Chapter 4 (Finals):The Glow Up
896 Words
The next morning, the whispers started.
By lunch, it was full-blown chaos.
Everywhere Lena walked, heads turned.
Students whispered behind their hands, stared openly, or pretended not to when she caught them.
“Oh my God, did you see? Thomas Vale picked her up.”
“He literally walked straight to her. Straight. To. Her.”
“And she just got into his car like it was nothing. Like, what even??”
“Do you think they're secretly dating or something?”
“No way. She's so... Lena.”
And then came the inevitable.
Madison Clarke.
She stormed through the hallways like a queen scorned, telling anyone who would listen:
"It’s a misunderstanding," she scoffed loudly. "He probably thought she was, like, some assistant or something. I mean, seriously. Look at her."
Brittney nodded too fast, eyes darting nervously around.
But even with Madison's loud declarations, the damage was done.
The school had seen it with their own eyes — Thomas Vale, the Thomas Vale, walking straight past every “it girl” and heading right for Lena.
And no amount of rumors could unsee that.
---
Over the next few weeks, Lena barely noticed the stares anymore.
Her focus stayed on bigger things:
Helping AetherCorp fix and secure their systems completely.
Working side by side with Thomas, sometimes in person at the lab, sometimes late-night texts.
And those texts?
They had slowly shifted from pure work talk to something more real.
Song recommendations.
Funny memes.
Weird random facts he thought she’d like.
Some nights she caught herself smiling down at her phone like a complete i***t — and she didn’t even care.
Because it felt... good.
Safe.
Easy.
---
The day of graduation dawned bright and golden.
Lena stood in front of her mirror, stunned at her own reflection.
For once, no baggy hoodies, no messy hair hiding her face.
She wore a deep sapphire-blue dress that skimmed her curves perfectly — elegant, simple, breathtaking.
Her hair fell around her shoulders in soft, shiny waves.
A swipe of eyeliner and a touch of shimmer made her brown eyes seem almost gold.
She barely recognized herself.
But she liked it.
A lot.
Her mom stood in the doorway, holding back tears.
"You look beautiful," she whispered.
Lena smiled shyly. "Thanks, Mom."
Her phone buzzed.
Thomas:
> Outside when you’re ready.
Her heart flipped over — once, twice — and she slipped her phone into her tiny clutch before grabbing her cap and gown.
This was it.
---
When Lena arrived at the school gym, heads turned instantly.
Conversations died mid-sentence.
Every eye followed her as she walked through the crowd.
Even the gold and navy streamers and fairy lights strung across the ceiling seemed to blur into the background.
Madison, sparkling in a silver dress that cost more than Lena’s laptop, froze mid-laugh when she saw her.
For a full five seconds, she just... stared.
Then her mouth twisted into a sneer.
"Ugh," Madison muttered loudly to Brittney. "New dress, new hair, still the same loser."
But nobody really laughed along with her.
Not when Lena looked like she’d stepped straight out of a movie.
Not when, a moment later, Thomas Vale himself walked in — looking devastating in a dark fitted suit, crisp shirt open at the collar — and made a beeline straight to Lena.
No hesitation.
No second glances.
Straight to her.
He stopped in front of her, smiled like the rest of the world didn’t exist, and held out his hand.
"You ready?" he asked softly.
Lena slid her hand into his without a second thought.
"You have no idea," she said, smiling up at him.
The gym practically buzzed with shock.
Phones whipped out of pockets.
Gasps echoed around them.
Madison stared, her mouth slightly open, as Thomas gently brushed a kiss across the back of Lena’s hand — slow, deliberate, reverent.
Like she was someone worth the whole world noticing.
Because she was.
---
The ceremony passed in a surreal haze.
Diplomas were handed out.
Caps were tossed.
Flashbulbs popped.
Lena barely heard any of it — only feeling Thomas’s steady presence beside her, anchoring her.
Later, at the graduation party, he stayed glued to her side.
They talked, laughed, danced a little.
Madison tried once to approach, her dress glittering and her fake smile strained.
Thomas barely gave her a nod before turning his full attention back to Lena.
Madison’s cheeks flushed a furious red as she turned and stalked off.
But Lena didn’t care.
Not anymore.
---
Later that night, under the fairy-lit sky behind the gym, Thomas and Lena stood close, the soft buzz of music fading into the background.
"You know," Thomas said, brushing a loose curl off her cheek, "you completely owned tonight."
She laughed lightly. "You’re just saying that."
"I’m not." His voice dropped lower. "You were the only one I saw when I walked in."
Her heart fluttered.
"I saw you too," she whispered.
He smiled, the real one, the one reserved only for her — and leaned down, brushing a soft kiss against her lips.
It wasn’t rushed.
It wasn’t loud or showy.
It was just... right.
Perfect.
For the first time, Lena realized something:
She wasn’t the invisible girl anymore.
She wasn’t the loner hacker hiding in the shadows.
She was someone seen, valued, chosen.
And she had chosen herself too.
- Writer
