Chapter 16: Behind the Fame
Chapter 16: Behind the Fame
Tessa as Elena’s POV
Back in school, Bella and I strolled through the hallway, chatting about the girl who had proposed to her crush and got rejected in front of the entire music room. Just as I turned to enter our classroom, I suddenly collided with someone at the doorway.
A sharp thud echoed as something dropped to the floor.
I looked up quickly and recognized her from Elena’s old photos and the profile of every student I’d secretly checked online.
It was Lucy.
"I'm so sorry," I blurted, bending quickly to pick up what had fallen—not a book, but a black tablet with a sleek black leather case. The initials L.W. were engraved in gold.
She didn’t say a word. Just stared down at me like I was a roach.
Her jaw clenched as she snatched the case from my hands. “Watch where you’re going freak!,” she snapped, with a sharp voice.
Then she walked past us without looking back, the heels of her ankle boots clicking coldly across the tiled floor.
I stood there, stunned.
“Wow,” I muttered.
“That’s Lucy Westworth ,” Bella whispered, leaning in.
I turned to face her.
“She’s been your worst enemy, El,” she added. “She’s always been obsessed with Adrian. Evelyn once said she’s been like that since junior high. Then when the engagement between you and Adrian was announced on your last birthday… she completely lost it.” She continued
Even the almighty Elena had enemies? I smirked slightly at the thought.
“Just be careful around her till your memory is restored,” Bella said. “So she doesn’t try to hurt you.”
We both walked into class, but I could feel it—her eyes were on me like a hawk circling its prey.
Just as we were about to sit, my phone and Bella’s buzzed at the same time.
We’d all received an invitation code to Kade’s birthday party. Even when we sat down, we noticed the hard copy of the invitation on each of our desks.
I turned to Bella, who was practically glowing. She held the card in her hands, grinning like she’d just won the lottery.
“Bella?” I called.
“Yes, El?” she turned, smiling.
“Hello everyone,” the teacher cut in as he walked into the class.
I opened my sleek new tablet for writing, quietly impressed with its screen and luxurious feel. I started jotting down what the teacher was saying. Bella kept glancing at me now and then, with a puzzled look.
I was really enjoying the math class. The teacher—Mrs. Billet, according to the silver tag on her chest—was making a topic in Geometry so clear and interesting that I didn’t want it to end.
When she finally wrapped up the lesson, everyone stood to leave, but I stayed seated, lost in thought again.
I kept thinking about Elena—still trapped in my body. The doctor had told us two days ago that her hand movement was likely just a reflex, something that happened in comas. A sign of life, but not responsiveness.
“Even your handwriting has changed?” Bella exclaimed, standing beside me, staring at the notes on my tablet. Just then, Lucy passed by, maybe heard what Bella said and paused, stared our way for a second, then disappeared into the hallway.
“El?” Bella asked, clearly startled.
“I don’t know, Bella. I think this is how I always wrote,” I lied, praying she’d let it slide.
“And what’s with this serious concentration in class too?” she added, raising a brow.
I just sat there, unsure how to respond.
Then a message dropped on my phone.
I checked it.
You can’t run away from this. Just go and confess! — unknown number.
My hands trembled.
“What’s wrong now?” Bella asked.
“The same unknown number sent me another message,” I whispered.
She snatched the phone from my hand, reading the screen with a frown.
“Who the fuck is this?” she muttered in an angry tone.
Later, I went looking for Zane after class. I needed help. Whoever was sending these messages wasn’t going to stop—and I also needed to find out who really murdered Gloria to stop all these.
“Zane,” I called, spotting him at the end of the hallway, casually puffing a cigarette.
He quickly dropped it and crushed it under his foot.
“Elena,” he greeted, surprised.
“Yes,” I said firmly. “I need your help.”
I handed him my phone. He swiped through the messages, his brows furrowing deeply.
“I need to investigate this, Zane. I need to clear my name,” I said, in a pleading tone.
He looked at me with surprise, then asked, “What do you think we do?”
“We ask around about Gloria. Who she really was, who her friends were, anything that could lead us somewhere.”
Zane nodded slowly. “Anything for you, Elena,” he said softly, locking eyes with me.
“Let’s try gentleness first, okay? No force,” I added, half-smiling. I didn’t trust how Zane might handle things.
“Alright. Let’s see what I can dig up by tomorrow. We’ll start more seriously on Monday.”
“Thank you, Zane,” I said, smiling with quiet relief.
“My darling!” I heard Elena’s dad call as I stepped into the foyer. My heart raced with excitement, I ran to him, throwing my arms around him as he lifted me off the floor and spun me gently.
He had returned from his trip.
“How are you, my jewel?” he asked, setting me down.
“I missed you, Daddy,” I whispered, a single tear slipping down my cheek.
“I missed you more, sweetheart.”
I hugged him tighter. I had grown up sixteen years without ever knowing what a father's love felt like. And now, I was getting it. Even if it wasn’t truly mine, I wanted to hold onto this feeling, just for a moment.
Later at dinner, he cleared his throat and looked toward me.
“Elena, did you receive an invitation in school today?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh. Yes, Daddy. Kade’s birthday invitation.”
Elena’s dad nodded, then started, “Since you already know we were only joking about breaking off the engagement with Adrian… we’ve decided to go public.”
“We want the engagement announced officially,” Elena’s mother added with a bright smile.
“That’s a joke, right?” I asked, blinking fast.
No way the real Elena would’ve sat through this quietly.
“No, baby. It’s not,” her mom said gently.
I stared at both of them, my head spinning.
This only happened in soap operas that I watched on grandma's tiny TV back home.
What on earth have I gotten myself into?