The bell had barely rung before whispers flooded Betrayal High like wildfire. News traveled fast in this school, but tonight, the shadows held darker secrets than usual.
Raven sat alone in the dimly lit art room, a paintbrush in her trembling hand. The strokes she made on the canvas were wild and disjointed — blood-red smears over a midnight-black background. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears, drowning out everything else.
She couldn't believe it.
Baron. The one person she thought might be different in this twisted school of backstabbers had betrayed her.
The note she'd found in her locker earlier still sat on the table beside her, edges crumpled from how tightly she'd clenched it.
"Meet me at the Old Auditorium at midnight. Come alone, or everything you love burns."
And it was signed, "B."
She thought it was him reaching out to fix things. Instead, it was a trap.
Footsteps approached behind her, soft but deliberate. Raven gripped the paintbrush tighter like it was a weapon.
"Rough night, Raven?" came a familiar, smug voice.
She turned. Scarlett.
Her former best friend. The girl who had once sworn to take a bullet for her. Now the queen of whispers and lies.
"What do you want?" Raven hissed, standing.
Scarlett smiled, her perfectly lined crimson lips curving like a knife. "Just wanted to see how it felt, you on this side of the game. Isn't it fun? Betrayal has such a delicious aftertaste."
Raven's eyes narrowed. "You sent that note?"
Scarlett laughed, a sound sharp and cruel. "No, darling. I don't need to send notes when I already own this school. But I know who did."
Raven's stomach dropped. "Who?"
Scarlett stepped closer, brushing invisible lint off Raven's jacket. "Let's just say… you should be careful who you trust. Especially lovers with dangerous secrets."
Before Raven could react, Scarlett was gone, leaving behind the faint scent of vanilla and venom.
Raven's phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: Now or never, Raven. Old Auditorium. 10 minutes.
Her fingers tightened around the phone. Enough was enough.
---
The night air bit into her skin as she made her way to the Old Auditorium, the forgotten wing of Betrayal High. Legend said it was where the school's darkest secrets were buried — literally.
The heavy doors creaked as she pushed them open. The vast, empty space stretched out before her, cloaked in shadows and dust.
A single figure stood on the stage.
Baron.
His face was half-hidden by the hood of his jacket. But she recognized those eyes. The same ones that had once looked at her like she was the only girl in the world.
"You came," he said softly.
"Who else sent me that note?" she snapped.
He hesitated. "I needed to tell you something before… before everything changes."
Raven's pulse raced. "Before what?"
He stepped closer, pulling something from his pocket. A small, bloodied locket.
She recognized it instantly. It was hers. The one her mother gave her before she died.
"How did you—?"
"I didn't want you to find out like this," Baron said, voice cracking. "But it's time you knew. I was the one who leaked the video."
The world tilted.
The scandal that had nearly destroyed her. The video of her fighting off Jackson in the locker room — but twisted by the school's rumor mill to paint her as the aggressor. She'd nearly transferred schools. Nearly quit life.
And it was him.
"Why?" Her voice broke.
"I didn't mean for it to go that far," he said, tears in his eyes. "It was supposed to scare Jackson off, expose him, but Scarlett got her hands on it, and…"
"And you let me burn."
He looked shattered. "I didn't know how to fix it. I was a coward."
Raven felt her heart splinter. Every memory of their secret meetings, whispered promises, kisses stolen under bleachers — all of it tainted.
She turned away.
"I should kill you," she whispered.
Suddenly, a voice crackled through the auditorium's broken speakers.
Scarlett.
"Well, well, well. Isn't this touching? Lovers' quarrel under the stars."
Raven spun. Up on the balcony, a figure stood. Scarlett, phone in hand, smirking down at them.
"I thought I'd livestream your little reunion," Scarlett purred. "You're trending already."
Raven's blood went cold.
Scarlett had set them both up.
Baron lunged for the balcony stairs, but before he could reach them, a figure stepped from the shadows.
Jackson.
His face twisted with hatred.
"I told you both you'd pay," he growled.
In his hand — a gun.
Raven screamed as the first shot rang out.
Baron crumpled.
Scarlett laughed, the sound manic.
"You should've finished me when you had the chance, Raven!" Jackson shouted.
Raven dove behind a column as another shot exploded near her head.
Adrenaline pumping, she grabbed a loose brick from the floor and hurled it at the balcony. It struck Jackson's arm, making him drop the gun.
Scarlett shrieked.
Baron, bleeding out, reached for Raven's hand. "Run…"
"No," she growled.
She wasn't running anymore.
She grabbed the gun.
And without hesitation, she pointed it at Scarlett.
"Say goodbye to your crown, bitch," Raven snarled — and pulled the trigger.
The screen cut to black.