Beneath the Surface
Bena had always been the type of girl who knew how to get what she wanted. She was beautiful in a cold, calculated way—blonde, sharp-featured, and always dressed like she was walking a red carpet. But beneath the flawless makeup and polished nails was a girl desperate for control, attention, and most of all—Tom.
Tom wasn't just handsome. He was the type of guy that made people stop mid-sentence when he entered a room. Tall, effortlessly charming, good at sports, academically brilliant, and the kind of person who looked out for others even when it wasn't convenient. That made him irresistible to girls like Bena—girls who wanted someone they couldn't have.
For months, Bena had tried every trick in the book—flirting openly, dressing provocatively, cornering Tom at school events, and whispering innuendos whenever he passed by. But none of it had worked. Tom had always kept her at a distance—polite, but uninterested.
Then Ava came along.
A quiet girl. Soft-spoken. Smart, but too invisible for her own good. Bena had never liked her, but when Tom began to show even the smallest concern for Ava—rescuing her during the pool party incident, standing up for her when no one else would—Bena's distaste turned to pure venom.
And now, she had a new plan.
She would use her bullying not just to break Ava down, but to lift herself up in Tom's eyes. If she could humiliate Ava enough—turn her into someone pathetic, small, and helpless—then maybe Tom would stop caring about her altogether. Maybe he'd finally see that Ava didn't belong in his world. And maybe, just maybe, he'd choose Bena.
She started subtle. Spreading rumors about Ava in whispers and giggles behind her back. "She's desperate," Bena would say. "I heard she flirts with teachers to get better grades." It escalated quickly. "You know she's sleeping with older men, right? That's how she pays for those ugly shoes."
When that wasn't enough, the physical torment followed. A shove in the hallway. Books "accidentally" knocked from her arms. A trip during gym class. All done away from cameras. All carefully hidden behind smirks and fake apologies.
Ava endured it all in silence. She told no one. Not her friends, not her teachers, and especially not her mother. She didn't want to be a burden. She didn't want Lori to worry more than she already did.
But the worst part wasn't the rumors or the bruises—it was the way Bena had started showing up wherever Tom was. Laughing at his jokes too loudly. Sitting too close. Brushing her fingers against his arm like she had a right to touch him. And Tom… he didn't push her away. He didn't flirt back, but he also didn't stop her.
And that stung more than anything.
Ava knew it wasn't right to feel hurt. She and Tom weren't anything—just barely friends. She had done everything she could to keep her distance, to push him away. She had told herself it was better that way. Safer. But now, watching Bena use her torment as a stepping stone to get to Tom—it made her stomach churn with a mix of anger and heartbreak.
It wasn't fair. None of it was fair.
One afternoon after school, she saw it happen—Bena walking confidently up to Tom near the football field, her voice sickly sweet.
"Hey, Tom," she said, playing with her hair. "Want to come over this weekend? My parents are away. We could hang out… just the two of us."
Tom frowned. "I'm busy."
"Oh, come on," Bena pouted. "You're always helping people like Ava. Don't you think you deserve someone who actually fits your level?"
Ava had been walking past when she heard it. Her heart stopped. She didn't wait to hear Tom's reply. She turned and walked away before she could let her tears fall in public.
She knew Tom wasn't hers. But that didn't stop the pain from feeling real.
Great—here's the emotional continuation, focusing on how Tom reacts to Bena's advances and how Ava silently breaks down, trying to hide her pain while Daniel begins to notice something deeper going on:
Breaking Point
Tom watched Bena with guarded eyes. Her words rolled off her tongue like honey, but he could taste the bitterness behind every syllable.
"You're always helping people like Ava…" she had said, her voice thick with disdain.
His jaw clenched.
"People like Ava?" he repeated, his tone cold. "What does that even mean, Bena?"
She leaned in, brushing invisible lint from his shoulder, her voice lowering to a purr. "You know what I mean. She's just… ordinary. And you—you're Tom Walker. You deserve someone who can match your energy. Someone like me."
He stepped back, gently but firmly removing her hand from his arm. "You don't know a thing about Ava," he said, voice low. "And I'm not interested in anyone who treats people like garbage."
Bena froze, stunned.
"Stop humiliating her," Tom added, sharper now. "You're not clever or cute—you're just cruel. And honestly? It's pathetic."
She blinked rapidly, her pride bruised in front of the few students lingering around. But before she could recover her fake smile, Tom turned and walked off—straight toward the gym, where Ava had disappeared minutes earlier.
But she wasn't there.
Ava had already left the field, her face burning. She didn't know what Tom had said or if he'd even defended her. All she knew was that her chest felt tight and heavy, like something was breaking inside her. Her heart, maybe.
She went straight home, skipped dinner, and shut herself in her room. Lori knocked, gently calling her name, but Ava pretended to be asleep.
And in that silence, she let herself cry.
Not just over Tom. Not just over Bena. But over everything—every bruise, every rumor, every stolen moment where she let herself hope that someone like Tom could ever care about someone like her.
She hugged her pillow tighter and whispered into the fabric, "Why does it hurt so much when he was never even mine?"
---
Later That Week…
Daniel noticed.
During basketball practice, Ava missed passes. During class, she kept her head down. And when she laughed, it never reached her eyes.
They weren't exactly close yet—but Daniel had seen enough pain in people to know when someone was barely holding it together.
After practice one afternoon, he caught up with her by the bleachers.
"Hey," he said gently, holding out her water bottle. "You dropped this."
"Thanks," she said softly, avoiding his eyes.
He hesitated. "You okay?"
She forced a smile. "Yeah. Just tired."
He looked at her for a long second, then nodded. "You know, I don't know what's going on… but if you ever want to talk—or just shoot hoops to blow off steam—I'm around."
Ava looked up, surprised by his warmth. She nodded. "Thanks, Daniel."
For the first time that day, her smile was real.
But in the distance, from the corner of the field, Tom watched.
He saw them. Saw Daniel's easy way of making Ava smile again. Saw her relax around him in a way she hadn't done with him in weeks.
And he felt it—that unmistakable sting in his chest.
Jealousy.
Not because he didn't want Ava to be happy—but because deep down, he realized… he wanted to be the one to make her feel safe.