جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

(THIRD PERSON’S POV) Rosa had one slim paintbrush held hostage between her lips, a slimmer one tucked behind her ear, and a final one tapping at her chin as she stared at her canvas in thought. She was pondering what to add to her painting when she heard the sound of a car pulling into the front yard. Rosalie raced towards the window and jumped on the couch to gain a better view. She saw an unfamiliar white Porsche parked out front, then the door opened and Rory climbed out. Rosalie frowned at the sight of her sister speed-walking to the front door while the car drove off. It was not even lunch break yet and Rory was home—surely something was wrong. Rosalie scrambled off the couch and rushed to the door just as it opened and Rory stormed in—crying! “What’s wrong, Bun?” Rosalie cried, adding more pace to her movement. She and her younger sister met in an embrace, and she cradled a sobbing Rory closer to her chest while leading her to the same couch. “Shh. It’s okay,” Rosalie

(RORY’S POV) “This is not a good sign,” I said, frustration tightening my voice as I crossed my arms over my chest. Todd sighed and wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin. He moved our breakfast takeout containers aside and faced me squarely. I had spent an hour with him already this morning but a direct glance at him still made my heart squeeze. He looked so perfect, so clean, so handsome so/ “You probably left it at home. Calm down. It’s just your I.D. card,” he said in that encouraging tone he’d been using all morning—the same one he’d used to gently bully me out of my bedroom and into this car. We sat in his car in the school’s nearly empty parking lot, finishing breakfast, when I realized I hadn’t seen my school I.D. recently. My stomach sank. One more thing going wrong was nof what I needed. “But I never leave my I.D card at home. I always have it with me. So that is strange.” I complained with a pout. I blew a raspberry and turned to Todd, who was now gat

(RORY’S POV) More than anything, I wished I could disappear. Right into the thin air, away from everything and everyone. Yesterday, when their eyes pinned on me, I had grabbed my bag, excused myself, and run away. But now, I felt glued to the chair somehow—maybe because my name had been announced. I felt like a firefly being abused, and I found myself wishing I had told Todd to wait outside for me. I suddenly felt alone and incredibly judged. It felt like everyone was replaying the video of me in their head—a video that, till today, I have refused to see anything about. “Rory Davis.” I turned toward the person who called my name. It was Jenna Roman, the science club president, and she had a kind but sad expression on her face. It was one of pity, sympathy, and disappointment. I read it immediately. “Yes, Jenna,” I said, finding my voice, which sounded too weak. “A video of you surfaced yesterday, and since then, it has brought your image into question,” she said. Her voice was cl

(RORY’S POV) It was a very long day, with the time dragging so slowly, as if the clock knew how desperate I was for the hours to fly by. Every tick of the second hand was an agonizing reminder of where I was and what everyone thought about me. The morning hadn't been comfortable, but when the bell finally rang for the end of day, I felt a genuine surge of pride. I had successfully ignored the stares, the muffled whispers, and the quick, pitying glances. I had focused on my notes and kept my chin high, just like Todd had advised me to do. Speaking of Todd, he was waiting right outside the door for me when the last class ended. It was a familiar, comforting sight—his tall frame leaning against the door, his eyes searching the crowd for me. “Hey,” he greeted, and the beautiful, easy smile he gave me instantly smoothed out the wrinkles of my terrible morning. “Hey,” I said, suddenly feeling shy as I noticed people stealing glances at us as they passed. Being seen with the school heartt

(TODD’S POV) I should give myself a medal for self-control. Seriously. Every instinct is screaming at me to turn this car around and head straight to the Anderson's house. I want to wrap my hands around Chad's throat and ask him what game he's playing. That's all that's been running through my mind since I watched him hand Rory her ID card in the hallway today with that casual smile. A thousand questions burned on my tongue in that moment, but I swallowed them all. Rory's moving through life like she's walking on broken glass right now. The last thing she needs is me grilling her about some guy when she's already dealing with public humiliation because of me. Besides, I know Rory doesn't like Chad. He's not her type. Right? I steal a glance at her. Her bottom lip is pushed out in that familiar pout, her body slumped against the passenger seat like all the fight has drained out of her. We've been sitting in front of her house for ten minutes now, the engine idling low, the silen