You know that feeling when your gut screams at you, but your brain refuses to listen? Yeah, that was me standing in front of my locker, hands shaking, knowing that whatever waited inside was going to make or break everything.
It was early morning, but the hallway was already buzzing with whispers, glances thrown my way like I was some freak show. After what happened with the graffiti attack—tar on that poor girl and the blood-red message smeared on the wall—the whole school was on edge. And of course, the blame circled right back to me.
I peeled back the layers of glitter glue and duct tape with the precision of a bomb defuser, heart pounding in my chest. Inside, I found a dozen tiny cameras — some wired into my locker, some hidden in the cracks around it. Whoever had done this wasn't messing around.
And then, behind the maintenance closet, I spotted him — Phoenix.
He gave me a crooked smile, guitar case slung low at his side. "Thought you could use some backup."
I blinked. "You followed me?"
He shrugged like it was no big deal, but there was a softness in his eyes that made my chest tighten. "Yeah. I worry about you."
I wanted to roll my eyes, but I didn't. Because it was true.
Together, we started dismantling the cameras, trying to figure out who was behind this sick setup.
We had no clue, but the danger felt real.
Then my phone buzzed. Unknown number.
"Stop digging or next time, it's not just your reputation on the line."
Phoenix's gaze locked onto mine. "This isn't a game anymore."
"No. It's war."
---
Over the next few days, everything felt like a powder keg ready to explode.
And then there was Jade.
She had always been a shadow on the edge of our group, but lately, she was showing up everywhere Phoenix was — like clockwork.
Lunch tables, music practice, library corners. Always close enough to laugh at his jokes, to brush a hand against his arm.
And me? I hated it.
I hated feeling that sting in my chest whenever I saw them together.
But I said nothing.
Because Phoenix was my anchor in this storm. My quiet friend who understood the parts of me I didn't say out loud.
One afternoon, I caught them talking near the lockers. Heads close, voices low, and then — her hand grazed his arm.
My stomach twisted.
I wanted to storm over, to demand he stay away.
But I didn't.
Because deep down, I knew it wasn't that simple.
---
That night, lying in my cramped dorm bed, I pulled out my notebook.
Not to plot revenge.
Not to sketch pranks.
But to write a song.
About loss.
About the way people slip through your fingers even when you don't want them to.
The words spilled out like a confession I wasn't ready to say aloud:
"You were the calm in my chaos, the music beneath my scream,
But sometimes love is just a ghost in a broken dream."
Phoenix was more than a friend now.
But was I more than just a chapter in his story?
Or was I the one about to get left behind?
---
The next day was the talent show rehearsal.
Phoenix and I stood side by side on the stage, the spotlight glaring down like it was exposing every secret.
Jade was there too, her eyes on Phoenix in a way that made my skin crawl.
The music started.
And for the first time in weeks, I felt something close to hope.
Because maybe, just maybe, I wasn't alone in this fight.