Flashback
After the incident of the Photograph, everything started to change in our school, Like I told you rumor here spread like wildfire. My parents got to know about the photo, but they did not ask me how I was feeling, They just abandoned me, I was grounded for 3 weeks. The picture was taken down from the internet, After this incident, Mom and Dad left for their business trip without even telling me but lucky for me, I listened to their talk one night and it broke my heart into several pieces, I had always wished that no matter how much my parents hate me, They will be with their daughter, If she is falling apart, Oh but how wrong I was. They considered me a disgrace and wanted to kill me when they found out I was a girl. I didn't know what to do, so I went to my room, closed the door, and cried myself to sleep. Three weeks. That's how long it had been since I last spoke to Emily and Issac. My best friends. Or at least, I thought they were.I called. I texted. I begged them to meet me.
Nothing.I had always been there for them—always. When Emily's parents were getting divorced, I held her while she cried. When Issac was scared to tell his truth, I promised I would stand by him no matter what.But when I needed them?They weren't there.
The next day at school, I walked in and everyone was looking at me. I went straight to the cafeteria, hoping to find my best friends. To my surprise, they were sitting closely together. Like nothing had happened. Like I hadn't spent three weeks alone, drowning, while they didn't even try to pull me out.
I walked up to them, my heart pounding in my chest. They stopped laughing.
Emily flicked her hair over her shoulder and looked up at me with that fake-ass accent she always used when she was trying to sound cooler than she was.
"Livi, we didn't know you'd be coming today."
"How...How are you Liv" Issac asked me with a shutter, He is nervous because whenever He is nervous he always shutters.
I give a Sarcastic laugh "Why if I had told you, then you would have stopped your affection for yourself"
Emily rolled her eyes "Oh common Livi, it's not a big deal, and don't make a scene here " She told me.
Tears were coming out of my eyes. "I wanted you guys and here you both were banging each other instead of consoling me"
"what do u want us to do Livi you know Oakwood is a small town, where every story is spread like wildfire and that means my mother knows, she did not want me to go to your house, and sorry, I can't deny her, you know I am mending my relation with her right"
I could not believe what I was listening to, She had spent years hating her mother for walking out on their family. And when she finally decided to forgive her, suddenly, that meant she had to abandon me?
"So when did you get together," I asked them
"1 month ago," Issac told me, So this explains why they were not there on That Night, and it hurts so badly, I just nod and leave from there without saying another word.
After taking my 5th period, I walk towards the gym for the practice of cheerleading. When I entered the gym everyone was gathered in the corner and they looked towards me.
"Why no one is in the position, we don't have much time, take ur position, we will start from the basics," I told them
Stacy stepped forward, arms crossed. Smirking.
"I think you should step back, Olivia." My stomach dropped. "What?"
She glanced around at the rest of the team. No one met my gaze.
"Don't look so surprised," she said sweetly. "You were the first one to be voted off."
My breath hitched. Voted off?
I looked towards emily
"don't look at her she was the first one to pull down her vote," Stacy told me, I wasn't even told.
Everything blurred. The walls, the floor, the faces staring back at me. I turned and ran.
After School, I walk towards Emily to comfort her
"Why, Em? Why did you do this to me?" My voice cracked. "I was always there for you. I just wanted my best friend."
"Don't touch me, Olivia" she jerks my hand. "I want you to keep your distance from me, it's about my reputation, and I'm sorry, darling, but you don't have a reputation." I slapped her back, and everyone stopped around us. Emily looks towards others and speaks the most hurtful lie which breaks my heart.
'How could you do this to me, Olivia? Are you so jealous of my and Isaac's relationship that you can't take it and then you slapped me, it's your fault that you can't keep your relationship'; she blinks and goes on.
"Slut" someone shouts from the crowd, but I was so heartbroken that I ran out of the school only to meet Issac waiting for me beside my car.
"you should not be here, your girlfriend would not be happy if she found out " and I pass him to open the door when he holds my hands
"look Olivia, I. I wanted to say that, I am sorry but, I just you know" and I instantly knew what he was trying to say.
"Don't worry Issac your secret is safe with me, I am not the girl to take revenge" By saying this I start my car to get away from the hell
The truth is, I couldn't bring myself to hurt someone if they hurt me, like I told Isaac, I would never tell anyone that he is gay. I supported him when he told me this some months ago, but he wasn't ready to come out, he was afraid of how his parents would react. Oakwood is a small town with a low mentality, as I told you. But I was never like this nor did my friends but yes they care about their reputation which is a very big thing here when my parents could think of me as a disgrace to their family so of course why would an outsider take side with me, But it hurts more than what my parents think because I have always thought, Issac and Emily, more than a family but as it is said
Friendship and love leave marks on us. Some fade. Some heal.
But some stay forever, buried deep in our skin, a constant reminder of the pain we once endured.
Carter's love. Issac and Emily's betrayal.
Their marks would never leave me.
..................................................................................
I closed my diary and set it aside, staring blankly at the ceiling. It was late, and I should have been asleep, but sleep never came easily these days. I sighed, dragging myself out of bed to brush my teeth before crawling back under the covers. Tomorrow, I would wake up and live in this hellhole all over again.
The next morning, I parked my car in the school lot, dreading the day ahead. First-period history dragged on as Mrs. Topas droned about the settlement of North America, but I barely heard a word. The lesson blurred into meaningless noise until the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class. As I packed my books, Mrs. Topas made an announcement that only made my day worse.
"There will be a long report assignment. You'll be working with a partner, and I'll assign the pairs tomorrow. Your report should be between ten and twelve pages long, and this will count for 30% of your grade." She left without waiting for any reaction.
My stomach twisted. A partner project. That meant being forced to work with someone who probably hated me, someone who would either ignore me completely or make my life even worse. Could this year get any more miserable?
By lunchtime, exhaustion weighed me down, and I was starving. As I made my way toward the cafeteria, I wasn't paying attention and walked straight into Stacy. The next thing I knew, cold, sticky liquid drenched my entire body. A strawberry milkshake. My breath hitched as the cafeteria went dead silent before erupting into laughter.
"You bitch!" Stacy screeched, glaring at me like I had personally ruined her life. "If you don't know how to walk, then stop walking! Look at what you've done! This was my favorite dress!"
"I—I'm so—"
I didn't even get to finish before she grabbed another milkshake from one of her friends and dumped it over my head. More laughter. More taunts. I could feel the humiliation burning through me like fire. My hands clenched into fists, and I looked around desperately, searching for someone—anyone—who might help me.
Carter. Emily. Issac.
They weren't laughing. But they weren't stopping it either. They just stood there, blank-faced, pretending like I didn't exist.
My chest tightened. My breathing became erratic. The walls of the cafeteria started closing in. I had to get out—now.
I ran, ignoring the laughter behind me, pushing through the doors until I reached the bathroom. My back hit the cold tiles as I slid down to the floor, gasping for air. My hands were shaking. My vision blurred. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I needed my inhaler. But my bag. My bag was in the cafeteria. My lungs felt like they were caving in, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop it. I was drowning.
Footsteps.
Someone was coming.
A girl knelt beside me, her voice calm and steady. "Hey, you're okay. Just breathe with me, alright? Deep breaths."
I did as she said, trying to match my breathing to hers, focusing on the sound of her voice. Slowly, the pressure in my chest loosened. The spinning stopped. My hands stopped trembling. She handed me a bottle of water, and I took it with shaky fingers.
"Thank you," I whispered, finally looking up at her. She was beautiful—brunette hair, striking green eyes. There was something familiar about them, but I couldn't place it.
"You should go to the dispensary," she said, handing me my bag—the one I had left behind in the cafeteria.
"No, I think I'll just go home," I muttered, staring at her, still trying to process what had just happened.
She nodded. "Evelyn. Evelyn Patterson. And it's no problem."
I hesitated. "I'm Olivia Price."
A small smirk played on her lips. "Oh, I know that."
Of course, she did. Everyone knew my name.
I turned to leave, but she called after me. "What do you mean by that?"
I sighed, looking at her warily. "Are you not afraid of your reputation? You're talking to Olivia Price. A slut."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm not. And why would I be? Just because people say something doesn't mean it's true."
I froze.
No one had ever said that to me before. People pitied me, told me that things would get better. But no one had ever outright denied the rumors. No one had ever told me that they didn't believe them.
She must have seen the shock on my face because she chuckled. "Don't look so surprised." Then, she turned and walked away.
And I followed her, like a lost puppy.
"I haven't seen you around before," I said, desperate to change the subject.
"How could you? I just transferred here with my brother and my best friend. I'm in junior high."
Before I knew it, we had reached the parking lot.
"I guess this is goodbye, then," I muttered, unsure why I felt disappointed.
She rolled her eyes. "No, it's not. We'll see each other tomorrow, okay?"
Would we?
Would she actually talk to me tomorrow?
Why would she?
Before I could say anything, a voice called out her name. "Eve!"
Evelyn turned, smiling as a boy walked toward us. He had dark brown hair, black eyes, and a strong build. Not like... his green eyes.
Snap out of it, Olivia.
The boy smirked at Evelyn. "Hey, asshole."
"Language, Eve," he scolded.
She rolled her eyes. "You're not my brother," she grumbled, pointing a finger at him.
He smirked back at her, clearly used to this argument. Then his gaze landed on me.
And for the first time today, I wasn't invisible.
"Hello, beautiful."
Beautiful? He was definitely blind.
I nodded politely, but then he did something that completely caught me off guard.
He took my hand and kissed it.
Emily groaned, rolling her eyes. "Behave, you asshole."
"Anyway," Evelyn interrupted, "Olivia, meet Luke—the biggest asshole in the world."
Luke smacked the back of her head.
"Ow, you piece of shit! That hurt!" Evelyn grumbled.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
I bit back a laugh, watching them bicker like children.
For the first time in a long time, I felt something other than pain.
But I knew better.
This wouldn't last.
If they kept talking to me, they'd end up like Asher.
And I couldn't go through another heartbreak.
After saying goodbye to both of them
I pulled into my driveway, gripping the steering wheel tightly, my mind racing.
Why? Why did they talk to me?
And more importantly—
Would they still talk to me tomorrow