It was Damian.

He leaned in closely, one arm braced against the metal beside her head, caging her in. His smirk was gone. The teasing, easygoing facade he wore for the world had been stripped away. What looked back at her now was colder, sharper, something dangerous simmering just beneath the surface.

“Thought you were brave earlier, huh?” His voice was low, meant only for her ears. “Telling me to shut up in front of everyone.”

Aria swallowed hard, her back pressed against the cold locker. “You humiliated me first.”

His eyes flickered, the faintest spark of amusement in the storm. “That’s what I do. You’re here because of charity, Lopez. A scholarship girl doesn’t get to talk back.”

He leaned closer, so close she could feel the heat of his breath at her ear.

“You made me look weak. And nobody and I mean nobody does that.”

Her heart hammered, each beat loud in her ears. She forced herself not to flinch, not to let him see fear.

“Stay out of my way,” he whispered, his words were like a blade against her skin. “Or I’ll make this place hell for you.”

With that, he released her wrist suddenly, stepping back as if nothing had happened. He straightened, sliding his hands into his pockets, his grin sliding back into place for the passing crowd. To anyone else, it looked like he’d just been chatting with her.

But Aria knew better.

She gripped her wrist where his fingers had pressed, the faint sting proof of his warning.

Then, she noticed movement.

At the far end of the hall, by the window’s fading light, a figure lingered. Ethan. His hands were in his pockets, his gaze unreadable as it locked on hers.

He didn’t say a word. He didn’t move, he just watched.

Aria’s breath caught.

Did he hear everything?

The question thundered through her head as the hallway emptied around her.

Ethan finally turned away, leaving Aria shaken and questioning whether his silence means indifference or something else entirely.

Aria slowly walked out through the hallway into the paths, she hastied her steps as she was scared Vanessa or Damian might be following her.

The next day, Aria noticed the way everyone stared at her, like she was an alien. She quietly sat down on her desk, brought out her textbook and read while pretending not to notice the glaring eyes on her.

Damian walked towards her desk, and slammed his palm on her desk, jerking everyone in the class.

“Scholarship Girl,” he said, looking at her face. “You got guts to come to school today.”

Aria laughed, “I'm not a coward like you.”

The whole class gasped, Damian raised his hand to hit but stopped midway when a teacher entered the class. He just patted her shoulders and muttered, “Tough, ehn? We'll see about that.”

He walked back to his desk, Aria closed her eyes and thanked her stars for the timely intervention of the teacher.

She slipped inside the restroom clutching her bag against her side after her first class. She was happy things were going on smoothly. The restroom smelled faintly of disinfectant and cheap floral spray, the kind meant to cover what it couldn’t erase.

The mirror over the sink reflected her pale face, her lips pressed into a tight line. She exhaled shakily, finally away from the constant buzz of whispers and stares. For once, it was quiet.

The door creaked open. Her head snapped up.

Vanessa sauntered in, heels clicking against tile. Two girls followed close behind her, the same faces she met the previous day, Megan with her sharp laugh chewing gum, while Claire was with her phone already in hand.

“Well, well, if it isn’t our scholarship star,” Vanessa purred, leaning against the sink beside her. “I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to run in here to hide.”

Aria’s pulse quickened. She gripped the strap of her bag tighter and edged toward the door.

Megan stepped in her way. “Going somewhere?”

Aria forced herself to meet their eyes. “I don’t have time for this.”

Claire snorted. “Did you hear that? She doesn’t have time. Like she’s important or something.”

Vanessa pushed off the counter, circling closer until Aria’s back brushed against the cold wall. Her perfume was thick and suffocating.

“You embarrassed Damian again.” Vanessa said softly, her smile sweet and cruel. “Do you know what that makes you?”

Aria didn’t answer.

Vanessa’s eyes narrowed. “A problem. And problems need fixing.”

Megan cracked her gum loudly. “I say we fix her.”

Claire's laughter echoed off the tiles, sharp and ugly.

Aria’s stomach clenched. She was cornered. She tried to run out, but Megan moved fast, her fingers clamping tight around Aria’s wrists. Aria jerked against her grip, but Megan’s nails dug in like hooks.

“Hold still, charity case,” Megan sneered. “We’re doing you a favor.”

Vanessa pulled a silver tube of lipstick from her bag, twisting it open with a slow, deliberate flourish. The color was a garish, glossy red, the kind that bled too bright to ignore.

“Perfect,” Vanessa cooed. “A cheap clown deserves cheap makeup.”

Aria’s chest heaved. “Don’t..”

But Vanessa was already smearing it across her cheek in a thick, crimson streak. The cold wax dragged over her skin, the smell of chemical strawberry filling her nose.

Claire’s laughter rang out. “Oh my god, look at her! Take a picture, this is priceless.”

The flash of a phone camera lit the corner of Aria’s vision as Vanessa scrawled over her other cheek, leaving uneven circles that burned with humiliation more than with touch.

“Smile for us, Aria,” Vanessa sang, painting a crooked line over her mouth. “That way Damian will have something to laugh at later.”

Aria twisted in Megan’s grip, fury rising in her chest. “Stop it!”

Megan yanked her arms higher, slamming her shoulders back against the wall. “Shut up, clown.”

Vanessa capped the lipstick with a snap, tilting her head to admire her work. “Perfect. A discount circus act. Honestly, red suits you, it makes your poverty look festive.”

The girls howled with laughter, Claire held her phone up for another picture.

Aria’s breath came fast and shallow, shame burning through her veins like fire. She could see her reflection in the mirror across from her, lipstick smeared across her face, red streaks mocking the shape of a smile she didn’t feel.

The sound of her own pulse thundered in her ears.

Aria writhed against Megan’s grip, her shoulders scraping the cold tile. The red smears across her face burned like fire, not from pain but from shame.

Claire angled her phone higher, snapping another shot. “God, this is too good. Tomorrow’s gossip? It will be served hot.”

Vanessa leaned close, her glossy lips curling into a grin as cruel as it was beautiful. “You know what’s the best part, Aria? These pictures don’t just stay in this bathroom.”

Aria froze.

Vanessa tapped Claire’s phone with a manicured nail. “One post. That’s all it takes. Imagine the whole school seeing our little clown. Damian would love it.”

Aria’s stomach dropped. She could already hear the laughter, the whispers. The thought of her face smeared and broken plastered across everyone’s screens made her throat close.

“Don’t…” Her voice cracked. “Don’t you dare.”

Vanessa tilted her head, savoring the fear. “Then learn your place.”

Claire snickered, waving the phone. “Ive got caption ideas. Circus on a scholarship? Or maybe Damian’s charity pet?”

The girls erupted into laughter again. Megan shoved Aria harder against the wall, her grip bruising.

Aria’s chest heaved, her voice strangled. “You’re disgusting.”

“Maybe,” Vanessa said lightly, pulling out her compact to admire her work on Aria’s face. “But at least I’m not pathetic.”

Then, there heard a noise.

SLAM!

The restroom door banged open so hard it smacked the wall, the sound ricocheting through the tiled room.

The laughter cut off.

Standing in the doorway was Mrs. Keller, the school’s janitor, her gray hair tied back in a no-nonsense bun. A mop leaned against her shoulder like a weapon. Her sharp eyes narrowed on the scene, Aria pinned to the wall, lipstick smeared, Claire’s phone still raised.

“What in God’s name is going on here?” she barked.

Megan instantly released Aria, stumbling back. Claire shoved her phone behind her back, cheeks flushing. Vanessa straightened, recovering fast, but the crack in her poise showed.

“Nothing,” Vanessa said smoothly, brushing imaginary dust from her sleeve. “We were just..”

“Out,” Mrs. Keller snapped, voice like steel. “Now.”

The girls hesitated only a moment before scrambling, muttering excuses as they pushed past her into the hall. Vanessa lingered a second longer, meeting Aria’s eyes with a venomous smile.

“This isn’t over,” she whispered, before turning on her heel and striding out.

Silence fell, broken only by the hum of the lights.

Mrs. Keller set the mop aside and sighed, glancing at Aria’s face. Her voice softened. “Clean yourself up, sweetheart.”

She left, pulling the door shut behind her.

Aria was alone again.

Her reflection in the mirror stared back at her, lipstick smeared grotesquely across her cheeks and mouth, the ghost of Vanessa’s laughter still echoing in her ears.

Her hands shook as she grabbed a paper towel, scrubbing at the red stains.

The mirror didn’t lie. No matter how hard Aria scrubbed, streaks of red clung to her skin, staining her cheeks like bruises. Her hands trembled, damp paper towels piling in the sink as she attacked the smears.

“Don’t let them see you cry,” she whispered to herself, fighting the burn in her eyes.

And then she froze.

On the edge of the porcelain sink, tucked neatly beside the faucet, sat a folded tissue. White, crisp, out of place.

Her fingers shook as she picked it up. The fold was precise, sharp. She unfolded it slowly, her heart hammering.

Inside, in small, careful handwriting, was a single line.” Don’t let them see you cry.”

The same words she had just whispered.

Aria’s breath caught. She spun, scanning the empty restroom, but the door was closed, the stalls empty.

Someone had been here. Someone had seen everything.

She pressed the tissue to her chest, the neat handwriting etched into her mind.

For the first time since she’d entered the school, the shame and loneliness wavered, replaced by a single, gnawing question.

Who was watching her?