Chapter 2

Danielle's POV 

"We're here!" Clara chirped as Davis pulled up to the prom's venue. She leaned , her eyes hovering over my face, and grimaced. "Ugh! Not to kill your spirits or anything, but the makeup is—"

"Don't say anything, Clara!" I snapped, raising a hand to cut her off. The smile faded from her lips as she saw the gloomy look on my face. She nodded in understanding, her eyes darting towards Davis, and got down from the car. 

I waited for her to head into the building, then turned to Davis. "Are you ready?" I asked.

Davis gave a small start, as though his mind was miles away from here, and turned to me. He smiled fleetingly. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

I nodded. "Let's go, then."

Davis, ever the gentleman, hopped down from the car and circled it to open the door for me. I smiled at him, trying to silence the ominous voices in my head telling me that all wasn't well. I stretched out my hand, half-expecting him to take it, but he merely stood there, hand on the door, staring at me. 

I frowned at him as I got down from the car. "Davis, is anything wrong?"

"No." He swallowed and smiled fleetingly again. "Everything is fine."

And I repeated it to myself as we ascended the staircase leading to the venue of the prom. Everything would be fine, I thought. Nothing could possibly go wrong. I knew Davis was in love with me, and nothing would ever change that. My scholarship exams tomorrow flashed across my mind again but this time I shrugged it off for good. I should enjoy the moments, I told myself. I'll still have time to study.

We stepped in, and I was immediately awed by the sight that met my eyes. Neon lights flashed, balloons and confetti floated around, further lending a festive air to the prom dance. In a corner, I could see a fruit punch and snacks bar, and in another, a picture booth. Several seniors, looking their absolute bests, gyrated to music from speakers in the corners of the room. Suddenly I felt underdressed, more so because of the hasty makeup Clara had applied on me. 

A new music came on and I turned to Davis. "Hey, do you wanna—"

I stopped. Davis had disappeared into the crowd, leaving me at the entrance of the prom. I looked around wildly, feeling suddenly alone. The fear in my heart intensified as I couldn't spot either my friend or my boyfriend.

I pushed past the dancing seniors and floating balloons, my eyes roaming the room for Clara and David. Finally I spotted Clara close to the picture booth. Heaving a sigh of relief, I crossed the room to the other side and stopped behind her.

I reached out to pat her shoulder: she turned to me. "Hey, D. Where's Davis?" She asked.

"I really don't know." I muttered and wrapped my arms around my body, feeling cold suddenly. "I kinda want to leave, you know I still need to prepare more for tomorrow's test."

Clare snorted. "But you just got here. Enjoy the party!"

"I...don't know." I said. "I mean, my scholarship exams start tomorrow and I still have a lot to cover."

"Get out of your head sometimes!" Clara cut in, shaking her head at me. "You're a crazy brainiac, one of the smartest people I have ever seen. You would ace the exam without even making any effort."

"I—" I started, but then a noise cut me off. I heard loud cheering and whooping coming from the middle of the room.

I turned to Clara. She gave me a shrug and a confused look. And together, we walked towards the source of the noise.

I got to the edge of the gathered crowd and peered over their heads, grateful for my height. I saw Davis, on his knees in front of another girl. There was an open box in his hands, and the girl was giggling and bouncing on the balls of her feet.

The sight of him hit me like a low blow. I shouldered my way through the throng of cheering seniors and ended up at the front, disbelief etched on my face.

The scene played out vividly in my mind, like a movie I couldn't erase. I saw Davis, once the embodiment of love and tenderness, locked in an embrace with none other than Anabelle, another girl in our class. 

"Davis!" I called out.

He froze. The entire hall went silent. Then the murmurs began.

They were all looking at me, whispering behind their hands and giving me snide looks, but I didn't care. My eyes were on Davis and the scene before me.

"Why?" I pleaded, my voice trembling with pain. "Just...tell me why!"

Davis turned to me slowly. But the remorse I'd expected on his face was absent. He met my gaze with a shocking indifference, his blue eyes turning cold and distant. "Why are you so surprised, Danielle?"

"I—" I started, but he cut me off.

"Look, I'm in love with someone else. That shouldn't be too hard for you to process, should it?" He asked.

The words hung in the air, suffocating me, as the weight of his betrayal crashed down upon my fragile heart. It was a searing pain that cut deeper than any physical wound ever could. The love I had believed in, the trust I had placed so fervently in Davis, had been nothing but an illusion.

My voice quivered with a mixture of anger and anguish. "How could you...how could you use me like that? Was everything we shared just a lie?"

Davis smirked, his eyes burning with a fervency that shocked me. "Because you were convenient, Danielle." He replied, then turned to Annabelle, reaching for her hand. "But I've found someone better now, someone who can give me what I want."

The room seemed to spin around me as I struggled to process his heartless confession. The love I had invested so selflessly had been squandered, discarded like a worthless trinket. In that moment, my heart shattered into a million irreparable fragments.

My eyes squeezed shut as the painful memory played out before me once more, the words echoing like a relentless drumbeat in my mind. The scene at the prom party, Davis's sweet words dripping from his lips as he lavished attention upon Annabelle, had been a cruel spectacle for all to witness. 

I took a step towards Davis, disbelief clouding my sense of reasoning. "Davis—"

"Annabelle was suddenly in front of me, her voice dripping with venom as she interjected, "Don't you even dare!" She snarled.

My anger bubbled to the surface. I pushed past Annabelle. "Get away from me, you bitch!" I yelled.

Suddenly I felt a hand grab my hair from the back. Annabelle yanked me so hard that it forced a shriek from my lips. I found myself on the ground, tears blinding my vision, as my mates around me took embarrassing pictures.

Warm hands grabbed my shoulders as I sobbed pitifully. "Come on, ignore them." a voice murmured in my ear, and it took me a moment to realise that it was Clara.

I held on to her gratefully as she pulled me up. "Don't look at them.

" She murmured in my ear as she led me out. 

Once outside, I collapsed on to her shoulder and sobbed. I felt the weight of Davis' betrayal on my shoulders, unyielding and merciless. Clara held on to me and rocked me back and forth till the sobs subsided.

"I think I should go home," I muttered, wiping my eyes. "This is too much for me to bear."

"I have a better idea." Clara's eyes twinkled, further adding to the unease that had settled in my belly. "There's an after-party—"

I shook my head. "No, no! If it means seeing more of Davis and that bitch, then I'm not going. And besides, my scholarship exams—"

"Oh, will you be quiet about those blasted exams for once!" Clara snapped. "Danielle, proms happen only once. You can't let that douchebag and his bitch ruin this evening for you. And besides, I am sure Davis would keep his face away from them at the after-party, considering the stunt he pulled today."

I stared at Clara's trusting face for several seconds, then groaned loudly. "Do not make me regret this!"

She smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "You'll see."