Morning sunlight poured over the courtyard like liquid gold, warm and deceiving.
Students gathered in restless clusters, their laughter skipping across the air. Rumors had traveled faster than the bell. Something was happening. Something big.
Elena stood near the steps, fingers nervously twisting the strap of her bag. She could feel it — that strange pull in the atmosphere, like the seconds before a storm breaks.
And then she saw him.
Ethan.
He stood at the center of the courtyard, microphone in hand, confidence wrapped around him like armor. A soft instrumental track began to play from the speakers — cinematic, dramatic. The crowd shifted, whispering.
"Elena," he called, his voice steady, amplified, undeniable.
Her breath caught.
He stepped forward slowly, deliberately, eyes locked onto hers.
"From the very first project… to every glance in the hallway… you changed something in me."
The courtyard quieted.
Students lifted their phones. Cameras flashed. Anticipation shimmered.
Ethan reached her, then — with theatrical precision — dropped to one knee.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Elena," he said, softer now, "will you be mine?"
The world held its breath.
Elena's heart thundered against her ribs. This was surreal — the attention, the music, the vulnerability in his voice. She could feel happiness blooming inside her, fragile and brilliant.
Hundreds of eyes waited.
Seconds stretched.
And then, barely above a whisper but carried by the microphone —
"Yes."
The courtyard exploded.
Cheers. Whistles. Applause crashing like waves. Some students shouted her name. Others filmed excitedly. A few girls exchanged envious glances.
Ethan leapt to his feet, laughter of triumph bursting from him. He wrapped his arms around Elena and lifted her off the ground, spinning her as the crowd roared.
For one suspended moment, she felt weightless — as if the universe had chosen her.
But then—
The laughter changed.
It grew louder.
Sharper.
Ethan didn't stop.
He laughed harder, bending slightly as if overcome by something uncontrollable. Not joyous.
Mocking.
A chill crawled up Elena's spine.
He slowly set her down, still laughing — louder now, almost wild.
The cheering faltered.
Confusion spread like ink in water.
Elena's smile trembled.
"Ethan…?" she whispered.
He wiped at his eye dramatically, straightened — and once again dropped to one knee.
The movement felt distorted this time. Exaggerated.
"Will you be mine?" he repeated, his tone syrupy and false.
Then, mimicking her voice in a high, breathy tone —
"Yesss."
And he burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.
The courtyard shifted.
Phones that had lowered now rose again — but for a different reason. Not to capture romance.
To capture humiliation.
Some students began to laugh with him. Others gasped. A few looked away.
Elena felt the ground tilt beneath her.
The applause that had moments ago crowned her like a queen now echoed like mockery in her ears.
Her heartbeat slowed into something hollow.
This wasn't a misunderstanding.
This was deliberate.
Her throat tightened. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides. Heat rushed to her face — not from joy this time, but from the burn of a thousand watching eyes.
Ethan was still laughing.
Still performing.
As if her feelings were nothing more than a punchline.
A spectacle.
A scene in his personal comedy.
Elena's chest rose and fell unevenly. Shock warred with disbelief. Beneath it all, something else was forming — quiet, dangerous.
Not tears.
Not yet.
Silence began to creep back into the courtyard, heavier than before.
Because in that moment, something far louder than laughter had shattered.
Trust.
And somewhere deep inside Elena, beneath the ashes of applause, a different story had just begun.
______END OF THE CHAPTER ____
Hope so you like the chapter.