AISLINN

I hurriedly stash my gear and slam my locker shut as the bell rings. I weave through the crowded hallway, dodging classmates, all headed to first period. The last thing I want is to be late or worse, bump into Maddie or Lochie. My stomach twists at the thought.

Finally reaching my classroom, I slip in behind another student, hoping to go unnoticed. I settle into my seat, pulling out my notebook. Despite my efforts to focus on the lesson, my mind keeps returning to last night's conversation with Ben and Ellie. I can't believe I found them online without even knowing their last names. After some hesitation, I sent them friend requests. After all, they're my only real friends from Lakeview Hollow, and I miss them. They accepted almost immediately, and we spent the next few hours chatting.

Mrs Stinson's stern voice yanks me back to reality.

"Aislinn, could you please answer the question on the board?"

She's standing at the front of the classroom. I can tell she's angry by the way she purses her lips and crosses her arms. Normally, she uses this stance to address the mischievous kids in class. But today, she aims her frosty glare at me. Despite being old enough to have taught my mother, there's still a kindness to her I've witnessed firsthand since my parents split.

I glance at the board, but I can't focus.

"I suggest you pay attention then," she scorns. Silently, I nod.

"Uh, sorry, Mrs Stinson," I mumble, trying to pull myself together.

I force myself to pay attention to the rest of the class, though it's a blur. When the bell rings for lunch, my anxiety spikes. I want to escape a potential confrontation entirely, but on the other hand, maybe if I took a stand I could speak my truth. It all seems too much to handle right now. The cafeteria is where Maddie and Lochie hang out, so I decide to head to the library instead. The face-off can wait for now.

The library is a sanctuary lined with rows upon rows of bookshelves that hover over me as I head to a table on the back wall. There's not many people in here today; just the librarian and three other students sitting solo at other tables throughout the room.

I check my phone, but there's nothing new, so I stash it away. Staring out the window, my mind returns to the video chat last night. Even though I've only just met Ben and Ellie, it's as if we'd been friends forever. We shared stories and laughed at each other's mishaps.

"So, Ellie, tell us more about your chemistry disaster," I teased, grinning.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Oh, you know, just accidentally mixed up the acid and the base. No big deal—just a minor explosion."

"Ellie, you're supposed to create reactions, not explosions," Ben said, taunting her.

As the conversation changed, I shared my concerns about Maddie and Lochie. Ben's voice remained calm and comforting.

"You don't have to face them alone, Ais. We've got your back. And don't forget your mum's there for you, too."

"And if they try anything, I've got a whole list of comebacks ready," Ellie said.

"I might need to borrow a few of those," I huffed out a sigh.

The banter with Ben grew more flirtatious, leaving an undeniable tension in the air. Ellie, ever the observer, couldn't resist.

"Is there something going on between you two I don't know about?" Ellie said, glancing between her brother and me.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked playfully.

She squinted her eyes at him. "You know exactly what I mean. You like Ais, don't you?"

He stuttered, "Uh, no. I mean, yeah, but..." he sighed. "We're friends. Right, Ais?"

"Yeah, I, uh, guess," I replied. The heat shot up to my face in an instant.

Ellie recognised my pained expression and changed the topic. Thank goodness.

With each passing minute of the call, my confidence grew stronger. The thought of facing Maddie and Lochie wasn't as intimidating anymore.

The lunch bell snaps me back to reality. I gather my things, taking a deep breath. Maybe I can handle whatever comes next.

Math class drags on, with Mr Peterson droning about geometry proofs and parallelograms. The mountain of equations and formulas is exponential. This subject is not my strong suit, that's for sure. Struggling to stay awake, I fiddle with my pencil, doodling in my book. The bell finally rings.

I head to my locker, clutching my books close to my chest. But as I round the corner, my heart sinks. My stomach knots and a lump forms in my throat. Lochie is there, waiting.

What I want to know is why he flirted with me for so long if he wasn't interested in me? Does it even matter now?

Part of me wants to run, but another part urges me to confront him. Anger enrages me as I remember the post that shattered my trust in him—and in Maddie. I walk to my locker, keeping my books close like armour. Trying to remember Ben and Ellie's advice, I open the locker, ignoring him.

"Hey, Ais," Lochie says, casually.

Continuing to ignore him, I slam the locker shut. He reaches out, touching my arm.

I jerk away. "Don't touch me," I snap. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as my voice trembles.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't mean to hurt me?" I repeat, incredulous. "What did you think would happen? You plastered it all over social media!"

His expression hardens. "It was just a bit of fun. It didn't mean anything."

My anger flares. "Just a bit of fun? You kissed my best friend, Lochie! That doesn't mean anything to you?"

He softens, looking remorseful. "I messed up, OK. I don't know what else you want me to say."

The hallway is almost empty now, except for the two of us. I just want to get out of here. To escape this drama. I take a deep breath, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You don't have to say anything. I just can't be around you right now."

"I get it. I'll leave you alone."

He steps back, opening a path for me. But as I brush past, he grabs my wrist.

"Wait," he says.

Facing him, I pull my wrist free. "No, you don't get to make it all better with one simple apology. You hurt me and I need time to figure out if I can ever forgive you."

"Fine, do whatever you need to do," he murmurs, letting me go.

I all but run down the hallway, my vision blurred by tears. I push through the front doors and nearly crash into Maddie, sitting on the steps.

"No," I say, not stopping. She doesn't follow, thank God. I can't deal with her right now. I just want to go home.

My phone buzzes, and I answer with a sniffle. "Hello?"

"Honey, it's me. Are you okay?" My mother's voice is exactly what I need.

"Mum, can you come get me?" I whisper.

"Of course, I'll be right there."

She arrives in minutes, and I jump into the car without looking back. Reaching over, she squeezes my arm without a word. I'm thankful for the quiet right now. The thought of having to explain the whole situation to her is paralysing.

Once home, I head straight to my room, collapsing onto my bed. The day started off so well, and now I feel like everything is falling apart. My bed is a soft oasis, and I let the exhaustion take over.

Three soft knocks at the door pull me from my thoughts. I ignore them, burying my face in the pillow. The door creaks open, and I feel the mattress dip as someone sits beside me. My mother's voice is soft, filled with concern.

"Hey, how are you holding up?"

I don't answer, but she knows me too well. She gently pulls the pillow away and holds me. I let it all out; the weight of everything crashing down on me.

"I knew I shouldn't have gone to school today," I whisper.

She hands me a tissue. "Oh, hun, there's no way you could've known. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now. Maybe later."

"Of course, no pressure," she says, stroking my hair. "I'm here if you need me."

I smile as she stands to leave, her hand resting on my shoulder. "I'll be downstairs."

As she leaves, I'm drawn to a family photo hanging on the wall. It was taken two years ago, back when everything seemed perfect. But now, looking at it only brings pain. I turn away, staring out the window instead.

Down the street, I notice a tall, muscular man walking with a purposeful stride. Curious, I follow his movements as he approaches our house. He looks up, and our eyes meet briefly before I look away. Then I take another look, seeking out more details.

"Mum," I call out, "Are you expecting someone?"

"Oh, damn it!" she mutters. "It's my date."

Wait, what? A date? I can't believe what I'm hearing. Mum hasn't gone on a date since she split from Dad, and that was over a year ago. Curiosity overtakes me, and I practically sprint down the stairs.

When I reach the bottom, Mum is fixing her hair in the hallway mirror. She's wearing a black dress that hugs her curvy figure, and red lipstick pops against her skin. I've never seen her like this before. A pang of jealousy catches me off guard.

"Hey, sweetie," Mum says, turning to me with a smile. "This is Chris." She gestures toward the man standing beside her, who looks just as surprised to see me as I am to see him.

"Nice to meet you," I say, masking my awkwardness.

Chris nods. He's tall with short, salt-and-pepper hair. What business does he have with my Mum?

"I won't be out late. Dinner's in the oven; the timer will beep when it's ready. Just remember to turn it off when you're done," she instructs, as if I've never done this before.

From the doorway, I observe them as they walk down the path. She turns back, briefly. "Call me if there're any problems, okay?"

"Yes, Mum. Go have fun," I reply. She's going to have some explaining to do when she gets home.

Once they're out of sight, I close the door. The house is quiet, save for the ticking of the kitchen timer. I head to the oven and open it, letting the aroma of roast chicken fill the air. My stomach growls. Dinner is delicious. Afterward, my full stomach lulls me to sleep on the couch.

A loud thud jolts me awake. I sit up. Disoriented, heart pounding.

Is someone in the house?

I rise slowly, tiptoeing toward the noise. The thudding grows louder with each step. My heart races as I lean forward, peering around the corner.

Then I see her.

A female figure stands at the end of the hallway. She's my height, staring right at me. I freeze.

Is she a burglar, prowler, or someone I know?

Before I can react, she steps forward, and the light reveals her face.

"Maddie? What the hell are you doing here?" I say, stunned.

"I needed to see you," she replies.

My heart beats faster as my fury builds. Maddie betrayed me, and now she's here. I want to scream at her, to hurl accusations, but the words die in my throat as I take in her tear-filled eyes.

I use all my might to remain composed, but my fists ball. Inside I'm unravelling.

"I'm sorry," Maddie whispers, taking a step closer. "I never meant to hurt you."

Her apology only fuels my anger. Does she really think that 'sorry' is enough?

"I don't want to hear your excuses," I snap, my voice cold as the ice that's running through my veins. Maddie flinches, but I can't stop. The adrenaline is pumping too hard, the anger consuming me.

"I trusted you. I loved you like a sister, and you betrayed me."

"I know," Maddie pleads, tears stream down her face. "But please, can't we just talk about this?"

Her vulnerability tugs at me. Sympathy that she doesn't deserve. The pain is like an invisible wall between us, one that seems impossible to breach.

She won't leave without a resolution. I push away my conflicting emotions with another sigh.

"Fine," I relent, exhausted. "We can talk. Five minutes."

Maddie lets out a shaky breath and wipes the tears from her puffy eyes.

"It's about us," she begins.

I nod, urging her to continue. She stares at her fingers, fidgeting.

"I know we've been through a lot. And I know things are difficult right now."

I remain silent, giving nothing away.

"We shouldn't let a boy come between us, Ais."

My eyebrows shoot up. Is she serious? She's the one who crossed the line, not me. I shift uncomfortably, trying to keep my expression neutral.

"Are you kidding me? You messed up, not me," I retort.

She bites her lip, avoiding my gaze, and her shoulders slump. The space between us is almost palpable with tension.

But as much as I want my best friend back, I can't ignore the hurt. I can't just let it go? I can't pretend like nothing happened.

"I understand," Maddie says, meeting my eyes again. "But please, I don't want to lose my best friend."

The more I think about it, the more our friendship seems worth saving—if we can move forward from this.

I slump on the couch, motioning for her to join me. She hesitates, then sits. For a moment, we sit in silence. But then something shifts. There's a glint in her eye that wasn't there before. A spark of hope, perhaps?

"Maddie," I begin. "Even if I can forgive you, I'm not sure I'll ever trust you again."

"I understand," she whispers.

"I just need some time to think, okay?"

She nods. "I guess I should go," Maddie says, rising from the couch. Walking to the door, she pauses. "I really am sorry, Ais."

Maddie is gone, but she's taken a piece of me with her. Can I trust her again? Can I forgive her? I don't have the answers to that right now.

I catch a glimpse of the clock as the hands wind past midnight. I hope Mum's night is turning out better than mine.