Thanks for sharing your chapter! I've corrected it fully, paying special attention to pronouns and clarity, ensuring Vicky is consistently male, Mike is male, Jane and Emily are female, and the narrative flows naturally. Here is the corrected full chapter:
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EMILY — POV
The air in the school felt heavier on Friday.
I could feel eyes watching me more than usual — whispers brushing past my ears, though I couldn't catch the words. Maybe I was imagining it. Or maybe… I wasn't.
I'd barely made it through my first two classes when I got a text from Jane.
> Meet me on the bleachers. Free period?
I didn't hesitate. My steps quickened past the art hallway, past the trophy case. When I reached the empty bleachers behind the gym, Jane was already there, knees tucked under her chin.
"Thought you could use a break," she said, offering me a water bottle.
"Thanks," I said, sitting beside her. "It's been… a weird day."
She looked at me sideways. "Vicky again?"
I shrugged. "Not exactly. He's kind of been… quiet."
Jane raised an eyebrow. "That's probably worse."
I nodded. It was. Vicky's silence wasn't peace — it was a storm winding up.
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MIKE — POV
I saw her again before lunch, standing at her locker, biting her lip like she was trying not to think too hard. Something about the way Emily stood — like she was holding herself together with invisible tape — made me want to say something.
"Hey," I said, nudging her shoulder.
She turned, surprised, then smiled softly. "Hey."
"You okay?"
She paused. "Yeah. Just tired. School's… a lot."
I leaned against the locker beside her. "It doesn't have to be."
Emily looked at me then, really looked, and I felt the strange weight of that gaze settle in my chest.
"You're a good listener," she said after a moment.
I shrugged. "It's kind of my thing."
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VICKY — POV
It annoyed me that I couldn't stop thinking about her.
Emily.
She wasn't like the other girls. She didn't fight back with words or fake smiles. She didn't suck up to teachers or cry when people whispered behind her back. She just… endured.
And that made me furious.
But it also made me curious.
I watched her from across the lunchroom, where she sat with Jane and a few of their friends. She laughed at something one of them said — really laughed, the kind that crinkled the corners of her eyes.
And Mike was there too.
Of course he was.
Perfect Mike Matthews with his calm voice and hero complex.
He looked at her the way people looked at sunsets. Or secrets.
It stung, more than I wanted to admit.
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JANE — POV
I could feel the shift in the air when Mike sat next to Emily at lunch.
It wasn't jealousy — not really — but something protective tugged at me. Emily had barely gotten used to our school. She didn't need drama.
And Vicky? Vicky was watching them with that expression he wore like armor — cool, calculated, waiting.
I hated it.
I slid a cookie across the table toward Emily.
"Eat. You look like you forgot breakfast again."
She smiled gratefully. "You're starting to sound like my mom."
"Good. Somebody's got to keep you alive."
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EMILY — POV
I should've felt happy.
Jane was by my side, Mike was… warm, thoughtful, steady. I wasn't invisible anymore.
But something still twisted in my chest every time I saw Vicky across the hall. He hadn't said anything in two days — not a joke, not a threat, not even a glare. That silence felt louder than anything else.
And sometimes, I caught him watching me. Not with hate.
With something else I couldn't name.
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VICKY — POV
I cornered Emily near the library.
Not to start a fight. I just… needed answers.
"Hey," I said, arms crossed, leaning against the wall.
Emily froze for a second. "What do you want?"
I didn't answer right away. I looked at her — really looked. She had this softness to her face, even when she was guarded. A kind of strength I didn't understand.
"Why are you always so quiet?" I asked, and I hated how small my voice sounded.
She blinked. "I… don't know. I just learned that silence is safer."
That caught me off guard.
"From who?"
Emily hesitated. "People who thought being loud meant being right."
I didn't know what to say to that.
So I left.
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MIKE — POV
Later that day, I caught up with Jane in the hallway between classes.
"What's up with Vicky lately?" I asked. "He hasn't said a word."
Jane frowned. "I don't know. He's watching, though. That's almost worse."
"He say anything to you?"
"To me? No. But he cornered Emily by the library."
I clenched my jaw. "What did he want?"
Jane shook her head. "Honestly? No clue."
I didn't like it. I didn't like how Vicky's attention had shifted. He wasn't just teasing now. He was circling.
And Emily? She was in the middle of it all, and she didn't even realize the power she had.
EMILY — POV (continued)
That night, I sat at my window, watching the streetlights flicker on. The world outside was quiet, soft, and safe.
My phone buzzed.
> Mike: Want to study together tomorrow? We've got that bio quiz.
I smiled.
> Me: Sure. Library?
> Mike: Or my place. Jane's inviting some friends over after. You can hang if you want.
That made my stomach flutter.
> Me: Sounds good.
As soon as I hit send, doubt crept in.
Was this a bad idea?
What if Jane thought I was getting too close to Mike?
What if Vicky showed up?
What if I was reading everything wrong?
I closed the curtain slowly and leaned back on my bed.
Maybe silence wasn't always safer. Maybe it was just lonely.
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EMILY — POV (continued)
Saturday afternoon came faster than I expected. I spent too long choosing what to wear, then changed twice. Finally, I settled on jeans and a soft green sweater that brought out the color in my eyes, or so Mom always said.
Mike's house was just a few blocks from mine. When I arrived, Jane opened the door, grinning.
"You came!" she said, pulling me into a quick hug. The warmth of it made some of my nerves fade.
Inside, there were snacks on the table, music playing low from a speaker in the corner, and a few familiar faces from school lounging on the couch. It wasn't a party, but it wasn't just a study session either.
Mike came down the stairs with two sodas in his hands. "Hey," he said, handing me one. "Glad you made it."
His smile made my pulse trip over itself.
We settled at the kitchen island with our textbooks open. For the first ten minutes, we actually studied. Then it became something else. We talked about books, our worst classes, teachers we secretly liked. He told me he wanted to study psychology in college. I told him I liked to draw but didn't know if I was any good.
"Can I see something you've drawn?" he asked.
I hesitated, then pulled my sketchbook from my backpack. I flipped to a drawing of a tree by the library window — the one I'd sketched earlier in the week.
Mike studied it quietly. "This is really good, Em. Like… really good."
My cheeks flushed. No one had ever looked at my art like that.
Before I could say anything, Jane popped her head in. "Hey, we're watching a movie in the living room. You guys in?"
Mike glanced at me. "You wanna?"
I nodded, heart still beating a little too fast.
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VICKY — POV
I wasn't supposed to be here.
Technically, I came to return a hoodie I'd borrowed from one of Jane's friends during a school trip. But when I saw the door slightly ajar and heard laughter spilling out, I lingered.
Then I saw Emily through the window.
Sitting next to Mike on the couch.
Close.
Laughing.
And something twisted in my stomach.
It wasn't about Mike. Not entirely.
It was the way Emily looked happy. Like she belonged.
Like she wasn't scared of anything.
Like she'd carved a place for herself in a school that had never felt like home to me.
I pulled my hoodie tighter and left before anyone saw me.
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JANE — POV
I watched Mike and Emily during the movie, how their shoulders brushed, how they shared popcorn like it was the most natural thing in the world. It was sweet, but a tiny pang hit me.
Not jealousy. Just worry.
Emily was still figuring things out. Mike was... Mike. Steady, kind, but sometimes blind to the effect he had on people. And Vicky?
Vicky didn't give up when something that interested him.
And lately, it was pretty clear Emily interested him — though I couldn't tell if it was in a good way or a bad one.
After the movie ended, Mike walked Emily to the door. I stayed back, giving them space.
But I watched through the reflection in the glass.
When he leaned in and whispered something, and she smiled.
When she stepped outside into the night, cheeks flushed.
And when he stood there watching the door after she left.
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EMILY — POV
Walking home, I felt lighter than I had in weeks. The cold air nipped at my cheeks, but I didn't mind.
Mike had whispered, "You're brave, you know that?"
I didn't know why it meant so much.
Maybe because part of me had started to believe it.
Back home, I dropped onto my bed and stared at the ceiling.
Then I grabbed my sketchbook.
And for the first time in a while, I didn't draw to escape.
I drew to remember.
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