29 caught frame
I wake up to silence.
Which should've been the first warning sign.
Because the last month has not included silence. They've included chaos, noise, notifications, people having opinions about things that don't involve them.
So the quiet... is suspicious.
I reach for my phone anyway. And immediately regret it. Not because of the number of notifications. Because of what they're about.
The first thing I see isn't a text.
It's a photo. Not posted by someone I know, not tagged directly. Just... there. Circulating.
And I already know what it is before I even open it.
Which is impressive, considering I haven't fully woken up yet.
I tap it. It loads. And there it is.
Grainy. A little blurry. Taken from a distance, through a windshield, probably from someone walking past or sitting in another car. But clear enough, too clear.
Me.
Caiden.
Leaning in.
Kissing him.
In his car.
My stomach drops in a way that feels delayed, like my brain didn't process it fast enough to stop the reaction.
Because that-
wasn't supposed to exist anywhere but in that moment.
I sit up slowly, pulling my knees up slightly without thinking, staring at the screen like it's going to change if I give it enough time.
It doesn't.
The comments load underneath before I can stop them.
I stop scrolling. Not because there's nothing left.
Because I don't need to see more. Because they're... wrong. But not in a way that feels easy to separate anymore.
My phone buzzes.
I stare at the messages for a second. Then back at the photo. Then throw my phone onto my bed like that helps.
It doesn't.
Because the image is already stuck in my head.
The angle. The way it looks like-
it meant something.
I push myself up, running a hand through my hair as I stand, pacing once across my room before stopping.
This is fine.
It's not fine.
It's manageable.
It's not manageable.
It's... loud. Even in silence.
The doorbell rings.
Of course it does.
I don't bother pretending I wasn't expecting it.
Jess lets herself in before I even get halfway down the stairs.
"I knew it," she says immediately, like she's been holding that sentence in. "I knew something like this was going to happen."
"That's reassuring," I reply.
"It's not meant to be."
Riley follows behind her, closing the door more quietly, her eyes already on me in that way that makes it feel like she's reading something I haven't said yet.
"You saw it," she says.
"I regret seeing it."
Jess is already pulling her phone out, unlocking it with unnecessary force. "No, because listen-people are losing their minds. Like, fully. This is not just normal gossip, this is-"
"I know," I cut in.
She pauses and looks up, then slowly lowers her phone.
"You've been staring at it," she says.
"That's not a question."
"It wasn't."
Riley leans against the counter slightly, arms crossed loosely. "What part is bothering you?"
"All of it."
"That's vague."
"That's intentional."
Jess walks closer, studying my face like she's trying to confirm something. "You don't look mad."
"I'm not."
"You should be."
"I know."
"You're not."
"I said that already."
Jess exhales, running a hand through her hair. "Okay, no, because this changes things."
"It doesn't."
"It does," she insists. "This isn't like the video. That looked like-fine, whatever, chaotic. This-" she gestures vaguely, like she can't find the right word, "-this looks real."
"It's not."
Jess just stares at me.
Riley doesn't interrupt.
I cross my arms slightly, more out of habit than anything else. "It's just a picture."
"It's not just a picture," Jess says. "It's a moment. And now everyone thinks they know what it means."
"They don't."
"That doesn't stop them."
I don't respond to that. Because-
it's true.
Jess softens slightly, which is rare. "Okay, but tell me honestly. Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"That was fast."
"That's because it's true."
Riley tilts her head slightly. "It didn't feel fake."
I look at her. Not sharply, just directly.
"It was," I say.
She holds my gaze for a second longer, then nods.
But not in a way that feels like agreement. More like... acknowledgment.
Jess, meanwhile, is already spiraling again. "People are literally writing essays about this. Like, analyzing angles. Someone said they could tell by your posture-your posture, Madi-that you're-"
"I don't want to hear that," I interrupt.
"Yeah, that's fair."
I turn away slightly, grabbing my phone again before I can talk myself out of it.
The photo is still there.
Of course it is.
More comments now. More people deciding things for me.
I stare at it for a second longer than I should.
Because-
it doesn't look fake.
That's the problem.
Not just to them.
To me.
I lock my phone, setting it down more carefully this time.
Jess watches me like she's about to say something else, then stops herself.
Riley doesn't look surprised.
Neither of them pushes. Which means they're both thinking something.
And I don't ask what. Because I already know.
I exhale slowly, leaning back against the counter.
"This doesn't change anything," I say.
Jess opens her mouth. Closes it.
Riley just nods once.
And the silence that follows-
is louder than the notifications ever were.
Because for the first time-
I'm not sure if I believe that.