Chapter 11
835 Words
Chapter 11
“Who is the fat girl beside you?”
Sophia’s voice was sweet on the surface, but the hateful gaze she fixed on me was anything but. She had walked up to us at the old oak tree with confident steps, her long dark hair swaying. She was slim and elegant, the kind of girl who turned heads without trying. And right now, her eyes were shooting daggers straight at me.
Lucian tensed beside me, his arm still around my waist. “Sophia, this is Lily. My… girlfriend.”
The word made my heart flutter, but Sophia’s expression turned icy. “Girlfriend?” She laughed lightly, though there was no humor in it. “Since when do you go for this type, Lucian? You used to have better taste.”
The words stung deep. I wanted to shrink into myself, to hide my curves that suddenly felt too big, too obvious. But Lucian’s grip on me tightened protectively.
“Sophia, don’t,” he warned. “Lily is important to me. We’ve known each other since childhood, but things are different now.”
Sophia’s hateful gaze never left me. “I transferred here for you, you know. To be close again. And I find you with… her?” She gestured at me like I was something disgusting. “She’s not even in your league.”
I swallowed hard, fighting back tears. “I should go…”
Lucian held me in place. “No. You’re staying.”
Sophia smiled, but it was cold. “Interesting choice, Lucian. I wonder how long it’ll last.” She turned and walked away, but not before shooting me one last venomous look.
The confrontation with Sophia left me shaken. Combined with Mia’s outburst earlier, it felt like the whole world was against us. Lucian walked me home, apologizing the entire way and promising that Sophia was just a childhood friend with old feelings nothing more.
I wanted to believe him. I really did. But doubt was creeping in.
That evening, I helped Mom with dinner while Mia sat at the table pretending to do homework. The fake peace between us was suffocating. She didn’t mention Lucian or the cafeteria scene, but I could feel her watching me.
My phone buzzed while we were eating. A text from Lucian:
Sophia just texted me. She’s not feeling well and asked me to come check on her. Old friend stuff. I’ll call you later, okay? Miss you already.
My stomach twisted, but I replied with a simple “Okay, take care.” I didn’t want to seem jealous or insecure.
The night dragged on. I did my homework, took a long shower, and tried to read a book to distract myself. But my mind kept wandering to Lucian and Sophia alone at her house. What if she was pretending to be sick? What if she tried something?
Around 11 PM, my phone beeped again. I picked it up expecting a goodnight text from Lucian.
Instead, it was a message from an unknown number. When I opened it, my eyes widened in shock.
There were two photos attached.
The first showed Lucian lying on a bed, shirtless, eyes closed in sleep. Sophia was cuddled up beside him, her head on his chest, smiling at the camera like she had won a prize.
The second photo was even worse a close up of his arm wrapped around her waist, their bodies tangled under the sheets.
The caption read:
He’s right where he belongs. Stay away from him, fat girl.
Tears blurred my vision. My hands shook as I stared at the pictures. He had gone to her house because she “wasn’t feeling well”… and now he was sleeping in her bed?
I wanted to throw my phone across the room. The pain in my chest was sharp. Had everything he said to me been a lie? Did he still have feelings for his childhood friend the slim, beautiful Sophia?
Mia stirred in her bed across the room. “What’s wrong, sis?” she asked in that fake-sweet voice. “Boy trouble?”
I didn’t answer. I just turned off my phone and cried silently into my pillow, wondering if I had been stupid to ever let Lucian touch me.
The next morning, I woke up with swollen eyes. My phone had more messages this time from Lucian:
Sorry I fell asleep at Sophia’s. She was really sick. Nothing happened. I’ll explain everything today.
I didn’t reply.
As I walked to school, the weight of those photos pressed on me. Mia walked beside me, humming happily. She knew something was wrong. I could tell by the satisfied glint in her eyes.
When we reached the gate, Sophia was waiting leaning against the wall, looking fresh and beautiful. She smiled when she saw me, but her eyes were cold.
“Morning, Lily,” she said sweetly. “Sleep well?”
The sabotage had begun.
And I had no idea how to fight back.
- Writer
