Song of the chapter is
Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande.

05
-Saina Arora-
-Present-

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Delmore High
15 November, 2019
2:19 pm

As Jughead Jones once said, 'Life's not an Agatha Christie novel, it's a lot messier.'

I stared at my reflection in the girls' bathroom mirror as I wiped off the excess lipgloss on the sides of my lips.

The girl who stared back at me in the mirror doesn't look like me at all. Her expression was sinister, something so vile that it's hard to express. It felt like my reflection's lips were curled up in a smirk, almost like it was mocking me and reminding me of what I did.

"What are you thinking?"

Deep and husky, the voice almost startles me. I looked at the reflection of the raven haired boy beside me, a small smirk blossoming on his lips.

The boy standing beside me, with his ebony curls, sharp jawline and a mouth full of white lies was Avinash Mittal , a.k.a my best friend's boyfriend.

Correction; Dead best friend's boyfriend.

I turned around in a swift and gazed at the pair of stormy eyes in front of me with bewilderment.

"Avi! This is the girls bathroom!," I snapped.

He tilted his head to the side and shrugged, 'So?'

"So?! Take your male gaze and male privilege and get out of the woman's bathroom!"

His lips curved upwards as he took a lazy step towards me.

"Oh I just love when you get all feisty," he remarked as his hands travelled towards my petite hips. I bit my lips in anticipation.

Clasping my smaller palm in his own , he pinned me against the edge of the counter, trapping my body against his. Slowly travelling , his hands brushed against fragments of my bare skin making me suck a sharp breath.

"Avi..."

"Shush.."

We were centimetres away from each other. He leaned in closer , so did I, our lips barely brushing against each other. The kiss left a tingling sensation in my lips.

The small amount of contact woke an unsettling feeling in me. I pulled away abruptly, breaking the silent spell between the two of us.

"What happened, cherié?"

"Avi, you need to go. If anyone sees us like this...."

"School ended 20 minutes ago. No one's here."

"Yeah but still....it isn't good for us to be seen like this....with everything that's going on," I drawled.

' You mean with Alishka's death?'

I quirked an eyebrow at him,
"What else , Avi?"

He simply shrugged.

"If anyone sees us like this, they'll think we got rid of her so that we could be together,' I looked back at my reflection in the mirror, "And honestly, I don't think I have the energy of dealing with another rumor right now."

He smirked at me through the mirror, "Well you can't blame them. For someone whose best friend just died, you seem awfully normal."

My eyes hardened as my gaze met his reflection in the mirror in front of me. I swallow as my eyelids fluttered.

I let out a little laugh.

"You think I don't care? You think I don't care that the girl that I've known since I was born is dead? You think I don't care that she's ripped off my life and I'll never be able to see or talk to her again?"

His gaze flickered for a second , displaying empathy and pity.

"I'm sorry for being selfish for taking my mind off her for a second," I composed myself , "Not everything needs to be about her."

His gaze landed on me as his hands rested on top of my shoulder, "I know what you're going through, Sainu. I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that."

I looked at his puppy eyes and said, "It's okay."

He smiled at me through the mirror,  "How are you gonna go home?"

"I don't know. Mr. Ryan's probably gonna pick me up or something," I paused before continuing, "Why?"

"Tell him to take the time off. I'll drop you home."

"Avi, there's no need..."

Unexpectedly, his lips brushed against mine; this time more gently. He pulled away abruptly and said, ' Yes, there is. Now come on.'

A sheepish smile graced my lips as translucent blossomed against my cheeks. I don't know how he managed to have that effect on me everytime.

"You go ahead. I'll be with you in a minute."

He smiled and traced his way out of the girls' bathroom. I sighed heavily, glancing at his silhouette before turning back to the mirror to glance at my reflection one last time.

For a moment, my reflection almost looked ethereal, like the girl that I used to be before I met Alishka. For a moment I could see the girl who used to wear colourful headbands. I could see the girl who danced around clumsily everytime a butterfly flew by her. I could see the girl who laughed at knock knock jokes and giggle at the sight of ice cream.

Just for that eternal moment.

My phone suddenly chimed loudly, startling me. I fished it out of my bag and found a new notification added to my previously unopened messages.

My curiosity got the best of me and I nonchalantly clicked on it.

And my blood ran cold.

‘When friends kiss their dead best friend's boyfriend, someone gets hurt . That's a promise I'll keep.’

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