The next morning, Melissa woke up to the soft humming of Ginny, who was already bustling around the room.
Sunlight poured through the thin curtains, and for a second, Melissa almost felt...normal.
Almost.
"Lisa, are you alive?" Ginny teased, tossing a rolled-up sock at her.
"I'm awake," Melissa mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
"Good, because today's music club orientation is kinda important! We're supposed to jam together or something."
Ginny looked way too excited for 8:00 AM.
Melissa sat up, feeling a small knot tighten in her stomach. Crowds, noise, attention — it all sounded overwhelming.
But Ginny's energy was infectious, and a tiny part of Melissa didn't want to disappoint her.
"I'll be ready in ten minutes," she said.
The club room was buzzing with energy when they arrived.
Students were tuning guitars, testing microphones, adjusting drums.
Dayne was already there, waving at them from the corner.
"Saved you two a spot!" he called out.
Melissa smiled shyly and walked over.
Ginny nudged her and whispered, "He's totally a golden retriever, don't you think?"
Melissa laughed under her breath. Dayne was impossibly cheerful.
They sat down, and soon, the club president started pairing people up for casual performances.
"Melissa George... Alec Fernandes," the president called out.
Melissa's entire body stiffened.
She turned slowly, and there he was — standing across the room, tall, confident, smirking slightly like nothing had ever happened between them.
Dayne noticed the sudden tension in her shoulders.
"You okay?" he whispered.
Melissa nodded quickly, but her heart was hammering in her chest.
Ginny gave her an encouraging squeeze on the hand.
Melissa stood up, her legs feeling like jelly, and walked toward Alec.
"Long time no see, Melissa," Alec said casually, slipping his hands into the pockets of his ripped jeans.
Melissa didn't answer. She just looked at him, as if trying to convince herself he was real and not some nightmare she was stuck in.
"Guess fate really likes playing games with us," Alec added, his voice low.
She wanted to say something — anything — but her throat felt dry.
"Let's get this over with," she said finally, her voice steady even though her hands were trembling.
They sat with guitars in their laps, side by side but worlds apart.
Alec strummed a few chords, not looking at her.
"You're good at this," he muttered, almost too softly.
Melissa ignored him, focusing on her guitar, on breathing, on surviving this moment without falling apart.
Their song was messy, filled with awkward silences and rushed chords, but somehow... it didn't completely fall apart.
When they finished, there was a small round of polite clapping.
Melissa immediately stood up, ready to flee back to her seat.
But before she could, Alec leaned closer.
"You still hate me that much?" he whispered, almost teasing.
Melissa turned her head slowly to look at him.
And for the first time, she didn't see the golden boy everyone else loved — she saw the cracks underneath.
"I don't hate you," she said calmly.
Alec's smile faltered for a split second.
"I just don't care anymore."
And with that, she walked away — straight into the safety of Ginny and Dayne's laughter.
That night, lying in bed, Melissa stared at the ceiling.
Dayne's warm smile.
Alec's haunted eyes.
The weight of everything she thought she had buried deep inside her.
Maybe she didn't hate him.
But she sure as hell wasn't ready to forgive him either.
And somewhere deep inside, a tiny, fragile hope began to bloom — that maybe someone else, someone like Dayne, could teach her what real love was supposed to feel like.
But the past... the past wasn't done with her yet.
Not even close.