My Last Year

Bella Bennett

It wasn’t just some random girl.

It was her.

The same girl who shoved me into lockers like it was a sport. The one who laughed until her mascara ran when I tripped in the hallway. The one who once poured orange juice into my lunch tray because of some stupid social media “dare.”

Bernice always said girls like that weren’t taught to be mean they were born mean. And me? I believed it.

Bella Bennett.

The so-called Queen B of Evermore High.

Jake’s sister.

I thought Jake was the worst thing to ever happen to me. That was before I met Bella. If Jake was fire, Bella was wildfire, untamed, merciless, and destructive.

And now, she was here. Sitting across the room, smiling sweetly at Conrad Fisher like they were the cover models of some romance novel. Like they belonged together.

Conrad my comfort.

Jake my confusion.

And Bella?

She was my nightmare, dressed in designer lip gloss and a perfect, poisonous smile.

I sucked in a breath. “Oh my God,” I whispered, too low for anyone but me.

“What’s wrong?” Conrad asked, his brows knitting. His voice was soft, concerned, grounding.

Before I could answer, Bella swiveled toward me, her sharp eyes glittering like knives. Her smile widened as if she’d just spotted her next victim.

“You look familiar,” she said, tilting her head. “Lily, right?”

Her voice was sugar-coated venom.

I froze.

She gasped dramatically, snapping her fingers. “Wait—you’re the girl that cried because I broke your pen!” Her laughter rang out, loud and cruel, echoing off the walls.

The whole class turned, staring, but Bella didn’t care. Why would she? Bella Bennett never cared.

I forced a smile, thin, fake, cracked at the edges. My face burned, but I refused to let her see me break again.

I turned to Conrad, desperate for some kind of anchor. “Do you… know her?”

Before he could even open his mouth, Bella leaned in, her voice smooth and triumphant.

“He’s my boyfriend.”

The words hit me like ice water.

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. Images of Conrad his smile, his hand brushing mine, the butterflies of summer flashed through my head, then shattered like glass.

Conrad stiffened. “She’s my ex-girlfriend,” he corrected quickly, his tone sharp, defensive. He glanced at me, his eyes almost pleading. “Not girlfriend. Ex.”

But the damage was done. Even ex felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

Bella smirked, clearly satisfied.

And then, Jake’s voice cut through the tension.

“Bella,” he drawled, leaning back in his chair with that arrogant smirk I hated so much. “You came into my class and the first person you run to is this transfer boy?”

I froze again. Jake’s class. I had almost forgotten this was his territory.

Bella flicked her hair, unbothered. “Relax, little brother. I was just saying hi. It’s been ages since I saw Conrad.” She smiled sweetly at him, the kind of smile that felt like poison hidden in honey.

Wait.

I blinked. Brother?

“Jake’s your brother?” Conrad asked, his voice sharp with surprise.

The room tilted. My worst nightmare just kept unfolding, one piece at a time.

I stayed quiet, too overwhelmed to speak. Instead, I just stared at Conrad…and then Jake. Both of them, so different yet tangled in ways I wasn’t sure I could untangle.

My heart shouldn’t have been racing like this, not for Jake. Not after everything he’d done to me. But it was.

Conrad coughed lightly, maybe realizing I hadn’t stopped staring at him. I looked down quickly, my cheeks hot.

The bell finally rang. Blessed freedom.

I left class alone. Without Bernice. Without Conrad. Just me, swallowed by a storm of feelings.

By the time I reached the gates, I wasn’t even pretending anymore. “What is happening to me?” I muttered too loudly, apparently, because a few students turned to stare.

I walked faster, my pulse erratic, my thoughts spinning between Conrad’s smile and Jake’s smirk.

Was I falling for Conrad? For Jake? Or was I losing my mind altogether?

The answer never came.

Because then, I saw it.

Jake. Crossing the street, earphones in, head down. Oblivious.

And the truck. Barreling toward him.

No one else noticed.

No one but me.

“Jake!” I screamed, but my voice was swallowed by the roar of the engine. He didn’t hear.

My body moved before my brain caught up.

I ran. Faster than I ever had. Like it wasn’t his life at stake, but mine.

I shoved him hard.

And then impact.

Everything went black.