Chapter 5 CHAPTER 5
Vivienne's POV
By the time the last lesson rolled around, my eyes felt heavy, like I’d been carrying bricks on my face all day.
I barely heard a single word the teacher said. Everything blurred together. Numbers on the board, kids laughing, pencils tapping—it all floated past me like I wasn’t even there.
All I could think about was my uncle. That empty account. Years of saving, gone. It made my chest ache all over again.
I had cried between classes. In the bathroom. In the hallway when no one was looking. But the tears kept coming back, no matter how many times I wiped them away.
And of course, Emma wasn’t here today. The one person I could tell anything to was stuck at home with a fever. Just my luck.
When the bell rang, the room exploded with noise. Chairs scraped, backpacks zipped, everyone rushing for the door like freedom was waiting just outside.
But not me.
I stayed put, my head on my arms, staring at the desk. My throat burned, and before I knew it, the tears were sliding down again.
I didn’t even care anymore if someone saw.
I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want to face that stupid apartment with its broken walls and broken promises.
So I just sat there, frozen in my seat, crying into the silence.
“There’s the bitchy nerd.”
My head jerked up, eyes blurry with tears. Jessica stood at the door with her little gang, all smirks and folded arms. Her eyes sparkled like she’d been waiting for this moment.
I wiped my face quickly, trying to hide how broken I looked. “What the hell do you want?” My voice shook, but I forced the words out.
Jessica’s smirk twisted. She walked right up to me and before I could move, her hand cracked across my cheek. My face stung, the sound echoing through the empty classroom.
“How dare you?” she hissed. “You embarrassed me in front of everyone the other day. You think you can talk back to me? You think you can stand anywhere near Rafael?”
Her hand shot out again, another slap. My head snapped to the side, tears stinging my eyes all over again.
“Stay away from him,” she spat. “He’s mine. Don’t you dare even look at him again.”
Two of the girls grabbed my arms before I could react. One of them shoved her hand over my mouth, muffling my scream. My heart hammered against my ribs as Jessica’s fingers grabbed at my uniform.
“No—please—” The words died under the girl’s palm.
Rip.
The sound made my whole body go cold. My uniform tore open, fabric falling away until I was bare underneath their stares. Laughter exploded around me, cruel and sharp.
Jessica lifted her phone, the flash blinding me as she snapped picture after picture. My stomach dropped.
“If you ever report this,” she sneered, waving the phone in my face, “these go everywhere. Everyone will see what a pathetic little slut you are.”
The girls laughed again, shoving me back into the chair before they strutted toward the door. Jessica threw one last glance over her shoulder, her voice dripping with venom. “Stay away from Rafael. Or else.”
And then they were gone.
I sat there, clutching the torn fabric to my chest, sobs shaking through me. My whole body burned with shame. I didn’t know how long I cried. Minutes. Hours. It felt endless.
The creak of the classroom door snapped me out of it. My breath caught in my throat.
No. Please, not them again. Not round two.
But when I looked up, it wasn’t Jessica.
It was Rafael.
He froze in the doorway, his eyes locking on me—on the mess I was. His face twisted with something I’d never seen before. Fury.
“What the fuck happened to you?” he roared, his voice shaking the air.