The gymnasium was unrecognizable, streamers draped from the ceiling, fairy lights twinkling like stars, and the sound of pop music pulsing through the floor. Everyone was dressed up, dancing, laughing, living in the moment. Everyone except Jessica.
She sat alone at the corner table, nursing a cup of punch and pretending not to notice the way Chloe, Ava, and Taylor cast glances her way. They hadn't spoken to her all evening. Not since the truth came out about the laptop. And not since she told Chloe she knew what she'd done.
Jessica crossed her legs and tapped her heel against the tile. She wasn't here for them. She came because this was supposed to be her moment too, her dress, her night, her memories. She had a life before Steven Greece. She could have one after.
But it was hard to pretend she was okay when everything around her reminded her that she wasn't.
She had imagined prom differently. She was supposed to walk in with Steven, hand in hand, both of them a little awkward but laughing it off. He would've worn that dumb black suit he hated, and she would've convinced him to dance with her to some corny slow song.
Instead, she sat watching other people's dreams come true while hers had unraveled.
"Lonely much?"
She looked up, and instantly wished she hadn't.
Zach Monroe stood before her, hands in his pockets, a cocky smirk curving his lips. His tux was slightly wrinkled, like he didn't care, and his tie was missing entirely. Classic Zach.
Jessica stiffened. "What do you want?"
He shrugged. "Chloe's boring. Thought I'd talk to someone with more... edge."
She glared at him. "I'm not in the mood."
Zach smiled, stepping closer. "Look, I came to say something. Maybe you don't believe it, but… I'm sorry."
Jessica blinked. "You're sorry?"
"For everything," he said smoothly. "Steven, the laptop... I never meant for it to blow up like that. I just wanted to mess around, not ruin someone's life."
She didn't buy it. Not for a second. But something about the way he looked at her, like he actually cared, made her hesitate.
"You're unbelievable," she muttered, standing to leave.
He caught her wrist gently. "Hey, I'm being serious. I know you're hurting. You don't have to pretend with me."
Jessica pulled her hand free, but before she could say anything else, Zach leaned in.
Too close.
Too fast.
And though she turned her face away instinctively, it didn't matter.
The damage was already done.
Somewhere in the crowd, someone had their phone out. A flash. A video. Laughter. Whispers. A moment frozen in time for the wrong reasons.
Jessica shoved Zach away. "You jerk."
But he only smirked. "Guess you're not that lonely after all."
She stormed out of the gym, blinking back tears. Of all the nights for this to happen, it had to be prom.
The video hit TikTok before midnight.
It wasn't long. Just a seven-second clip of Zach Monroe leaning in toward Jessica, his hand on her waist, her eyes wide with what looked like guilt. The caption? "Guess nerd boy wasn't enough for her. #promdrama"
By morning, it had thousands of views.
And one of those views belonged to Steven Greece.
He watched the video again and again, fingers trembling as he replayed that moment. Zach's smirk. Jessica's face. The way it looked like she let him get close. The way it looked like she wanted to.
He felt sick.
It all made sense now. The stolen laptop. The silence. The hesitation in her voice when she admitted Chloe might've taken it. She hadn't tried to stop it because she was in on it. Because she wanted to be with Zach. She played him. All this time.
Steven dropped his phone onto the bed and sank into the mattress, the betrayal cutting deeper than he expected. Not just because he'd lost his future, but because he'd trusted her. Believed in her. Loved her.
And now?
Now he didn't know if any of it had been real.
One thing was certain, whatever was left between them was shattered.
And it wasn't just about stolen code anymore.
It was about a friendship, no, a growing love, torn apart.