It was a quiet Wednesday afternoon when everything started to unravel.
Michelle walked to her literature class alone, headphones in, trying to ignore the tight knot in her stomach. The photo. The note. The silence that was more threatening than words.
As she passed the second-floor hallway near the old art room, her phone buzzed again.
You look so peaceful when you're unaware.Attached: A photo of her from five minutes ago, walking past the science wing.
Her pulse spiked. She looked around.
No one.
Or so it seemed.
She turned on her heel and rushed toward the library. Steve was studying near the windows, headphones in, scribbling notes.
She slammed her phone down in front of him.
He looked up, instantly serious.
"This is stalking," she said through clenched teeth. "Whoever this is, they're close. Too close."
Steve stood up. "We go to the dean. Now."
Michelle hesitated. Then nodded.
But just as they turned the corner toward the administration building, a voice stopped them.
"Going somewhere, lovebirds?"
Claire stood in the middle of the hall, arms crossed, flanked by the same two new girls from the cafeteria. Her lips twisted into a half-smile, but her eyes were sharp. Calculating.
Steve stepped forward. "You've got five seconds to get out of our way."
Claire didn't flinch. "Relax. We're just chatting. I heard about the cute little notes. Tragic."
Michelle narrowed her eyes. "You really think we believe you had nothing to do with it?"
Claire raised an eyebrow. "I don't need to follow you to ruin you, Michelle. You're doing that all by yourself. One step at a time."
"Is that a threat?" Steve growled.
Claire smirked. "A truth."
Before either of them could reply, Lila appeared from behind with Jordan, both looking ready to pounce.
"You're pathetic, Claire," Lila said coldly. "You're obsessed. And everyone sees it."
Claire's smile faltered.
Michelle stepped closer, voice quiet but firm. "You don't scare me anymore. Whatever game you're playing—it's over."
Claire leaned in. "We'll see about that."
That night, the group gathered again—this time not just to talk, but to act.
Jordan's IT contact had results: the blocked number traced back to a prepaid SIM card purchased off campus—but there was something else.
Security camera footage.
From the vending machine hallway.
One of Claire's new 'friends' had been seen slipping something into Michelle's book while pretending to browse snacks.
They had proof.
The next morning, Michelle and Steve walked into the dean's office with Lila, Jordan, and the file in hand.
Evidence.
Names.
Motives.
By the end of the meeting, the weight on Michelle's chest had begun to lift.
Claire and the two girls were suspended pending investigation.
But the damage wasn't gone.
Not yet.
Steve took Michelle's hand as they stepped outside into the sunlight. "You were amazing in there."
"I was terrified," she whispered.
"But you didn't let it stop you," he said. "That's strength."
She leaned into him, and for the first time in days, she exhaled.
Freedom didn't come all at once.
But this?
This was the first breath of it.