Prom Queen to Nothing

The invisible boy

The crowd exploded before I could even process what I was looking at.

Phones came out instantly.

Whispers spread like wildfire.

“Oh my God…”

“Is that about Bryan?”

“No freaking way.”

“Who put that there?!”

The giant white poster hung across the brick entrance wall like a public execution. Thick red paint dripped from the words, making it look almost violent beneath the parking lot lights.

“ASK BRYAN CARTER WHAT REALLY HAPPENS AFTER FOOTBALL PRACTICE.”

My stomach twisted painfully.

Beside me, Bryan went completely still.

“What the hell is this?” Ashley whispered.

The football team immediately started shouting over each other.

“Yo, who did this?”

“Take it down!”

“Someone’s dead for this.”

Katrine stood near the sidelines watching everything unfold with wide eyes, though something about her expression felt… off.

Not shocked but Interested, Like she was waiting for something.

I looked at Bryan.

Really looked at him.

For the first time all day, he looked nervous.

Not angry.

Not confused.

Nervous.

And suddenly that stupid anonymous phone call echoed through my head again.

You really think Bryan loves you?

Cold dread crawled through my chest.

Bryan noticed me staring and immediately grabbed my hand.

“Crystal, baby, don’t listen to this crap.”

“Then what does it mean?”

“I don’t know,” he snapped too quickly.

The tension around us thickened.

Everyone was watching.

Every single person.

Lockwood High thrived on drama, and right now?

We were the main event.

Coach Thompson stormed across the field seconds later.

“What the hell is going on here?!”

Nobody answered.

Coach ripped the poster off the wall furiously while security guards started yelling for students to leave.

“Show’s over!” one shouted.

But no one moved.

Because people could smell scandal.

And scandal at Lockwood was better than oxygen.

NICK'S POV

Chaos.

That was the first word that came to mind while watching the crowd lose their minds over one stupid poster.

Typical Lockwood behavior.

Rich kids loved pretending they were above drama while actively surviving on it.

I stayed near the back of the crowd with my duffel bag hanging off one shoulder.

Invisible.

Where I belonged.

But my eyes kept drifting toward Crystal Rodriguez.

She looked shaken.

Not fake-shaken either.

Actually shaken.

Like the ground beneath her perfect little world had finally cracked.

Bryan stood beside her talking rapidly, probably feeding her some expensive version of bullshit.

I clenched my jaw.

I hated that guy.

Not just because he had Crystal.

Not just because he walked through life like the world owed him applause.

But because guys like Bryan always got away with everything.

Good looks.

Money.

Popularity.

People excused every terrible thing they did because they smiled nicely afterward.

Meanwhile, people like me got judged for existing too loudly.

I shifted my bag higher onto my shoulder and turned away from the crowd.

Not my business.

None of it was.

That’s what I told myself anyway.

The bus ride home smelled like sweat, cheap cologne, and exhaustion.

I sat near the back with headphones on while the city lights blurred outside the window.

Lockwood High sat in the wealthy part of California.

But twenty minutes away?

Reality looked different.

Broken buildings.

Graffiti-covered stores.

Sirens almost every night.

Home sweet home.

By the time I stepped off the bus, darkness had already swallowed the streets.

I shoved my hands into my hoodie pockets and walked quickly through the neighborhood.

A group of older guys stood near the corner liquor store smoking.

One of them nodded at me.

“Yo, Nick.”

“Evening.”

“Are you still tutoring rich kids?”

“Yeah.”

“Must be nice.”

I forced a small smile and kept walking.

People here thought attending Lockwood automatically made me lucky.

They didn’t understand what it felt like being surrounded by people who treat your entire existence like background noise, like you don't matter or worth their time.

The tiny apartment building finally came into view.

Paint peeled from the walls. The elevator barely worked. Half the hallway lights stayed broken.

But it was home.

I unlocked apartment 204 quietly.

“Nicholas?”

My aunt’s voice drifted from the kitchen immediately.

“Yeah.”

“You eaten yet?”

“No.”

“You lying?”

I smirked slightly.

“A little.”

Aunt Marie appeared from the kitchen wearing fuzzy slippers and an oversized robe.

She looked exhausted.

Deep wrinkles framed her face, and her gray curls were tied back messily.

But she still smiled when she saw me.

“There’s leftover soup.”

“You’re the best.”

“I know.”

I dropped my bag beside the couch while she studied my face carefully.

“Long day?”

“You could say that.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

Not really.

Because how exactly was I supposed to explain that seeing Crystal upset bothered me more than it should?

“She okay?”

I looked up sharply.

“What?”

“That girl you’re always staring at.”

I nearly choked.

“I do not stare at her.”

Aunt Marie laughed loudly. “Boy, please.”

Heat crept up my neck.

“You notice too much.”

“You forget I raised you.” She pointed a spoon at me knowingly. “That girl’s been in your eyes since freshman year.”

I rubbed a hand down my face tiredly.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Because she’s rich?”

“Because she’s Crystal Rodriguez.”

That alone explained everything.

Girls like Crystal didn’t end up with guys like me.

Not in real life.

Only in movies written by delusional people.

Aunt Marie softened slightly.

“You never know what life has planned.”

I snorted quietly.

Life barely planned rent money for us.

The next morning, Lockwood was worse.

Way worse.

The second I walked through the front gates, people were already gossiping.

“Apparently Bryan slept with some girl from Westview.”

“No, I heard he’s cheating.”

“Cheating on Crystal? Impossible.”

“Nothing’s impossible.”

Phones buzzed nonstop.

Someone had already posted pictures of the poster online.

Typical.

I headed toward my locker quietly, hoping to avoid conversation.

No such luck.

“Nick!”

Jax practically materialized beside me out of nowhere.

“How are you always this energetic in the morning?” I groaned.

“Because chaos fuels me.”

That sounded concerningly believable.

Jax adjusted his glasses excitedly.

“Did you hear?”

“Everyone heard.”

“No, but apparently there’s more.”

I sighed heavily. “Jax—”

“Someone said Bryan got into a fight after practice yesterday.”

That caught my attention.

“With who?”

“Nobody knows.” Jax lowered his voice dramatically. “But rumor says it was about a girl.”

Of course it was.

Everything at Lockwood somehow circled back to s*x, popularity, or money.

And where Bryan's involved, it's usually all three.

Before I could respond, the hallway suddenly quieted.

That never happened unless someone important entered.

I looked up instinctively.

Crystal.

She walked through the hallway with Trish beside her, but something felt different today.

Normally Crystal glowed.

Today she looked tired.

Like she hadn’t slept.

Whispers immediately followed her.

“She actually came.”

“Do you think she knows?”

“I’d cry if I were her.”

My jaw tightened.

People here were vultures.

Crystal kept her head high despite it all, though I noticed how tense her shoulders looked.

Then unexpectedly,

Her eyes met mine.

And held.

Just for a second.

But it was enough to make my chest tighten stupidly.

Then Bryan appeared behind her.

His arm slid around her waist possessively.

The moment shattered instantly.

CRYSTAL'S POV

I hated this.

Every whisper.

Every stare.

Every fake sympathetic smile.

I felt like prey walking through a jungle.

“Ignore them,” Trish muttered beside me.

Easy for her to say.

No one was publicly humiliating her boyfriend.

Bryan’s hand tightened slightly against my waist.

“People are bored,” he said calmly. “They’ll move on.”

“Will they?”

“Yeah.”

“You sound pretty confident.”

He frowned slightly. “Crystal…”

“What?”

“Why are you acting weird?”

Because anonymous girls kept calling me.

Because posters were appearing around school.

Because part of me suddenly didn’t know who he was anymore.

But instead I forced a smile.

“I’m just stressed.”

His expression softened instantly.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

I wanted to believe him.

God, I really did.

But something inside me refused to settle.

By lunchtime, the rumors had evolved into full-blown conspiracy theories.

Apparently Bryan had:

gotten another girl pregnant,

cheated with a teacher,

secretly dated Katrine,

joined a cult,

and sold drugs.

Teenagers were insane.

I sat across from Bryan in the cafeteria while barely touching my food.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

“Fine.”

“You keep zoning out.”

“Sorry.”

He studied me carefully.

Then suddenly leaned closer.

“Do you trust me?”

The question caught me off guard.

“Of course.”

“Then stop listening to people.”

My throat tightened.

Before I could answer—

Someone slammed into our table.

Katrine.

“Oh my God, sorry,” she said dramatically though she looked anything but sorry.

Her tray tipped slightly, spilling soda near me.

Bryan immediately stood.

“What the hell, Katrine?”

She smirked.

“Relax. It was an accident.”

Her eyes shifted toward me slowly.

“You okay, princess?”

I hated when she called me that.

“I’m fine.”

“Good.” Her smile widened slightly. “Wouldn’t want stress ruining that perfect relationship of yours.”

The cafeteria went awkwardly quiet.

Bryan’s expression darkened.

“Katrine, leave.”

She laughed softly before walking away.

But not before whispering something under her breath.

Something only I heard.

“You should check his phone.”

My blood ran cold.

That evening, rain poured heavily over California.

Cheer practice got canceled, meaning I ended up at Bryan’s house instead.

Huge mistake.

His parents were out attending some charity event, leaving the mansion empty except for us.

Normally I loved being here.

Tonight it felt suffocating.

“You’re quiet,” Bryan muttered while tossing his football onto the couch.

“I’m thinking.”

“Dangerous.”

I rolled my eyes weakly.

He walked over slowly before pulling me into his chest.

“You know I love you, right?”

My heart squeezed painfully.

“Bryan…”

“Seriously. Look at me.”

I did.

His blue eyes searched mine carefully.

“You’re my girl.”

“Then tell me the truth.”

A flicker crossed his face.

Tiny.

Almost invisible.

But I saw it.

“What truth?”

“About the poster.”

His jaw tightened.

“There’s nothing to tell.”

“Then why does everyone keep acting like there is?”

“Because people hate us.”

Us.

Not him.

Us.

I pulled away slightly.

“Katrine told me to check your phone.”

His expression changed instantly.

Sharp. Defensive.

“Why would you listen to her?”

“I’m not listening—”

“Crystal.”

My chest tightened at his tone.

“What are you hiding?”

“Nothing!”

The sudden anger in his voice shocked me into silence.

Bryan exhaled harshly before rubbing his face.

“Baby… I’m

sorry.”

I stared at him quietly.

Then his phone buzzed on the kitchen counter.

Both our eyes shifted toward it instinctively.

One new message.

No contact name.

Just a number.

But the preview was enough.

“Miss you already ❤️”

The room went completely silent.

And for the first time in three years…

Bryan Carter looked afraid.