I Just Want You To Be Happy

Chapter 12

By the way I'm so into Jenna Ortega right now, I can't even breathe... I've been thinking to write a Jenna ff after this one is finished. But I'm still considering if it will be a fleshed out story or just one shots with her or her played characters. What's your opinion on that? Anyway enjoy the new chapter! 

💕

The days after the party felt heavier than usual. Val had barely left her room, the door shut tight as if to lock away the world. The house was eerily quiet whenever Tori passed by her door, save for the occasional muffled shuffle of movement or the faint hum of music playing low enough to suggest she didn't want to be heard.

Val's usual defiance had morphed into something sharper, yet muted—a pain she carried in silence. Her texts to the group had dwindled to single-word replies, and she'd missed two hangouts without so much as an excuse. She'd even declined Cat's endless invitations for smoothies or trips to the park, leaving the bubbly redhead feeling more deflated than usual.

Cat sat on her bed one evening, phone in hand, scrolling through their last conversation.

Cat: Hey! Want to hang out? 🍦☀

Val: Can't.

Cat: Aw, why not? We could go anywhere you want!! 🎉

Val: Just can't.

Even reading it back, Cat could feel the weight behind the words, like Val was dragging herself through every reply. Her stomach twisted with worry. Something wasn't right—she could feel it. Val had been through so much, and the video Becca had posted only made things worse. Every cruel comment and mocking emoji etched into the feed had left a scar. Cat could tell, even if Val wouldn't admit it.

In the meantime, the rest of the group was in Tori's living room again, gathered around Jade as she reviewed the "Operation Payback" blueprint on her phone. Tori had spearheaded the revenge plan after seeing the video—a distorted, cruel edit of Val being humiliated. The video had gone semi-viral within their school's circles, leaving Val a target for whispers and laughter wherever she went.

"We're taking them down," Tori said firmly, her jaw set. She glanced around the room, her determination infectious.

Andre leaned back on the couch, his arms crossed. "We just gotta be smart about it. No getting caught."

"Oh, we're not getting caught," Jade said, smirking as she zoomed in on a diagram she'd made of the school's locker area.

"This isn't a heist, Jade," Beck said, though the corner of his mouth twitched in amusement.

"Speak for yourself."

Robbie, perched on the arm of the couch, leaned forward eagerly. "So, I've been thinking...maybe we hit them where it hurts. Like, I don't know, hack their social media or something."

"You? Hack?" Jade snorted.

"Hey! I'm good with computers," Robbie protested.

"Yeah, if they're from 1995," she shot back, earning a stifled laugh from Andre.

Tori cut in before the bickering could derail their progress. "We're not just stooping to their level. Whatever we do, it's gotta make a point. They need to learn there are consequences for what they've done."

"I say we scare them," Jade offered, her voice low and dangerous. "Just enough to make them think twice before messing with anyone again."

"Scaring people is your answer to everything," Beck said, but his tone lacked any real reproach.

Andre leaned forward. "What if we go to the teachers instead? Like, actually get them in trouble."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, because authority figures are so great at handling bullies. Face it, Andre—that's not gonna work."