Zara:
I don't remember falling asleep.
At some point, the sobs must've dragged me under, because I wake up with a sore throat, crusted tears on my cheeks, and the crushing weight of everything that happened pressing down on my chest.
The prom dress still clings to me like a second skin, now wrinkled and heavy with regret. My head throbs, my mouth tastes of dried tears and heartbreak, and my eyes burn like they've been scrubbed with sandpaper.
I sit up slowly, every movement a reminder of last night—of his hands on my face, his voice dripping with cruelty, that laugh.
God. That laugh.
I don't know how long I sit there, numb and empty. Time passes differently when your heart's in pieces.
Then there's a knock at my door. Not a polite one. It's rushed. Urgent. Followed by footsteps I've come to recognize.
Nick.
"Zara?" His voice is cautious. "Can I come in?"
I don't answer. I don't want to see anyone. But the door opens anyway.
He walks in slowly, eyes immediately scanning the wreckage that is me—still in my prom dress, hair tangled, face blotchy and swollen.
"Jesus…" he mutters. "You look like hell."
"Thanks," I croak, voice like gravel.
He moves closer but doesn't sit down. He just stands there awkwardly, like he's waiting for something.
"What do you want?" I whisper.
"I figured you should know before you hear it from anyone else." He pauses. "I beat him up."
I blink. "What?"
"Liam." He finally sits, running a hand down his face. "I went to find him this morning . I was so pissed—he humiliated you in front of everyone. Kaylee told me everything she overheard, the plan, the setup. And then I saw you walk out like your world had ended, and I just… lost it. And when I saw your condition last night, I wanted to go crazy."
I stare at him, my chest rising and falling rapidly. "Nick, what did you do?"
"I found him at his house this morning. Asshole was walking outside like it was just another normal day. Didn't wait for him to talk. Just swung." His eyes flash. "I didn't stop. Not until cops showed up. It took two cops to get me off him."
I cover my mouth with my hand.
"He's in the hospital," Nick adds quietly. "Mild concussion. Split lip. Broken nose."
My heart twists.
"And you?"
He snorts. "Holding cell . Dad bailed me out this afternoon."
I try to process everything, but my thoughts are scattered. Liam in the hospital. Nick arrested. All of it because of me.
"I didn't do it for revenge," Nick says suddenly. "I did it because you didn't deserve that. I saw how you looked at him, Z. You actually loved him. I should've protected you better."
My throat tightens. "You were right. All along. You and Kaylee."
His voice softens. "That doesn't mean it hurts any less."
I nod, eyes welling up again. "He made me feel like I mattered. Like I was beautiful. Wanted." My voice breaks. "And then he tore it all away like it meant nothing."
Nick looks away, jaw clenched. "They'll all pay for this. Every one of them."
But vengeance isn't on my mind right now. I'm just trying to breathe through the grief. Through the betrayal. Through the realization that the only people who really cared were the ones I pushed away.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, wiping a tear. "For everything. For hating you, for yelling at Kaylee. I was just so—"
"Hurt. I know."
He puts an arm around me, gently this time, and I let my head fall onto his shoulder. It's strange how comforting it is, considering how much we used to clash.
"You don't have to be strong right now," he says quietly. "Just… be."
I close my eyes.
And for the first time since everything fell apart, I let myself just be.
Broken. But not alone.