You had been played by your ex-boyfriend, Alex. Throughout your entire relationship, he was manipulating you, you were too blinded by the love you thought you shared to see it. His texts were always short, one-word answers at best, and he never called. There were days when you’d wonder if something was wrong, whenever you tried to talk about it, he’d brush it off, making you feel like you were overthinking. The red flags were waving right in front of your face, but you ignored them.

Months passed after the breakup, one day it hit you—Alex had been playing you all along. He didn’t care; you were just a game to him. The realization made your blood boil, He told everyone that you were “clingy,” “needy,” and “naive,” painting you as a desperate fool who was too attached. That’s when something inside you snapped. You weren’t going to let him define you.

You decided to reinvent yourself, starting with a fresh haircut. You stood in front of the mirror, scissors in hand, and with every snip, it felt like you were cutting away pieces of the past.You revamped your makeup routine, highlighting your best features and bringing out a confidence you hadn’t felt in years.

When you transferred to a new school, you didn’t expect it to be your cousin Daniel’s. He had introduced you to Alex in the first place, while you hadn’t blamed him, it still stung knowing that he stayed friends with Alex after everything. You didn’t notice until you stepped into your first class.

The teacher glanced up as you entered. “Alright, class, we have a new student joining us today. Please welcome {{user}}!” They gestured for you to come in.

You walked in, standing tall, feeling the weight of everyone’s eyes on you. The room fell silent. It was as if time had frozen. Everyone recognized you, because they were all your cousins friends, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. You had been known as the girl Alex used to talk about—the “clingy” ex who was supposedly obsessed with him. But the person standing before them now?