Eliana hadn't cried the night she walked away from Zayne. The tears didn't come until the next morning, when she woke up and reality struck like a harsh slap. She had lost him or at least, it felt that way. Her pillow was damp by sunrise, but she still got out of bed, brushed her hair, and dressed for class. If she didn't keep moving, the weight of everything would crush her.
She walked through campus like a ghost, nodding absentmindedly at familiar faces and pretending not to notice the whispers that trailed behind her. Her world had shifted, but the campus hadn't. The buildings were still the same, the trees still rustled with the same wind, and students still laughed like nothing was broken.
Only Clara seemed to notice the depth of Eliana's silence.
"Hey," Clara said gently, sliding into the seat beside her in Chemistry class. "You look... drained."
"I'm fine," Eliana replied, not bothering to mask the lie.
Clara frowned. "You haven't spoken to Zayne, have you?"
Eliana shook her head. "We talked. It didn't go well."
There was a pause before Clara reached into her bag and handed Eliana a chocolate bar. "Then here. Eat this. It doesn't fix heartbreak, but it helps you not look like the heartbreak."
Eliana managed a soft laugh, appreciating the gesture. "Thanks. You're the only one who hasn't asked a million questions."
"That's because I already know what I need to. Vanessa," Clara said with a scowl. "That girl thrives on drama like it's oxygen."
Eliana turned her gaze toward Clara. "Why do you dislike her so much? You've barely said anything before."
Clara leaned in, lowering her voice. "Because I've seen her play this game with others. Subtle manipulation, guilt-tripping, always the victim when things go south. People like her… they twist truth just enough to make lies believable."
Eliana's stomach clenched. She thought back to all the moments Vanessa had sown seeds of doubt, disguised as concern. "You think she planned all this?"
"I think she wanted Zayne. And she saw you as an obstacle," Clara said plainly. "And she knew how to make you look like the problem."
A heavy silence fell between them, but it was a comforting one. Clara didn't push for more; she just stayed beside Eliana, the quiet strength Eliana didn't know she needed.
Later that afternoon, Eliana decided to confront the storm rather than keep hiding from it. Vanessa had been suspiciously quiet since the fallout, and that silence screamed louder than words.
She found her in the common area, casually scrolling through her phone as if nothing had happened. Eliana's presence immediately drew Vanessa's attention, and she straightened, her expression unreadable.
"Eliana," she greeted, a smile tugging at her lips. "You look... better. Time heals, right?"
"Cut the act, Vanessa," Eliana said, voice steady. "We both know what you did."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow, pretending confusion. "What I did? I haven't done anything but care. You were spiraling and I told Zayne because I was worried. Sorry for being a friend."
Eliana's jaw clenched. "You weren't worried. You were jealous."
The smile faltered for a split second, but Vanessa quickly recovered. "Jealous? Of you? Don't flatter yourself."
"You twisted my words, made me look like I was manipulating him," Eliana pressed. "You made sure Zayne questioned everything about us."
Vanessa stood up slowly, brushing imaginary dust off her jeans. "If Zayne believed me over you, maybe your relationship wasn't as solid as you thought."
The words struck like a slap, but Eliana refused to flinch. "You're right. Maybe it wasn't. But at least I never had to tear someone else down to feel worthy."
Vanessa's smirk faded. Her gaze hardened, and her voice turned cold. "You don't know what it's like to be the girl everyone overlooks, the one who's always second-best. I was tired of being invisible."
"And so you decided to ruin the one good thing I had?" Eliana whispered. "You could've just told me how you felt."
"And what?" Vanessa snapped. "Watch you laugh it off like everyone else? I did what I had to do."
For a moment, Eliana saw the hurt beneath the venom. Vanessa wasn't just a manipulator she was broken too. But that didn't excuse what she had done.
"You didn't have to hurt me to feel seen," Eliana said quietly. "But you did. And I won't forget that."
She turned and walked away, her heart pounding in her chest. For once, she didn't cry. Confronting Vanessa hadn't fixed anything, but it had given her clarity. She wasn't the villain in this story.
That night, Eliana sat in her room, journaling for the first time in weeks. She poured her thoughts onto the page everything from her broken relationship to Vanessa's confession and Clara's quiet loyalty.
She didn't know what the next day would bring, or if Zayne would ever look at her the same way again. But she was beginning to feel something new strength. Not the kind that came from winning, but the kind that grew from standing tall after being knocked down.
As she closed her journal, a message pinged on her phone.
Zayne: Can we talk? I've been thinking...
Her heart skipped.
She stared at the message, her fingers hovering over the screen. Part of her wanted to respond immediately. Another part hesitated.
Whatever happened next, she knew one thing for sure: she wasn't going to lose herself again. Not for Zayne. Not for Vanessa. Not for anyone.
She typed slowly.
Eliana: We can talk. But only if you're ready to hear everything truthfully this time.
Eliana found herself sitting alone in the campus garden, the late afternoon sun casting golden streaks across the lawn. Her fingers absentmindedly traced the rim of her coffee cup as she mulled over everything that had happened with Vanessa and Zayne. The memory of Vanessa's outburst still rang in her ears, raw and biting.
She couldn't deny the ache in her chest the kind that came with betrayal. Vanessa had been her friend, her confidant. Eliana had trusted her with secrets, with feelings she hadn't even sorted out herself. And now, all of that trust felt like shattered glass under her feet.
"Eliana?" a familiar voice called.
She turned to see Clara walking toward her, her brows drawn in concern.
"You okay?" Clara asked, settling beside her.
Eliana forced a small smile. "Just thinking."
Clara nodded, giving her space but not leaving. "I saw you and Vanessa earlier… it didn't look good."
Eliana sighed. "It wasn't."
They sat in silence for a moment, the hum of campus life buzzing faintly in the background. For the first time that day, Eliana felt like she could breathe again. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't entirely alone.