The Game We Play

Chapter 10: A Plan in Motion

Sophia had spent the whole day pretending she didn't feel the walls closing in.

She went through the motions, nodding in the appropriate places, responding when necessary, and maintaining a neutral expression even when she could feel whispers trailing behind her.

Emily had not let up.

If anything, she had grown more confident.

The remarks were sharper now, the expressions more deliberate, and the smirks more triumphant. What is the worst part?

The school had picked a side.

Not everyone laughed, and no one defended her either.

That's the thing about being an outsider. When Emily decided you were a joke, you were ignored rather than laughed at.

There is a stain on the floor.

A thing that did not belong.

Sophia was also tired.

I got tired of pretending it didn't matter. She was tired of swallowing her rage, embarrassment, and hurt.

So she wasn't surprised when Liam Carter appeared beside her at her locker, arms crossed and smirking as if he had been waiting for the perfect moment.

Annoyed? Yes.

Surprised? No, absolutely not.

"You're looking particularly miserable today, Bennett," Liam said, his voice smooth and low enough for only she to hear.

Sophia sighed as she shoved her books into her bag. "Is there a reason you're always hovering, or do you just enjoy being a nuisance?"

Liam grinned. "I enjoy a lot of things."

She gave him a glare, but he seemed more amused.

"Good to know," she muttered as she slammed her locker closed.

Liam remained stationary.

Did not shift to allow her to pass.

He remained exactly where he was, watching her as if waiting for something.

And then —

"You want to make her pay?"

Sophia went completely still.

Her fingers curled around her bag's strap. "Excuse me?"

Liam c****d his head slightly. "Emily." His smirk remained intact, but there was something colder beneath it. "You want revenge?"

Sophia's heart beat irregularly.

She'd said nothing. She hadn't told him about her feelings.

But he had witnessed it.

And she despised it.

I despised the fact that he could read her like an open book after she'd spent so long trying to be unreadable.

She took a sharp inhale. "I don't—"

"You do." He spoke calmly. Assured. "Lie to yourself all you want, Bennett. But I can see it. "You're angry."

Her jaw tensed.

Of course she was.

But that didn't mean she would do anything about it.

Except…

Was not she?

Wouldn't fighting back be preferable to feeling like this?

Wouldn't it be satisfying to prove Emily wrong by making her feel even a fraction of what Sophia had gone through?

She despised that the thought was not immediately repulsive.

Liam smirked, as if he knew exactly what was going on in her head.

"You don't have to decide right now," he said, stepping aside as if finally letting her go. "But just think about it."

Sophia took a swallow.

She refused.

She really shouldn't.

Despite this, she already was.

Sophia didn't want to see Liam again that day.

But, as usual, he appeared when she was least expecting it.

She had just left her last class and was weaving through the crowded hallways, trying to get to her locker before anyone could stop her. Before Emily could find another reason to put her on show.

She found him, not Emily.

I'm Liam Carter.

Leaning against the lockers, arms crossed, with that ever-present smirk on his lips, as if he had all the time in the world.

Even worse?

It was as if he had been waiting for her.

She hesitated. That was an error.

Because his grin widened, and before she could change directions, he pushed off the lockers and closed the space between them with infuriating ease.

"Decided yet?" he asked casually, as if they were discussing what to eat for lunch rather than whether she wanted to change her entire life.

Sophia exhaled abruptly. "I don't even know what you're offering."

Liam looked at her for a moment, his gaze moving over her face, assessing, calculating. Then he tipped his head slightly.

"Alright," he said, moving closer. "Let's make this simple."

Her heartbeat quickened.

Because Liam Carter was not one for simplicity.

"You want to stop being Emily's punching bag?" he inquired, his voice smooth, quiet, and firm. "Then stop making it easy for her."

Sophia's fingers tightened into fists. "I don't—"

"You do," Liam added effortlessly. "You want her to view you as a competitor. At the very least, as someone she can't just walk over. How about right now? He chuckled softly. "You're making it too easy."

Sophia swallowed, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "And you think you can change that?"

Liam grinned. "I know I can."

He took a step back, stretching lazily, as if this wasn't the silliest conversation she'd ever had.

"As it stands, you're predictable," he added. "Emily knows just how you'll react. She's designed her entire strategy around it. So we're changing the game."

Sophia folded her arms. "How?"

Liam tapped his fingertips on his thigh. "First, we fix the way you carry yourself." His gaze flickered over her, sharper and almost clinical. "You shrink away when she speaks to you. You gave her control over the story. That's over now."

Sophia reacted angrily. "I do not—"

"You do," Liam said, unfazed. "You fold. "Every time."

Sophia clenched her jaw, heat coursing up her spine. Despite her desire to fight back, she could not deny the truth.

He wasn't mistaken.

And it stung more than she wanted to admit.

Liam smirked, clearly observing the battle in her head.

"So, first," he said, "we change your posture." The way you walk, the way you occupy space. Right now, you appear to be awaiting permission to exist."

Her stomach turned.

She despised how accurate that was.

"Second," Liam continued, ignoring her silence, "we change the way you react." No more running, no more flinching, and no more pretending she's saying anything significant." He c****d his head slightly. "You want to break her?" Act as if she is not worth your time.

Sophia swallowed forcefully. "And third?"

Liam's smirk broadened.

"You change."

Sophia became still.

"Change how?" she inquired cautiously.

Liam gave a click of his tongue. "Do you want to be someone Emily can't humiliate?" Then stop giving her reason to believe she can."

He made vague gestures toward her sweater and jeans, which she had chosen because they made her feel invisible.

"You dress like you want to disappear," he remarked bluntly. "Fix it."

Sophia's cheeks were burning. "Excuse me?"

She gave a dry laugh. "So, what? "You are going to teach me how to be like her?"

Liam made an expression. "God, no."

His lips curled, almost disgusted by the thought.

"If you wanted to be Emily, I would tell you to go buy overpriced makeup, starve yourself for a month, and start pretend-laughing at things that aren't funny. I'm not saying you have to become like her. No way. But you also don't need to make it so simple for people like her to dismiss you."

Sophia held her arms tightly across her chest. "So what, you're offering me a makeover?"

Liam gave a chuckle. "I'm offering you a transformation."

The way he said it, so confident and matter-of-fact, made her stomach tighten.

He meant it.

He wasn't just saying it to play with her.

He devised a plan.

And it terrified her.

Sophia slowly exhaled, attempting to process. "Why would you even help me?"

Liam didn't immediately respond.

Instead, he leaned against the locker next to hers, staring at her with something she couldn't quite describe.

Then, "It'll be fun."

Sophia's stomach turned. "For you?"

Liam grinned. "Obviously."

She ought to have walked away.

Should have said no.

Instead, she asked, "And if I say yes?"

Liam's smile grew wider.

"Then, Bennett," he said smoothly, "we start right now."

Sophia's fingers itched to reach for her bag strap, to hold onto something solid, something familiar.

But, instead—

She held her shoulders square.

And he nodded.

Liam's smirk grew dangerous.

"Good."

Sophia agreed.

Liam devised a plan.

What about Emily?

She had no idea what was going to happen.

TO BE CONTINUED…