Chapter 19: Let the revenge begin
"Why don't we take back this day and make it all about loving ourselves?" NK concluded his speech with a flourish, a self-satisfied smile plastered across his face as he surveyed the seemingly receptive audience.
"So… we thought," NK continued, his voice booming through the loudspeakers, gesturing expansively with both hands, "why don't we seize this traditionally romantic day? Reclaim it from all those tired clichés! And make it a glorious celebration… of ourselves!"
Just then, as if on cue from some unseen conductor of chaos, a sharp, insistent digital "Ding!" sliced through the air, echoing through the hushed hall. It was followed by another, and another, until a cacophony of identical alarms erupted from the pockets and bags of every student present. A wave of utter confusion washed over the crowd. Instinctively, conversations ceased, and hundreds of hands reached for glowing screens. Gasps, confused murmurs, and bewildered glances rippled through the room as they unlocked their phones, their initial surprise quickly morphing into a collective intake of breath – a shared moment of digital revelation. Shock and disbelief spread like wildfire.
Hannah stood near the back, leaning slightly against the wall, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips as she watched the unfolding pandemonium. The carefully orchestrated moment had arrived. Deep down, a flicker of disbelief still pulsed — that she had really pulled it off. For a second, she let herself remember the night she cried herself to sleep, holding her phone in the dark, humiliated and heartbroken. Now, she stood here.
"Oh my god… his texts…" a girl shrieked from the middle of the crowd, her voice laced with a mixture of disbelief and betrayal.
"Are you kidding me right now?" another voice, this one male and laced with anger, erupted from a different section of the hall.
Andrew, who had been watching NK with a growing sense of unease, turned to him, his brow furrowed. "What's going on, NK?" he asked, his voice low.
NK, however, seemed frozen, his confident facade beginning to crumble as he stared out at the sea of bewildered faces. He blinked rapidly, his palms clammy.
A girl near the front shoved her phone screen toward her partner. "Oh my God… he's absolutely terrible!"
Another girl gently turned to Ria, thrusting her phone into view. "Oh my God, did you see this?" Ria glanced at the screen, her shock dissolving into a weary eye roll.
A soft chuckle escaped Hannah. "Well, I must say, this is… quite shocking news!"
The hall buzzed louder now, voices rising. Several girls glared daggers at Lila, the self-proclaimed "Instagram witch," who ducked her head.
Nick, sensing danger, grabbed NK's arm. "Come on, buddy."
"What an absolute asshole, right?" Hannah called out. Several girls nodded with fierce agreement.
"Oh my god…" the words echoed from all corners.
Sage stood abruptly. "Oh my God, cover me!"
"Cover you?" Clowe began.
"Just do it!" Sage hissed.
Sofia and Clowe raised their jackets over her head as Sage, clutching their arms, made her escape. As they moved, she glanced back at Hannah and offered a fleeting wink before disappearing.
"I can't believe NK is dating, like, all the girls in this school, and he told me I was the only one he's ever truly loved!" a girl sobbed.
Lila stormed out. "We're casting some serious binding spells tonight, bitches!"
"Apparently, one of his side pieces figured out she was a secret and detonated the whole thing," a girl whispered.
"He's been hooking up with at least one girl from every single clique," a guy muttered.
"NK's whole 'allyship' thing? A complete and utter act," another girl said.
The hall descended into chaos. A girl screamed, "Hey! Rip 'em up, ladies!"
Several enraged students surged the stage, tearing down NK's banner. Some wept, others whispered revenge plans.
Hannah stood back, a serene smile gracing her lips. The seeds had bloomed.
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"No, we're in the library," Sage's muffled voice said. Clowe, Sofia, Nick, and NK huddled in a quiet corner.
Sage turned, her hands fluttering. "This is… less than ideal. This is bad. Really bad. How do we spin this?" She paced. "No. NK is experiencing a severe emotional crisis. He's in his safe space. That's our story."
"Please… just make it go away," NK whispered.
Just then, Ris swept in. "Baby," she said calmly, "I'm on with Dad's crisis management team. They're strategizing."
"Fix it, please," NK pleaded.
Sage's face lit up. "Oh my god," she gasped, grabbing her phone. "Yes! That's genius. Thank you so much!"
NK looked at her with hope.
Sage turned to the group, confidence returning. She marched to the whiteboard, uncapped a lipstick tube from her purse, and scrawled a heart. Inside it, she wrote in bold letters: Reclaim the Narrative.
"Okay, guys," she said, turning back to them, "here's the plan."
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