Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: Anew beginning and the Party

Meanwhile, across the hall, Logan was watching the exchange with a mix of confusion and curiosity. He still couldn’t believe that the girl everyone was talking about was the same Lily Thompson he had teased mercilessly for years. He felt a strange pang of guilt as memories of his cruel jokes came flooding back.

“Dude, you good?” his best friend, Jason, asked, noticing Logan’s distracted expression.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Logan replied, forcing a smile. But he wasn’t fine. For the first time in a long while, he felt like the ground beneath him was shifting, and he didn’t know why.

Saturday night arrived faster than Lily anticipated. She found herself standing in front of her closet, debating whether or not she should even go to the party. Part of her wanted to prove that she could fit in with the popular crowd, but another part of her feared it would just be another opportunity for humiliation.

Just as she was about to give up and stay home, her phone buzzed with a message from her brother, Jake.

“You better come to my party, sis. Don’t let those jerks from school make you feel like you don’t belong. You’re a total badass, remember?”

Lily smiled. Her brother had always been her biggest supporter, even when everyone else turned their backs on her. With renewed determination, she pulled out a sleek black dress her aunt had bought for her. It hugged her new curves in all the right places and made her feel more confident than she had ever felt before.

When she arrived at Jake’s house, the party was in full swing. Music blared from the speakers, and the air was thick with laughter and the smell of pizza. As soon as she stepped through the door, heads turned. Conversations paused as people stared at her, some with admiration, others with envy.

Logan, who was leaning against the kitchen counter with a red solo cup in hand, nearly dropped his drink when he saw her. Lily was... stunning. He couldn’t reconcile this confident, radiant girl with the awkward one he used to mock.

Lily noticed Logan staring but decided to ignore him. She was here to have a good time, not to revisit old wounds. Instead, she focused on mingling with her new friends, feeling a sense of belonging she had never experienced before.

“Lily, hey! Glad you could make it!” Emma called, pulling her into a circle of her friends. They chatted and laughed, and for the first time, Lily felt like she was part of the in-crowd.

But Logan couldn’t take his eyes off her. He watched as she moved through the party with a newfound confidence, and he realized, with a sinking feeling, that he had missed out on something special. The Lily he had mocked and belittled had become the girl everyone wanted to know.

As the night went on, Logan finally gathered the courage to approach her.

“Hey, Lily,” he said, trying to sound casual, but his voice wavered slightly. “You look... amazing.”

Lily turned to face him, her eyes cool and unreadable. “Thanks, Logan,” she said, her tone polite but distant. It was clear that she hadn’t forgotten the way he had treated her.

Logan shifted uncomfortably. “Listen, I know I was a jerk to you before. I just... I wanted to apologize.”

Lily raised an eyebrow, surprised by the unexpected apology. But she wasn’t ready to forgive him so easily. “Thanks, but it’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”

Logan opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Emma interrupted, pulling Lily away to dance. Logan was left standing there, feeling more regret than he ever had in his life.

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