Chapter 128 

Chapter 128 

I didn’t reply to her. 

Despite her sisterly vibe and coolness, despite the eerie similarities we shared—the way we both hated Amber, our allergy to fake smiles, even our mutual suspicion toward cheerleaders–the only reason I became friends with Clara Winslow was because my therapist had given me an assignment. A homework task. 

“Try making a new friend this week.” 

That was it. Just one sentence. But to me, it felt heavier than any chemistry formula or essay deadline. And if there’s one thing I hate more than Amber, it’s pending homework. 

So, I picked Clara. 

But truth be told, I was still scared to trust new people. In fact, I could barely trust the old ones. 

“So…” she began, dragging the word like a match across sandpaper, her voice bubbling with excitement. “Are you going to prom with Kaiden?” 

My pen stopped mid–scratch. Her words weren’t cruel, not even teasing in a hostile way. It was a playful nudge–a friendly jab. 

But it pushed all the wrong buttons. 

I looked up at her, letting my notebook fall silent. “Look, I’ve told you a billion times, and I’ll tell you again–I am not dating Kaiden Sterwalt. He is my 

brother.” 

Clara raised her brows, unimpressed. “Duh. Stepbrother,” she corrected, adding a theatrical eye–roll. “No blood relation. It’s still possible.” 

“Yeah, possible,” I said, my voice clipped, “but not happening.” 

Lie. 

Big fat one. The kind that gets caught in your throat and settles deep into your stomach like a stone. I did like Clara. I really did. But no way–no freaking way–was I going to repeat the same mistake I’d made before. Trusting the wrong person. Letting them in. Watching them play with my secrets like it’s their personal gameboard. 

So, it’s not happening. I am not going to trust anyone with my secret–except for Sheela and Rubina. They just know how to milk the comfort out of me. Everyone else? I had walls higher than the Sterwalt Mansion. 

Clara didn’t push, but her expression dipped, just slightly. A little frown curled the corner of her lips downward as she said softly, “So the rumors were true. They were Al after all.” 

She shrugged, sighing like someone who’d just learned their favorite TV couple was never real. 

“Such a shame,” she murmured. “You two looked so good together. Wish you guys were real.” 

Her words settled on me like glitter in water–sparkly, a bit warm, but unsettling. I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or creeped out, I mean, who encourages step–siblings to date? 

“You’re weird. You know that?” I said, not unkindly 

“Nope. I’m perfectly fine,” she shot back without missing a beat. “I just love step–sibling romance. Lots of people do. And it’s not biologically wrong, at least,” 

I stared at her. 

She wasn’t even joking. She said it like it was a scientific fact, like she was defending the mating habits of penguins or something. And the worst part? I couldn’t argue back. Couldn’t call her out. Couldn’t scoff or roll my eyes or toss a sarcastic grenade. 

Chapter 128 

Because I was dating my stepbrother. 

Thad no right to judge her taste. Not even a shred of one. 

So, I just turned back to my notebook, scribbling down something anything before my face gave away what my words refused to confess, 

“So… if it’s not Kaiden,” Clara didn’t you going to prom with?” 

folding her arms and leaning them on my desk with a teasing glint in her eyes, she added, “then who? Who are 

It was a harmless question. A normal one. It’s normal to get excited about your friend’s prom date it was practically a teenage rite, But event with her casual tone and light posture, I couldn’t shake the feeling gnawing inside me. 

I couldn’t help but see Barbara in her. 

And when you’ve been burned once, even the warmth of kindness feels like fire licking your skin. 

“Why the fuck do you care?” I snapped, my voice lashing out like a whip as I shot up from my seat. 

The classroom fell into a sudden, heavy silence. Noises froze. Heads turned. The voices died mid–sentence. All eyes locked onto us like they’d been waiting for something to happen–and now it had. 

“Lucy…” Clara said softly, her voice laced with a warning as she gestured toward the crowd watching us. Her tone was gentle, cautious, almost pleading 

But I didn’t care. 

I didn’t care about the crowd. 

I didn’t care about her concerned expression. 

Because at that moment, I wasn’t looking at Clara anymore. 

I was staring at Barbara–the girl who smiled as she pulled truths out of me like string from a sweater, only to weave them into her playdough. The girl who pretended to care. The girl who left scars. 

I wasn’t in the classroom–I was back in my past. 

“Stop the fucking interrogation or I’ll just make you,” I said through clenched teeth, my voice ice–cold and shaking with rage. “Stop disturbing me, Barbara. You’re gonna get nothing out of it.” 

“Lucy,” a voice whispered beside me. A gentle tug on my sleeve. 

I blinked. The tug was from the girl who sat behind me. 

My breath caught in my throat as the fog in my head cleared just enough for me to see her again–Clara. Not Barbara. Not the ghost from my memories. 

Clara. 

Her face was flushed a deep shade of red, a mixture of shock, hurt, and raw humiliation. Her glassy with unshed tears. 

“I’m sorry,” she said in a cracked whisper. “I shouldn’t have disturbed you.” 

eyes shimmered under the harsh classroom lights, wide and 

She tried to smile–God, she tried. But it was the kind of smile that comes with trembling lips and blurry vision. The kind that doesn’t reach th 

at 

all. 

“Everything is fine, guys,” she said, waving her hand toward the class with an awkward laugh that shattered halfway through. “I… I think I need a 

washroom break.” 

And then she turned around and bolted for the door, her steps fast and stiff, like running was the only thing keeping her from falling apart completely. 

2/4 

Chapter 128. 

“Clara-“I reached out, guilt already thundering inside niy chest. 

But she was gone. 

The door slammed shut behind her with a finality that echoed through the classroom. 

Damn it, Lucy. 

Nice. Great. You just snapped at someone who was only trying to care. You just yelled at a girl who didn’t deserve it. You mistook kindness for danger. You don’t deserve a good friend. 

Wow. Proud of you. And people say chemistry is toxic. 

I sat back down, but my body didn’t feel like mine anymore. 

The weight of the stares around me was unbearable, but not as unbearable as the sound of that door slamming shut. It kept ringing in my ears like a gunshot–sharp, echoing, permanent. 

I stared at the open page of my notebook, the words I had scribbled earlier now blurring into abstract ink stains. The room wasn’t even noisy anymore. Everything had gone silent. Hollow. 

Just like the look in Clara’s eyes. 

I didn’t mean to lash out. Not at her. 

I glanced at the door. 

It had been less than a minute, but it felt like an hour. 

Go. A small voice in my head whispered. Go after her. 

My hands trembled under the desk as I pushed my chair back and stood up. 

The hallway was empty, echoing with my hurried footsteps as I walked toward the restroom at the end of the corridor. 

Each step felt heavier than the last. 

I stopped in front of the door, staring at the simple white sign that read: Girls. My reflection in the metal handle looked small. Frail. Scared. 

I reached out and placed my hand on it. 

My fingers were ice cold and they trembled against the metal like they didn’t know whether to push or pull. 

I closed my eyes, swallowing the guilt that pressed against my throat like a blade. 

You hurt her. You hurt an innocent soul. She didn’t deserve that. 

You have to fix it, Lucy. 

You have to apologise. 

To be continued…