The secret is out

VIOLET

“And after the drink, we exchanged contacts and he promised to check on me…”

It had been ten minutes since we arrived at the cafeteria, and Ashley hadn’t stopped narrating her time with Kyle. Excitement brimmed in her voice. I had left her alone with Kyle because I understood they needed time to themselves and, in retrospect, I wished I hadn’t. If I’d stayed with her, I wouldn’t have gone to the garden and encountered Ryan.If I had stayed, I wouldn’t have felt that strange thrill that courses through my veins when he stared at me, his hands tracing the contour of my lips.

The strangest thing was that a huge part of me wanted him to continue. It had been two days since that incident, and it still didn’t cease to invade my mind.

“Earth to Violet!” Ashley snapped her fingers in front of my face, startling me from my thoughts.

“Hello, I’ve been going on and on for a while, but you didn’t even hear a thing,” she said, her tone a mix of amusement and annoyance.

I glanced down at my hands, realizing that I had finished my burger without even noticing. I sighed

“I’m sorry, I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Is something bothering you?” she asked, her voice now tinged with concern.

“No, nothing is. I’ve just been thinking about the project and all,” I lied, There was no way I'd confess what happened between Ryan and me. Well practically, nothing substantial had happened. He acted all normal around me after the wedding,so it must have meant something to just me. I've never been in such close proximity with a guy before. I was overthinking it. Silly, Violet.

Coupled with Ryan, the anonymous message I received last week had already ruined my mood. I had shrugged it off, thinking it was just someone playing a prank on me because that was actually it

“Ugh,” Ashley scoffed. “No way you’re starting to think about the project already. There’s still months left.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s fortunate I got paired with Luke. I won’t have to do that much work.”

“Speaking of Luke…” I scanned the cafeteria, realizing I hadn’t seen him today. “I haven’t seen him in class either.”

“No way!” Ashley’s eyes widened in disbelief. “I told you this morning—he called in sick. Wait, you didn’t hear me blabbering about it?”

“Actually,we should go check up on him. Or what do you think?” My words came out in a rush,a bit awkward too.

Ashley held my gaze,as if searching for something but shook her head instead.

“Of course we should”

“When..”

A ping from my phone cut me off, quickly followed by multiple pings as everyone in the cafeteria’s phones buzzed in unison. I glanced at my screen to see and the alert stole breath from my lungs

“RYAN JENKINS' SECRET STEPSISTER REVEALED!!: The revelation came to light at his father's wedding. VioletBlake, a student at Golden Elite was seen together with him"

The headline was accompanied by a photo of Ryan and me in the garden, caught in an intimate moment - my back against the wall,his face close to mine. The picture captured us in a way that was far too personal,too close for comfort

Ashley's eyes widened, her expression mirroring mine.
“No way, this is huge Vi. Everyone is going to find out about it now”

The cafeteria erupted into whispers and chatters as the headline continued to dominate everyone's screen. Several pairs of eyes shot at me,the shock and curiosity in their gazes were palpable. I instinctively raised my hands to cover my face, trying to shield myself from the scrutinizing stares

“We need to get out of here” Ashley stood from her seat, grabbed my arm and guided me toward the exit, weaving through the crowd of students who continued to murmur and point. The murmurings seemed to grow louder with each step we took.

I was on the verge of panic. This was exactly what I had been trying to avoid. How the hell did it get out? Who took the damn picture?

As we made our way through the hallways, the buzz of gossip followed us

“She isn’t even that pretty?”

“Are they really stepsiblings? It looks like they’re dating.”

Dating? The thought almost made me choke

“She's so lucky. I wish I was her.”

The buzzing continued as we walked, our only hope being to find a secluded part of the school. Just as we were about to reach a quieter area, two familiar faces appeared in front of us. Evelyn’s close friends, Clara and Rosa.

“Hey, so it’s you,” Clara said, chewing heavily on her gum and staring at me with a look of disgust.

“Can you excuse us, please? You're blocking our way, and if it’s not obvious enough, we’re in a hurry,” Ashley said, stepping forward with a commanding tone.

Clara’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, look at you. All flustered and trying to hide. What a joke.”

Rosa chimed in,her voice laced with contempt

“Don’t you think you’re overstepping though. Acting all high and mighty with Ryan. In case you’re forgetting, you’re just a stepdaughter in a posh family. Nothing more.”

I felt a flush of anger rise within me, but my voice caught in my throat, unable to reply.

Ashley didn’t miss a beat,she was quick to jump into my defense “You know what? Why don’t you just back off? You don’t have to be nasty bitches just because you’re jealous.”

Rosa’s eyes widened, clearly taken aback by Ashley’s fierce defense. “What’s it to you? We’re just having a little chat with your friend.”

“Well, it’s not just a chat when you’re being rude and mean,” Ashley shot back, her gaze hardening

I stood silently, used to Ashley stepping in while I watched, feeling powerless.

Clara rolled her eyes. “So, you’re like her personal bodyguard now?”

“Take it however you want,” Ashley shot back. “It’s not Violet’s fault the universe didn’t pair you up as Ryan’s stepsister. And even if you had managed to be, I don’t think he could stand being near you. By the way, those bangs on your curls look awful on you.”

I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh at Ashley’s boldness.
Clara's face turned red with rage ,her reaction was priceless.

She exchanged a glance with Rosa, who gave a subtle “let it go” gesture. Clara’s annoyance shifted to a reluctant sneer.

“Whatever,” Clara said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She took another step forward, glaring at Ashley. “That was quite a performance. I hope you enjoyed your 30 seconds of fame because that’ll be the last you’ll enjoy. And you…” She turned her attention to me. “Tread carefully. Ryan isn’t yours.”

With that, Clara and Rosa turned on their heels and walked away. As they left, Ashley shouted after them, “He is not yours either!”

I nudged her shoulder slightly. “Let it go.”

“I won’t stand by and watch those petty things bully you,” she hissed,her eyes still flashing with anger. “Don’t worry. Everything’s fine. No one will bully you in my presence. It’s all okay.”

I nodded as she pulled me into a comforting hug. One thing was clear: I had successfully pricked the anger of hundreds of ladies.