This chapter is a little on the sad side.

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I am spooked by a large pair of muscled arms wrapping around my hoodie-clad figure. The arms in question giving me a rough squeeze as the person connected to them presses their front to my back.

The scent of aftershave clouds my senses in a way that has me begging to escape from it.

"Hey, baby." A deep voice vibrates against my back. I am taken by surprise when I feel a pair of thin, chapped lips press against the side of my neck in a quick peck.

"I didn't see you at my party." He mutters.

Maybe if you were not preoccupied with the lips of a freshman, you would have seen me being elbowed in the ribs by the grinding couples on the dance floor. The dance floor that was directly in front of you, might I add.

I close the thin metal of my locker's door before bringing my hands down to his wrists, that are still connected to my body. I use all of the strength that I can muster in order to lessen his grip on me, stepping out of his hold.

"I saw you..." I quip.

A look of pure, unadulterated confusion encapsulates his facial features.

"...making out with a girl who's barely gone through puberty."

His eyes widen a little and his face begins to pale.

This tells me all that I need to know...he's guilty.

Instead of just coming out with the truth and admitting that he was in the wrong, he attempts to plaster on an unbothered expression.

"What are you talking about? I was looking around for you all night." His vocal tone raises an octave.

A breathy sigh falls from my lips.

What is it with guys and them being unable to admit when they are wrong?

"I just want to know why you did it."

Unfortunately, he continues to feign confusion.

"Did what?!" He explodes.

"I was looking for you the entire night!"

An innocent person would not be this defensive of a simple question this early on in the conversation. Over time with being accused of something you didn't actually do? Yeah, I could see how that would frustrate someone. But getting defensive one question in? That just screams guilty to me.

"I think that our relationship, just like this conversation, is over." I say before walking past him and in the direction of my first period class.

Well, that went quicker than I assumed it would.

-

"I just don't understand how I got that problem wrong!" Cassie stresses.

"Like, I swear that old hag just hates me."

It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes at the girl.

"Cassie, you multiplied when you were supposed to divide." My voice comes out more monotone than intended.

Honestly, I cannot wait until I get to leave school today. It is only lunch, but today has already felt way longer than yesterday.

Cassie and I exit the math wing of the school and enter the main hall. In our school, you can cut through the main hall to get to the lunch room and get there in significantly less time than if you were to take the supposed 'shortcut' halls. I found this information out during my sophomore-

"Ew!" Cassie's squeal breaks me out of my thoughts.

"What the fuck?!" She adds.

I notice that she is blatantly staring at the lockers on the left hand side of the hall. Feeling curious, I turn to do so as well. It is only after I do this do I wish that I did not.

I feel my entire body go into shock as I just stare at the sight before me.

My ex-boyfriend and...Courtney?!

My ears feel like they are being submerged underneath a large body of water, the sound of the two distant teenagers flirting with one another being replaced by the sound of my quickened heartbeat.

What is happening?

Is Courtney actually flirting with my ex-boyfriend right now?

Is my ex-boyfriend actually flirting with Courtney right now?

My ex-boyfriend attempts to wrap his arms around Courtney's midsection only for the honey-haired girl to raise one of her neatly manicured hands and push him back by his shoulder. A light giggle falls from her mouth as she teases him about trying to touch her. Not listening to her, he grabs ahold of her hips and pulls her front to his.

I notice that he seems to be trying to go in for a kiss. Glancing over at Courtney, her expression reveals the opposite. Whilst he seems to be trying to get closer to her, she seems to be trying to get further from him.

As if expecting me to be standing here watching her, she turns her head in my direction. Upon immediately laying her sapphire irises on my brown ones, a mischievous smirk makes its way onto her face.

I watch as she removes one of her hands from his chest and uses it to wave at me. She does this in a way that has her fingers move back and forth, her palm remaining still midair.

"Hi, Gill. Cat got your tongue?" She greets with a condescending tone.

This doesn't make any sense!

Courtney and my ex?!

As long as I have known her, I have never see Courtney date anyone. Much less sometimes that I have previously dated.

My ex-boyfriend immediately breaks away from the honey-haired girl with an uneasy expression.

I mentally roll my eyes at his reaction.

With the two of them now separated, Courtney sashays over to me. The sound of her wedges meeting the granite flooring fills the silence, all eyes remaining on her.

"You have gone way too far, Courtney." I tell her with a low tone.

The honey-haired girl's smirk does not fall as she stops about two feet in front of me. I take note of her crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Believe me, I haven't even begun, sweetie."

Feeling nauseous, I loosely wrap my arms around my body.

"Why are you doing this?" I finally ask.

"I haven't done anything to you."

The honey-haired girl goes silent as her eyes slowly trail down my body, eventually making their way back up to my own eyes.

"Come on, babe." She says whilst staring deep into my eyes.

"We're going to be late."

Courtney surprises me by reaching one of her manicured hands out and using it to flip some of my hair behind my shoulder.

"It's our two week anniversary. You understand, right?" She finally directs at me.

This time I am the one to remain silent.

She waits until my ex stops beside her to make a show out of grabbing his muscled bicep. However, before she can walk away, I watch as she leans forward towards my ear.

I contemplate twisting her wrist when she tucks some of my hair behind my ear in order to reveal said body part.

"Relax, Gill." She taunts.

"You look constipated." With that being said, the two of them walk off in the direction of the front of the school.

I feel numb.

Yeah, that may be a little dramatic, but it is true.

Imagine having the girl that you considered your best friend isolate your other friends away from you without any notice or explanation.

It feels shitty.

I never even had the chance to confront Gia and Winter on why they suddenly didn't like me before they both moved away. I tried confronting Cassie, but she just got called away by Courtney.

That's their dynamic.

Courtney calls and Cassie comes running. Hell, if Courtney told Cassie to cover up a murder for her I'm sure that she would do so without question.

I have come to my own conclusion that it might have something to do with popularity and Courtney's power in that subject.

Cassie hates knowing that people don't like her. Therefore, when she had to choose between Courtney, popularity, and Courtney's connections or me and the opposite, she chose Courtney's side.

"Cassie!" Courtney's shrill voice is heard from down the hall.

Cassie's facial expression morphs into that of guilt as she glances between me and the direction that Courtney went in.

"Sorry, Gillian. She's my ride." Is all that Cassie says before rushing after the girl.

Of course she is.

Deciding that I am no longer in the mood to eat, I make my way over to the library.

My books haven't let me down yet.