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It was just another Saturday in Peace Valley, Wisconsin. Nothing wild had gone down all week—no ghosts, no drama. But deep down, everyone knew the peace wouldn’t last forever.
At that moment, Peace Valley had a surprise guest: a gorgeous Hispanic girl stepping into Waverly Gyros, the town’s go-to hangout. She looked flawless, but something about her vibe said she wasn’t chill. Like, the mask was slipping just a little.
The soft clink of forks and knives hit her ears, along with the low buzz of voices from scattered tables. The place felt... weirdly cozy. Way calmer than she expected.
Paulina squared her shoulders, trying to look like she totally belonged here. She peeked at her hand, where B.S.'s faintly glowing initials flickered—just enough to guide her.
Then she heard it.
“Paulina!”
She lit up and hurried toward the back booth, where a glam sixteen-year-old blonde was already sitting like she owned the place.
“Bonnie!” Paulina grinned, practically launching into a hug.
“Hey, girl,” Bonnie smiled back. A couple turned to stare—Bonnie wasn’t exactly known for being sweet.
“So, like, I kinda already ordered for us,” Bonnie said, fidgeting with her straw. “I hope that’s cool? I got the mixed sandwich platter and some diet soda. I wasn’t sure what you’d wanna try…”
“Oh, totally fine,” Paulina waved it off, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I’ve never even been here, so I’m trusting you to not ruin my entire vibe with some gross local food.”
Bonnie smirked. “Don’t worry, you’ll survive. My dad co-owns this place, actually. He said he’d comp our meal since I told him I was hanging out with a real friend. Which, like—he never does.”
Paulina giggled. “Ugh, lucky. My parents are always off doing... something? I don’t even know. They’re obsessed with their business.”
She paused, scrunching her nose. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever really understood what it is. Something with household stuff? They run the big department store back in Amity Park, so... yeah.”
The overhead lights gave everything a soft, warm glow, and even though it was just a simple meet-up, both girls were kind of squirmy. The soul bond made it feel bigger, deeper, like more than just two popular girls catching up.
Bonnie shifted in her seat, the booth squeaking as she tucked her blonde hair behind one ear. Her drink was halfway gone.
Paulina tapped her fingers against her glass, watching the ice swirl like it had all the answers. Neither of them spoke.
They already knew the basics—cheer captains, hottest girls at school, yada yada. That wasn’t new. That wasn’t real.
And when their eyes met, it was like... okay. Time to stop pretending.
Bonnie played with her napkin, nerves all over her face. “Okay, I have no idea what I’m supposed to say right now,” she admitted, her voice low. “Like, yeah, we’ve got stuff in common. But I’m not trying to just sit here and be all ‘rah-rah go team.’”
Paulina froze mid-sip, setting her cup down. She was listening now.
Bonnie inhaled slowly. “You ever feel like... we’re doing it all wrong?”
Paulina blinked, then raised an eyebrow. “Wrong, how?” She gave a little smirk, but it was softer than usual. “I mean, we’re killing it as queen bees, aren’t we?”
She let out a small laugh—but it didn’t really land. It sounded... tired. Like she was trying to hype herself up, but the hype wasn’t hyping.
Bonnie leaned back, her head resting against the booth, as she stared out the window, her eyes going kind of dreamy. The vibe had totally shifted. Things were getting real.
Bonnie let out a slow breath, her eyes still on the window. “Y’know, what’s messed up? I think we both know we’re faking it.”
Paulina looked up, caught off guard.
Bonnie shrugged, trying to play it off, but her voice shook slightly. “Like... the whole ‘I’m so perfect and popular, and everything’s amazing’ thing? It’s exhausting. And stupid. And fake. But we keep doing it anyway.”
She glanced over at Paulina, her expression softer now. “We’re not dumb. We know it’s shallow. We know it’s a game. But it’s like... I don’t know. At least if I look perfect and act like I’ve got it all together, maybe people won’t see how empty I feel most of the time.”
Paulina didn’t say anything right away. She just stared down at her cup like it suddenly had all the answers she’d been avoiding.
Then she looked up slowly. Her voice dropped, quiet and serious.
“Yeah,” she said. “Same.”
She swallowed hard, then gave this crooked little smile. “I act so confident that I don’t care what anyone thinks. But that’s not true. Not even close.”
Paulina brushed her hair behind her ear, fingers lingering for a second like she didn’t know what to do with her hands. “I’ve always thought if I wasn’t the prettiest or the most popular girl in the room, no one would even notice me. Like... I’d disappear or something.”
She laughed, but it was hollow. “So I turned it into a whole thing. The attitude. The snobby ‘I’m better than you’ energy. I thought it’d make people want to be around me. But all it really does is keep them at arm’s length.”
She paused. Her voice dropped even lower.
“I’m not really confident. I’m just... lonely.”
For a moment, neither of them said anything. The noise of the diner faded into the background like it didn’t matter anymore. The two of them were sitting across each other, masks slipping just enough to breathe.
Bonnie shifted forward a little, fingers still messing with her napkin. She hesitated, biting the inside of her cheek.
“Can I ask you something?” she said finally, her voice careful.
Paulina blinked. “Yeah?”
Bonnie looked her in the eye. “Is it your parents?”
Paulina stilled.
Bonnie went on, softer now. “Like... is that why you try so hard? 'Cause they’re always caught up in the store or whatever and don’t really see you? I mean, they might say they do, but not in a real way.”
Paulina’s lips parted like she was gonna say something quick, brush it off—but then stopped. Her shoulders slumped a little.
She nodded once. “Yeah. That’s... exactly it.”
Bonnie didn’t interrupt. She just waited.
Paulina leaned back in the booth, arms crossed like she was bracing for something. “They’re always busy. Work, meetings, events—they’re like, never around. And when they are, they’re either distracted or telling me to keep up the image, y’know? Be perfect. Be polite. Don’t mess up the brand.”
Her voice cracked a little on that last part.
“I used to think if I acted like the ‘ideal daughter’—pretty, popular, flawless—they’d finally pay attention. Or... actually want to spend time with me. But it didn’t work. Still doesn’t.”
She gave this weak laugh and shook her head. “So now it’s just habit. I pretend I’m above everyone else. I talk down to people. I make these snarky comments that I know are awful. And yeah, sometimes it makes me feel powerful for like five seconds. But after that?”
She glanced at Bonnie, her eyes glossy but holding them together.
“I just feel worse. Emptier.”
Bonnie’s face softened, and something inside her finally clicked. She reached across the table and gently nudged Paulina’s hand.
“I get it,” she said. “More than you think.”
Bonnie was quiet for a second, her fingers still lightly brushing Paulina’s hand as if she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to hold on or not.
Then she exhaled and leaned back a little, eyes dropping to the tabletop. Her voice came out softer than before.
“For me, it’s my little sister.”
Paulina looked up, surprised.
Bonnie kept going, not looking at her. “She’s, like... the apple of my mom’s eye. They’re always doing stuff together—baking, talking, inside jokes I don’t even get. It’s like they just click in this way, and I never could.”
She gave a short, bitter laugh. “And I’m over here doing everything I can to be noticed. Cheer, outfits, the whole queen-bee thing. Always trying to be impressive, or perfect, or whatever. But somehow, it still doesn’t matter.”
Her eyes finally met Paulina’s again, and they were a little shinier than before.
“I know it’s not my sister’s fault. I mean, she’s sweet and all. But sometimes, I look at the two of them and feel like I’m on the outside of something I was supposed to be part of. Like my mom only has enough room in her heart for one daughter and spoiler alert—it’s not me.”
She exhaled and gave a slight shrug, her voice barely above a whisper.
“So I turned myself into someone worth paying attention to. Or... I tried. But it still feels like I’m screaming underwater, and no one hears it.”
There was a pause. A soft, heavy silence.
Then Bonnie let out a shaky breath and gave Paulina a small, almost embarrassed smile.
“I’ve never actually told anyone that before.”
Paulina didn’t answer right away. She just sat there, her mouth slightly open, like Bonnie had reached in and said something Paulina didn’t even know she needed to hear.
Then she let out a shaky laugh, almost like it surprised her.
“I feel that,” she said softly. “Like, way too much.”
She looked down at her hands, picking at the edge of her napkin. “My parents are obsessed with their store. Like it’s the only thing that matters. And sure, they say they love me, and I guess I believe them... but it’s always like, later. ‘We’ll talk later, we’ll hang out later, not right now.’”
She shook her head. “Eventually, I stopped asking.”
Bonnie nodded slowly, the corners of her mouth tugging down.
Paulina kept going, her voice a little tighter now. “So I just started pretending I didn’t care. Threw myself into popularity. Built up this image—confident, untouchable, in control. I thought if I looked perfect, maybe I’d feel perfect. Or at least, people would think I was happy, and that’d be close enough.”
Her voice cracked just slightly. “But I’m not. Not really.”
Bonnie reached out again, not dramatically enough for their fingertips to meet on the table. “Same.”
There was a pause between them, soft and full of understanding.
Paulina gave her a half-smile, tired but real. “It’s wild, isn’t it? We’ve been acting like we’re better than everyone else… just to feel okay about ourselves.”
Bonnie nodded, a small, sad laugh escaping her lips. “We’re like... two drama queens building castles out of glitter and compliments.”
Paulina laughed, genuinely this time. “That’s so accurate it hurts.”
Bonnie smiled, too, and for the first time, it wasn’t forced or posed. “I guess... we’re not really as different as I thought.”
Paulina tilted her head. “No. Just two lonely girls trying too hard.”
Bonnie nodded. “Yeah. But maybe we don’t have to try so hard with each other.”
They both sat at that moment, the noise of the diner fading again like the world had quieted just for them. Two girls finally found someone who saw them—not for the act, but for who they really were underneath.