Rafa's POV:
Angela's room was a disaster.
Clothes everywhere.
Makeup scattered.
Shoes on the floor.
"Don't touch that," she said quickly.
"I wasn't even touching anything," I replied.
"You were about to."
"I wasn't."
"You were thinking about it."
"…okay maybe."
She rolled her eyes, fixing her hair in the mirror. "Focus. We need to look perfect."
"We already look fine."
"We look more than fine," she corrected. "We look unforgettable."
I glanced at her.
"…you've been waiting for this your whole life, haven't you?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, I figured."
A few minutes later—
we were both dressed.
Matching.
Pink.
Perfect.
I looked at us in the mirror.
"…okay," I said.
Angela grinned. "Say it."
"No."
"Say it."
"…we look good."
"Wrong."
I sighed. "…we look amazing."
"Correct."
My phone buzzed.
📩 Felix
"Are you there yet?"
I typed back.
"Almost."
Angela peeked at my phone. "Nervous?"
"No."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"…okay maybe a little."
She smiled. "Good."
"Why is that good?"
"Because it means you care."
I didn't answer.
Because—
yeah.
She wasn't wrong.
When we arrived—
the place was packed.
Lights.
Music.
People everywhere.
"This is insane," I said.
"This is perfect," Angela said.
CJ ran up immediately.
"ANGELA—YOU LOOK AMAZING—"
"I know," she said.
He turned to me.
Then paused.
"…wow."
"Don't," I said.
"I'm not saying anything!"
"Good."
Felix walked up slower.
Of course.
Calm.
As always.
Then he saw me.
And stopped.
For a second.
Just—
stared.
"…you actually wore it," he said.
I crossed my arms slightly. "Yeah. I did."
"…you look—"
He paused.
Again.
"…really good."
I smirked slightly. "You already said that."
"I meant it more now."
My heart did that thing again.
"…you don't look terrible either."
"High praise," he said.
"Very."
Music got louder.
People started dancing.
CJ dragged Angela away almost immediately.
"NO WAIT—"
Too late.
They were gone.
"Of course," I muttered.
Felix looked at me. "Dance?"
I hesitated.
"…I don't dance."
"You do now."
"I don't."
"You do."
"…you're not giving up, are you?"
"No."
I sighed.
"…fine."
He smiled slightly.
And took my hand.
The dance floor was chaos.
Lights flashing.
Music loud.
People everywhere.
"This is a bad idea," I said.
"It's a great idea," he said.
"I regret this already."
"You won't."
He pulled me slightly closer.
Not too much.
Just enough.
"…relax," he said.
"I am relaxed."
"You look like you're about to fight someone."
"…habit."
He laughed slightly.
Then—
we actually started dancing.
And somehow—
it wasn't terrible.
Not with him.
For a moment—
everything felt normal.
Good, even.
Then—
music cut.
Abruptly.
The room went quiet.
Too quiet.
"Oh no," I muttered.
A voice echoed through the speakers.
"Well well… prom looks fun."
My stomach dropped.
No.
Not now.
Freya.
Of course.
The lights flickered slightly.
People started whispering.
"What is she doing?" Sam said.
"This can't be good," Keagan added.
I stepped forward slightly.
"Freya," I said.
She smiled.
Cold.
"You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?"
Felix moved slightly closer to me.
Protective.
Again.
"What do you want?" I asked.
She tilted her head.
"Oh, nothing much," she said. "Just to remind everyone who you really are."
My chest tightened.
"…don't."
But she already was.
And just like that—
prom wasn't peaceful anymore.
Not even close.
"…don't."
But she didn't stop.
Of course she didn't.
Freya stepped forward slightly, the spotlight practically following her.
"I think everyone deserves to know," she said, her voice echoing through the room, "that Rafa isn't exactly who she pretends to be."
Murmurs spread instantly.
Whispers.
Eyes turning.
Watching me.
Again.
I clenched my fists.
"Freya," Felix said sharply. "Stop."
She ignored him.
"Three days gone," she continued. "And no one even knew where she was."
My chest tightened.
"She wasn't with family," Freya added, smiling slightly. "Because she doesn't have one."
Silence.
Louder than anything.
"…that's enough," I said.
But she kept going.
"She lives alone," Freya said. "In a house way too big for one person."
Gasps.
Actual gasps.
"How do you know that?" Sam said.
Freya glanced at me. "Because I looked."
My stomach dropped.
"…you what?"
She smiled wider. "You're not the only one who can keep secrets."
My heart started racing.
Too fast.
Too loud.
"She's been hiding it this whole time," Freya said. "Acting normal when she's anything but."
People were staring now.
Really staring.
Judging.
Whispering.
Again.
"…stop talking," I said, my voice low.
"Why?" she said. "Afraid they'll see the truth?"
"That's not your story to tell," Felix snapped.
"Oh?" she said. "Then whose is it?"
Mine.
But I couldn't say it.
Not like this.
Not in front of everyone.
Not when it felt like the ground was disappearing under me.
"You don't know anything," I said.
"I know enough," she replied.
I stepped forward.
Anger rising again.
Fast.
Too fast.
"Rafa," Felix said quietly. "Don't."
But I wasn't listening.
Not this time.
Not again.
Freya stepped closer too.
Smiling like she won.
Like she always wins.
"You really thought no one would find out?" she said.
I grabbed her arm.
Hard.
"Stop," I said.
"Or what?" she whispered.
That was it.
Again.
I pushed her back.
She stumbled—
but didn't fall this time.
Gasps filled the room.
"Rafa—" Angela said.
"Don't touch me," Freya snapped, pulling her arm away.
"You came here for this," I shot back. "So don't act surprised."
"You're proving my point," she said.
"And you're annoying," I snapped.
"Rafa," Felix said again, stepping in front of me slightly. "Not here."
I was breathing hard.
Too fast.
Too angry.
Too everything.
Freya laughed softly.
"See?" she said to everyone. "This is who she is."
I froze.
Because—
that hit.
More than anything else.
The room was quiet.
Watching.
Waiting.
Judging.
And for a second—
I didn't know what to do.
Didn't know what to say.
Didn't know—
anything.
Then—
Felix stepped forward.
Fully in front of me this time.
Blocking me from everyone else.
"She's done talking," he said.
Freya raised an eyebrow. "Or what?"
"Or I make you," he said.
Silence.
Tense.
Heavy.
Freya stared at him.
Then at me.
Then—
she scoffed.
"This isn't over," she said.
"Yeah," I replied. "I know."
She turned.
Walking away.
Her group following right behind her.
Just like that.
But the damage?
Still there.
People were still staring.
Still whispering.
Still—
watching me.
I looked down slightly.
My hands were shaking again.
"…great," I muttered.
"Hey," Felix said softly.
I didn't look up.
"I'm fine."
"You're not."
"…I know."
A small pause.
Then—
Angela ran up to me.
"Are you okay?" she asked quickly.
"Yeah."
"Don't lie."
"…I'm trying."
She hugged me.
Tight.
"I don't care what she said," she muttered. "She's wrong."
I didn't answer.
Because—
she wasn't.
Not completely.
Felix stayed close.
Of course he did.
"You wanna leave?" he asked quietly.
I hesitated.
Looked around.
At the people.
At the whispers.
At everything.
Then—
"…yeah," I said.
"Good," he replied.
And without another word—
we walked out.
Together.
Leaving the music.
The lights.
The chaos behind.
But somehow—
it didn't feel like we escaped anything.
It felt like—
this was just the beginning.
But somehow—
it didn't feel like we escaped anything.
It felt like—
this was just the beginning.
The night air hit harder this time.
Colder.
Quieter.
Too quiet after everything that just happened.
We didn't say anything at first.
Just walked.
Felix slightly ahead—
then slowing down to match me.
Of course.
Always.
"…that was a lot," he said finally.
"Yeah."
"That's all you're gonna say?"
"What else is there to say?"
He didn't answer.
Because—
there wasn't much.
Not right now.
My phone buzzed.
Then again.
And again.
And again.
"…what now?" I muttered, pulling it out.
Notifications.
Too many.
Way too many.
My stomach dropped.
"…no way."
"What?" Felix asked.
I opened one.
A video.
From prom.
From earlier.
Freya.
Me.
Everything.
Posted.
Already—
5.2M views
My chest tightened.
"…you've got to be kidding me."
Felix stepped closer. "What is it?"
I showed him.
He went quiet.
"…that was fast."
"Too fast," I said.
More notifications flooded in.
Comments.
Mentions.
Messages.
I hesitated.
Then opened them.
And froze.
"…wait."
"What?" he asked.
I scrolled.
Reading.
Again.
And again.
"They're…" I paused. "…they're not on her side."
Felix frowned slightly. "What?"
"They're defending me."
More comments.
More messages.
"She exposed her like that? That's messed up."
"Freya is doing WAY too much."
"Leave her alone, she didn't deserve that."
"Why is Freya acting like this? Embarrassing."
I blinked.
"…what?"
Felix leaned in slightly, reading.
"…wow."
"They're calling her out," I said.
"Yeah," he said. "They really are."
Another notification.
Another video.
Different angle.
Same moment.
Even more views.
"…this is insane," I whispered.
For once—
the attention wasn't against me.
It wasn't judging.
It wasn't tearing me apart.
It was—
defending me.
Supporting me.
And it felt… weird.
New.
Unfamiliar.
"…they feel bad for you," Felix said.
"I don't need pity."
"It's not pity," he said. "It's people realizing she went too far."
I stared at my phone.
At the comments.
At everything.
"…she's not gonna like this," I muttered.
"No," he said. "She's not."
A small silence.
Then—
"…are you okay?" he asked again.
I looked up.
At him.
At the way he was watching me.
Waiting.
"…I don't know," I said honestly.
He nodded slightly.
"Fair."
My phone buzzed again.
Angela.
📩 Angela
"ARE YOU SEEING THIS???"
I let out a small breath.
"Yeah."
📩 Angela
"Everyone is on YOUR side. Freya looks insane."
I glanced at Felix.
"…she's freaking out too."
"As she should," he said.
I shook my head slightly.
"…this is too much."
"Yeah," he agreed. "But at least it's not against you this time."
That hit.
Because he was right.
Again.
I looked back at my phone.
At the views.
Still going up.
Faster.
"…five million," I whispered.
"And climbing," he said.
I let out a slow breath.
Everything changed.
In one night.
Again.
But this time—
not in the way I expected.
I looked up at him.
"…this is gonna get worse, isn't it?"
He didn't lie.
"Yeah," he said. "Probably."
A pause.
Then—
"But you're not alone in it."
That word again.
Not alone.
I stared at him for a second.
Then—
"…you really don't leave, do you?"
He shook his head slightly.
"No."
I huffed softly.
"…good."
He smiled.
Just a little.
And somehow—
even with everything blowing up—
that made it easier to breathe.
Just a little.
But enough.
But somehow—
it didn't feel like we escaped anything.
It felt like—
this was just the beginning.
The night air hit harder this time.
Colder.
Quieter.
Too quiet after everything that just happened.
We didn't say anything at first.
Just walked.
Felix slightly ahead—
then slowing down to match me.
And somehow—
even with everything blowing up—
that made it easier to breathe.
Just a little.
But enough.
But enough.
For now.
My phone wouldn't stop buzzing.
It was actually insane.
"Turn it off," Felix said.
"I can't," I replied. "What if something important—"
"Nothing is more important than your phone not exploding."
"…fair."
But I still didn't turn it off.
Of course I didn't.
Another notification popped up.
Then another.
Then—
TikTok.
I froze.
"…wait."
"What now?" Felix asked.
I opened it.
My account—
was blowing up.
Actually blowing up.
Followers climbing.
Fast.
Too fast.
"…no way."
"What?" he asked, stepping closer again.
I turned the screen toward him.
"Look."
He blinked.
"…one million?"
I stared at it.
1,000,000 followers
"…that was NOT there this morning."
"No, it wasn't," he said.
I refreshed.
1.1M
"…it's still going."
"Yeah," he said. "It is."
My stomach flipped.
This didn't feel real.
"This is because of the video," I said.
"Yeah," he replied.
I scrolled.
Comments everywhere.
New followers.
People tagging me.
Supporting me.
"We got you Rafa."
"She didn't deserve that."
"Freya went too far fr."
"Queen behavior for standing up for yourself."
I blinked.
"…queen behavior?"
Felix smirked slightly. "They're not wrong."
"Don't start."
"I'm serious."
I rolled my eyes—but my chest felt lighter.
Just a little.
Then—
another notification.
A video.
Freya.
My stomach dropped.
"…oh."
"What?" Felix asked.
I opened it.
It was her.
Posting.
Trying to explain.
Trying to defend herself.
But—
the comments.
They were brutal.
"Girl just stop."
"You embarrassed yourself."
"Leave her alone."
"This is not the look."
I winced slightly.
"…that's a lot."
Felix looked over my shoulder.
"…yeah."
"She's getting destroyed," I said.
"She kind of did this to herself," he replied.
I didn't answer right away.
Because—
even if she did—
it still felt… intense.
Too much.
"This is what she wanted," Felix added. "Attention."
"…yeah."
"She just didn't think it would turn like this."
I looked down at my phone again.
At the followers.
At the comments.
At everything.
"…this is weird," I said.
"Yeah."
"I don't like this kind of attention."
"You don't have to," he said. "Just don't let it get to you."
"…easier said than done."
"True."
A small silence.
Then—
my phone buzzed again.
📩 Angela
"YOU'RE LITERALLY FAMOUS NOW???"
I let out a small breath.
"No."
📩 Angela
"YES."
I glanced at Felix.
"…she's not helping."
"She's excited," he said.
"She's dramatic."
"Also true."
I smiled slightly.
Then—
looked back at the screen.
The numbers.
Still climbing.
Still growing.
Still—
changing everything.
"…this is gonna follow me back to school," I said.
"Yeah," Felix said.
"And Freya…"
"She's not done," he added.
I nodded slowly.
"…neither am I."
He looked at me.
"…good."
A small pause.
Then—
he nudged my shoulder lightly.
"Come on," he said. "Let's get you home."
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
"…yeah."
Because tonight—
everything changed.
Again.
And somehow—
I had a feeling
this was only getting bigger.
…this was only getting bigger.
The car ride was quiet at first.
Too quiet.
I was still staring at my phone.
Still refreshing.
Still watching the numbers go up like it wasn't real.
"…you're gonna break it," Felix said.
"I'm not gonna break my phone."
"You've refreshed like fifty times."
"It's called checking."
"It's called obsession."
I glanced at him. "…you're obsessed."
"I'm literally driving."
"Exactly. Focus."
He let out a small laugh. "You're unbelievable."
I smirked slightly.
"…and you like it."
He didn't even hesitate. "Yeah."
I blinked.
"…wow. No shame."
"None."
I shook my head, but I couldn't stop the small smile.
There it was.
That feeling again.
Lighter.
Less heavy than before.
Like everything didn't matter as much.
My phone buzzed again.
I looked down.
1.3M followers
"…okay, this is actually insane."
"Let me see," Felix said.
I held the phone up.
He glanced at it quickly.
"…you're famous now."
"I am not famous."
"Rafa."
"I'm not."
"You have over a million followers."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"It literally means something."
I rolled my eyes. "You're so annoying."
"And you're still smiling."
"…I'm not smiling."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"…okay maybe a little."
He laughed softly.
And something about that—
just made it feel normal.
Like this wasn't all chaos.
Like I could still just—
be me.
I leaned back in the seat.
"…honestly?"
"Yeah?"
"If Freya sees this, she's gonna lose her mind."
Felix smirked slightly. "She probably already is."
I grinned.
"…good."
"There it is," he said.
"What?"
"That look."
"What look?"
"The one where you're about to cause problems."
I gasped slightly. "I do NOT cause problems."
He gave me a look.
"…Rafa."
"Okay, I cause some problems."
"Some?"
"Okay, a lot."
"Yeah."
I laughed.
Actually laughed.
Not forced.
Not fake.
Real.
And it felt—
good.
Really good.
Felix glanced at me for a second.
Then back at the road.
"…you're different like this," he said.
"…like what?"
"Like yourself."
I paused.
"…I am myself all the time."
"No," he said. "Not like this."
I tilted my head slightly. "…what does that mean?"
He thought for a second.
"Less guarded," he said. "More… you."
I didn't answer right away.
Because—
that hit.
But not in a bad way.
"…maybe I like this version better," I said.
"I do," he replied.
I looked at him.
"…you're really honest today and weird."
"Yeah."
"Why?"
He shrugged slightly.
"Because you are."
I blinked.
"…that doesn't even make sense."
"It does to me."
I shook my head, smiling slightly.
"…you're weird."
"And you like it."
"…maybe."
He smiled.
Just a little.
But I saw it.
We pulled up in front of my house.
I didn't get out right away.
Just sat there.
For a second.
"…thanks," I said.
"For what?"
"For… showing up. Earlier. Now. Everything."
He looked at me.
"…always," he said.
Simple.
Again.
But it still hit.
I opened the door—
then paused.
"…hey."
"Yeah?"
I leaned back slightly.
"…you didn't look terrible tonight."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Wow," he said. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
"Don't get used to it."
"Too late."
I smiled.
Then stepped out.
Closing the door behind me.
But before I walked away—
I looked back.
He was still there.
Watching me.
Of course.
I shook my head slightly.
"…goodnight, Felix."
"Goodnight, Rafa."
And as I walked back inside—
for once—
everything felt loud
and calm
at the same time.
And somehow—
that felt exactly right.