“We couldn’t take your car instead?”
“The car is my mom’s, and she has to work tonight, but the bike is mine. Besides, what better way to make an entrance than on a motorcycle?”
“This is crazy,” I muttered.
“You’re a badass, Clarke. You got this. Just breathe.”
Breathe.Yeah.That’s all I had to do. But I couldn’t even muster a full breath before we lurched forward, speeding down the road.
My hair whipped in the wind, tickling my neck with every strand that grazed my skin. I clawed at Elliot’s shirt, in fear I would fly off with every pebble we hit or at every turn we took. He let out a throaty laugh. I glanced up at the sun, the haze streaking the glass of my helmet. The wind was shoved down my throat, and suddenly my lungs felt fuller than they ever had before. It was quicker getting to school on a motorcycle than in a car. Guess I should’ve suspected as much. As we pulled into the student lot, all heads turned our way.
“I guess motorcycles really are the way to make an entrance.”
“Ugh. People need to get a life and stop staring.”
“That’ll never happen,” I groaned while pulling off my helmet. “It’s high school.”
Elliot flicked his eyes to the sky. I cocked a brow, barely suppressing my amusement. With our fingers intertwined, we made our way toward the entrance, but the minute my hand touched the door, Kendra lunged in front of us, blocking our path.
“Hey,” she said in a chipper tone while panting heavily.
A smile was painted on her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She had her arms sprawled out as she used her body as a barricade, stopping us from moving any further.
“Hey?” I murmured my words, coming across as more of a question.
“Clarke,” Elliot whispered loudly, lowering his lips to my ear. “Your friend is weird.”
She squinted at him. “I can hear you.”
“Oh, trust me, I know.”
I tilted my head to the side, shooting her a questioning look. “Ken, what are you doing?”
“I just…do you guys maybe wanna play hooky today? I’m not really feeling school.”
“Uh, why would we—”
A group of students pushed past Kendra, their hands clamped over their mouths as they gawked at us.What the fuck?Elliot voiced my exact thoughts with his next words.
“What was that about?” he muttered, his eyes narrowing as he tracked their every move.
“Nothing. I just think maybe—”
I didn’t wait for her to finish before I shoved past her, pushing my way into the school.Was she trying to hide something from me?
I glanced around, trying to make out the madness I had just walked in on. The hallway was more crowded than usual, with students spilling out in every direction. Their chaotic laughter echoed through the air, making my ears ring.What was so funny?A crowd of people gathered along the wall, and I rammed my way through them until I found myself at the center of the commotion. They were all gawking at some sort of picture. I leaned in closer, straining to see the distorted image.
Then, I saw it. Taped to the wall was a photo ripped from the pages of my diary—Totally-Not-Real Relationship Rules. Step by step, my relationship with Elliot was outlined for the world to see, and it was clear what we had been doing. The word‘FAKE’was scrawled across the image in bold red letters.How?My throat tightened, and the air in my chest that had recently been replenished felt like it had been sucked out in an instant. Surrounded by the crowd, I felt smaller than ever, like prey waiting to be devoured by a swarm of predators, all of them just waiting to strike.
The world around me blurred.
When I blinked, the tears fell, briefly clearing my vision before they welled up again. I grabbed the sides of my head, sinking to the floor, trying to curl into myself as if the act of it could shield me, like a child hiding under the covers to escape a monster. My back was nudged by knees and shins as the crowd closed in, eager to witness the fall of the most popular girl in school.
Someone read my journal.
They know.
I was a fraud, and everyone knew it. After everything I had done to painstakingly build my reputation, piece by piece, forging lie after lie, one photo and I had come tumbling down the throne I had been given. The world I had created was shattered in seconds. The crown on my head was no longerslipping; it had been ripped off. My dream of winning Prom Queen was over.
