I glanced at Jessica, who now had tears pooling in her eyes, making her look heartbreakingly innocent. Her voice was soft, almost pleading.
“Scott, it’s okay,” she said, waving her hand as if to brush it off. “Nadia didn’t mean it. I wasn’t standing properly, and it’s understandable for someone like her to get overwhelmed.”
Jessica looked directly at me, her tone dripping with false kindness. “Please, don’t be angry with her. She didn’t mean any harm.”
Scott rushed to Jessica’s side, helping her to her feet, his face full of concern. His hand lingered on her arm as he made sure she was steady.
Then he turned to me, and his expression shifted. His brows furrowed, his jaw tightened, and his voice was laced with frustration.
“Nadia! I was gone for one minute! What the hell is wrong with you?” he snapped. “Why do you always have to make a scene every time something doesn’t go your way? You're so stubborn!”
His words hit me like a punch to the chest. The humiliation, the pain, and now Scott’s anger—it was too much. My voice cracked as I tried to explain.
“I didn’t—! They were bullying me!” I said, my words tumbling out in a rush. “Jessica said I wasn’t good enough for you. She called me an idiot!”
I turned to Scott, my eyes pleading. “They were the ones attacking me, not the other way around!”
Before I could say more, Jessica’s voice, soft and pitying, cut through the air. “Nadia, how could you lie like that?” she said, her eyes wide with hurt. “Everyone was just curious to meet you. Nobody said anything mean.”
She let out a small sigh, shaking her head. “And as for me? I’d never insult you like that. With all these people here, everyone heard what I said. I was only trying to help.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, the whispers growing louder with each passing second.
“Exactly! Look at her, throwing tantrums and making up lies.”
“Jessica was nothing but kind to her, and this is how she gets treated? What a mess.”
“She’s not just dumb—she’s downright dangerous. Poor Scott, having to deal with her.”
Scott’s face darkened further, his jaw clenched tight.
“Enough!” he snapped, his voice silencing the whispers around us.