CHAPTER 6 — The Line Vanessa Crosses
1097 Words
The morning sun spread a soft gold across Colewood Academy, but Ariella Cole felt none of its warmth. She stepped out of the car with her shoulders squared, her mind already replaying the conversation she overheard from the restroom days earlier.
Vanessa’s voice.
Her lies.
Her pride.
Her cruelty.
Every piece of it burned.
Ariella wasn’t the same naïve girl who once believed Vanessa’s smiles without question. She was a girl who had seen betrayal with her own eyes—and she was done pretending everything was fine.
But Vanessa Reid wasn’t done.
Not even close.
---
A Tense Morning
A group of students gathered near the lockers as Ariella passed, whispering.
“That’s her…”
“…She defended that boy…”
“…Can you blame her? They were close.”
Ariella ignored them. She had bigger battles to fight.
When she reached her classroom door, Vanessa was already inside, sitting on Ariella’s desk as if she owned it. She smiled at Ariella when she walked in—sweet, harmless, and poisonous.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Vanessa said lightly.
Ariella dropped her bag on the chair beside her. “Maybe I’ve just been busy.”
Vanessa tilted her head. “Busy with Kian?”
Ariella’s jaw tightened. “Vanessa, we need to talk.”
“Oh?” Her smile widened. “About what?”
Ariella’s fingers brushed over the pocket where the silver charm was hidden. Her heart pounded. “You know exactly what.”
For a moment—just a split second—Vanessa’s smile flickered.
But she recovered quickly. “Ariella,” she whispered, voice shaking in perfect imitation of innocence, “I don’t understand why you’re attacking me. I’m your best friend.”
Ariella forced herself to breathe. Vanessa was too calm, too calculated. There was no point confronting her without solid evidence.
So she turned away.
And that was the moment Vanessa realized she had lost control of Ariella’s trust.
And it infuriated her.
---
Meanwhile: Kian’s Quiet Battle
Kian Hale woke before dawn every day, the sky still dark outside his bedroom window. He had always been disciplined, but now he moved with a new urgency.
He was preparing for the scholarship test.
For hours, he studied equations and solved practice papers, fueled by determination and something sharper—hope.
Whenever fatigue tugged at him, he remembered Ariella standing at the bus stop, telling him it was “the beginning.”
Her faith in him was something he didn’t know he needed until it was given.
But the world outside wasn’t nearly as kind.
When he left the apartment for work, he heard two students from Colewood Academy passing by.
“Did you hear? Kian was expelled for cheating.”
“Wow… and he looked so smart.”
“Looked. Not anymore.”
Their laughter echoed behind him.
Kian lowered his head and kept walking.
He had no room for bitterness. No room for pain.
He had a future to chase.
---
Vanessa’s Plan Evolves
Back at school, Vanessa couldn’t focus on a single lesson. Her thoughts spun like a storm, filled with one name.
Ariella.
She had always been proud of how well she knew her. The two of them were bonded since childhood—birthdays, sleepovers, secrets shared in whispers.
But now Ariella looked at her like she was a stranger.
Because of him.
Because of Kian Hale.
Vanessa clenched her pen so tightly it cracked.
Fine.
If Ariella wanted distance… then she would give her distance.
She would push Ariella so far away from Kian that the two of them would never speak again.
And the first step?
Breaking Ariella’s reputation.
Because once the Academy turned on Ariella, she would have no time, no courage—and no power—to defend him.
---
The First Attack
During lunchtime, Ariella went to the courtyard to clear her head. She sat under the old oak tree, flipping through her journal filled with notes about Vanessa.
Dates.
Times.
Strange behavior.
Inconsistencies.
She didn’t hear the two girls approaching until one of them dropped something on the bench beside her.
A folded paper.
“What’s this?” Ariella asked.
They exchanged nervous looks. “Someone… told us to give it to you.”
Ariella unfolded the paper carefully.
Inside was a printed message:
“You should choose better friends, Ariella. Some people only stand beside you to bring you down.”
Ariella’s heart jumped. The message wasn’t signed. But she knew the tone. The style. The intention.
Vanessa.
It wasn’t a threat—it was a warning. A claim. A way of saying:
I’m watching you. I’m still in control.
Ariella crushed the paper in her hand.
No, Vanessa.
Not anymore.
---
Ariella’s Determination Grows
That same afternoon, Ariella marched into the library with fire in her eyes.
The security footage.
If Vanessa did plant the charm… maybe she had done other things.
Ariella approached the librarian, Mrs. Kavinsky. “Ma’am… I’d like to request viewing access to the last two weeks of hallway camera footage.”
Mrs. Kavinsky blinked. “That requires authorization from the principal.”
“I’ll get it,” Ariella said.
But before she could leave, the librarian added softly, “Is this about the expelled boy?”
Ariella turned slowly. “Yes.”
Mrs. Kavinsky looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Then I hope you find what you’re looking for. Because not everything that happened in this school was fair.”
Ariella’s hope cracked open wide.
Someone else believed Kian too.
She hurried out—ready to get permission, ready to dig deeper, ready to uncover the truth piece by piece.
She had no idea that Vanessa was already planning her next move.
---
Vanessa Crosses the Line
That evening, Vanessa sat in her bedroom, the lights dimmed, her laptop open on her desk.
Ariella had always kept her homework in a shared cloud folder so they could work together. It was a harmless habit… until now.
With a few quick clicks, Vanessa began editing one of Ariella’s essays—changing paragraphs, inserting fake copied lines from online sources.
When she was done, she sat back.
Tomorrow morning, she would “accidentally” mention that Ariella’s new essay looked suspicious.
The teachers would check.
The plagiarism software would scan.
And Ariella Cole—the perfect scholar, the principal’s pride—would be accused of academic dishonesty.
Just like Kian.
A perfect symmetry.
A perfect revenge.
Vanessa’s smile stretched slowly.
If Ariella wanted to protect a cheat…
Then she could join him.
- Writer
