𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 ✔️

Chapter Three

By the time that lunch rolled around, I realised that Alessia really didn't have any friends at all. 'Nells' seemed to be her only acquaintance, and maybe the receptionists. I was walking down the corridor to find a place to sit in my suddenly lonely life when the real Olivia Clark rounded the corner in front of me, nestled into Dylan's side as he held her close with his arm. She had her arm looped through Kiara's arm and was laughing yet again. Kiara was another close friend of mine, but that didn't matter now; I was not myself anymore.

To Alessia, it seemed that I never stopped laughing; there was never a time when I wasn't happy. Whilst the rest of the world was dim, in her vision, I seemed to radiate perfectness. To her ears, my laugh bounced off a million walls. It irritated her. But only because she noticed how much Dylan loved it. I had never noticed that.

She hated that I seemed to have Dylan sucked in and that he appeared happier when I was. I had no idea that she felt so jealous of me, and especially over Dylan.

"Guys, let me check my locker." Tommy, yet another one of my friends, announced and I frowned. I couldn't remember this day, suddenly. They stopped beside Tommy's locker, and I watched from afar as they all peered into it as he opened it. The real Olivia Clark's eyebrows shot up and she grinned.

"Score!" She yelled as Tommy pulled out his science textbook and held it up like a Grammy award. I stifled a laugh at his endearment.

I watched as the real Olivia Clark began to say something, leaning against a locker. What I saw through Alessia's eyes surprised me—everyone seemed to be paying attention to me. Everyone was so engrossed with me and what I was saying, to the extent that when I smiled, they smiled too.

Alessia hated that. Alessia hated that I seemed to absorb all the attention in the corridor. And she hated it even more that Dylan was giving all his attention to me. She noticed that he always seemed to be the closest to me, and her eyes couldn't help but trail down to Dylan's fingers, which were playing with my sleeve. She acknowledged that Dylan always seemed to find a way to touch me—and I had never acknowledged that. She was jealous. I hadn't known that before, but I do now.

I watched as the group started a new discussion whilst walking away from the lockers, and in my direction. Seeing my own face, my own life, through someone else's eyes was so surreal. I could notice everything in one second. The way Kiara blushed when Tommy winked at her, the way Ked smiled at everyone he saw, the way that Dylan was such a gentleman every girl he set eyes on, especially those he was close to. I could tell why Alessia fancied him. I also noticed how completely oblivious Olivia Clark is. She sees everyone but she just doesn't see enough.

The real Olivia Clark's eyes met mine, and her eyes sparkled with curiosity. I didn't see what happened next; I was suddenly shoved back into the lockers, the real Olivia Clark being the only person who was in front of me at that moment. But...I would never—I wouldn't do that. I've never shoved anyone.

But Alessia believed that I had done; she was furious. Anger boiled up inside of her, and what she thought next scared me. It was something of pure hatred, but mostly revenge. She wanted revenge.

I found it hard to see anything as clear when Alessia was so intent in believing the worst about anything. But I did it. I almost felt her anger simmer down as my attention refocused, and I saw the real Olivia Clark slapping Tommy a million times over.

She was screaming, "Stop pushing me!" Whilst she slapped him on the arm once more. Alessia Trent needed to stop jumping to conclusions based on what she couldn't see. I hadn't shoved her.

No matter how it happened, though, I had fallen into Alessia, and I didn't apologise. And in Alessia's mind, this was the beginning of the end.