Chapter 34 Thirty Four
Monday had barely ended, and the hallways still buzzed with leftover energy from the cafeteria incident. Students whispered, laughed, and rolled eyes, some relieved that Marvin hadn’t escalated further. Lena chattered at my side, narrating every glance, every smirk, every small victory like we were spies in enemy territory. I was grateful for her commentary it gave me breathing room.
But not everyone’s life revolved around Marvin or me.
As we walked past the senior lockers, I noticed Ethan and Mia. They were arguing like the world was on fire. I didn’t catch the beginning of it, but I heard enough to make my stomach twist.
“You cheated on me?” Mia’s voice was high and sharp. “You …how could you even think I’d forgive you?”
Ethan, looking like the playboy he’d always been, ran his fingers through his hair, grinning nervously. “It wasn’t like that, Mia. You don’t understand. It wasn’t what it looked like…”
“It looked like exactly what it was!” she snapped. “You were texting her, laughing at her posts, flirting in front of everyone!”
I winced. I knew people loved gossip, and I hated when fights got public, but it wasn’t like I could ignore it either. Students stopped to watch, some smirking, some gasping, some whispering. Even Lena shook her head, muttering, “Drama, literally everywhere.”
“I can’t do this anymore,” Mia said, storming off, slamming her locker so hard I thought the metal would bend. Ethan shouted after her, but she didn’t turn back. He muttered under his breath, and I caught a glimpse of his shame was rare, but real.
The hallway buzzed louder after that. Suddenly, everyone seemed more animated. People whispered about breakups, cheating, and the chaos that followed. Even the teachers raised eyebrows as they tried to herd students into classrooms. It wasn’t my drama, but somehow, I felt lighter watching someone else’s storm.
By the time I got to my last class, I realized how much of high school was watching everyone else’s mistakes, gossip, and heartbreak and trying to survive without getting pulled into the center. Lena nudged me with her elbow.
“See? Not everything is about Marvin,” she said. “Some people are just… spectacularly dumb.”
I laughed quietly. She was right. Life went on, even if I sometimes felt trapped in my own little chaos bubble.
During lunch, the cafeteria was a minefield. I noticed a group at the far table, whispering and pointing toward the drama unfolding between Ethan and Mia. Some were laughing, some were pretending to ignore it, but no one could resist watching. Even without Marvin stepping in, high school had its own way of making entertainment out of pain.
Later, in art class, a different kind of tension arose. Harper, the girl who always looked quiet and shy, suddenly slammed her sketchbook onto the desk. “I can’t believe you!” she hissed at someone across the room. Students froze, waiting for the reveal. It turned out she had caught her boyfriend passing notes to another girl plainly flirting in front of everyone. The gasp that rose from the class made my heart thump a little. High school was messy, raw, and brutal sometimes, and today it wasn’t even my battle.
Lena nudged me again, whispering, “See? You’re not the only one being tormented.”
I smiled, grateful. Sometimes, it was easier to witness other people’s chaos than confront your own. But as I walked down the hall toward the bus, I couldn’t stop thinking about Jace. The way he’d stayed calm all weekend. The way he didn’t need to shout or perform to make everyone pay attention. And yet… everyone did notice him.
Marvin was still lurking somewhere, simmering. But for a moment, I could breathe. High school had drama. People cheated. People broke hearts. People gossiped and whispered. And yet, somewhere in all that chaos, Lena and I survived.
Even me, a girl who had spent the weekend hiding in her own fears, could see that life had more stories than just mine.