Chapter 46 Chapter forty Six

Chapter 46 Chapter forty Six
Mira’s POV

Chloe stepped closer until the tips of her sneakers nearly touched mine. Her arms stayed locked across her chest, jaw tight, eyes sharp with something that looked a lot like fury. From the opposite direction, Amber came walking fast, backpack swinging off one shoulder. She stopped a few feet away on my other side, planting herself so I was caught between them with nowhere clean to step.
“You told her, didn’t you?” Chloe snapped, voice loud enough to carry. “You’ve been feeding Amber information this whole time. I told you I didn’t do anything.”
I blinked hard, confusion slamming into the panic already sitting heavy in my chest. “What? I’m lost-”
“Don’t even try it.” She jabbed a finger toward my chest. “You think I don’t notice when people start circling around me? You both have been talking. Don’t pretend you haven’t.”
“Chloe, all this drama won’t save you,” Amber bit out, her voice sharp and tired. “You can’t believe I caught you and somehow it’s still my fault.”
Chloe’s head snapped toward Amber. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“It has everything to do with me,” Amber shot back. “I saw what you did. Stop trying to drag Mira into it just because you’re cornered.”
Students started slowing as they passed. A group of girls near the lockers turned fully toward us. One of them already had her phone out, recording without even trying to hide it. A couple of guys from the football team stopped mid-conversation and exchanged looks. Someone near the back of the growing circle laughed under their breath.
“I’m sooo confused right now!” Chloe almost screamed.
More people gathered. The circle tightened. I could feel eyes on every side of me - curious, judgmental, entertained. A few voices started rising from the crowd.
“Yo, leave her alone.”
“This is going on TikTok.”
“Not the whale again.”
My heart was slamming so hard I could feel it in my throat. Every time something went wrong this year, somehow I ended up in the middle of it. The video. The rumors. Kem’s threats. And now this. I didn’t even know what “this” was, and yet here I stood again, the common target.
“I didn’t know anything about whatever this is,” I said, hands coming up defensively. My palms felt clammy. “You two should leave me out of it.”
“Why are you always in the middle of every mess?” Chloe asked, her eyes burning with anger.
Before I could answer, a familiar voice cut through the noise.
“Mira!”
Ryan pushed through the edge of the crowd, backpack still on one shoulder, expression already tight with concern. He stepped between Chloe and me, putting one arm out like a barrier.
“Back up,” he said to Chloe. “What the hell is going on?”
Chloe scoffed. “Stay out of this, Ryan.”
“I’m not staying out of anything when you’re yelling at her in front of half the school.” Ryan glanced at me quickly. “You okay?”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My throat felt locked.
Amber stayed on her side, arms still crossed. “She got caught,” she said to Ryan, nodding toward Chloe. “And now she’s trying to make it Mira’s problem.”
Chloe’s face flushed. She shoved Ryan’s arm away. The movement was sharp enough that he stumbled half a step. A few people in the crowd laughed. Someone started a low “ooh.”
“Stop using her as a shield,” Amber said again, colder this time. “You got caught. Own it bitch.”
The circle pressed closer. Phones kept rising. The late-afternoon sun hit the concrete hard, making everything feel hotter and more exposed. I could smell cut grass and leftover cafeteria grease mixed with perfume and sweat. My hoodie suddenly felt too thick. Sweat started under my arms even though the air wasn’t that warm.
“I don’t even know what you’re accusing me of!” My voice cracked. Heat crawled up my neck. Every part of me wanted to disappear.
Chloe opened her mouth again, ready to keep going, but her phone suddenly rang in her hand. The sharp, bright sound sliced through the noise. She glanced down to silence it, thumb already moving toward the screen, but not fast enough.
My eyes locked on the photo that filled the display.
A face I knew instantly.
Solane. My tutoring student. The homeschooled girl I’d been video-calling with for weeks. The same soft smile, that same expression I had seen through my laptop screen so many times.
Chloe’s thumb hovered over the decline button. The screen stayed bright between us.
I moved before I could stop myself.
“Wait.” My voice cut through everything else - the muttering crowd, Chloe’s anger, Amber’s silence, Ryan’s concern. The noise around us seemed to drop a level as I stared at the glowing photo. “Do you know her?”
Chloe’s eyes snapped up to mine. The phone stayed open in her hand, Solane’s face still clear on the display. For one long second nobody spoke. The crowd shifted, waiting. Amber’s expression flickered with confusion. Ryan looked between all of us, clearly lost. Chloe’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t answer.
I kept staring at the screen, heart slamming against my ribs so hard I was sure everyone could hear it. The late-afternoon light caught the edge of Chloe’s phone, making the image even clearer.
Chloe’s fingers tightened around the phone. Amber glanced between us, still standing apart on her side. Ryan stayed close to me, tense. The crowd kept pressing closer, phones still up, waiting for the next explosion.
I didn’t look away from the screen.
“Do you know her?” I asked again, quieter this time, but the question still cut through the air.
Chloe still didn’t answer, she looked around and walked away.