Page 29

TWENTY-EIGHT

FREYA

Some wounds don’t come from the battles we choose to fight; some are carved into us because we lost.

As I stepped into my bedroom, everything looked as if nothing had ever happened. Someone had cleaned it up. I didn’t know who did it, but the peace I craved was finally here. The tic-tac-toe sign on the wall was painted over in white. Fresh sheets replaced the old ones, carrying the fresh scent of detergent. My shredded clothes were gone, leaving only my spare uniform in the closet. Even the broken mirror had been replaced. It all felt like the start of something new. But the word SLUT , carved into my stomach, was a reminder that this might not be a fresh beginning, just the beginning of another nightmare.

I moved to the bed, exhaustion dragging me down, but a folded note on the nightstand caught my eye. My fingers hesitated before picking it up. The first thing I saw was a tic-tac-toe grid with A and O, O crossed this time.

My throat tightened. I crushed the note in my fist, letting it fall to the floor. Then, burying my face in my pillow, I let the tears spill freely.

I was losing control. And this time, I had no way to center my thoughts. The pain was burning through me from the inside out.

My phone buzzed from the table near the door, but I didn’t have the strength to reach for it. I just lay there, curled up, clutching my stomach as silent screams tore through me.

I was empty. My mind still swirled with thoughts, and darkness still clung to the edges of my brain, but I felt hollow. I closed my eyes, hoping for sleep, but what was the point? Dreams were stolen from me.

A soft knock came from the door. I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to hear anything or see anyone. But the door creaked open anyway.

Stella stood there, her eyes glassy with tears slowly sliding down her cheeks. She rushed to my side, her voice breaking. “I am so, so, so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

I turned my head away. “Please go.”

“No.” She leaned her head against my shoulder. “I’m not leaving.”

Before I could push her away, the door swung open again, this time slamming against the wall. Ava came in, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. Her face was a mask of fury.

“This is assault.”

I lifted my head slightly, following her gaze to the screen. On it was playing a video of them, kicking me, screaming “ SLUT” while I curled up on the floor in my blood.

“They sent it to everyone,” Ava spat, her hands trembling. “They will fucking pay.”

I slumped back against the pillow, tears falling harder. There was no escape from this.

They ruined me.

“Why would they do that?” Stella whispered, her voice silent compared to Ava’s as she looked from the phone.

Ava’s jaw clenched. “Because that asshole Theo told the entire academy that he and her”—she motioned toward me—“banged last night.”

Stella scoffed, rolling her eyes. I buried my face in my hands, my nails digging into my palms.

“What?” Stella nudged me. “Tell me he’s lying.”

I let out a sad laugh as my voice was barely above a whisper, saying, “I kissed him. That’s all.” I exhaled sharply. “Hope his dick falls off and gets stuffed in that bitch’s mouth.”

Stella and Ava stared at me, trying and failing not to laugh. I wiped at my tears and shifted, pulling my knees to my chest and hugging a pillow.

“They sent it to the whole academy?” My voice cracked as I turned to Ava.

“I already took it down from the internet,” Stella said, arms crossed.

“It was online?” My breath hitched as I stared at my hands.

“For two minutes.” She held up two fingers.

Two minutes. In that short time, anyone could have seen it, seen me curled up, seen them kicking me, spitting on me, calling me names. Two minutes couldn’t erase the bruises, couldn’t erase the scars. Two minutes wouldn’t change anything. But those two minutes would define me for a lifetime.

Another tear slipped down my cheek. Beneath the bandage, I could feel blood seeping into my shirt. That wound would heal, but every time I looked in the mirror, I’d see the reminder carved into my skin.

“Can we talk about anything else?” I whispered, desperate to escape this moment, if only for a second.

Ava exhaled, rolling her shoulders. “I broke up with Oscar.”

Stella blinked. “She caught him with another guy.”

I looked up, raising a brow. “So that’s why you’re being nice to me.“ A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips as I reached for her hand.

Ava chuckled. “Glad your humor’s still intact.”

Stella snorted, wiping at her eyes. “He asked if she wanted to join.”

I blinked. “Was he high?”

“No,” Ava shook her head, flipping her high ponytail over her shoulder. It slapped against her neck as she spoke.

As Stella stood up, her gaze fell on a crumpled paper on the floor. She bent down, picked it up, and unfolded it. “What are we going to do about A and O?”

Ava turned around. “I think we should confront Blue.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with you,” Stella muttered, sinking back onto the bed.

My phone buzzed again, but I ignored it. If it was Lucius, I couldn’t face him, not with that word carved into me.

“And then what?” I asked, looking between them. “She was probably forced to do whatever A and O told her to.”

“I’m more concerned that I still can’t find anything about her,” Stella scoffed. “Like, at all. She’s like a ghost—the more I search, the less I find.”

“Maybe I should just talk to her,” I suggested, slowly pushing myself up, but Ava immediately stopped me.

“No.” Her voice was firm. “You’re not going anywhere in this condition. We’ll go and talk to her.”

I sighed. “Okay,” I whispered. “Just...” I hesitated. “Be gentle. She’s probably battling her demons too.”

“More like her own snakes,” Ava chuckled. “Will you be okay?”

“Yeah,” I murmured. “Yeah.”

She was already at the door, and Stella stayed for a moment and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around me. “We’re a phone call away if you need anything.”

I nodded, wanting them to go away so I could curl up and try to sleep. Even though I knew dreams wouldn’t come easily, not with the storm of thoughts raging in my mind.

The door shut behind them. I pulled the sheets over me and sank into bed, rolling onto my side. My back hurt. My stomach throbbed. Neither position was comfortable with the fresh wound still burning my skin.

I tried my best to fall asleep, but thirty minutes passed, and the dream world remained far away. I got up restlessly, pacing the room as if the movement would somehow calm my mind. It didn’t.

I opened the door, looking for signs of Ava and Stella, but they were still gone. Leaving the door ajar, I wandered back toward the bed. But then I stopped.

The mirror.

I stood slowly in front of it, my fingers shaking as I removed the bandage. My breath hitched as I stared at the raw letters carved into my skin.

SLUT.

In the background, the phone rang persistently, clamoring, but I just stared at my body in the mirror with just one lone tear sliding down my cheek.

Why are people so evil? How could they do such a thing?

I knew evil existed. I saw it, felt it, lived behind its walls. Yet part of me still believed, still hoped, that if I put enough good in the world, maybe, just maybe, it would return to me. But my whole life was a lesson I did not want to learn but was forced to.

The phone kept ringing, shattering the silence, yet I did nothing about it.

And then, at my back, a growling voice, raw, deep, his.

“Who...?”

I turned around, and my breath caught in my throat.

“Who did this to you?”

He leaned in the doorway, his chest rising and falling like he had just run here, his phone still in his hand, the screen glowing with my name, his eyes intently focused on me.

I opened my lips, but before I could say anything, he was already there, bridging the gap between us in a split second.

His fingers trembled as he pulled my shirt up, his eyes blurring at the sight of the fresh wound. His hand hovered above it, almost grazing my skin, as though to touch it might break me apart.

His voice was steel, cutting through me.

“Who. Did. This. To. You?”

His hands rested on my shoulders, firmly, as though grounding me, as though holding me together when I was almost falling apart. And then, with no hesitation, he pulled me into his arms.

I leaned my head into his chest, my body trembling, and for the very first time in forever—I broke apart. I had never cried in this way before. I had never felt the feeling of being held in this way.

“Let it out,” he whispered in my hair. His lips touched the top of my head, his hot breath seared my skin. “Scream, baby. Scream.”

I clutched him, my arms locked firmly around the collar of his shirt, holding him in place. The type of hold you did not wish to let go of, the type of hold that made you believe in things you no longer did. And maybe I was his.

Tears just poured; I couldn’t control them. Years of pain, years of silence, years of bottling it up spilled out of me, uncontrollably. And I let them.

I was alone for so long. Now, there was someone there. Someone who saw me. Someone who wasn’t leaving.

And yet, I was breaking in his hands, piece by piece.

And I did not know how to stop.

He lifted me effortlessly, walking to the door to close it before carrying me to the bed. Gently, he laid me down beside him. I inched closer, my body instinctively seeking his warmth. Silence wrapped around us as I closed my eyes, finally allowing myself to rest. For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t alone.

“I want names,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. His palms cupped my cheeks, tilting my face up to meet his eyes.

With his thumb, he wiped away my tears. “No one touches my Little Star except me. No one.” His voice was like steel, his head was shaking as if he couldn’t grasp the thought.

But the tears kept falling, and he caught every single one.

“Please,” he said, pulling me closer, his arm wrapping around my head, holding me against him. “Tell me. Say something.”

“They—“ I choked, struggling to get the words out. “Four girls from House of Serpents. One of them is dating Theo.”

His breathing quickened. I could feel it against my skin as I forced myself to continue.

“He told everyone he slept with me. And they believed him.” My voice cracked. “Two of them held me against the wall while his girlfriend—“ my throat tightened, ”— carved the word into me. The fourth blocked the door. She made sure no one stopped them.”

His jaw clenched, his entire body stiffened. “He’s going to fucking pay.” His teeth ground together, barely holding back his rage.

“Can you—“ I whispered, my voice so low it barely made a sound. “Can you just stay here? Please. Please, just stay.”

His arms tightened around me. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, kissing my forehead again before resting my head on his chest.

He pulled the sheet over us, in his warmth. I felt his breath on my hair, the way his heartbeat gradually slowed, the way his fingers traced the light patterns on my skin. And at that moment, I needed this more than words, more than revenge, more than anything. I just needed him to stay.

And he did.

He stayed for me.

He didn’t run. He didn’t leave me to deal with the pain alone. He didn’t push me away when I cried or call me weak.

He wiped my tears.

And he stayed.

He stayed.