Viral Again
1237 Words
By the time I woke up Sunday morning, my life had officially become content.
The first thing I saw when I checked my phone was a flood of notifications. Messages, mentions, and screenshots.
Missed calls from Kiara.
That was never a good sign.
I opened the Blackwater Gossip Page and immediately regretted it.
The fight video had over fifty thousand views.
Fifty thousand?! Overnight.
My stomach dropped. The footage showed Tyler insulting me.
Then Jace crossed the room, then the punch, then complete chaos.
The comments were worse.
Jace definitely likes her.
Poor Elena.
Naomi ruins every school she attends.
This girl is always in drama.
Somebody check on Jace’s girlfriend.
I tossed my phone onto my bed for exactly three seconds, then I picked it up again.
Because apparently I enjoyed suffering. Another notification appeared it was an unknown Number.
My chest tightened immediately after I opened it.
You never learn, do you?
A second message followed.
You destroy everything you touch.
Cold spread through me I stared at the screen the same feeling, the same fear.
The same anonymous cruelty that had followed me since the scandal.
Whoever this person was they knew exactly how to get under my skin.
My phone rang it was Kiara.
I answered instantly.
“Tell me you’re alive.”
“Barely.”
“Good.”
“That’s your response?”
“You sound dramatic. Which means you’re functioning.”
I laughed despite my situation.
“Everyone saw the video.”
“I know.”
“Everyone is talking.”
“I know.”
I collapsed backward onto my bed.
“Why does chaos follow me everywhere?”
Kiara was silent for a moment.
“Maybe chaos isn’t following you.”
“What does that mean?”
“Maybe people just need someone to blame.”
The words settled heavily inside my chest because deep down I knew she was right.
By afternoon, I was back at Blackwater for optional relay practice.
Coach had strongly encouraged attendance.
What was the coach's language: show up or suffer?
The stadium looked unusually crowded.
Great. News traveled fast.
The second I stepped onto the field, conversations shifted. Eyes followed me. Whispers spread, I hated it so much.
“Morning, celebrity.”
I looked up.
Mason jogged toward me carrying a relay baton.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“A little.”
“You’re awful.”
“Accurate.”
His grin faded slightly.
“How are you?”
The question surprised me.
“Fine.”
“Liar.”
I sighed.
“Why does everyone keep asking me that?”
“Because you look like you’re carrying a body.”
Fair. Before I could answer, Coach Daniels blew his whistle.
“Track!”
Athletes immediately moved into position, and the practice started brutally.
Probably because Coach was angry about the fight.
Correction it was definitely because Coach was angry about the fight.
Nobody escaped his mood especially Jace.
The coach made him run extra laps before the drills even started.
The entire team watched in silence Jace didn’t complain once.
Just ran fast focused and determined. Like he was trying to punish himself and something about that bothered me.
“Stop staring.”
Kiara appeared beside me.
“I wasn’t.”
“You absolutely were.”
I ignored her.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t wrong.
Every time I looked up, my attention found Jace automatically.
Like my brain had developed a serious defect.
The worst part? He kept looking back not constantly, just enough to notice.
Hours later, Coach finally split everyone into relay groups.
Which meant exactly what I feared.
“Blake. Donovan.”
I groaned.
Coach pointed toward lane six.
“Again.”
Of course, Jace jogged over, and sweat darkened the collar of his shirt.
The small cut near his lip looked even worse in daylight.
“You should’ve iced that.”
The words escaped before I could stop them.
Jace blinked.
“You worried about me?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
I glared. His mouth twitched slightly.
The i***t looked pleased.
“Ready?” he asked.
“No.”
“Good.”
The whistle blew and we ran really fast.
The familiar rhythm returned immediately. Stride, breath, and movement.
Everything is syncing too perfectly.
The baton exchange landed smoothly in my hand instinctively, I looked back.
Jace was already watching me. That stupid awareness sparked instantly every single time.
“Focus, Blake.”
His voice sounded rougher than usual I hated how much I noticed that.
Practice continued. Lap after lap, drill after drill.
Until finally, Coach called for a break.
The team scattered toward the benches.
I grabbed my water bottle and escaped toward the far side of the bleachers.
Away from people, attention, and everything.
Or so I thought.
“Running away?”
I didn’t need to turn around.
“Go bother someone else.”
Jace sat beside me anyway.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Wind moved through the empty stands. The track stretched endlessly before us it was quiet, simple, and peaceful.
Then Jace broke the silence.
“You got messages again.”
My grip tightened around the bottle. I looked at him sharply.
“How do you know?”
“Because your face changes.”
Great. Apparently, he could read me now.
“How long have you been secretly studying me?”
His expression remained calm.
“Long enough.”
My heartbeat betrayed me immediately I hated that.
“That’s creepy.”
“Probably.”
“Definitely.”
A small smile appeared then vanished.
“What did they say?”
The question was gentle and careful. I stared ahead.
“Nothing important.”
Jace didn’t respond which somehow made it worse because I knew he didn’t believe me.
Finally, I sighed.
“They said I destroy everything I touch.”
The words sounded pathetic out loud. For a second, neither of us moved.
Then—
“That’s stupid.”
I blinked.
“What?”
Jace looked directly at me.
“That’s stupid.”
The certainty in his voice hit harder than expected.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
“How?”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Because if that were true…”
He stopped. The unfinished sentence hung between us heavily.
My pulse sped up.
“Then what?”
For one second just one, I thought he might actually say it.
Whatever it was, whatever had been building between us for weeks.
But footsteps echoed nearby.
The moment was shattered instantly. It was Elena of course.
She approached the bleachers carrying two iced coffees.
One for herself one for Jace.
The sight hit me harder than it should have I went back to reality.
Elena smiled politely when she reached us.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Jace replied.
The distance between us returned immediately like a wall slamming back into place.
I stood too quickly.
“I should go.”
Neither of them stopped me which somehow felt worse.
I turned away before anyone could see the disappointment on my face.
It was so stupid of me to feel this way, because Jace Donovan wasn’t mine.
He had never been mine and yet as I walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had almost happened.
Something neither of us was ready for.
And judging by the look Jace gave me over Elena’s shoulder—
He felt something too.
- Writer
