Melissa barely slept that night.
She lay awake, staring at the ceiling, feeling like she was carrying something heavy she couldn't name.
The kiss with Dayne had left her floating... but it also cracked open a door she had kept locked tightly — her past with Alec.
By morning, she knew she couldn't pretend anymore.
Ginny sprawled on her bed, flipping through a magazine, when Melissa showed up at her door.
Ginny's face lit up. "Lisa! You're just in time. I was about to die of boredom."
But when she saw Melissa's serious expression, she immediately tossed the magazine aside.
"Hey... you okay?"
Melissa bit her lip. "Can we talk?"
Ginny sat up straighter, patting the spot beside her.
"Always."
Melissa sat down, twisting her hands nervously.
"I... I never told you everything," she began, voice barely above a whisper.
"About Alec. About why... I can't... with him."
Ginny's smile faded.
She waited, giving Melissa space.
Melissa stared at her knees, gathering her courage.
"It started after a project we did together," she said slowly. "I thought he was different from what everyone said. Kind. Gentle."
Her throat tightened. Ginny reached out, squeezing her hand lightly.
"I liked him. I really did. More than I should have."
Melissa's voice cracked.
"And then... at the pep rally, he— he tricked me."
Ginny's brows furrowed.
"He kissed me. Rough. Like I was something he could just... use."
Melissa's hand shook.
"And then his girlfriend showed up. I didn't even know he had one. She slapped me in front of everyone."
Ginny's mouth fell open in shock.
"He just stood there," Melissa whispered. "He didn't defend me. He let me get humiliated. And later he laughed about it — said I should be happy because I got a kiss from my 'dream guy.'"
Ginny was silent for a long time.
When she finally spoke, her voice was cold.
"I'm going to kill him."
Melissa gave a shaky laugh.
"No," she said quickly. "I just... I needed you to know. That's why I can't... that's why I'm scared."
Ginny looked at her with a fierce tenderness.
"Melissa," she said firmly, "you didn't deserve any of that. Not one second of it."
Tears blurred Melissa's vision.
"You were just a girl who believed in love," Ginny continued, her voice trembling with anger. "And he broke that. He doesn't deserve you looking at him. He doesn't even deserve your silence."
Melissa wiped her eyes.
"I'm trying," she whispered. "I'm trying to move on."
"You are," Ginny said fiercely.
"And you're doing better than you think."
Melissa smiled weakly.
For the first time, she felt the weight in her chest lighten — just a little.
Later, when Ginny was alone, she stared out her window, fuming.
She thought about Alec's lazy smile, the casual way he flirted with everyone, the way Melissa still seemed tied to him in invisible chains.
She used to think Alec was just another flirty boy — careless, but harmless.
Now?
Now, she hated him.
And she swore she'd protect Melissa from ever falling for that kind of pain again.
Even if she had to fight Alec herself.