt strangely still.
I spotted Damien across the corridor. He stood near his locker, his posture stiff, lips pressed tight. He hadn't replied to my last text, and I could feel the air between us shifting — heavy, uneasy.
I took a step forward. "Damien?"
He turned slowly. His blue eyes — normally warm, teasing — were cold. "Ava."
Just the way he said my name... it cut deeper than I expected.
"What's going on?" I asked, keeping my voice low. "Why are you avoiding me?"
His jaw clenched. "Why don't you ask your boyfriend?"
My heart dropped. "What?"
"Rylan," he spat. "I saw the way he looks at you. The way you look back. The rumors—"
"There's nothing between me and Rylan!" I snapped, eyes stinging. "You believe rumors now?"
"Why wouldn't I?" he said louder. Too loud. A few students nearby turned to glance at us. "You spend all your time with him. Laugh with him. Text him. Defend him like he's your soulmate. What am I supposed to think?"
"Maybe you're supposed to trust me!" I fired back.
"Trust you?" His voice cracked. "I did. But maybe you're just like everyone else."
My breath hitched.
The words hung in the air, sharp and unforgiving.
Just like everyone else.
I took a shaky step back, pain flashing across my chest. "You really think that?"
He didn't answer. His silence said enough.
And that's when Rylan appeared, stepping between us.
"That's enough, Damien," he said, his voice calm but protective. "You don't talk to her like that."
"Oh, of course," Damien scoffed bitterly. "Here comes the hero."
I couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears spilled fast, blurring my vision. "You're hurting me, Damien."
"Maybe it's better this way," he muttered, almost like it hurt him too. "Maybe we were never meant to—"
"Stop," I whispered, clutching my chest.
"Then we're done," he said, voice flat.
And with that, he turned and walked away.
I stood frozen in the hallway as whispers started to swirl around us. Students staring. Whispers multiplying. And I broke — right there in front of them all.
Rylan gently touched my shoulder. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
But I couldn't move.
Because it wasn't just a breakup.
It felt like something inside me had just shattered.