The moment she breaks… and he puts her back together in front of everyone.
Next Morning – School Hallway
Eden knew something was wrong the moment she walked through the doors.
The air felt colder. Thicker.
Heads turned.
Voices whispered louder than usual.
By the time she reached her locker, she didn't have to guess why.
Her phone buzzed.
Over and over.
Group chats. Screenshots. Stories.
Then she saw it.
The photo.
Blurred, grainy, taken through a glass window —
Her on the desk.
Hunter between her legs.
Her hands in his hair.
His mouth on her neck.
She nearly dropped her phone.
The caption underneath?
"Looks like Eden's Biology is hands-on."
Followed by flame emojis. Eggplant. And worse.
She turned, heartbeat crashing against her ribs.
People were laughing.
Girls were staring.
Boys were smirking.
And somewhere down the hall… Liam watched it all with a smile.
---
Eden Breaks
She ran.
Fast.
To the girls' bathroom.
Again.
But this time, she didn't cry.
She threw up.
The shame crawled up her spine like bugs under her skin. She couldn't even look at herself in the mirror. Couldn't breathe through the noise inside her head.
Then—someone banged on the door.
"Eden. It's me."
Hunter.
"No," she whispered. "You shouldn't see me like this—"
"I already have," he said through the door. "At your best. At your worst. I'm not leaving."
Silence.
Then—
"I'll break the door down if I have to."
She opened it.
And he walked in.
---
The Claim
Hunter didn't say anything at first.
He just looked at her. Really looked.
At her shaking hands.
At her red-rimmed eyes.
At the way she couldn't even lift her head.
And then—
He took her hand.
Tangled their fingers together.
And walked her out into the hallway.
Past the whispers.
Past the stares.
Past the phones raised to take more pictures.
Until they stood right in the middle of the crowd.
And then—
He kissed her.
Hard.
Deep.
Unapologetic.
Right there.
In front of everyone.
When he pulled back, he looked at the crowd and said it loud enough to echo:
"You want to talk about her? Fine."
"She's mine."
"And I don't f*cking care who knows it."
Silence.
Stunned silence.
Eden couldn't breathe.
He looked at her again, softer this time.
"Let them stare. Let them talk. Just don't ever hide from me again."
Her eyes filled with tears — not from shame this time, but from something else entirely.
"I love you," she whispered.
He smiled.
"Say it again."
"I love you, Hunter Hayes."
And just like that… she was whole again.