The whispers hadn't stopped since morning.
Liana walked into class with her head held high, even though her chest burned with a mix of confusion, shame, and something deeper—something sharper. The vandalized table had been cleaned up by the janitor, but the memory was etched like ink in her mind.
She could feel the stares. Some pitied her, some smirked, and some—like Xavier's—burned holes through her back. But she didn't flinch.
Bianca clutched her arm. "Say something. Do something, please. Don't just let them get away with it."
Liana shook her head. "That's what they want. A reaction. I won't give it to them."
Instead, when lunch came, she went to the back of the art studio, sat with her sketchbook, and drew. Her hand moved like it had a mind of its own—charcoal strokes blooming into flames, heartbreak, and eyes that seemed to hold pain and pride at once.
Unbeknownst to her, Xavier stood outside the doorway, watching. Alone.
Zayn joined him, hands in his pockets. "You know... I think we went too far."
Xavier didn't reply.
Zayn glanced at him. "She's different. And you—you're different when you look at her."
Still no reply.
That afternoon, the school's speaker crackled to life.
"All students are hereby informed that the Regal Heights Annual Talent Festival will be holding in three weeks. Entries for art, music, dance, and fashion are now open."
The announcement caused a buzz across campus, but Liana barely reacted—until Bianca squeezed her hand.
"This is your moment."
Xavier heard it too, and something shifted in him.
Later that day, Liana walked past Xavier near the courtyard. For the first time, she paused, turned to him, and said, quietly but clearly:
"I don't care why you hate me, Xavier Blake. But I won't let you or your Vipers decide who I become in this school."
He opened his mouth to say something, but she had already walked past—leaving behind a scent of paint, strength, and something that stirred chaos in his chest.
That night, Xavier couldn't sleep. He kept replaying her words.
He picked up his phone and texted the Vipers.
Xavier: Party. My place. Tonight.
But even when the music blared and people danced, his thoughts kept circling back to her—Liana, the girl who refused to break.