Chapter 26 The explicit photos
Sera’s Pov
Every time I tried closing my eyes, those horrible edited pictures flashed through my head. The comments. The whispers. The way people looked at me like they already decided who I was without even asking me. By morning my chest hurt like someone had wrapped a fist around my ribs and squeezed until something cracked. But anger pushed the pain aside. Anger made it easier to breathe.
The school courtyard felt different the moment I arrived. People turned immediately. Some whispered behind their friends' ears. Some stared openly. A few actually had the nerve to point. None of them came close. Their eyes did all the talking.
“Look at her.”
“Can you believe it?”
“Oh my god, she came to school?”
I walked straight down the center path like their voices were nothing more than background noise. My face stayed still, calm, unreadable. But inside I was burning.
Mia sprinted toward me. Her hair was messy, her bag barely hanging off her shoulder, and her expression was pure panic. “Sera,” she breathed. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I said honestly. “But I will be.”
She grabbed my wrist gently. “You should not be here yet. People are crazy today. I heard Brielle started pushing the story even harder.”
Of course she did. Brielle lived for attention, and humiliating me in front of the entire school must have felt like winning a trophy. But she made one mistake. She underestimated me.
I pulled my wrist back and looked at Mia. “I am going to fix this.”
“How?” she asked. “Everybody saw the pictures.”
“Then they are going to see the truth.”
Mia blinked. “What are you going to do?”
“Something Brielle will not expect.”
By the time we reached the steps leading to the main hallway, a crowd had gathered. People leaned against lockers, forming a loose circle, waiting for drama like it was their breakfast. And in the center, perfectly posed as if she rehearsed it, stood Brielle. Her hair was curled. Her lip gloss sparkled. Her fake concern stretched into a sweet smile when she saw me.
“Oh,” she said loudly. “Look who showed up.”
I stopped in front of her. The hallway went silent.
“I am only going to say this once,” I told her. “Those pictures are fake.”
Brielle placed a hand on her chest dramatically. “Sera, sweetie, no one forced you to take them. Just admit you—”
“Stop lying,” I cut in.
Her smile faltered for a split second before she plastered it back on. “You can blame me all you want, but everyone saw your face. Everyone saw the clothes. Do you really think anyone will believe you?”
“I do not need everyone to believe me,” I said. “Just the truth.”
Murmurs rippled through the hallway. Brielle tilted her head. “So, what? You are going to cry? Confess? Blame someone else?” She stepped closer. “Because nothing you say will erase what people saw.”
“I know,” I replied. “That is why I am not talking. I am showing.”
Brielle blinked, confused. “Showing what?”
“My proof.”
She laughed. “What proof could you possibly have?”
I stared straight into her eyes. “The pictures showed marks on the girl’s body. I do not have them. Because they are not me.”
The crowd reacted instantly. Some whispered. Some leaned forward. Some looked unsure now.
Brielle’s voice rose sharply. “Seriously? You expect us to–”
“Shut up,” someone from the back said. I did not even look to see who. It did not matter.
I took a step forward. “Yesterday, I got into a fight with you. You hit me hard in front of the whole school. Everyone saw it. But twenty minutes later I had no bruises. The nurse saw it. She even said it was impossible.”
Brielle’s expression twitched. She did not like where this was going.
I continued, “I heal fast. Very fast. So if those pictures were mine, any marks or bruises would vanish the same way my face did yesterday.”
Mia stepped closer beside me. “She is right. I was with her. Her face healed in minutes.”
More whispers flushed through the hallway.
Brielle crossed her arms. “Healing fast does not prove those pictures are fake. You cannot just—”
“Yes, it does,” I said calmly. “Because if the pictures were real, I would not look different today.”
I lifted my hair, turning slightly so they could see my neck. It was clear from any marks. Nothing that matched the photos spreading like wildfire.
A few people gasped. Someone muttered, “Wait… the pictures showed deep bruises. She has nothing.”
Brielle’s face paled.
I looked directly at her. “You wanted to humiliate me. Congratulations. For a moment it worked. But now you are going to watch people realize you lied.”
Brielle’s lips parted but words failed her, she looked helpless. “I didn't do anything,”
“You did.” My voice stayed steady. “And you did it because you hate that people actually like me. You hate that Caden chose to walk away from you. You hate that I do not have to try as hard as you do. And you hate that even after everything, I am still standing here.”
The hall erupted, some gasped and some whispered harder. Brielle looked ready to scream.
I let out a slow breath. “You can spread whatever you want, but I am done letting you control the story. So if anyone here wants the truth…”
I stepped back from her and pulled my shirt slightly at the hem.
“Here it is,” I said.
The entire hallway held its breath, anticipating what I will pull next.
With a cunning smile on my face, I lifted my shirt, leaving the room filled with gasps.