Brooklyn froze, caught between them, as the weight of Bryant's words sank into the air.
Mani's jaw tightened. "You always show up, don't you, Bryant? Can't stand the idea that someone else might get her attention?"
Bryant stepped closer, his calm tone at odds with the fire in his eyes. "I'm not the one spinning lies to make myself look better."
"Lies?" Mani scoffed, his voice rising. "Please. Everyone on campus knows how you are. Girls come and go like—"
"Enough!" Brooklyn cut in sharply, her voice trembling more from emotion than anger.
Both boys fell silent, their eyes still locked on each other.
She took a shaky breath. "I am not some prize for you two to fight over. If either of you cares about me, then stop using each other to prove it."
For a moment, the world seemed to pause. The chatter of passing students, the hum of evening—everything faded.
Mani's expression softened as he looked at her. "Brooklyn, I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I just… I don't want to see you hurt."
Bryant's voice, lower, steadier, followed. "Neither do I."
Brooklyn's heart pounded, her chest tight. Their words should have reassured her, but instead they left her feeling even more tangled, torn in two directions she didn't want to choose between.
Finally, she whispered, "I need space. From both of you."
Without waiting for their replies, she turned and walked away, clutching her books so tightly her knuckles ached. She didn't see the way Bryant's fists clenched at his sides, or the way Mani's eyes narrowed with determination.
All she knew was that if this storm kept building, someone was going to get hurt — and she wasn't sure it wouldn't be her.