My Secret Letter

Chapter 8: Breaking Point

The days stretched on, each one heavier than the last, as Ling tried to prove to Orm that the rumors swirling around were false. She sent texts, left voicemails, and even tried to catch Orm after class, but each attempt was met with silence. Orm had erected walls around her heart, and Ling felt increasingly powerless as the distance between them grew.

Ling spent her time with Ying, masking her heartache behind forced laughter and fake smiles, but the ache of loss was unrelenting. The whispers of the school hallways became a constant reminder of her failure to protect what she had with Orm. Each time she passed a group of students, the smirks and sideways glances made her skin crawl, yet she couldn't help but feel the sting of jealousy at how easily Orm seemed to be moving on.

Then came the day that shattered whatever fragile hope Ling had left. Sitting with Ying at their usual table in the cafeteria, Ling noticed Jennie approaching with a smirk plastered across her face. It was a look Ling recognized all too well, one that hinted at trouble.

"Hey, Ling," Jennie said, feigning sweetness. "I think you should see this." She waved her phone in the air, and Ling's heart sank.

"What is it, Jennie?" Ling asked, her voice steadier than she felt.

Jennie leaned closer, her voice dripping with faux concern. "You know how Orm has been spending so much time with Popor lately? I just thought you should see this." With a flourish, she turned the screen toward Ling.

Ling's breath hitched as she took in the image: a snapshot of what appeared to be Orm and Popor locked in a kiss, the angle almost too perfectly staged to be accidental. Ling's heart dropped as the world around her blurred. She had seen enough to know that it looked real, and it cut deep.

"No... this can't be real," Ling breathed, her voice trembling.

"Oh, it's real, all right," Jennie replied, barely able to contain her glee. "Looks like Orm moved on pretty fast, doesn't it? Just a few weeks after you two were together."

Ling felt a rush of anger and hurt boiling inside her. "You don't know anything," she snapped, trying to regain her composure. But deep down, the image replayed in her mind, a vicious loop that tormented her.

"Believe what you want, but the truth is in the picture," Jennie continued, her voice a mix of satisfaction and malice. "I just thought you deserved to know what kind of person she really is."

Ling's fists clenched at her sides. She had to confront Orm. This wasn't just a rumor anymore; it was a betrayal that demanded an explanation. Without another word, she pushed past Jennie and made her way to Orm's table, where she was sitting with Popor.

"Orm!" Ling's voice rang out, slicing through the chatter in the cafeteria.

Orm looked up, her expression shifting from surprise to concern. "Ling, please—"

Before Orm could finish, Ling interrupted, her heart racing with hurt and anger. "How could you do this to me?"

"What are you talking about?" Orm replied, confusion etched across her face.

Ling thrust Jennie's phone forward, the photo now a weapon in her hands. "This! How could you move on so fast? You and Popor? I thought we had something real!"

The cafeteria fell silent, all eyes on them. Orm's eyes widened as she took in the image. "Ling, it's not what it looks like!" she protested, her voice rising in panic. "That photo is—"

"Lies? Just like you?" Ling interrupted, her voice laced with bitterness. "You're just using her for popularity, aren't you? You wanted to be with the 'cool girl' instead of the 'nerdy girl' who wrote letters to her crush!"

"Ling, please!" Orm pleaded, her voice breaking. "I didn't use you for anything! I loved you! I'm trying to—"

"Loved? Past tense?" Ling shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Seems like that changed pretty quickly. You've become everything I never wanted you to be!"

Orm's face crumpled, the hurt in her eyes mirrored the pain in Ling's heart. "You don't understand! I never wanted any of this! I'm trying to figure things out, and this isn't—"

"But you're already with Popor! How could you move on so quickly? You've forgotten everything we had!" Ling shouted, frustration bubbling over. "You used me to climb the social ladder!"

"No, Ling, that's not true!" Orm insisted, tears pooling in her eyes. "I was trying to move on because you wouldn't listen to me! You wouldn't give me a chance to explain!"

"Explain what? How you moved on while I was still trying to get over you? How you're suddenly the popular girl?" Ling retorted, her heart pounding. "You used to be so different, Orm!"

Orm's face fell, the accusation striking her like a physical blow. "I'm not using anyone. I just... I don't know what to do anymore."

Ling felt a flicker of regret, but it was quickly drowned by the rush of betrayal. "You're right. You don't know what to do because you've changed. I thought I was with someone who understood me, not someone who would run into the arms of someone like Popor."

"Ling, please—" Orm's voice cracked, but Ling cut her off, her anger rising again.

"I don't want to hear it! I'm done," Ling spat, her voice sharp. In a final act of defiance, she turned away and spotted Jennie at the edge of the cafeteria, a smirk plastered on her face. In a reckless move, Ling marched over to her ex-girlfriend and kissed her, a show of power and retaliation.

The cafeteria erupted in whispers and gasps as Ling pulled away from Jennie, who looked just as surprised. Ling felt a rush of adrenaline mixed with regret but refused to let it show. She walked away, leaving Orm standing there, heartbroken and alone, as Ling's world fell apart.

As Ling stormed out of the cafeteria, she could feel the weight of her choices pressing down on her. The anger that had driven her actions faded, replaced by a hollow ache in her chest. She had hurt Orm, and in doing so, had lost a piece of herself.