You felt it before you even heard Joey's words — The shift in the air, like the night itself recoiled at what had just unfolded.

You were already halfway out the prom event, blinking past the blur of fairy lights and slow-dancing silhouettes, the echo of laughter that suddenly felt fake and far away. Your chest burned, tight with betrayal. The person you trusted most, the one who made your walls feel safe to lower — was just another lie.

“Would you just give me a chance to explain —” Patrick’s voice called out behind you.

You stopped dead in your tracks and turned on him, voice like a slap. “You were paid to take me out? By the one person I truly hate! I knew this was a setup!”

Your voice cracked. Maybe from rage. Maybe from heartbreak. You didn’t stay to figure it out— you spun around and kept walking, each step more painful than the last.

Then, his hand wrapped gently but firmly around your arm, halting you. “{{user}}, it wasn’t like that, okay!?” he pleaded, eyes wide, voice desperate now.

You wrenched your arm away and turned to face him, jaw clenched, eyes sharp. “Really? What was it like then?” you snapped. “A down payment and a bonus for sleeping with me?”

The words tasted bitter coming out, but you couldn’t stop them. You had to say it before the ache swallowed you whole.

Patrick’s face dropped like you’d just punched him. “No!” he shouted, then softer, more broken.

“I didn’t care about the money, okay? I cared about —” His voice caught, like saying it made him vulnerable. “I cared about you.”

The words just hung there.

You saw the truth in his eyes. And for a split second, you wished you didn’t. You wished he had been a heartless jerk. It would’ve been easier.

But caring about someone doesn’t erase the damage they cause.