Page 20 of Shattered Melodies

And when a slow song finally came on and Caleb pulled me into his arms, swaying gently to the music as the lights dimmed and the world narrowed down to just the two of us, I thought my heart might burst from the sheer joy and love and rightness of it all.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” I murmured, my cheek pressed against his shoulder and my arms wound tight around his waist.

He hummed softly, his breath ruffling my hair. “Me too. But even if we can’t, I’ll always remember this moment. I’ll always remember how perfect it feels to hold you like this, to be with you like this.”

I melted into Caleb’s embrace, his words washing over me like a soothing balm. For a moment, everything else faded away - the prom, the people, the constant fear of being found out. It was just us, just this perfect, shining moment that I wanted to hold onto forever.

But of course, forever couldn’t last. And in the end, it wasn’t my parents or the small-minded gossips of Oakwood Grove who shattered our fragile peace.

It was Jake.

I had almost forgotten about him, too caught up in the magic of the night and the warmth of Caleb’s arms around me. But then the music cut off abruptly, and a hush fell over the room as someone tapped on the microphone on stage.

I turned, my heart sinking as I saw Jake standing there, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. He had been tormenting me ever since I transferred to Oakwood High, always ready with a cutting remark or a vicious prank. I had hoped that maybe, just for tonight, he would leave me alone.

But I should have known better.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he drawled, his voice dripping with false sweetness. “I have a special announcement to make.”

I felt Caleb tense beside me, his hand tightening around mine. “What is he doing?” he muttered, his eyes narrowed.

I shook my head, my stomach churning with dread. “I don’t know. But I have a bad feeling about this.”

Jake reached into his jacket, pulling out a stack of something that glinted under the twinkling lights. “You see, I think it’s time we all knew the truth about our dear classmates, Liam and Caleb.”

My blood ran cold. No. He couldn’t possibly do this. But he could. And he did.

With a flourish, Jake held up the stack of photos, fanning them out so that everyone could see. And there, in vivid, damning color, were pictures of me and Caleb. Kissing under the bleachers, holding hands in the hallway, lost in our own little world.

The room erupted in gasps and whispers, the sound like a thousand knives stabbing into my chest. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but stand there as my worst nightmare unfolded in front of me.

“That’s right, folks,” Jake said, his voice cutting through the din like a blade. “Looks like our little lovebirds have been keeping secrets. And here I thought they were just ‘good friends.’”

He made air quotes around the words, his lips curling in a sneer. The crowd tittered, some of them openly pointing and laughing. I felt like I was going to be sick.

Caleb grabbed my hand, trying to pull me away. “Come on, Liam. Let’s get out of here.”

But I couldn’t move. I was frozen, paralyzed by the weight of all those stares, all that judgement and disgust and gleeful, vicious amusement.

And then, just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I heard a familiar voice from the back of the room.

“Liam? What is going on here?”

My head snapped up, my heart plummeting to my shoes as I saw my parents pushing their way through the crowd. Jake must have planned this because I didn’t know what they were doing here.

And now they knew. Now they had seen the evidence of my lies, my betrayal, laid out in front of the whole school.

“Mom,” I croaked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Dad. I…I can explain…”

But my father’s face was like thunder, his eyes flashing with a rage I had never seen before. “Explain? Explain what, exactly? That you’ve been sneaking around with this…this boy? Lying to us, disrespecting us, throwing away your future for some sick, twisted…thing?”

I flinched like he had slapped me, tears stinging my eyes. “It’s not like that,” I tried to say, but the words stuck in my throat. “We…we love each other…”

My mother let out a choked sob, her hand flying to her mouth. “Love? You think this is love? This is a sin, Liam. An abomination. I won’t have it under my roof, do you hear me?”

I shook my head, my vision blurring as the tears began to fall. This couldn’t be happening. This had to be a nightmare, a terrible, horrible dream that I would wake up from any second.

But it wasn’t a dream. It was real, and it was happening, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

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