THE SUICIDE

Chapter Seven : The first Voice

The cafeteria at Rosewood High was a stage where hierarchy played out in silence and stares. It was break time, and the room buzzed with chatter, laughter, and the sound of trays sliding over polished counters.

Juliet sat alone at a corner table, quietly nibbling at a sandwich she hadn’t really tasted. Her sketchbook lay open beside her, half-filled with drawings she’d never show anyone. Most students didn’t notice her, and she liked it that way. Until they walked in.

Vanessa, Chloe, and Daniella—the self-proclaimed queens of Rosewood. Daughters of CEOs and socialites, their wealth gave them confidence, and their confidence gave them cruelty. For weeks, they’d found joy in subtle jabs, nasty whispers, and mean stares aimed directly at Juliet. Today, they wanted more.

Vanessa—the leader, with eyes like ice and a voice dripping with entitlement—walked up to Juliet’s table with a smirk.

“You’re in our seat,” she said casually, arms folded.

Juliet looked up. Her jaw clenched. Something inside her was tired—of being small, of being silent, of being invisible.

“No,” she said quietly, then louder, “It’s not your seat. It’s a cafeteria.”

The air shifted.

Gasps fluttered through the room. No one had ever talked back to Vanessa before, especially not Juliet Delacroix, the quiet governor’s daughter.

Vanessa’s smile disappeared. “What did you just say?”

Juliet stood her ground, eyes locked on hers. “I said it’s not your seat.”

Vanessa’s hand twitched, rising with rage. Chloe and Daniella stepped back, as if expecting the slap. Juliet didn’t move. She didn’t flinch. Part of her wanted the pain to be any feeling at all. But the hand never landed. Because Solene stepped in.

He moved fast, placing himself between the two girls with a calm fierceness.

“Don’t you dare,” he said, his voice firm and sharp.

Vanessa blinked in surprise.

“Who even are you?”

“Someone who knows bullying when he sees it,” Solene replied. “Now walk away.”

And just like that, they did. Grudgingly. Angrily. But they walked.

Juliet stared at the boy who had just saved her. Solene had kind eyes and thick curls tied back loosely. He wore mismatched socks and carried a satchel full of books that didn’t belong to the syllabus.

“Are you okay?” Solene asked softly.

Juliet wanted to say thank you. She wanted to say everything. But all she managed was a nod.

Solene sat down beside her and smiled. “Mind if I sit with you?”

It was the first time in a long while that someone didn’t want anything from Juliet except to simply be with her. And for the first time, Juliet didn’t feel so alone.