2

Emily's POV.

My heart hammered in my chest as I watched Cole laugh. It wasn't a light chuckle or a half-hearted grin. No, this was the kind of laugh that made you feel like something deep inside you was being crushed into dust.

His friends started laughing too, the sound of their mocking, high-pitched giggles echoing through the hallway. And then, even a few students nearby joined in. I could feel my face burn, my pulse pounding in my ears. I stood there, frozen, helpless, every ounce of courage I had drained in an instant.

“Are you serious?” Cole asked, wiping tears from his eyes as he took a step toward me. He looked me up and down with the kind of scrutiny that made me want to crawl into a hole and hide forever. “You think you can just... tell me you like me? You think I’m going to be interested in some girl like you?” His voice was dripping with venom, each word cutting deeper than the last.

I felt smaller and smaller, like the floor was swallowing me whole. He poked at my head with a finger, like I was some kind of mannequin…his lips curled into a twisted grin. “You like me?” he repeated, almost as if he couldn’t believe it. "Seriously. Have you even seen yourself?" He gestured toward me, his expression now pure disgust. "What, because I gave you an umbrella once, you think I’m your ticket to... what? Happiness? You’re dreaming."

The laughter grew louder. His friends were practically howling now, their mockery making my skin crawl. I wanted to shrink away, disappear. But I couldn’t move. My legs were stiff, my chest heavy with shame.

“You really think I’d ever go for someone like you?” Cole sneered, his voice suddenly turning bitter and cruel, like I was nothing but a joke. “You’re nothing. Just some girl who’s obsessed with me because I was nice enough to give you my umbrella. That’s the best you got, huh? A damn umbrella?” He threw his hands up as if my feelings were the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. “Get a grip, Emily. We’re not even on the same track. You’re nowhere near my league. I’m the guy everyone wants, and you—” He stopped, looking me up and down again, shaking his head like he couldn’t even comprehend how I could’ve thought this was a good idea. “You? You’re a joke. A loser.”

I could feel the sting of his words, each one like a slap to my face. My vision blurred, and I blinked furiously to fight the tears that were threatening to spill.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" His words sliced through the air. "You think because I’ve smiled at you a couple of times, that means anything? You think I care? I don’t even remember your name half the time." His eyes narrowed as he let the words sink in, watching me flinch with each cruel jab.

His friends were still laughing, egging him on. "Damn, Cole, you’re gonna break her heart!" one of them said, slapping him on the back like this was all some kind of twisted game.

“You should’ve seen the look on her face when she thought he might like her,” another one added, his voice full of mock sympathy. “Classic move, Cole. She’s got a thing for the golden boy, huh?”

I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt like it was caving in, my skin on fire from the humiliation. How could I have been so stupid? So naive to think he would ever see me as anything other than a joke. His words rang in my ears over and over. You’re nothing. A loser. Pathetic.

Cole's smirk only deepened as he stepped even closer, his face now inches from mine. I could smell the faint scent of his cologne, mixed with sweat from the game, but all I could focus on was the bitterness in his eyes. "Listen, Emily," he said slowly, like he was explaining something to a child. "You’re never going to be anything more than the girl who hides in the back of the class, the one no one notices until it’s too late. You think you can change that with some lame confession? You’re wasting your time." His tone dripped with disgust. “You want to know the real reason I gave you that umbrella?” He paused for effect, his lips curling into something ugly, something dark. "It’s because I felt sorry for you. That’s it. Nothing more.”

The laughter from his friends grew louder, filling my ears until I couldn’t hear anything else. The sound of it crushed me, shattering everything inside me that had once dared to believe maybe, just maybe, he could see me differently.

And then, Cole pushed past me without another word, not even sparing me a second glance. His friends followed, still snickering behind him like a pack of hyenas. I stood there, unable to move, feeling like the world had come crashing down on top of me. My hands were shaking, my chest heaving as I fought to keep my emotions from spilling over.

Tears burned at the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I couldn’t—couldn’t let them see me break, couldn’t let them see how much I was hurting. But the ache in my chest was unbearable, like I’d just been ripped apart by his cruel words.

I felt the weight of everything—the laughter, the humiliation, the bitterness—pressing down on me. For the first time, I understood exactly how small I was in the grand scheme of things. Cole Grayson didn’t even see me. He didn’t care. And I was foolish for ever thinking that I could change that.

“Pathetic,” I whispered to myself, repeating his words like a mantra. I had to get out of there. I couldn’t stand to be in the same space anymore.

I turned on my heel and hurried down the hallway, the echoes of their laughter following me like a dark shadow. The tears finally started to fall, but I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t care who saw. I didn’t care about anything anymore.

Because in that moment, I realized that no matter how much I had liked him, no matter how badly I had wanted him to notice me, I was nothing to him. Just a girl with glasses, nothing more. And as much as I hated it, I knew he was right—I would always be nothing.