It was lunchtime, and the cafeteria buzzed with chatter as students hurried to their usual spots. Aaliyah, waiting near the entrance, waved as she spotted Seira. They walked in together, side by side, like they had done countless times before. I watched them from a distance, contemplating my next move, but before I could make a decision, Ethan appeared.
He casually left Jack and the rest of our usual group and headed toward Seira and Aaliyah. His confident stride didn't falter as Jack called after him.
"Yo, Ethan! Where are you going?" Jack asked, confused. "Why are you hanging out with those girls? Don't tell me you're siding with Seth now."
Ethan turned around, facing Jack and the group with a shrug. "Honestly? I have a way better time with Seira and Aaliyah than with you guys. I'm sick of all the crap you pull."
Jack blinked, surprised by the blunt response. Ethan had always been the odd one out in our group. While the rest of us—especially Jack—found fun in mocking Seira and other students, Ethan was the only one who ever tried to stop it. He'd tell us to back off, to leave them alone, but we'd brush him off, calling him soft. Whenever the teasing escalated, Ethan would distance himself, sitting quietly on the sidelines. It was something I should've respected about him, but back then, I didn't.
I didn't join the bullying. I just laughed along. That somehow felt better at the time.
Watching Ethan walk off, I felt a pang of guilt. Without thinking, I followed him. I wasn't sure what I was trying to prove or even why I was doing it, but I found myself approaching Seira and Aaliyah's table alongside Ethan.
When we reached their table, Aaliyah raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical about our sudden interest in sitting with them. "Uh, why are you two sitting with us again?" she asked, her tone blunt as usual.
Ethan grinned and sat down like he belonged there. "Because we're friends, right?"
"Since when?" Aaliyah shot back, crossing her arms, looking entirely unimpressed.
And just like that, the familiar bickering between Ethan and Aaliyah began. It was almost amusing, how they could never have a conversation without turning it into a full-on debate. Seira, who sat quietly at first, began laughing, her shoulders shaking with amusement as she watched the two go at it.
For the first time in what felt like forever, I realized we were all actually having fun. It was strange, sitting with Seira and Aaliyah, but it felt... good.
But of course, it didn't last.
In the middle of their playful argument, I felt a presence behind me. Before I could turn around, a sharp sting spread across my cheek. My head snapped to the side as the cafeteria went dead silent.
Standing in front of me was Melly Harrison, her dirty brown hair framing her flushed face. Her eyes, usually sparkling with fake sweetness, were burning with anger now. She had slapped me—right there in front of everyone.
"Melly," I muttered, rubbing my cheek, still processing what just happened.
"Yeah, Melly," she snapped, tears welling up in her eyes. "Your girlfriend, in case you forgot!"
I had forgotten. Completely.
Melly, my girlfriend. The one I had chased after , wasting my time, thinking I was in love with her. But she never loved me. She only wanted the attention, wanted to feel adored. And now, she was standing here, publicly humiliating me.
"Melly," I started, trying to calm her down, but she wasn't having it.
"You've been ignoring me for days," she shouted, her voice echoing through the cafeteria. "I thought you were busy, but now I know why. You've been spending all your time with her." She pointed accusingly at Seira, her finger trembling with rage.
Seira's eyes widened in shock, as did Aaliyah's and Ethan's. Hell, the entire cafeteria was watching now, their eyes glued to the unfolding drama.
"Melly, come on, don't—" I tried to defend myself, but she wasn't done.
"And then your best friend, Jack," Melly continued, her voice rising, "tells me that he saw you and Seira walking together this morning. You're ditching me for her? Seriously?"
Her annoying friend, Sofea, appeared out of nowhere, adding fuel to the fire. "It's true, Melly. I saw them together. I told you he was up to something."
This is ridiculous. Why was she acting jealous? She didn't even care about me. She'd been cheating on me since the moment I graduated—everyone knew it, even if I tried to ignore it.
"Melly, it's not like that," I said, feeling the weight of everyone's stares on me. "We're just friends. And besides, what does it matter? You're not exactly innocent in all this."
Melly's face turned an even deeper shade of red. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," I replied, my voice lowering, trying to keep this from escalating further.
Aaliyah stood up suddenly, glaring at Melly. "Leave Seira out of this, Melly. You don't get to blame her for your mess."
Sofea jumped in to defend Melly, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Oh, please. Like you're any better, Aaliyah. Everyone knows Seira's been chasing after Seth for years. She probably loves all this attention."
That was the last straw for Seira.
In one swift motion, Seira stood up, grabbed her water bottle, and without saying a word, poured the entire thing over Melly's head. The water drenched Melly's hair and clothes, and for a moment, everyone just stared, stunned.
Seira's expression was cold as ice when she finally spoke. "Maybe if you actually cared about your relationship, you wouldn't be so insecure," she said, her voice steady but sharp. "And Seth? You know it's your fault for being close to me when you have a girlfriend."
Her words hit harder than any slap. I couldn't even respond. I just stood there, staring at her as she turned and walked out of the cafeteria. Aaliyah, looking disgusted, muttered something under her breath and chased after her, but not before shooting me a glare that could melt steel.
I stood there like an idiot, the entire cafeteria still watching the aftermath of the chaos. Melly, soaked and crying, looked like she wanted to disappear. Her friend Sofea kept blabbing on about how unfair it was, but I couldn't focus on any of it.
Ethan, wide-eyed, tried to defuse the situation, but there was no fixing this now.
I had messed up. Badly.
Without another word, I grabbed Melly's arm and pulled her out of the cafeteria, leaving Ethan to deal with Sofea's ranting. As I walked away, the weight of everything crashed down on me.
Seira was right. This was my fault.