Chapter6: Mirrors Of Mayhem
1446 Words
My eyes must be playing tricks on me.
What the hell am I looking at?
If I’m Bella…
then why do I still have Hope’s memories?
And who the hell is that?
The cafeteria noise blurred into background static. My thoughts were spinning, slipping between two lives, two faces, two versions of me.
And then — a sudden roar.
Heads turned.
Draven Thorn walked in like he owned the building.
The air changed — you could feel it.
Girls straightened in their seats. Guys lowered their voices.
Every gaze followed him as he strode across the cafeteria, flanked by two others grinning like they were born for attention. I recognized Xender – but not the other guy.
Draven didn’t walk. He commanded space. Every step screamed power. Confidence. Control.
He reached our table, sliding into the seat beside me like a king taking his throne.
“Whoa, Stefan,” Nalani purred, leaning over. “What did you do with your hair? You look hot.”
“Granny Mae replaced it with her pubic hair,” Xender said immediately, sending the whole table into hysterics.
“Shut up, man,” Stefan laughed, tossing a fry at him.
Xender caught it with his mouth and grinned wider.
Draven leaned back, that lazy smirk spreading across his face.
“Babe,” he said, his eyes locking on mine, “how are wedding plans going?”
His tone dripped arrogance, and something darker.
“Our first night’s gonna be epic… since you keep slipping away from me.”
The table erupted again.
“Oooh!” Nalani squealed.
Bianca gasped theatrically. “Wait—don’t tell me Draven hasn’t been down there yet?”
I blinked at her.
Were these people serious?
“Uh—I… I’m not sure,” I stammered, voice small.
“You’re not sure?” Xender echoed, laughing so hard he nearly spilled his drink. “That’s wild.”
My mind wasn’t even here anymore.
Their voices were noise, a buzz beneath my panic.
That girl.
That me.
Sitting with Ethan. Laughing.
It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t.
Draven’s hand slid up, wrapping around the back of my neck — light, possessive, wrong.
My entire body froze.
“Are you shy?” he teased. “You punched me the first time you saw the size of my dick.”
The table roared with laughter.
Even Zoey choked on her soda. “Draven! Oh my god, shut up!”
I turned red, heat climbing up my throat.
What kind of lunatic world was this?
Then movement caught my eyes.
Someone passed by with a tray.
I froze.
Hope Turner.
My body. My face. Me.
Bianca stuck her leg out casually.
Hope tripped — her tray flipped, food splattering across the floor. Gasps and laughter filled the cafeteria as phones whipped out, screens flashing.
“Oops,” Bianca sang sweetly. “Watch where you’re going, Hope.”
Hope.
That name.
My name.
So it wasn’t my imagination.
That was me.
That was really Hope Turner.
She knelt, trying to clean the mess with shaking hands, tears slipping down her cheeks. I recognized that quiet, desperate way she cried — like she was holding herself together with invisible thread.
Ethan was there before I could blink.
He grabbed her hand, pulling her up gently.
“When will you guys grow up?” His voice was steady but his eyes were fire. “Doesn’t bullying bore you?”
“Whoa, who gave the nerd a voice?” Draven sneered, his grin sharp. “Cute.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. His knuckles flexed.
Draven leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
“What are you gonna do, loser? You both clearly don’t belong here. Go back to your s**t holes.”
That word hit me like a slap.
Shit holes.
It echoed.
That’s what they always said to me.
That’s what this world said to people like Hope Turner.
Hope looked shattered, tears spilling freely now. Ethan steadied her again, his expression softening.
He let out a quiet laugh, but it wasn’t amused. “Kids. You’ll never grow up.”
He turned, guiding her away.
Draven’s face hardened. He stood.
He grabbed Ethan’s shoulder, spun him around, and punched him
Gasps erupte
Ethan staggered, blood smearing his lip
Then he hit back.
His fist connected with Draven’s face, snapping his head sideway
The room exploded in screams and shouts
Draven lunged again, but Xender stepped in between them.
“Whoa, whoa—chill, bro! That's enough for one day.
Draven’s eyes flared. “Move,” he growled, and punched Xender instead.
The poor guy fell flat fries flying.
The cafeteria went hysterical everyone laughing like it was a damn circus.
Mr. Malcolm stormed in, voice booming. “Enough! My office. Now.”
Draven ignored him, grabbing his jacket and walking off, eyes dark with rage.
Ethan followed, Hope trailing quietly behind.
Silence hovered for a moment.
Then Bianca burst out laughing.
“Xender, why would you do that? Have you forgotten who Draven is?”
He wiped blood from his mouth with a handkerchief, hissed, and walked away without answering.
The laughter returned like nothing happened.
But I wasn’t laughing.
I couldn’t even breathe.
Every cell in my body was vibrating, cold and panicked.
My gaze stayed fixed on the cafeteria door — on the space she’d just walked through.
The girl with my face.
My name.
The cafeteria still buzzed with leftover laughter.
Like nothing happened. Like no one had just bled.
Like this whole school wasn’t a nightmare pretending to be perfect.
“Hey, Bella,” a voice broke through the noise.
I blinked and turned.
Stefan.
He was leaning toward me, tray half-forgotten, eyes soft with concern.
“Are you okay?”
I swallowed, forcing a weak nod. “Yeah. I’m good.”
Nalani leaned in, smirking like she was watching a movie.
“Oh, I can see there’s still something between you two,” she teased, practically squealing.
What—?
Wait. This Stefan?
Before I could answer, Stefan smiled — that quiet, boyish kind of smile that didn’t match the chaos around him.
Zoey coughed dramatically. “Okay, okay. Let’s leave the secret lovers to sort themselves out.”
Bianca winked and whispered, “Call me,” shaping a phone with her hand.
Then they were gone — just like that. Heels clicking on tile — all fading away.
I blinked after them.
Wasn’t there a fight just now?
Someone bled, someone cried — and yet they were giggling like it never happened.
This world was insane.
And maybe… I was too.
“Hey,” Stefan said again, quieter this time. “I didn’t get to talk to you before. Draven was—well, you know how he gets.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish. “Didn’t want him pouncing on me.”
That smile again.
Dimples cutting deep into his cheeks, eyes the soft kind of hazel that looked like honey under light.
Gosh. He was really cute.
No.
Focus.
I forced a breath. “Can we… talk later? I have somewhere I need to be.”
“Bella,” he said gently. “Please. Just listen.”
He reached out — his fingers brushed my wrist, light but real, grounding and wrong all at once.
My pulse jumped.
“I’m sorry,” Stefan murmured. “For what I did to you. I was high, it was Rosy's fault.”
His gaze searched mine, desperate and stupidly sincere.
“I don’t care if you’re marrying Draven. I just… need you to be with me. I love you, Bella. And you love me too. You always have.”
My mouth fell open.
What. The. Actual. f**k.
Bella was engaged to Draven.
And love Stefan?
Was this what rich people did? Cheat, fight, and still look perfect while doing it?
So much for Drabelle.
I blinked, heart pounding too fast. “Uhm—Stefan, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to you some other time, okay? I just… I haven’t been myself lately.”
I tried to leave, but his hand caught mine again — soft, pleading.
“Bella, please. Don’t shut me out.”
Something in his voice cracked, and for a moment, I almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
“I’ll see you later,” I said, pulling my hand free.
He didn’t follow.
Just stood there, watching me go, hope clinging to his face like a ghost refusing to fade.
I stepped out into the hall, the laughter from the cafeteria echoing behind me.
The corridor stretched endlessly, bright and sterile, mirrors lining the walls.
Something inside me cracked.
This wasn’t just a dream.
It was a trap.
- Writer
