LET'S BREAK THEM

CHAPTER 02: THE PLAN

They thought I would break.

They were wrong.

I didn’t cry that night.

I didn’t call Ben.

I didn’t beg.

I didn’t text him "why" 500 times like the old me would have.

I sat in my tiny bedroom, in the dark.

One lamp on.

My textbooks stacked.

The necklace on the floor where I dropped it.

And I smiled.

It wasn’t a sad smile.

It wasn’t a broken smile.

It was the smile you get when you finally see the board clearly.

When you realize the game was rigged from the start.

My birthday. Ruined.

By the boy I loved.

By the girl I called friend.

In front of 500 people and 10,000 phones.

Ben Carter. Arya Lane.

The golden couple of Westbridge High.

The ones everyone worships.

The ones whose last names are on buildings and trophies and scholarship funds.

And me? The charity case.

"Who are you?"

His voice still echoes in my head.

Cold. Dismissive. Final.

Fine.

If I’m nobody to them...

Then I have nothing to lose.

If I have no reputation, I can’t lose one.

If I have no name, I can make one.

The next morning I walked into school with my head high.

Back straight.

No tears. No red eyes.

No makeup to hide anything.

Just Kudo Evans. In the same uniform. Same worn-out shoes.

But different.

The air around me was different.

Whispers followed me down the hall like flies.

"Did you see the video?"

"She's so pathetic."

"Ben chose Arya. Game over."

"Scholarship girl thought she could sit at the big table."

Good. Let them talk.

Talk is noise.

Noise covers movement.

First period: Math.

Ben was there. Sitting in his usual seat by the window.

Arya on his lap, like she owned him. Like she owned the room.

He didn’t look at me. Not once.

His eyes scanned the board, his phone, her hair.

Anywhere but me.

Perfect.

Let him think I’m gone.

Let him think I disappeared.

After class, I cornered his best friend, Daniel, by the lockers.

Daniel. The one who laughed at all Ben’s jokes.

The one who knew where the bodies were buried.

"Hey," I said, voice sweet. Careful. "Can I ask you something about Ben?"

Daniel frowned. Guarded. "What?"

"I just... I heard Arya's family is in debt to the Carters. Is that true?"

I kept my face blank. Curious. Innocent.

His face changed. A flicker. "Where did you hear that?"

"I don’t know. People talk." I shrugged and walked away.

Didn’t wait for an answer.

One rumor. Planted.

Seeds don’t need water to grow in a place like this.

Lunch time.

I sat alone. Like always.

Table in the corner. Book open.

Arya walked by with her group. Her court.

She stopped in front of me. Blocked the light.

"Oh my god Kudo, are you okay? You look... tired."

Her fake concern made me sick.

Too sweet. Too loud.

"I’m great," I said, and smiled. A real smile. Steady.

"Thanks for asking."

She blinked. Confused.

Her friends exchanged looks.

That’s right. I’m not broken.

Broken girls cry in bathrooms.

Broken girls don’t smile back.

Because here’s my plan:

Step 1: Make them underestimate me.

Let them think I’m fine. Let them think I’m weak.

Step 2: Cut off Ben’s reputation.

One rumor at a time. One crack in the golden image.

Step 3: Take everything Arya has.

Her crown. Her status. Her boy.

Step 4: Make them beg.

Make them say my name the way I had to say theirs.

LET'S BREAK THEM.

Starting... now.

They wanted me gone.

Instead, I became the problem.

-K`