Ximena's POV
The moment Ezekiel's words hit the air, everything around me seemed to shift sideways.
"Still a big girl, though."
Those weren't even the cruelest words anyone had ever thrown at me. I'd heard worse from strangers, from classmates who barely knew my name. But hearing them roll off his tongue, delivered with that trademark smirk while half the party watched, felt like a physical blow.
Every instinct screamed at me to disappear. To sink through the floor and never resurface. My fingers clutched desperately at my shirt hem, longing for the familiar comfort of my baggy sweatshirts. Why had I ever listened to Glenda about this ridiculous outfit?
Tonight was supposed to be different. My one shot at feeling like someone who mattered. Someone who could be seen as more than just the quiet, awkward shadow trailing behind everyone else.
Instead, Ezekiel Enzo had to remind me exactly where I stood in his world.
