Chapter 46: CHAPTER FOURTY SIX

Chapter Forty-Six

The cafeteria buzzed with its usual midday chaos—trays clattering, chatter bouncing from table to table, the faint squeak of sneakers against the polished floor.

The scent of pizza and fries clung stubbornly in the air, mixing with the tang of orange juice cartons and spilled soda.

Students squeezed past each other, balancing trays piled with food, laughter spilling out in messy bursts.

At one corner table, Chloe sat with her group, her long nails tapping rhythmically against her soda can.

Her eyes, however, weren’t really on her food. They were fixed across the cafeteria, sharp and calculating, locked onto Piper.

Piper sat two tables away with Mandy, trying to look unbothered as she stirred her yogurt. She laughed at something Mandy whispered, but her laugh was a second too late and an octave too high.

Her heart drummed a nervous beat in her chest, and her spoon rattled faintly against the cup. She could feel Chloe’s gaze like heat against her skin.

It had been only a day since Liz spilled the secret online to Chloe—how Piper had been secretly messaging Caelum.

Chloe hadn’t directly said anything yet, but Piper knew it was only a matter of time. And now, lunch was starting to feel like a battlefield.

Chloe finally leaned back, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Her lips curled into a smirk as she raised her voice, just loud enough for the nearby tables to hear.

“Some girls,” Chloe said airily, “are so desperate for attention, they hide behind fake accounts just to get noticed. It’s honestly pathetic.”

The words sliced through the chatter like a knife.

Piper’s hand froze mid-stir. She forced herself not to look up, but Mandy stiffened beside her. Students at Chloe’s table snickered, catching on to her tone even if they didn’t know the whole story.

Piper swallowed hard. Her throat felt dry, but she made her face smooth, calm.

She lifted her yogurt spoon as if nothing was wrong and said lightly, “Sounds like you’ve been watching too many movies, Chloe. You know, the dramatic kind where people stalk celebrities.”

A couple of students nearby chuckled. Piper smiled faintly, but her hand trembled under the table, gripping her napkin so tightly it nearly tore. Inside, her stomach was twisting itself into knots.

Chloe wasn’t letting up. She leaned forward, her eyes flashing with challenge. “Oh, but it’s not just celebrities, right? Some people get obsessed with boys in school. They pretend to be mysterious, thinking it makes them special. But really? It’s sad.”

This time, the jab was clearer. Heads began to turn. Other tables hushed slightly, curiosity sparking. They didn’t know the full story, but the tension between Chloe and Piper was impossible to miss.

Mandy reached under the table, nudging Piper’s knee. Don’t react, her eyes seemed to say. But Mandy herself was biting her lip, nervous. She was the one who had told Liz. If Chloe kept pressing, things could explode.

Piper forced a steady breath, pasted a calm smile on her lips, and replied, “At least some people know how to keep their obsessions private.

Unlike others who make theirs painfully obvious.”

The cafeteria let out a collective “Ooooh,” the kind of sound that always came when a verbal punch landed. A few heads swiveled toward Chloe, who flushed slightly but covered it with a roll of her eyes.

“Please,” Chloe scoffed. “At least I don’t have to hide who I like. Everyone knows my taste is flawless. And unlike some cowards, I don’t need to beg for attention behind a screen.”

The word cowards echoed in Piper’s ears. Her smile faltered for just a second. She stared down at her tray, her reflection blurring in the chocolate milk carton. Her insides burned—half with fear, half with humiliation. She knows. She definitely knows.

Around them, whispers spread like wildfire. Other tables were leaning closer, curious, their trays forgotten.

Most didn’t fully understand the context, but the spectacle was too juicy to ignore. Piper and Chloe’s sharp words were like a secret show everyone wanted front-row seats to.

At the far end of the cafeteria, Clara and Aurelia sat together, their trays barely touched.

Clara tilted her head toward the drama unfolding. “Looks like something’s going on between them.”

Aurelia barely glanced up from her sandwich. “Let them,” she muttered. “It has nothing to do with us.”

Clara smirked but didn’t press. The two of them turned back to their food, choosing to stay out of the storm, though Clara’s eyes flicked back every now and then with mild curiosity.

Back at the battlefield, Chloe leaned closer to her tablemates, pretending to whisper but pitching her voice so it carried. “Honestly, some people really think they have a chance with Caelum.

Like, get real. He’d never look twice at someone who has to hide behind messages.”

Piper’s chest tightened. She clenched her spoon so hard her knuckles whitened.

She wanted to scream, to defend herself, to throw the truth back at Chloe but her heart hammered so loudly she could barely think.

Instead, she set her spoon down with deliberate calm. “You talk so much about Caelum,” Piper said softly, her tone deceptively sweet.

“Maybe you’re the one desperate for his attention. Ever think about that?”

Another ripple of “Ooooh”s spread across the cafeteria. Chloe’s face darkened, her smirk twitching.

For a moment, she had no comeback, and the silence only fed the growing attention of the crowd.

Piper exhaled slowly, steadying herself. She kept her head high, but inside, she was shaking.

Every word Chloe threw at her was like a dart hitting her hidden secret. She could feel her carefully built wall cracking, piece by piece.

The lunch bell hadn’t rung yet, but the cafeteria felt hotter, louder, heavier. Everyone was watching now, students glancing back and forth between Chloe’s glare and Piper’s fragile composure.

The tension was a live wire, ready to snap.

Finally, Chloe picked up her soda, took a slow sip, and set it down with a sharp click. “Enjoy your little games while you can, Piper. Secrets never stay secrets for long.”

Her voice was low, but the meaning cut deep. Piper’s stomach dropped.

She stared at her tray, forcing her expression to stay neutral, but her insides were screaming. She knew then—Chloe wasn’t just guessing. She knew.

The bell rang, scattering the cafeteria into movement. Chairs scraped, trays clattered, conversations picked back up.

The spell broke, but the whispers lingered, carried down the hallways as students left their tables.

Piper sat frozen for a moment, her pulse racing. Mandy tugged at her sleeve, murmuring, “Come on, let’s go.”

Slowly, Piper stood, adjusting her bag with hands that trembled slightly. She forced her legs to move, but her mind was already spiraling.

If Chloe really knew the truth, it was only a matter of time before everyone else found out too.

And when that happened, Piper wasn’t sure how she’d survive it.

Chloe stood up to leave too.

" I'll make your stay in highschool hell piper " she said almost to herself.