Chapter 73 Unfair
Mia’s POV
“There you are,” Stacy said, her voice sweet but poisonous. “Mia, right?”
I did not answer. I kept my eyes forward as I walked, my hand tightening around the strap of my backpack.
Stacy stepped closer, her eyes moving over me from head to toe. “Who do you think you are? I thought you were smart. Top of the class, right? But clearly not smart enough to know your place.”
The girls behind her snickered.
“You’re so pathetic,” she continued, her voice turning sharp. “Liam is not who you think he is. Do you really believe a guy like him would ever settle for someone like you?”
My throat tightened, but I did not flinch.
“Look at you,” Stacy sneered, her eyes narrowing. “He paid for that uniform, even your shoes, didn’t he? Don’t you feel ashamed? Liam has always loved playing hero. And you walk around this school like you belong here, when you are just one humiliating mistake away from being thrown out. Don’t you feel even a little ashamed?”
Another laugh followed.
“Stay away from Liam,” she hissed, stepping so close I could smell her designer perfume. “He’s mine. Always has been. And no one, especially not someone like you, is going to take him away from me.”
Her words were meant to hurt and humiliate me.
“You’re not one of us, Mia. You never were,” Stacy said with clear contempt. “You don’t belong in our world. You have no breeding, no name, and no power. You’re just a girl with nothing, pretending to be something.”
I stood frozen, my fists clenched at my sides. My nails dug into the fabric of my bag strap, but I stayed silent.
“Stop dreaming, girl,” she whispered. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Then Chloe stepped forward, her voice full of malice. “Yeah, give it up, Mia. Not Liam. Not even Daniel. You don’t deserve either of them. You’ll just drag them down with you. That’s all you’re good for.”
I finally raised my head.
My heart was pounding, but my voice came out low and steady.
“I didn’t do anything to any of you,” I said, looking straight at Stacy. “And I won’t defend myself to someone who throws tantrums when they cannot get what they want. You’re not strong. You’re spoiled. And this,” I motioned around us, “is the kind of power only cowards cling to.”
Stacy’s face darkened, but I was not finished.
“If Liam chose to walk away from you, that’s not my fault. That’s on you. And the only thing more pathetic than me is someone who begs for love they were never given in the first place.”
Her hand flew up, too fast for anyone to stop it.
Before it could hit my face, a strong hand caught her wrist in midair.
Gasps echoed through the hallway.
“Liam,” Stacy breathed, her face turning pale as she looked at him.
He stood there with his jaw tight, anger radiating from him. His grip on her wrist was firm, not painful.
“She was insulting me,” Stacy said quickly, twisting the truth.
But Liam did not even look at her. His eyes were on me, checking my face, making sure I was okay. When he saw the flush in my cheeks and the way my hands trembled, something inside him snapped.
“I heard everything you said, Stacy,” he said coldly.
He dropped her wrist as if it burned him.
“You and your friends have one job. Stay away from Mia. Do not talk to her. Do not look at her. And if I catch any of you bothering her again, I will make sure every one of you regrets it.”
Stacy stared at him, speechless.
Liam did not wait for a response. He stepped past her and gently took my hand.
“Come on,” he said softly, his eyes warm and protective. “Let’s get out of here.”
In that moment, surrounded by judgmental eyes and cruel whispers, I realized something.
I was not walking alone anymore.
“You didn’t have to save me back there,” I said quietly as we walked toward our classroom, my voice barely louder than the noise of students around us.
Liam did not let go of my hand.
I could feel his fingers around mine, warm and steady, like an anchor pulling me through the storm.
“I can defend myself, Liam,” I added, my voice firmer. “I’m used to it.”
He stopped and turned to face me in the quiet part of the hallway.
“I know,” he said softly. “You’ve been defending yourself for so long, Mia. Too long. But I couldn’t stand there and let them humiliate you. Not when I finally had the chance to show everyone what they should have seen from the start.”
I looked up at him, my chest tightening.
“You belong with me,” he said firmly. “And I belong with you. I don’t care what they say about us. Let the Academy talk. The truth is, it has always been you, Mia.”
His hand tightened around mine.
“Even when I didn’t know how to admit it.”
My heart pounded hard, his sincerity cutting deeper than any insult ever had.
But the world we lived in was not fair. It never had been. I looked down at our joined hands and brushed my thumb over his knuckles.
“You could get into real trouble for this,” I whispered.
“With your parents and the Montemayors. With everything expected of you. I understand, Liam. If you need to talk to Stacy or fix things with her family, I’ll understand. I’ll wait. But not like this, not if it costs you everything.” I added.
His expression darkened, not with anger, but with determination.
“Don’t say that,” he said firmly, stepping closer. “Don’t ever think you’re the reason I would suffer. You didn’t drag me into this. I chose it with my eyes open. And I would choose it again.”
I blinked, caught off guard by the intensity in his gaze.
“I lost you once because I chose silence over truth,” he said. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
I bit my lower lip, fighting the tears. My walls had been up for so long, but his words were breaking through every one of them.
“Liam…”
He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers resting gently on my cheek.
“You’re not something I have to hide, Mia. You’re the only thing in my life right now that feels real. And no matter what it costs me, I won’t let go of you again.”
I swallowed hard.
“You’re going to get hurt.”
“Then let it hurt,” he said, leaning close.
I felt like I was floating. My steps were light as we entered the classroom, his hand still holding mine. Everything inside me buzzed with quiet joy.
He was mine again.
After the rumors, the heartbreak, and the silence, he had chosen me.
I could not stop smiling. But the warmth in my chest dimmed when my eyes met Daniel’s across the room.
He looked away almost immediately. There was no anger in his eyes, only quiet acceptance.
My heart sank. I wanted to explain and apologize again. But Daniel had asked for space, and I respected that.
I turned away and focused on my seat, on Liam, on anything but the ache beneath my happiness.
Then the whispers started.
“Don’t worry, Stacy,” Chloe said loudly. “A flirt will always be a flirt. Just last week she had a different boyfriend, and now she stole someone else’s.”
A few students laughed.
I gripped my bag strap.
“Too demure for her own good,” Belle added smugly. “Everyone knows snakes don’t hiss in public.”
More laughter followed. I kept my eyes forward, my back straight, even as my throat tightened. I could feel Stacy’s stare burning into me.
Then a soft hand brushed mine. I turned and saw Liam, calm and steady.
“Don’t mind them,” he whispered. “I know the truth.”
I looked at him, grateful.
“Daniel helped you because he’s a decent guy,” Liam said gently. “That’s all. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.”
I nodded, finally able to breathe again. Then he smiled, the kind of smile that revealed the dimples I loved. And it was meant for me. In that moment, the whispers faded into nothing. Liam was right there beside me, and somehow, with just that smile, he made me believe that everything would be okay.