The moment Erica and Angel walked into school holding hands, the world tilted.
Heads turned. Conversations stopped mid-sentence. A wave of whispers crashed through the hallway like thunder.
Erica didn't care.
She laced her fingers tighter around Angel's and kept walking—shoulders high, chin up, heart beating like a drum inside her chest.
Angel looked over at her, that small, quiet smile tugging at their lips. The kind of smile that made Erica's stomach flutter like a thousand wild butterflies.
Then—
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Kim's voice echoed dramatically across the hallway.
Erica froze for a second before she saw the rest of the group rushing toward them like a SWAT team.
Audrey gasped, eyes wide. "No. Freaking. Way."
Risha raised an eyebrow, arms crossed but smirking. "So it finally happened, huh?"
Steph just whistled low. "Took you long enough, lovebirds."
Kim jumped between them, clutching her chest like she was in a telenovela. "You guys are official?! As in dating? As in my two delusional chaotic friends finally stopped being idiots and got together?!"
Erica laughed as Angel tried to hide their face, clearly overwhelmed. "Yes. We're dating."
"HA! I KNEW IT!" Kim yelled. "You owe me five bucks, Audrey!"
Audrey groaned. "Worth it."
The teasing didn't stop all morning.
Every time Erica reached for Angel's hand, someone made a sound effect. Every glance. Every kiss on the cheek. Every smile—they all got a chorus of "Awwwww!" and "Get a room!" from their friends.
But while everyone else was laughing, Kim noticed something.
Nicole.
She was standing by her locker, pretending to scroll through her phone. Pretending she wasn't looking. But Kim saw it—the way Nicole's eyes followed Erica and Angel like they were a car crash she couldn't look away from.
She was jealous.
Jealous in the quiet, silent, angry kind of way. The worst kind.
When Erica leaned in to whisper something in Angel's ear and Angel laughed, Nicole's hand clenched around her notebook. Her lips thinned. Her eyes darkened.
Kim frowned.
But said nothing.
Not yet.
---
Afternoon. After class.
The hallways emptied slowly, the sun casting golden slivers across the tile floors. Most of the students had gone home. It was quiet now, peaceful.
Angel stood by her locker, flipping through her notebook, lost in thought.
Then—warmth.
Arms snaked around her waist from behind.
Erica.
"Missed you," she whispered, her breath brushing against Angel's neck.
Angel smiled, heart thudding in her chest. "Erica, we've been together all day—"
Erica turned her around swiftly. "Not like this."
And then she kissed her.
But it wasn't the playful kind of kiss they were used to.
It was slow. Heavy. Possessive.
Angel gasped slightly as Erica pressed her back against the locker. Her fingers tangled in Angel's hair, her lips trailing along her jaw, then her neck, her collarbone.
"Erica," Angel whispered, breathless. "We're still in school—"
"I don't care," Erica muttered between kisses. "Let them see. Let her see."
Angel froze slightly. "...Her?"
Erica didn't answer. She just kept kissing her, her hands gentle but desperate, like she needed to feel every inch of her, like she was afraid Angel would disappear if she let go.
When they finally pulled away, both of them breathless, Angel looked at her with flushed cheeks. "What was that?"
Erica just leaned her forehead against Angel's. "That... was me choosing you. Over and over again."
---
Night. Erica's Room.
The moonlight painted silver lines across Erica's bed. Angel lay beside her, head tucked under her chin, fingers laced with hers.
It was quiet now. Soft.
But neither of them could sleep.
"Nicole was watching us today," Angel whispered. Her voice was careful, hesitant.
Erica sighed. "I know."
Angel shifted slightly, looking up at her. "You still think about her?"
There was no accusation in her voice. Just... fear.
Erica took a deep breath.
"I think about the past. About the girl I used to be. The one who waited for Nicole to love her back. The one who kept breaking her own heart hoping she'd be chosen."
Angel stayed silent.
"But now," Erica whispered, turning to face her completely, brushing Angel's hair back gently, "I'm not that girl anymore. I don't want someone who hesitated. I want someone who saw me. And you... Angel, you saw me. Even when I was a mess. Even when I was hiding behind jokes and games and pain."
Angel's eyes welled up, but she blinked the tears away.
Erica kissed her softly.
"Nicole's part of my past. But you're everything I want for my future."
Angel finally spoke, her voice cracking. "But what if she comes back? What if she wants you again?"
Erica sat up slowly and cupped Angel's face in both hands.
"Then she's too late."
She kissed Angel again, longer this time, sealing her words with a promise.
"I love you. And I'm not going back. Not ever."
Angel's lips trembled, but she nodded.
And for the first time, she believed it.
Because that night, Erica didn't just confess her love—
She proved it.
And as they drifted to sleep in each other's arms, hearts pressed together, promises exchanged in whispers and kisses, there was only one truth left between them:
Erica had finally chosen.
And she chose Angel.