When I got back home,I ran to my room and I was really glad that my parents were not home,I kicked off my heels with more force than necessary, sending one crashing against the wardrobe. My jaw ached from clenching it so tightly. That stupid nerd. That loser. He had the audacity to come to my party—uninvited—and then ruin it in front of everyone.
And Jason… Jason of all people had chosen his side. My Jason. The one I wanted, the one I thought would finally be mine. He'd looked me in the eyes and said he hated me, loud enough for everyone to hear. My chest tightened at the memory, but I shook it off. No,he didn't mean it. He couldn't have. He'd been upset, that was all. He would come to his senses and apologize.
I sat at my vanity, staring at my reflection. My makeup was still flawless, my dress still stunning,I tossed my curls back and scoffed at myself. No. I wasn't going to sit here and mope. I wasn't some weak girl who broke down just because things didn't go perfectly. If anything, this only proved one thing: Adrian had made the worst mistake of his life by ruining my party.
"Fine," I muttered to my reflection, narrowing my eyes at my own glare. "If Jason wants to act like an idiot, let him. And Adrian?" My lips curled into a cold smile. "I'll make his pathetic little life at this school a nightmare."
I pushed away from the vanity and went to the bathroom to clean my makeup. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't going to wallow. Rather I will make Adrian's life miserable.
The next morning at school, Aurora and the rest of my friends rushed to me the moment I walked into class.
"Clara, what happened yesterday? Why did you disappear?" Aurora demanded, tugging at my arm.
I plastered on my best nonchalant smile. "Oh, you know. Parties are exhausting. I just needed some space."
"That nerd ruined everything," Joanna spat, flipping her hair. "How dare he even show up? And then Jason—ugh, don't get me started."
I stiffened, but forced a shrug. "Jason was just emotional. He'll come around."
Aurora tilted her head, lowering her voice. "You really think so? Because the way he looked at you before he left…"
I cut her off, my smile sharpening. "He didn't mean anything he said yesterday he was probably drunk, but as for that stupid nerd,he thinks he can humiliate me in front of everyone? He's about to regret it."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the group. They were mine—loyal, vicious when I needed them to be.
"So what's the plan?" Elena asked eagerly.
"The plan," I said smoothly, sliding into my seat, "is simple. We don't ignore him. We remind him every single day that he doesn't belong here. Insults, laughter, little jabs. Subtle enough that teachers don't notice, but sharp enough to cut. He'll wish he'd never even looked my way."
Aurora grinned. "Yeah we will show him."
"Yes we will" I replied, and the confidence in my own voice felt like armor slipping back into place.
When I spotted Jason at his locker, my heart leapt. "Jason!" I called, forcing my brightest smile.
He glanced up, his expression tightening before he slammed his locker shut. "I've got somewhere to be."
My smile faltered. "Wait. About last night…"
"I meant what I said, Clara." His voice was flat, cold. "I don't like you. And now… I think I really hate you."
Heat rushed to my face, but I held my chin high. "Fine. Who needs you anyway? You'll regret this, Jason."
He didn't even look back as he walked away.
My chest felt hollow, but anger surged quickly to fill the space. If Jason was going to humiliate me, then I needed someone else to take the blame. And who better than Adrian? After all, none of this would have happened if he hadn't shown up at my party like some pathetic stray.
It started small. Snickers when he walked into class. Notes passed around with his name scribbled and stupid doodles of glasses. Aurora "accidentally" spilling juice on his desk.Joanna making gagging sounds when he answered a question.
And me? I led the charge.
"Watch it, nerd," I said one day in the hallway, shoving past him harder than necessary. Books tumbled from his arms, scattering across the floor. I didn't stop. I didn't even look back. My friends cackled behind me.
Adrian didn't fight back. Not once.
He didn't glare at me, didn't mutter a comeback, didn't even flinch most of the time. He just… ignored me.
It was infuriating.
After the party, something had changed in him. He stopped looking at me in that pathetic, longing way he used to. He didn't talk to me anymore,didn't even acknowledge me unless the teacher forced us to interact.
And that silence,his indifference—somehow made me angrier than all his attention ever had.
One afternoon, I cornered him outside the library. He was carrying a thick textbook, his glasses sliding slightly down his nose.
"Hey, loser," I said sharply. "Don't you ever get tired of being pathetic?"
He adjusted his glasses, not even meeting my eyes. "I don't have time for this." His voice was calm, steady. He moved past me.
My jaw dropped. He had never spoken to me like that before. Always stuttering, always eager, always desperate. And now? Nothing.
"Don't you dare walk away from me!" I snapped, grabbing his sleeve. He glanced down at where my hand touched him, then at me, eyes cold in a way I'd never seen before.
"Let go, Clara."
There was no warmth, no trace of the shy boy I used to mock. For a second, it almost felt like he was someone else entirely.
Then he pulled his arm free and walked away, leaving me standing there, fuming and unsettled.
Aurora appeared at my side, wide-eyed. "What the hell was that? Did he just—ignore you?"
My pride burned hotter than fire. "He'll regret it," I hissed. "Just wait. I'll make sure he regrets every second of breathing the same air as me."
Days turned into weeks. We kept it up. A jab here, a laugh there. Tripping him in the hall, "accidentally" spilling water on his notes, whispering about him just loud enough for him to hear. It was like a game and I always won.
But what unsettled me, deep down, was how he never cracked. He didn't look at me, didn't speak to me, didn't try to win my attention anymore.
It was as if I didn't exist.
And somehow, that made me hate him more.