The sharp chirp of her alarm sliced through the silence of her room. Rachel rolled over, tapping her phone screen to stop the noise before swinging her legs off the bed with a sigh.
She grabbed her phone again before heading to the bathroom, rubbing her eyes as she pulled up her social apps like muscle memory.
Twibbler loaded slowly and notifications were scarce, and the slight irritation in her brow softened into confusion when a message popped up on screen:
"Account (Saucy1012) suspended. This account has violated Twibbler's community guidelines."
She blinked and checked that account and realized that everything had been cleared out.
Rachel: Tch… seriously?
Her thumb hovered over the screen for a moment longer. Then she just scoffed and tossed the phone onto the bed.
Rachel: Whatever. I'll just make a new one.
It didn't even sting as much. Not when she had expected that her account would be suspended since she spent weeks spreading hate and cyber bullying Lonelygirl4556's account.
Rachel: I'll think about all this stuff later...
She walked into the bathroom, the cold tile prickling under her feet. Steam soon filled the air as she stepped into the shower, letting the water pour over her.
Fifteen minutes later, she stood in front of the mirror, towel wrapped around her shoulders as she ruffled her damp hair with a blow dryer. A few strands fell into her face. She smoothed them aside, gazing at her reflection.
Bright eyes, neutral lips and that same clean-cut bob that brushed just below her jawline. She never grew it out because short hair was easier to manage.
Rachel: (to herself) Perfect.
She dressed quickly and left her room, bag slung over one shoulder, earbuds in.
The day at school passed in its usual rhythm class, chatter, notes passed under desks. When lunch came, she was already surrounded by her circle under the giant tree in the school courtyard. Leanne was beside her, Ivan sprawled across the bench, Joseph pretending to listen while tapping through a game on his phone. They had both joined them today since John told them there was something he had to do.
Rachel sat upright with one leg crossed over the other, sipping iced tea through a straw. The slight breeze tousled her hair but she didn't bother fixing it. The messy look had grown on her.
Leanne: You should do your hair like that more often. You're giving lowkey model vibes.
Rachel: It's called sleep deprivation and not caring.
Ivan (grinning) Whatever it is, it's working.
She rolled her eyes but smirked faintly. The easy banter helped quiet her mind and then after a while, she looked around the courtyard and how lively it was, filled with different groups talking about different things and whatnot.
But then...
John: Rachel.
The voice cut through the noise and then she instantly looked up.
He was standing a few feet away, hands at his sides, face serious. The same uniform, same look in his eyes, but colder now, focused, but not confused like before.
She hadn't had a proper conversation with John since that night.
The night he rejected her.
The night she kissed him.
Her stomach twisted, but she didn't let it show. She stood up smoothly, brushing imaginary lint off her skirt. John's presence has also surprised Ivan and Joseph as they had thought he was going to be busy with whatever he wanted to do.
Rachel: What is it?
John: Can we talk? In private?
Rachel blinked.
Just like that. No 'hey.' No warm-up. No sign that the space between them these past few months had made a difference.
She hesitated, lips parting—then gently closed again. Her eyes flicked sideways to her friends, then back to him.
Rachel: (calmly) You can say what you want here.
John: (lowering his voice) No… I need to talk to you alone.
Rachel exhaled slowly through her nose. Her tone was neutral, but there was something fragile behind her gaze.
Rachel: I don't see why we have to go somewhere private. It's not like there's anything left between us.
The words weren't said to hurt. But they carried a soft sting. One John felt deep in his gut.
He looked away for half a second, his jaw clenching.
John: Rachel, this isn't about us.
Rachel suddenly had a faint smile on her face after hearing this like those words had wounded her.
Rachel: Right... Of course it's not.
There was no venom in her voice. Just a quiet ache.
John's shoulders tensed. He stepped a little closer, lowering his voice more.
John: Rachel, just… Come with me for a second. Please.
However, Rachel wasn't buying it.
Rachel: Why? What's so important that you can't say it to everyone here?
Leanne frowned slightly, Ivan glanced away and Joseph shifted awkwardly.
Rachel wasn't angry, but her heart had built walls in the months since John had turned her down and now she didn't know how she could bring herself to speak with him like they used to.
Rachel: If you've got something to say, you can say it here.
John stared at her. For a moment, he didn't speak and when he did, his voice came out tight.
John: You really want me to say it here?
Rachel nodded.
Rachel: You're the one who wanted to talk. Say whatever it is you want to say right here.
John's hands curled into fists at his sides as a part of him still couldn't believe it. He looked at Rachel again at the short hair she nervously tucked behind her ear, the guarded way she stood, arms folded like a shield.
How?
How could it have been her?
How could Rachel, someone he'd trusted, someone he'd once thought was just a little too kind, a little too persistent, be the one behind everything?
Behind Kana's pain.
Behind those posts.
Behind the words that broke someone who only ever wanted to feel a little less alone.
The guilt in his chest squeezed tighter. And the worst part was… maybe this had started because of him.
Because of that night.
Because he thought rejecting her kindly would be enough.
He looked down at his feet and then his gaze fell on the wrist which he wore Kana's bracelets and then he took a deep breath and spoke.
John: Rachel… Do you know a Twibbler account called Saucy1012?
The words dropped like a stone.
Rachel's expression faltered only for a moment. A twitch of the brow and a flicker of shock in her eyes.
But John caught it. She immediately put herself together and tried to play dumb to avoid John from being suspicious.
Rachel: Why are you asking me that?
John's breath caught, eyes narrowing.
John: Just answer the question.
Leanne glanced sideways at Rachel.
Ivan: What's going on?
Rachel's lips parted, unsure what expression to wear; confusion, annoyance, or denial. Her heart pounded in her chest, the sound loud in her ears.
Finally she spoke in a tone that showed that she was still composed.
Rachel: Is that what this is about?
But John didn't let up. His voice was no longer unsure. No longer soft.
John: That account's been involved in… some shady stuff lately. Really shady stuff.
He paused, gauging her reaction.
John: And after seeing what it's been up to, I decided to dig a little.
Rachel's eyes twitched, just once, Leanne tilted her head slightly and Joseph's arms folded.
John: That account was linked to your email, Rachel. Both your regular Twibbler and Saucy1012 were active at the same time… with the same email address funny enough, the same passwords for each account.
Silence.
Rachel's mouth opened, closed again. She tried to laugh, but it came out breathy and forced.
Rachel: (wavering) Okay, first of all, I didn't do anything shady. I—I don't even know what you're talking about. That's probably just, like… a scammer or some hacker using my info. That happens all the time.
John: (raising an eyebrow) So you're saying someone hacked your email… and made a second Twibbler account… that was posting horrible things under your name?
Rachel: Yes! That's what I'm saying! Why are you even asking me that?! I don't even use alt accounts like that! And I would never bully someone online—!
The moment the words left her mouth, she froze.
Dead silence.
John stared at her.
His voice dropped to a near-whisper.
John: I never said the shady stuff was bullying.
Rachel's heart sank and her lips parted slightly, eyes wide. It was like her soul had been yanked forward a step while her body stayed behind.
Joseph blinked, eyes darting between them.
Leanne's hand slowly covered her mouth.
Ivan squinted.
Ivan: Wait… what?
John's tone turned quiet, wounded almost regretful.
John: Why did you assume that's what it was?
Rachel took a step back, eyes flickering with panic. Her breath stuttered, chest tightening.
Rachel: I… I didn't mean… I just thought..
John spoke, cutting in before she continued her sentence and this time, his voice was gentle but cold.
John: Rachel… Why are you lying?
And just like that, the air around them dropped in temperature. The weight of realization landed in the pit of everyone's stomach.
Rachel's fingers curled inward. She didn't have a response but she didn't need one as the look on her face said everything.
******
Rachel's breath caught in her throat.
The silence around her wasn't just external, it was inside her too and it was thick & paralyzing. Her chest felt tight, her lungs refusing to expand properly. The way John had looked at her… like a stranger. Like someone he didn't recognize. Like someone he didn't want to recognize.
Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came.
John's stare didn't let up. His voice, still edged with disbelief, cut into the dead air.
John: Why?
Rachel blinked.
John: Why did you do all this?
Her eyes lowered, fixated on the cracks in the pavement beneath their feet.
John: Why would you go out of your way to bully someone you'd never even met? Was it because I turned you down? Even after that kiss?
At that moment, something inside Rachel split, not a clean break, but a slow, jagged tear that reached places she'd buried for too long.
Her mind shot backward, memories crashing in like broken glass.
That day she'd kissed him. The day he didn't kiss her back.
The moment his expression went blank. The awkward way he stepped away. And then days later… he was different. Distant. But not cold. Not sad. No.
He smiled again.
But not at her.
Always on his phone.
She used to see the way his shoulders would relax, just a little, when she was around. She thought that meant something. She wanted it to mean something. But that smile she only ever saw when he was texting. And it wasn't her.
She blinked again, gaze slowly shifting.
And that's when she saw it.
The bracelet on John's arm.
Rachel's mouth fell open just slightly. Her chest heaved once, an inhale that didn't come back out.
She cracked.
Rachel: I should've been the one.
John blinked.
Rachel: I should've been the one you loved.
Leanne's eyes widened, Ivan took a small step back and Joseph just watched as Rachel's vice began to rise as she spoke.
Rachel: I knew you before any of them. Before her. I was there when things got hard for you. I was there when you stopped smiling. When you'd stay home from school and tell everyone you were sick, even though I knew you weren't. I'm the one who sat next to you every single time, never asked questions, because I knew what it was like to break quietly.
John said nothing. He only stared.
Rachel: I knew those things. I was ready to be by your side forever. I just needed you. But then she showed up. Some… some pity-hungry bot that made everyone feel sorry for her just because she was sick and lonely, like that made her special.
Joseph flinched. Leanne whispered something under her breath, but no one heard what it was.
Rachel took a step forward, eyes glistening but not from regret.
Rachel: I gave everything to you. And you.. You gave everything to her. To Lonelygirl4556 or Kana or whatever her name is.
She scoffed suddenly, bitter and shaking.
Rachel: And you know what? Even now… after everything… I still love you. Even though you're obsessed with that sad little online slut crying for attention—
John: (snaps) SHUT UP!!!!
His voice dropped, trembling not with fear, but fury which shocked Ivan, Leanne and Joseph where they sat.
John: Don't you dare talk about her like that!!
Rachel stepped back, startled and John looked at Rachel dead in the eyes now, and the pain in his face was raw.
John: Kana… was the only one I could be real with. The only one who saw me in the way I wanted to be seen. She never forced me to smile. She never expected me to be okay. She understood, really understood what it felt like to be alone and scared and stuck pretending like everything was fine.
He turned, his voice cracking for the first time.
John: You don't get that, Rachel. None of you do.
Tension snapped across the courtyard. Students were starting to gather, whispering & watching as the drama unfolded in front of their eyes.
Rachel's face went pale, then red. She opened her mouth to say something, but—
SMACK.
A brutal thwack of a fist cut the air.
John's head jerked to the side.
A fist connected.
He stumbled back, stunned, lips already bleeding. The courtyard erupted in gasps.
Joseph.
He was standing in front of John now, chest heaving, his fist still clenched and trembling and with an extremely furious look on his face, Joseph spoke to John...
Joseph: Shut the hell up, man.