---

Chapter 8: Revelation

Phil’s phone sat silent in his pocket as he and Nick battled it out on the basketball court. They’d been at it for an hour, and Phil hadn’t given his phone a second thought. But as he wiped sweat from his brow and checked his notifications, a wave of unease rippled through him. Missed calls. Messages from Lily. One after another, her texts filled the screen:

“Call me immediately.”
“Where are you?”
“Please pick up.”

His stomach knotted as he held up the phone to Nick. “Look at this, man. It’s Lily. She’s been blowing up my phone. What do you think’s going on? Think it’s about Alex?”

Nick shrugged, trying to brush off the tension. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. Just call her. Maybe she just needs to talk.”

“What if she found out… you know, about what we did?” Phil’s voice dropped to a whisper, worry etched into every word.

Nick gave him a steady look. “Then we’ll handle it. Just call her.”

Phil took a deep breath, dialed her number, and pressed the phone to his ear. She answered on the first ring, her voice crackling with urgency—and something else he couldn’t quite place, a thin edge of anger beneath it all.

“Where were you?” Her voice was sharp, every syllable hitting like a knife.

“I… uh, I was playing basketball with Nick,” Phil stammered, caught off guard. “What happened?”

There was a beat of silence. Then, “Meet me at the park this evening.” Her tone was taut, restrained, as if she were holding something back.

Phil’s eyes darted to Nick, who gave him a quick nod. “Okay, I’ll be there.”

They hung up, and Phil let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “She sounded… I don’t know. Tense.”

Nick gave him a reassuring smile. “If it were about Alex, she’d already be ripping you to shreds. She just wants to talk. Whatever it is, we can handle it.”

Phil managed a weak smile in return. “Yeah… maybe you’re right.”

---

Evening rolled in, casting long shadows across the park as Phil and Nick waited under a cluster of trees. Phil’s hands were jammed into his pockets, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to go very wrong.

Nick nudged him. “You know, I could take off. Give you two a chance to talk alone.”

Phil shook his head. “No, Nick. I need you. You’re my guy.”

Nick gave a small nod, a hint of pride in his eyes. They both straightened as they spotted Lily approaching, her pace brisk, eyes flashing with something between anger and hurt.

She didn’t waste a second on pleasantries. “Phil, were you involved in my breakup?” Her voice was low, steady, but laced with barely suppressed rage.

Phil opened his mouth to respond, but no words came. Next to him, Nick went silent too, his usual confidence swallowed up by guilt. He hadn’t expected her to dive straight into it.

“Did you do this?” Lily pressed, her tone hardening. “Answer me.”

Before Phil could react, Nick stepped forward, his voice steady. “It wasn’t Phil. It was me. My idea.”

Phil’s eyes widened, completely thrown. “Nick…”

Nick shook his head subtly, a silent signal for Phil to let him take the fall. “Phil didn’t want to go through with it. I convinced him. You should be mad at me, not him.”

Lily’s gaze shifted between them, fury simmering beneath the surface. “How could you do this, Nick? You had no right! You think you can just meddle in other people’s lives like that?” Her words were sharp, each one sinking deep.

Phil couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped forward, his voice firm, defending his friend. “Enough, Lily. Don’t talk to him like that. He’s lying. It was me. I… I thought you needed someone to protect you. I saw you with Alex. He was hurting you. You told me you were scared.”

Lily’s face twisted in disbelief. “Did you ever stop to ask me how I felt about it? Or did you just decide for yourself?” Her voice grew louder, more hurt with each word. “Who gave you the right?”

Phil’s bravado crumbled under her glare. He’d never expected her reaction to cut this deep, but he couldn’t back down now.

“Becca… Becca told me that you liked me,” he said, his voice small, uncertain. “She said you’d be better off without him.”

Lily’s laughter was cold, bitter. “Becca lied, Phil. She told me you liked me. But I never told her that I felt the same.”

Phil’s world seemed to collapse, the truth crashing down like cold water. He’d believed a lie. He’d acted on an illusion, a fantasy spun by someone he thought was a friend. His mind whirled, the questions forming a knot of confusion and shame.

Lily’s voice was low, almost a whisper. “I trusted you, Phil. I thought you were my friend. But you—” She choked back her words, the pain clear in her eyes. “Because of you, Alex left me. I’m alone.”

Phil stepped forward, reaching for her hand, desperate to make things right. “Lily, I’m here. I’ll be there for you. I promise.”

She wrenched her hand away, and then—SLAP. The sound echoed between them as she stepped back, tears brimming in her eyes. “I don’t need you, Phil. You broke my trust.”

With a final, broken look, she turned and walked away, leaving Phil standing there, shattered.

Nick put a steadying hand on Phil’s shoulder. Nick’s voice was calm, unwavering. “You’re not a bad person, Phil. You wanted to help her. We just… went about it wrong.”

Phil’s voice was barely above a whisper. “How long are you going to keep backing me up, Nick? How long will you keep telling me I’m a good person? I messed up, Nick. I made a mistake… No, I… I ruined everything.”

Nick's voice softened. "That's not true, Phil. We were in this together. You thought you were doing the right thing."

Phil let out a bitter laugh. “She’s right. I acted on my own assumptions. I was living in some… some delusion. Becca told me exactly what I wanted to hear, and I didn’t question it.” He paused, guilt heavy in his voice.

Nick turned to him, his tone steady. "And that’s why we have to face Becca. You deserve the truth, Phil. She played us both, and it’s not fair to leave it like this. We go to her, we get answers."

Phil hesitated, his gaze fixed on the ground. “What’s the point? The damage is done. Lily’s gone. Whatever Becca tried to accomplish… she won. She’s never going to forgive me.”

Nick gripped his shoulder, his voice firm. “Maybe. But it’s not just about Lily anymore. You need to understand why Becca did this, and she needs to answer for it. At least then, we can have closure.”

Phil looked at his friend, the only person still standing by his side, and nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”

The two walked away from the park, the weight of their choices settling over them. They reached Becca’s house as the streetlights cast long shadows, their hearts heavy with anticipation.

And there, waiting on her porch with a sly, knowing smile, stood Becca. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, as if she had been expecting them all along.

“I’m assuming you’re here to discuss our little arrangement,” she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction.

Please give me the feedback...
Does this chapter feel rushed... because I have to trim it out because it was becoming too long
Next chapter will reveal Becca backstory if you have any theory please provide