Chapter 45 Must Be Crazy
Mia's POV
I was still floating, somewhere between the cafeteria tiles and the stars. It had been hours since that moment, but my heart had not quite settled down. My fingers still tingled, my lips still burned softly from the memory, and my mind kept replaying it like my favorite scene from a movie.
Liam had kissed me in front of everyone. And it was not just a kiss. It was my first kiss. And it was perfect.
The kiss was soft, sweet, and warm, but it was also full of something I had not expected. Liam did not kiss me like it was a dare or a show. He kissed me like he meant it. Like he had been waiting to do it for a long, long time.
My fingers brushed against my lips unconsciously, and I nearly tripped over my own shoes.
I wanted to dance, and wanted to twirl in the middle of the quad and scream into the sky and hug someone and bury my face in a pillow all at once. But instead, I ducked into the nearest girls restroom and did a happy little squeal into my hands, cheeks flushed and eyes wide.
Outside that door, I would play it cool. Inside? I was losing it.
I was still riding the high of the day, from Liam's kiss to his proud announcement in the cafeteria that I was his girlfriend, the way he looked at me like I was the only girl in the world.
But my smile faltered the moment I turned the corner near the back hallway and saw my former best friends. The ones who abandoned me when I needed them most.
The ones who had once sworn they would always have my back, only to tear it open the moment I was not useful to them anymore.
Chloe's arms were crossed, her hip tilted to the side, a smug expression forming on her glossed lips. "So," she said, voice loud enough to echo off the lockers, "you did not waste time flirting with Liam, huh? Did you even bother breaking up with your boyfriend first"
I blinked, my chest tightening. "What are you talking about"
Chloe rolled her eyes, a sharp scoff escaping her lips. "Do not play dumb," she said coldly. "Everyone saw you arrive with a boyfriend. The one who drove you here. Remember him?"
Before I could answer, Belle stepped forward, her arms folded tightly across her chest, her posture rigid with judgment. "You really think you are above us now, Mia?" she asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. "All because Liam Alcaraz kissed you in the cafeteria and announced that you are his girlfriend?"
Her lips curled into a mocking smile. "You must be crazy if you think he would ever take you seriously. You need to wake up, girl. If you do not, you will end up even more broken and pitiful than you already are."
Kim let out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. It sounded sharp, bitter, and forced. "You should listen to us for once," she said. "Break up with him now. Before you embarrass yourself even more than you already have."
"You do not belong in his world," Belle added sharply, her eyes narrowing as she looked me up and down. "You are better than this, Mia. Or at least, you used to be."
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to breathe. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to turn around and walk away, to deny them the satisfaction of seeing me shaken. But before I could move, Trish and Kim stepped into my path, blocking my retreat.
I stared at them for a long moment, my chest rising and falling as I gathered myself. When I finally spoke, my voice shook, not with fear, but with calm fury.
"You do not care how I feel. You never did," I said quietly. "So why pretend now? Is it because Liam chose me, and that scares you?"
Chloe rolled her eyes again, clearly unimpressed, but I was not finished.
"If you are waiting for me to break up with him, do not hold your breath," I continued, my voice rising, steady and unwavering. "Because I will not. I will not let your jealousy destroy the one thing in my life that finally makes me feel like I matter."
The hallway fell silent. For the first time, the girls had nothing to say.
I took a step forward, my spine straight, my words cutting like a blade. "And I do not owe you any explanation about Josh, what we were or were not. That is my business. Not yours. I am done defending myself to people who turned their backs on me when I needed them the most."
Chloe's face twisted with anger. "You ungrateful" And then she lunged, her hand reaching for my hair. But before she could touch me, someone grabbed Chloe's wrist and yanked her back.
"Chloe, that is enough" Daniel's voice thundered across the hall.
The girls all turned, and I was stunned. Daniel was standing between me and Chloe, his eyes dark with anger, his hand still gripping Chloe's arm.
Belle sneered. "Seriously, Daniel? You are defending her now"
She scoffed, her voice dripping with contempt. "Do not forget what I told you, you do not stand a chance with her. You never did. And siding with her now, it will not make her love you."
Daniel's face flushed red, but his eyes never left me.
"I do not care what you say, Belle," he said quietly. "I made a mistake listening to you back then. I hurt Mia because of it. I see that now. And I am not going to let you do it again."
Then he turned to me, his expression softening. "Come on," he said gently, reaching out and curling his fingers around my wrist, just like he used to in the early days, before everything changed.
My heart skipped. I had not expected that.
Daniel had been my first crush, the first boy I ever thought might kiss me, the one I imagined might ask me out someday. Before Belle whispered poison into his ear. Before he started keeping his distance like I did not exist.
But now, he looked at me like he used to. And my heart, traitorous and confused, ached. Without a word, I let him lead me down the hallway, past my former friends, who watched with glares sharp enough to cut glass.
He did not let go of my hand until we were completely alone on the front steps of the school.
"I know you have work," he said, turning to me. "But, can we talk I will drive you." I hesitated.
My thoughts were a blur, Liam's kiss, the girls' cruel words, Daniel's hand still warm around mine.
I nodded slowly. "Okay."
We walked in silence toward the parking lot. And as I slid into the passenger seat beside Daniel, guilt pooled in my chest.
I had a boyfriend now. I was with Liam.
But then why, why did it still feel nice being beside Daniel Why did a part of me still wonder what if things had been different