You Might Be The One (A Fan Fiction) - Luke Hemmings

Chapter 25• The New Battleground

Leyla's POV

The morning sun was warm on my face, but the warmth in my heart was a cold, hard fire of resolve. Calum's confession was a painful truth, but it was also a shield. For the first time, I wasn't just a victim. I had a weapon: the truth. And with Calum by my side, I knew exactly what to do with it.

"He'll be in the courtyard," Calum said, his voice grim. "He's probably waiting for you."

I nodded, my hands clenching at my sides. The courtyard was a busy, central hub of the school. It was the place where everyone saw everyone. It was the perfect stage for our final confrontation.

We found him leaning against a brick wall, his face a mask of casual nonchalance. He looked up, and a wide, easy smile spread across his face. It was the same smile he had used to lure me in, to make me believe in a beautiful lie.

"Hey," he said, pushing off the wall and starting toward me. "I was just about to text you. I was worried after last night."

The words felt hollow, like a bad actor reading a poorly written script. The sincerity was gone, replaced by a deep-seated revulsion.

"Don't," I said, my voice low and steady. I held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't pretend you care. We both know you don't."

The smile on his face faltered. He looked at me, then at Calum, a flicker of confusion and fear in his eyes.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice suddenly guarded.

"We know, Luke," Calum said, stepping forward. "We know what you did. You didn't just lie to Leyla. You lied to all of us."

The facade shattered. His face, a moment ago so charming and open, twisted with a desperate fury. "What are you talking about? Leyla, I'm telling you the truth. He's just trying to turn you against me."

"No," I said, my voice filled with a quiet strength that surprised even me. "He's not. He's telling me what I've been waiting for. The truth."

I took a step closer, looking him right in the eye. "You didn't want me to go. But it wasn't about our future. It was about your pride. You called me a coward because you were too scared to let me go. You didn't just lie to me; you tried to destroy my friendships so I would have no one but you."

He flinched as if I had struck him. His eyes darted around, looking for an escape, but there was nowhere to go. The other students in the courtyard were starting to stare.

"I did it for you, Leyla," he pleaded, his voice cracking. "I couldn't live without you. I was lost."

"You were lost," I said, the words heavy with a finality that left no room for doubt. "But I'm not. You were a coward, Luke. You were too afraid to let me grow, and in your fear, you tried to stunt me. But you failed."

I took a deep breath, and the air filled my lungs, a refreshing taste of freedom. "This is our last story. The end of the book. And in this chapter, I'm the one who writes the ending."

I turned and walked away, and Calum was right there beside me, a silent, steady anchor in the storm. I didn't look back. I didn't have to. The truth had set me free, and I was finally ready to start writing my own story, with a new beginning.

The silence in the courtyard was deafening, a vacuum that followed the finality of my words. Luke stood frozen, a statue of a broken king, his carefully constructed world shattered in an instant. I didn't look back. I didn't need to. The truth had set me free, and with Calum by my side, I felt a strength I hadn't known I possessed.

We walked through the murmuring crowd, past students with wide eyes and whispered questions. Faith, Jovi, and JJ caught up to us, their faces a mix of confusion and concern.