She goes home

The silence that followed was deafening.

Chloe stood on unsteady legs, the taste of Aaron still bitter on her tongue. Her dress felt disheveled, wrong somehow, and she quickly adjusted the fabric, tucking herself back into her bra with trembling fingers. She wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, **** to erase any evidence of what had just happened.

Aaron was staring at her.

There was gratitude in his eyes, yes—but something else too. Awe. Reverence. Like she'd given him something precious instead of something extracted through cruelty and desperation.

That look made her stomach turn more than the act itself.

When he finally spoke, his voice had changed. There was a new edge to it—confidence, defiance. "I hope you're happy now," he said to Edgar, his chin lifted slightly.

Edgar's smirk flickered. For just a moment, something like surprise crossed his face before he recovered. "Yeah, we're happy, Aaron." His eyes slid to Chloe, cold and appraising. "Happy to see you found yourself a girl willing to suck your dick on command."

The other boys snickered.

"We'll make sure to spread the word," Edgar added, already moving toward the door. "Everyone's gonna want to hear about Aaron's new girlfriend."

Chloe's face burned. The implication of his words settled over her like a stain she couldn't wash away.

One by one, they filed out. The sound of their laughter echoed through the house long after the door closed behind them.

Then it was just her and Aaron.

He turned to her, his face pale, his eyes red-rimmed. The bravado he'd shown Edgar crumbled. "I'm sorry, Chloe," he whispered. "I didn't... I never thought it would go that far."

She stared at him, words caught somewhere between her throat and her tongue. What could she say? That it was fine? That she was okay?

She wasn't.

Finally, she reached out and brushed her fingers against his arm—a gesture of reassurance she didn't feel but knew he needed. "It's over now," she said quietly. "They saw what they needed to see."

She hoped that was true. She hoped the bullying would stop, that this had been worth something.

But as she walked home alone under the stars, the night air cool against her skin, Chloe couldn't shake the weight in her chest. The shame. The sticky residue of humiliation that clung to her like a second skin.

---

Her apartment was dark and quiet when she arrived.

She didn't bother turning on the lights. Instead, she went straight to the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as it would go. Steam filled the small space, fogging the mirror, and she stood under the spray until her skin turned pink and the water ran cold.

She scrubbed her mouth three times.

Even then, she couldn't look at herself in the mirror without feeling a wave of disgust.

---

The next morning, Chloe walked into Josh's apartment with a smile plastered to her face.

He was on the couch, book in hand, but the moment he saw her, his expression shifted. "Hey." He set the book aside, studying her. "Everything okay?"

Chloe's stomach tightened. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The words came out too bright, too ****. Josh's eyes lingered on hers, searching, and for a terrible moment, she thought he might push. That he might see through her.

But he just stood and pulled her into a hug, his arms warm and familiar around her.

She buried her face in his chest and breathed him in, saying nothing about the night before. Nothing about Aaron. Nothing about the taste that still lingered in her memory.

Some things were better left in the dark.

---

The weeks that followed were a blur of normalcy.

House hunting consumed their attention. Chloe threw herself into the search, grateful for the distraction. They found a modest two-bedroom on a quiet street, and before long, boxes were stacked in corners and moving trucks lined the driveway.

Josh's dad, Richard, showed up with a scowl and a toolbox. Chloe's father, Daniel, brought pizza and good humor. Ethan drifted in and out, cracking jokes and carrying more than his fair share of furniture.

It was good. Normal. Safe.

Chloe smiled through all of it, playing the part of the happy fiancée, the woman with nothing to hide.

But sometimes, in the quiet moments, she'd catch herself staring at nothing—her mind drifting back to that night, to Aaron's **** eyes, to Edgar's cruel smile.

Everyone's gonna want to hear about Aaron's new girlfriend.

She wondered if the rumors had spread. She wondered if people were talking.

She wondered how long she could keep pretending it never happened.