HUXLEE
8:18 AM
I’m already in the classroom, but my mind is still stuck in that group chat. My phone keeps vibrating under the table, the soft buzzing almost loud enough to betray me, but I can’t risk checking it—not with the teacher standing right in front of the class. I’m already late as it is, and I don’t want to make things worse. Because of that, I’ll have to report to the detention later, and honestly, that’s the last thing I need right now.
Still, I can’t focus.
My thoughts keep drifting back to the group chat no matter how hard I try to pay attention to the lesson. Are there new messages? Is the admin still adding more people? Are they all talking about the video now? Did someone already confess?
Damn it. How am I supposed to concentrate when that’s all I can think about?
Frustrated, I lightly slap my cheeks, trying to snap myself back to reality. The guy sitting beside me glances in my direction, probably wondering what that was about, but I don’t bother explaining. I don’t really care what he thinks.
Nothing feels more important right now than whatever is happening in that group chat.
The minutes drag on painfully slow, each second stretching longer than it should, until finally, lunch break arrives. The moment the teacher dismisses us, I feel a small rush of relief.
12:00 PM
Finally, my chance.
“Huxlee!”
I turn at the sound of my name and see Ciela waving at me with her usual bright smile. I raise my hand in response, waiting as she makes her way over.
As soon as she reaches me, she hooks her arm around mine like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Let’s have lunch together,” she says.
I smile and nod. “I don’t even have anyone else to eat with if it’s not you.”
She lets out a small laugh. “Exactly. I’m your only friend.”
I smile, but there’s a quiet truth behind her joke.
She really is.
Most people see me as “the nerd”—the one who always tops the class, the one who gets sent to represent the school in academic competitions, the one who’s always buried in books. To them, that’s all I am. Someone boring. Someone not worth getting to know, but that’s only because they never tried. They never gave me a chance.
Ciela did.
She was the only one who looked past all that—the only one who didn’t judge me based on rumors or assumptions. It’s kind of ironic, actually. People see her as the “baddie,” the confident, intimidating girl no one dares to approach, yet she turned out to be the warmest person I’ve ever met.
We’re complete opposites in almost every way, and maybe that’s why people don’t understand our friendship. But I do, and honestly… I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
As we sit at our usual table in the cafeteria, the noise of chatter and clinking trays surrounds us, but my attention drifts somewhere else entirely. The moment I settle into my seat, I slip my phone out of my bag and open the group chat again without thinking. It’s already worse than before.
The admin has added more people.
New names keep appearing at the top of the screen, and the messages pile up so fast it’s hard to keep track.
“What the heck is this GC?” Signy sends.
Of course she’s here.
Signy—the queen bee of the campus. The kind of girl everyone notices the moment she walks into a room. No one messes with her unless they want to ruin their own reputation.
“Who added me here?” Cleo replies not long after.
If Signy is the queen, then Cleo is the king. Her boyfriend. The two of them are practically untouchable, always winning king and queen titles during school events like it’s routine. A power couple. That’s what everyone calls them.
“Oh, babe, you’re in here as well!” Signy sends.
And just like that, the atmosphere in the group chat shifts slightly, like people suddenly become more aware of who’s watching.
I keep scrolling, my thumb moving faster as more messages flood in. A lot of students ask the same questions—who added them, what this group chat is for, and why no one can leave. Some talk about the video, throwing out guesses, trying to figure out who the two people are.
But there’s no reply from the Admin.
“—lee! Huxlee!”
I blink and snap back to reality when I feel a light tapping on the table. I look up to see Ciela staring at me, one eyebrow raised.
“Uh… yeah?” I say, a little delayed.
She gestures to my tray. “You haven’t touched your food. You’ve been glued to your phone since we sat down.”
I let out a small, awkward laugh and reach for my fork. “Sorry, I just—”
“Is this about the group chat?” she cuts in, narrowing her eyes like she already knows the answer. Before I can respond, she waves it off. “Don’t stress about it. It’s probably just someone trying to act mysterious or get attention.”
I force a small smile. “Y-yeah… maybe.”
“But seriously,” she continues, casually taking another bite of her food, “do you think that video is even real? What if it’s just AI? Everyone’s freaking out over nothing. That would be such a waste of time.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah… it could be AI.”
That would make things easier.
That would make everything harmless.
But what if it wasn’t?
I don’t say that part out loud.
Instead, I just shrug and start eating, though my appetite isn’t really there. My eyes keep drifting back to my phone every few seconds, like I’m afraid I’ll miss something important if I look away too long.
And then—a new message pops up.
“That guy has a body like mine. I think that’s me,” Cleo sends.
I pause mid-bite.
“Then I guess I’m the girl, huh?” Signy replies almost immediately.
I slowly lower my fork, my stomach tightening slightly. Out of instinct, I lift my head and scan the cafeteria.
It doesn’t take long to find them. They’re sitting a few tables away, surrounded by their usual group. Laughing. Relaxed. Like this whole situation is some kind of joke. Like being part of that video—real or not—is something to be proud of.
My gaze lingers a little too long. Then Cleo looks up and our eyes meet. Before I can react, he smirks and winks at me, quick and deliberate. I immediately look away, my grip tightening around my fork.
Asshole.
I force myself to focus back on my food, pretending nothing happened
A few minutes pass, and I eventually finish eating. Ciela finishes before me and leans back in her chair, looking completely full and unwilling to move.
12:45 PM
“We still have, what, fifteen minutes?” I say, glancing at the time.
“Yeah,” she replies lazily. “But I’m too full to go anywhere. Let’s just stay here.”
“Fine with me.”
I’m about to put my phone down when it suddenly vibrates again. I pick it up instantly and open the group chat.
“Let’s see… are they really the ones in the video?” the admin sends.
The entire chat seems to pause for a split second before exploding again.
“Bullshit! Let us leave the group chat!” someone replies.
“The answer is…” the admin types.
I feel my chest tighten as I stare at the screen, waiting.
Then the next message appears.
“The guy is the same, but the girl is not.”
“What?” Ciela says beside me, her voice filled with confusion. I turn to her, surprised to see that she’s also staring at her phone now, clearly following the conversation too. “That video was real?”she adds, her tone quieter this time.
I don’t answer, the moment those words sink in, one thought hits me harder than anything else.
If the video is real then someone out there knows exactly who that girl is.
A few tables away from us, Signy suddenly pushes her chair back and stands, the scraping sound echoing across the cafeteria. “You cheated on me?!” she exclaims, her voice sharp and trembling with anger.
Cleo immediately rises from his seat, his hands raised slightly as if approaching something fragile. “No, baby…” he says, his tone soft and pleading as he tries to reach for her, but Signy quickly pulls away, refusing to let him touch her.
By now, everyone in the cafeteria is staring. Conversations die down, replaced by murmurs and the quiet tension of people watching drama unfold right in front of them. It feels like we’re all in a movie, and the trays of food sitting untouched on the tables might as well be popcorn.
“No?” Signy snaps, her eyes glistening as she shakes her head. “But that admin said—”
Cleo cuts her off, stepping closer despite her resistance. “That person probably just wants to break us apart,” he says firmly. “Maybe they’re jealous of us. Maybe they just want to ruin what we have.” He takes a deep breath, then gently takes her hand again—this time, she doesn’t pull away as quickly. “Come on, babe,” he adds more softly. “How could I ever do that to you?”
Signy bites her lower lip, her emotions visibly clashing across her face. She keeps her eyes locked on him for a moment, searching, questioning, trying to decide what to believe. Then, after a few seconds, she slowly turns her head and scans the entire cafeteria.
“Who’s the admin of that group chat?” she demands, her voice rising again. “Who made it? Are you here? Show yourself! Stop hiding behind a stupid group chat!” she shouts, her anger flaring like a wild fire.
Cleo quickly pulls her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her as if shielding her from everything. He presses a kiss to the top of her head, trying to ground her.
“Shh…” he murmurs gently. “Let me handle this, okay?”
Signy still hasn’t answered when, all at once, our phones chime again, the sound echoing around us like a signal no one can ignore. Almost instinctively, we all reach for our phones at the same time. My stomach tightens as I read the new message from the admin.
“To the girl in the video, you have until midnight to confess.”