Rafa's POV:
The next morning—
my phone was still going off.
Nonstop.
I groaned, rolling over in bed and grabbing it.
"…what now?"
Notifications.
Again.
Everywhere.
I opened TikTok.
And just stared.
1.8M followers
"…WHAT?"
I sat up immediately.
"No way."
I refreshed.
1.9M
"…okay this is actually insane."
I scrolled.
My prom video—
still going viral.
Clips of me.
Edits.
People posting me like I was some kind of celebrity.
"…this is weird," I muttered.
But then—
I had an idea.
"…okay."
Why not?
If they're watching—
I might as well give them something to watch.
I got up, walking over to the mirror.
Still in my oversized hoodie.
Hair messy.
Face natural.
I tilted my head slightly.
"…good enough."
I opened TikTok.
Hit record.
Simple.
Nothing crazy.
Just me.
A small smirk.
A little attitude.
Then posted it.
Done.
Five minutes later—
my phone exploded.
Again.
"…no way."
I opened the comments.
And froze.
"BODY TEA 😍"
"YOU'RE SO PRETTY???"
"she's actually unreal"
"why is she literally perfect"
"freya really tried to embarrass HER???"
I blinked.
"…okay."
Scrolled more.
"the confidence???"
"main character energy"
"she won idc"
I let out a small laugh.
"…they're insane."
But my smile?
Yeah.
That was real.
📩 Felix
"You just posted."
I smirked.
"And?"
📩 Felix
"And now everyone is losing their minds."
"As they should."
📩 Felix
"…there she is."
I rolled my eyes, smiling.
Later—
back at school.
The second I walked in—
people stared.
Again.
But this time—
it felt different.
Whispers—
but not the same kind.
"Is that her?"
"That's Rafa."
"She's the one from the video—"
"Her TikTok is crazy—"
I walked past like I didn't hear anything.
But I did.
Of course I did.
CJ ran up immediately.
"YOU HAVE TWO MILLION FOLLOWERS NOW—"
"I just woke up."
"YOU'RE FAMOUS."
"I'm not."
"You literally are."
Angela joined us, grinning. "You look good, by the way."
"I always do."
She gasped. "OKAY CONFIDENCE."
Felix walked up behind me.
"…you're enjoying this," he said quietly.
"Maybe," I replied.
"Yeah. I can tell."
Then—
the room shifted.
That feeling again.
Tension.
I turned.
Freya.
Of course.
But this time—
she didn't look confident.
She looked—
different.
Less… powerful.
More—
annoyed.
Watching me.
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
"…what now?"
She walked over.
Slowly.
People watching again.
Of course they were.
She stopped in front of me.
Close.
But not too close.
"…can we talk?" she said.
I blinked.
"…what?"
"I just—" she hesitated slightly. "I think we got off on the wrong foot."
I stared at her.
Actually stared.
"…you slapped me."
"I know."
"You tried to embarrass me."
"I know."
"And now—what? You want to talk?"
She crossed her arms slightly.
"…I think we could start over."
Silence.
Then—
I laughed.
Actually laughed.
CJ choked behind me. "OH—"
Angela covered her mouth.
I looked back at Freya.
"…you're serious?"
"Yes."
"…wow."
A pause.
Then—
I stepped a little closer.
Just enough.
"Let me get this straight," I said.
"You try to ruin me."
She didn't speak.
"It backfires."
Silence.
"And now you want to be friends?"
Her jaw tightened slightly.
"…I'm trying to fix things."
I tilted my head.
"…no."
Her expression changed.
"What?"
"No," I repeated.
"Rafa—"
"No," I said again, more serious this time. "We're not doing that."
People were definitely watching now.
Phones out.
Recording.
Again.
But I didn't care.
"You don't get to switch up like that," I continued. "Not after everything."
"I said I was trying—"
"And I said no."
Silence.
Heavy.
Final.
She looked at me.
Really looked.
Then—
her expression hardened again.
Familiar.
There it is.
"Fine," she said.
"Good."
She turned.
Walking away.
Again.
But this time—
it didn't feel the same.
Because this time—
I didn't feel small.
At all.
CJ leaned in. "…that was insane."
"I know."
Angela grabbed my arm. "YOU ATE THAT."
"Please don't say that."
"I'm saying it again."
Felix stepped closer.
"…you handled that well."
"I know."
He smiled slightly.
"…yeah. You do."
I smirked.
And honestly?
For once—
everything felt exactly how it should be.
And honestly?
For once—
everything felt exactly how it should be.
The rest of the day?
Pure chaos.
But the good kind.
Everywhere I went—
people were staring.
Whispering.
But now—
it wasn't judgment.
It was something else.
"Is that Rafa?"
"She's actually so pretty in real life—"
"Her TikToks are insane—"
I walked past like I didn't hear it.
But I did.
Of course I did.
And yeah—
this time?
I didn't hate it.
By lunch—
my phone was blowing up again.
I sat down with the group, immediately checking it.
"…okay this is getting out of hand."
"What now?" Angela asked, leaning over.
I turned the screen.
2.6M followers
She screamed.
"WHAT—"
"Stop yelling," Keagan said.
"I CAN'T—"
CJ grabbed my phone. "THIS IS NOT NORMAL."
"Give it back," I said.
"No, I need to process—"
"CJ."
"OKAY FINE."
Felix leaned over slightly.
"…you're posting again, aren't you?"
I smirked.
"…maybe."
"I knew it."
Angela gasped. "DO IT."
"I wasn't asking for permission."
"Even better."
Later—
I posted again.
This time—
a little more effort.
Better lighting.
Different outfit.
Same attitude.
A small smirk.
Confidence.
Control.
Post.
Done.
Two minutes.
That's all it took.
"OH MY GOD???"
"SHE DID IT AGAIN"
"BODY TEA PART 2 😭"
"WHY IS SHE SO PRETTY???"
"she knows exactly what she's doing"
I laughed under my breath.
"…they're insane."
But I didn't stop.
Another video.
This one—
more playful.
A little spin.
A quick look at the camera.
Post.
Again.
Notifications exploded.
Faster this time.
Bigger.
Louder.
3.1M followers
"…okay."
"Okay??" Angela said. "THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY??"
"I mean—what do you want me to say?"
"You're literally blowing up."
"I noticed."
CJ leaned in. "Say something iconic."
"I'm not saying something iconic."
"Say 'I know I'm hot' or something—"
"I'm not saying that."
Felix smirked slightly.
"You don't have to," he said. "They already know."
I glanced at him.
"…you're really bold today."
"Just honest."
I rolled my eyes, but I smiled.
Again.
Across the room—
Freya.
Watching.
Of course.
Her phone in her hand.
Scrolling.
Her expression?
Not happy.
Not even close.
I tilted my head slightly.
"…she's mad."
"Yeah," Sam said. "She's really mad."
"Good," I replied.
Felix looked at me.
"…you're enjoying this."
"I told you," I said. "Maybe I am."
He smiled slightly.
"Yeah," he said. "I can tell."
My phone buzzed again.
📩 Random DM
"you're actually perfect wtf"
Another.
📩 Random DM
"how are you real???"
Another.
📩 Random DM
"queen fr"
I shook my head slightly.
"…this is crazy."
"But you like it," Angela said.
"…a little."
"More than a little."
"Okay, maybe more than a little."
Felix leaned closer.
"…don't let it change you."
I looked at him.
"…it won't."
"You sure?"
I smirked slightly.
"I'm still me," I said.
He nodded.
"…yeah."
A pause.
Then—
"Just louder," he added.
I laughed.
"…yeah."
Louder.
Stronger.
Not hiding.
Not holding back.
And honestly?
That felt better than anything else.
I posted one more video before the day ended.
Simple caption.
No effort.
Just—
"still not your friend 🤍"
Post.
Done.
Within seconds—
it blew up.
Again.
And across the room—
Freya saw it.
I knew she did.
Because the way she looked at me?
Yeah.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
But this time—
I wasn't the one losing.
But this time—
I wasn't the one losing.
"Are you seriously posting again?" Felix asked.
I didn't even look up. "…maybe."
"Rafa."
"What?" I said, already opening TikTok again.
Angela leaned over my shoulder. "DO IT."
"Thank you," I said.
"I am not supporting this," Felix said.
"You are literally standing here," I replied.
"…fair."
CJ popped up out of nowhere. "ARE WE MAKING CONTENT NOW??"
"No 'we,'" I said. "Me."
"Rude."
"Accurate."
Video one.
Quick mirror clip.
Hair flip.
Post.
3.4M followers
Video two.
Walking down the hallway.
Angela in the background yelling, "SHE'S FAMOUS—"
Post.
"ICONIC 😭"
"HER FRIENDS ARE SO REAL"
Video three.
CJ trying to get in frame.
Me pushing him out.
Post.
"HEY—"
Cut.
"NOT CJ GETTING REJECTED 😭"
Video four.
Felix.
Just Felix.
Standing there.
I zoomed in slightly.
He raised an eyebrow.
"…really?"
Post.
My phone exploded instantly.
"WHO IS THAT???"
"HELLO???"
"THE BOY???"
"they look so good together"
Felix looked at me.
"…you did not just post me."
"I did."
"…why?"
"Content."
He shook his head, but he was smiling.
Video five.
Close-up.
Just me.
No music.
Just a look.
A smirk.
Post.
"IM OBSESSED"
"SHE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT SHE'S DOING"
"…they're right," Angela said.
"Don't encourage me."
"I'm encouraging you."
Video six.
Angela and me together.
Matching energy.
Matching attitude.
Post.
"BEST FRIEND GOALS"
"THEYRE SO PRETTY???"
Angela screamed. "WE ATE THAT."
"Stop saying that."
"No."
Video seven.
Outfit transition.
Hoodie—
to full fit.
Post.
4.2M followers
"…okay," I said. "This is getting serious."
"It was already serious," Sam said.
Video eight.
Just chaos.
All of us.
CJ yelling.
Keagan annoyed.
Felix in the background shaking his head.
Post.
"THIS FRIEND GROUP 😭"
"I LOVE THEM"
Video nine.
Final one.
Simple.
Just me.
Looking straight at the camera.
No smile this time.
Just—
confidence.
Caption:
"watch me."
Post.
Silence for a second.
Then—
my phone basically exploded.
Notifications flooding in faster than I could read.
Followers jumping.
Comments stacking.
Views skyrocketing.
"…okay," I whispered.
Felix leaned closer.
"…how bad?"
I turned the screen.
5M followers
Angela screamed.
CJ screamed louder.
"I TOLD YOU—SHE'S FAMOUS—"
"I'M NOT FAMOUS," I said.
"You have FIVE MILLION—"
"STOP SAYING THAT."
Felix just stared at the screen.
Then at me.
"…you did that in one day."
I shrugged slightly.
"…guess I did."
Across the room—
Freya.
Still watching.
Still scrolling.
Her expression?
Worse.
Way worse.
I tilted my head slightly.
Then—
I smiled.
Just a little.
And turned back to my phone.
Because honestly?
I wasn't done yet.
Not even close.
Because honestly?
I wasn't done yet.
Not even close.
I refreshed my page again.
Big mistake.
"…oh no."
"What?" Angela said immediately.
I turned my phone slightly.
"…this."
She leaned in.
Then gasped.
"OH MY GOD."
"What?" CJ said, already trying to grab my phone.
"No—" I pulled it back. "Don't."
Too late.
He saw it.
"WAIT—IS THAT YOU AND FELIX???"
Felix looked up. "…what?"
I sighed.
"…someone made an edit."
Angela grabbed my arm. "PLAY IT."
"I'm not playing it."
"PLAY IT."
"I'm not—"
"Rafa."
"…fine."
I tapped the video.
Music.
Slow.
Dramatic.
Clips of me.
Clips of Felix.
Us at prom.
The hallway.
Him standing in front of me.
The detention kiss—
I froze.
"…they got that??"
CJ screamed. "THEY CAUGHT THAT???"
"I'm deleting the app," I muttered.
Angela was losing it. "THIS IS SO GOOD—"
"It's not good," I said.
"It's AMAZING."
The comments rolled in:
"THE CHEMISTRY???"
"THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HER"
"THIS IS NOT JUST FRIENDS"
"THEYRE LITERALLY ENDGAME"
"I NEED THEM TO DATE ASAP"
I closed the video immediately.
"…no."
Felix was very quiet.
Too quiet.
I glanced at him.
"…don't."
"Don't what?" he said.
"Don't say anything."
"I wasn't going to."
"Good."
A pause.
Then—
"…show me," he said.
I stared at him.
"…no."
"Rafa."
"No."
"Rafa."
"…fine."
I showed him.
He watched it.
All of it.
Didn't say anything the whole time.
Which was worse.
Way worse.
When it ended—
he just looked at me.
"…they're not completely wrong."
I blinked.
"…excuse me?"
CJ screamed again. "HE ADMITTED IT—"
"I did not admit anything," Felix said.
"You literally just said—"
"I said they're not completely wrong."
"That's worse."
Angela grabbed my arm. "THIS IS HAPPENING."
"This is not happening," I said.
"It is."
"It's not."
Felix leaned slightly closer.
"…you don't like it?" he asked quietly.
I paused.
"…I didn't say that."
He smirked slightly.
"…interesting."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't start."
"Too late."
My phone buzzed again.
Another edit.
Then another.
Then another.
I opened one.
Different clips.
Same vibe.
More comments.
More people.
"THE WAY HE DEFENDS HER???"
"HE'S DOWN BAD"
"SHE ACTS TOUGH BUT LOOK AT HER WITH HIM"
"THEYRE SO OBVIOUS"
"…this is getting out of hand," I said.
"No," Angela said. "This is getting GOOD."
"It's not good."
"It's amazing."
CJ nodded. "I ship it."
"Of course you do."
"Everyone does."
I looked around.
People were literally on their phones.
Watching.
Looking at us.
Whispering.
"…oh my god."
Felix noticed too.
"…yeah," he said. "We're not being subtle."
"I'm always subtle."
He gave me a look.
"…Rafa."
"Okay, maybe not always."
Another notification.
A BIG account reposted one of the edits.
Millions of views already.
"…no way."
"What now?" Felix asked.
I showed him.
He stared.
"…we're actually viral."
"We?" I said.
"You posted me," he replied.
"…true."
A small pause.
Then—
he leaned in slightly.
"…you don't mind, do you?"
I hesitated.
Looked at the screen.
At the edits.
At the comments.
Then—
"…no," I said quietly.
He smiled.
Just a little.
"…good."
My heart did that thing again.
Of course it did.
Angela whispered loudly, "THIS IS SO ROMANTIC—"
"Angela," I said.
"I'm just saying."
"Stop saying."
"I won't."
Across the room—
Freya.
Watching.
Again.
Her phone in her hand.
Her expression?
Yeah.
She saw it.
All of it.
The edits.
The comments.
The attention.
Not on her.
On me.
On us.
And the way she looked?
Yeah.
This wasn't just jealousy anymore.
It was something worse.
I looked back at my phone.
At another edit starting to play.
Felix next to me.
Closer than before.
And honestly?
If people wanted to watch—
then fine.
Let them watch.
Because this time—
I wasn't hiding anything.