— That’s not true.
Mateo lifted his head. And destroyed me without touching me.
— I was never with her.
The room went silent.
I felt the ground split beneath my feet.
— Mateo…
— Don’t talk to me like that, he said, pretending disgust. We’re barely classmates.
My dad stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor.
— Look my daughter in the eyes and say that again.
Mateo did. He looked straight at me, cold and steady.
— It’s not mine.
Something inside me broke. It wasn’t my heart. It was the last part of me that still believed bad people had limits.
The principal lowered her gaze to a red folder on her desk. I didn’t know what was inside. But Mrs. Rebeca did. Because suddenly, she stopped smiling.
— Principal, this shouldn’t be mixed with school matters.
— Mrs. Rivas, the principal replied, her voice firm, it became a school matter the moment you tried to pressure a minor inside this institution.
Mrs. Rebeca stiffened. Mateo swallowed hard.
The principal opened the folder.
Inside were printed sheets. Screenshots. Dates. Messages. Photos.
My heart started pounding against my ribs so hard I thought everyone could hear it.
— Valeria, she said softly, someone left this under my door last night.
— Who?
The principal didn’t answer. She just pulled out a USB drive and a folded piece of paper.
— Before deciding whether you can continue studying here, everyone needs to hear something.
She connected the USB to her laptop. The projector on the wall flickered to life.
The first thing that appeared was a photo — me and Mateo behind the old library building, his arm around my waist, kissing me. The date stamp was from three months ago.
Mrs. Rebeca’s face turned white.
