[In the Shadows of Love] ~ Pedri.Gonzalez

Chapter 2

As they strolled away from the stadium, Emily glanced at the photo Bella had taken of her in her Pedri jersey. She smiled, feeling the joy of the victory still buzzing inside her.

"Hey, Bella," she said, nudging her friend. "What do you think I should caption this for Instagram?"

Bella thought for a moment, then grinned. "How about, 'Celebrating a perfect comeback with Pedri! #Victory #BarcaForever'?"

Emily laughed. "I love it! You always have the best ideas."

She quickly typed out the caption, added a few celebratory emojis, and posted the photo. As they continued walking.

As Emily and Bella arrived back at Emily's apartment, they were still buzzing from the excitement of the match. Emily tossed her keys onto the table and sank into the couch, pulling out her phone to check the reaction to her Instagram post.

"Let's see how the post is doing," Emily said, opening the app. Her smile quickly faded as she saw the notifications flooding in. Comments and likes were pouring in, but something was off.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked, noticing the change in Emily's expression.

Emily's eyes widened as she scrolled through the comments. "#AttentionSeeker is trending," she said, her voice shaking. "Look at these comments. They're calling me an attention seeker and saying awful things."

Bella leaned in to read the screen. "What? That's ridiculous! You just posted a picture celebrating the match."

Emily felt a lump form in her throat as she continued scrolling. Among the hateful comments were harsh criticisms from Pedri fans, accusing her of trying to steal the spotlight.

"This is insane," Emily whispered, her hands trembling. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted to share a happy moment."

Bella put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "People can be so cruel online, Emily. But don't let them get to you. They don't know you or your intentions."

Emily took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions. "Maybe I should delete the post."

Bella shook her head. "No, you shouldn't have to. You did nothing wrong. If you delete it, they win. Let's turn off the comments and ride this out together."