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"Have you seen Courtney?" Alyssa asked, trying to sound as casual as possible as she glanced over at Kayla. It wasn’t that she was worried, just... curious. She had been expecting her to have planned some lavish, over-the-top entrance, but the dance was already in full swing and there was no sign of her.

Kayla shook her head, before taking a sip of her drink. "Nope."

"Oh." Alyssa frowned slightly, her head turning so she was able to scan the room. It was difficult to make out people’s identity in the dense crowd, but it was likely that Courtney would be wearing some extravagant dress that would make her stand out. However, she was nowhere to be seen, and Alyssa was keen to find out why.

At that moment, she noticed Carter stroll in through the entrance doors, his hands shoved deep inside his trouser pockets as he sauntered in coolly. He was looking more tanned than before, and his messy blonde hair was spiked up slightly more than usual. Despite this, there was no hiding the fact that there was a distinct lack of a dark-haired bitch on his arm.

"Why is Carter alone?" Kayla asked, voicing Alyssa’s thoughts.

"I have no idea..." Alyssa said, her brows furrowing even more than before. "But I’m about to go find out."

Before Kayla could say anything more, Alyssa had taken off in his direction, and by the time she realised her friend was gone, she was already halfway across the room.

"Hi, Carter," Alyssa said casually, smiling innocently at him as she approached. Despite the fact that they hadn’t been on speaking terms since she had found out about him and Courtney, her tone of voice implicated that they were still good friends.

Carter looked slightly wary, but his cool exterior didn’t fade. "Hey."

"Long time no speak, right?" A dazzling smile was flashed in his direction. "How have you been?"

"Alright. Much better now, though."

"And why’s that?"

Carter laughed slightly, although the reason behind this was unclear. He shot another knowing smile at Alyssa. "I think you can guess."

"Something to do with Courtney?" Alyssa didn’t care about how blunt she was being. She was intrigued to find out why the inseparable pair were now without each other.

"Yeah. Let’s just say things weren’t working out between us."

"Oh, right."

Carter nodded slightly in her direction, seemingly oblivious to the strange conversation that they were sharing. Maybe it was the atmosphere in the room, as everyone seemed to be more relaxed and at ease than usual. "Listen, I’ve got to go and talk to someone. Maybe I’ll see you later."

"Okay," Alyssa agreed, content with the information that she had received. "See you."

She watched Carter’s back as he made his way into the crowd of people, all moving in time to the beat of the dance music that was booming through the speakers. So Carter and Courtney were over... her lips formed a satisfied smirk as she began to digest this new information. She couldn’t help but wonder if Courtney would actually make an appearance, now that she was alone. To discover that, she would just have to wait and see.

She headed back in the direction she came from, where Kayla was still standing.

"Come on," she said to her friend, raising her voice in order to be heard. "If this is going to be my last dance here before I get shipped off to some shitty English school, then I at least want to enjoy it."

***

"Alyssa!"

Her ears pricked up at the sound of her name, but the voice was faint and it was difficult to identify the owner over the beat of the music. Was she imagining things? She didn’t know, but she continued dancing anyway. If it was that important, they would call again.

"Alyssa!"

This time she turned her head, suddenly making eye contact with a familiar face who was standing at the edge of the crowd. They gestured for her to come over, and she began pushing her way outwards, not even bothering to murmur ‘excuse me’ to the people she was elbowing out of the way.

"Brooke," she said in greeting, when she reached the redhead, who had a slightly worried expression on her face.

"Someone wants you."

Alyssa paused, narrowing her eyes slightly. Brooke’s uneasy expression looked suspicious, and she didn’t know whether she should trust her or not. "When you say ‘someone’, who do you mean?"

"Um..." Brooke shifted her gaze to the floor. "Courtney. She’s in the bathroom."

"Courtney wants to see me?" Alyssa could not contain her disbelief. "What, does she have a smoothie or something ready to throw on me so she can ruin my dress?"

"She seemed pretty upset. I think you should go see her."

After a short moment of consideration, Alyssa sighed in defeat. "Okay." She nodded towards Brooke, before heading in the direction of the door. As soon as she was out into the hallway, the noise of the music softened and she could hear herself clearly. Her heels tapped on the polished floor as she walked briskly in the direction of the ground floor bathroom, closest to the gymnasium.

When she approached the door, she found herself stopped in front of it, almost nervous to go inside. Was there going to be a bucket of paint balanced on the door, ready to fall on top of her when she opened it?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a small sob coming from inside the bathroom. She paused for a moment, slightly shocked when she recognised it as Courtney. She pressed her ear against the door so she could hear the sound more clearly, wrinkling her nose slightly at the thought of touching a dirty bathroom door. Another sob could be heard, louder this time. Sighing, she ignored any doubts lingering in her mind about a booby trap waiting for her, and pushed the door open.

As soon as the door shut behind her, the sound of the crying stopped immediately. She looked around the room, catching sight of her reflection in the mirrors, and resisted the urge to smile at herself like she always did – she guessed it was inappropriate at a time like this. The bathroom was expectedly empty, but the stall in the middle was occupied, the lock slid across causing it to show up as engaged.

"Courtney?"

Silence consumed the room. Alyssa frowned slightly, turning to face the locked door of the cubicle. If Courtney was going to be stubborn, why had she even called her in here? It would have been easier to not to bother.

"Yeah..."

The voice came quietly and meekly, causing Alyssa to freeze. She had never heard Courtney sound so timid and vulnerable, and it was quite a shock for her. Taking a deep breath, she spoke again.

"You wanted me?"

"Um... yeah."

Alyssa stepped closer to the locked door, looking up at it. If she had been wearing more suitable clothing, she might’ve attempted to go round the side and climb over, but that would be near to impossible in a gown. She reached up her hand and knocked a couple of times, the quiet sound seeming unnaturally loud in the silent bathroom.

After a few seconds, there was a rustling sound and then the lock slid across, causing the door to open a fraction. Cautiously, Alyssa pressed her fingers against it, opening it slowly. She was wary of what she might find. For all she knew, Courtney could be faking crying and be waiting in there with a can of paint, ready to throw on her.

But she wasn’t.

She was sat on the toilet lid, her head propped up in her hands, with tears streaming down her mascara-stained face. As the door swung fully open, she looked up and made eye contact with Alyssa, her eyes glistening with fresh tears.

"Are you okay?"

Alyssa mentally slapped herself. Of course she wasn’t okay - she was hiding in the bathroom, crying her eyes out. But she honestly didn’t have a clue as to what else to say. What was the right thing to do, anyway? She had never been good at comforting people, and when the person she was faced with was her new mortal enemy, the situation was almost impossible to figure out.

"I know you hate me..." Courtney choked out. "But you were only person I thought I could talk to."

A pang of guilt struck Alyssa’s insides, as she watched Courtney swallow another sob. "No..." she said softly, stepping inside the stall. It was pretty tight, considering both of them were wearing large flowing gowns, but it seemed like the right thing to do. "That’s okay."

"You’re probably glad about this... but Carter dumped me."

"Oh." Alyssa inhaled deeply, pretending this was news to her. "I’m sorry."

"Don’t be." Courtney shook her head as another tear rolled down her cheek, greying slightly as it ran over her dark eye make-up. "I deserve it. You were right; I’m a total bitch."

"Not a total bitch," Alyssa said with a smile, kneeling down. "You definitely don’t deserve this."

"You’re not supposed to be being nice to me."

"Would you prefer it if I laugh in your face and walk off?"

Courtney sighed. "No."

"Carter’s an ass," Alyssa said bluntly, smiling slightly. "Honestly? Don’t even bother with him."

"Aren’t you angry with me?" Courtney asked, looking up at Alyssa. "I stole him from you."

Alyssa shrugged. Previously, the sight of Courtney crying after being dumped by her ex-boyfriend would’ve made her laugh hysterically, but now the anger inside of her had evaporated. Whether it was the sight of her looking so vulnerable, or just that it had been enough time to let it go, she didn’t know. "I’m over it."

There was a long pause before Courtney spoke again. It was inevitable, but at the same time, unexpected.

"I’m sorry."

Alyssa inhaled sharply. It felt strange to hear the words out loud, especially when they were coming from Courtney’s mouth. She had honestly expected her to keep up the enemy scenario for a lot longer, but she supposed it would be better this way. "I know."

"I swear," Courtney continued. "I really am sorry. I know I’ve been a massive bitch to you. I’m sorry for stealing Carter, I’m sorry for ruining your election campaign, and I’m sorry for showing everyone that picture. I’m an awful person, and if you don’t want to forgive me... then I totally understand."

"You know, you don’t have to list everything you’ve ever done to me," Alyssa said, smiling. "I’d do the same to you, but... we’d probably be here all night."

"Is that an apology?" Courtney couldn’t help but smile through her tears.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Alyssa responded. "As much as it pains me to say... I’m sorry."

There was a pause as the words hung in the air. Then, without warning, Alyssa leaned forward and pulled Courtney into a hug, squeezing her tightly. The mass of fabric from both of their dresses made it a bit of a challenge, but she didn’t care. They stayed like that for a while, and when they both pulled away, Courtney was smiling.

"Friends?" she asked.

"Friends," Alyssa agreed with a small nod. "But there is one thing..."

"What?"

"I’m kind of leaving next week."

"You’re leaving?" Courtney’s eyes widened in shock. "Leaving Serenity Falls, you mean?"

"Leaving the country," Alyssa told her, sighing deeply. "Daddy’s shipping me off to a boarding school in England. After what happened at the election speeches, and now Tiffani’s turned him against me..."

Courtney was silent, her mouth gaping open slightly as she tried to think of something to say. It wasn’t often that she found herself speechless, but that was the last piece of news she had expected to hear. Alyssa was leaving? Suddenly, her stomach dropped as realisation struck her.

"It’s my fault, isn’t it?"

"No!" Alyssa said quickly. "No, it’s not your fault. Daddy’s been threatening it for a while, and I think with the way I’ve been acting, it would’ve happened anyway."

"Oh."

"I suppose at this other crappy school there’ll be another girl in charge," Alyssa said, smiling weakly, although the thought made her slightly worried. "Still, we’ll soon sort that out."

Courtney laughed. ‘I can’t imagine you taking orders from anyone else.’

"You got that right. Give it a couple of weeks, I’ll be running those posh bitches. You know, Serenity Falls is going to fall apart without me."

"I know. I’ll have to be the one keeping everyone in order."

Alyssa managed a smile. "You’ll do great. Still, there’s no point moping about me leaving. This is my last dance at Serenity Falls, so I might as well have fun. And..." she looked upwards, catching Courtney’s eye. "I think I’d enjoy it a lot more if my best friend was with me."

This time, Courtney smiled properly. Her lips parted to reveal her perfectly straight teeth, as she took Alyssa’s outstretched hand and pulled herself up from the toilet seat. A few make-up wipes and a couple of coats of mascara later, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror before heading towards the gym with Alyssa.

***

"Is that Alyssa?" Olivia frowned in the direction of the door, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her. "With Courtney?"

"Oh my God..." Chelsie murmured, her mouth hanging open slightly as she watched the two of them waltz in together, smiling and laughing as if they were the best of friends. "I didn’t think we’d be seeing that again any time soon."

"Me neither," Olivia said, raising her eyebrows as she took a sip of her drink. "Still, I suppose it’s better that they’re not going to be constantly fighting."

Chelsie nodded in agreement, just as the song over the speakers finished. However, instead of a new track playing immediately afterwards, the DJ picked up the microphone and tapped his hand on it to get everyone’s attention. The crowd simultaneously turned round to face the booth, all looking in his direction to find out what was going on.

"Sorry guys, I’ll put some slow songs on in a sec, because I know how lovey-dovey you all are," the DJ said, with a playful wink. A few small laughs could be heard in the crowd, but Olivia did not even smile. "But first... I heard that someone wants to make a little announcement."

The DJ turned to the side of his booth, gesturing for someone to come up. Olivia craned her neck, frowning as she tried to make out the identity of the mystery person, but there were too many tall people in front of her to see.

"Who is it?" Olivia murmured to Chelsie, who stood at an inch taller than her, but it was apparent that she wasn’t having much luck either, because all she got in response was a loose shrug.

Just as Olivia was cursing herself for not inheriting her father’s tall gene, the person in question stepped onto the stage, where he was in plain sight. As she caught sight of him, she froze, feeling her heart skip a beat and her breathing grow heavier.

Oh God.

"Why do I have a feeling this is going to turn out really, really bad?" Olivia whispered in Chelsie’s ear, as Ethan took the microphone from the DJ’s outstretched hand and made his way into the centre of the stage.

However, it was clear that Chelsie wasn’t experiencing the same dubious feeling that was coursing through Olivia’s veins. She had a wide smile on her face and she was grinning excitedly at her friend, before turning her attention back to the guy on stage.

"Hi, guys," Ethan said, with a small smile towards his fellow classmates. It was difficult to tell from where she was standing, but he looked kind of... nervous. Was that just her imagination, or did the beads of sweat residing on his forehead really exist? "You probably know me already, but I’m Ethan."

A few cheers erupted from the crowd, most likely from fellow jocks, and Ethan grinned back at them.

"Lately, I’ve made a massive mistake. I know that I have, but I didn’t know how I could fix it. Heck, I don’t even know if this is the right thing to do, but I’m going to do it anyway."

His eyes were scanning over the crowd, looking for someone. Olivia could feel the blush growing on her cheeks already, and there wasn’t even any attention on her. Silently, she prayed that he was not going to do what she thought he was about to. Luckily, he didn’t locate her amongst her classmates, and turned his attention back to the crowd as a whole.

"A couple of months ago, I met this amazing girl. She’s pretty, smart, funny and every other positive adjective I can think of. We hit it off pretty well. But I made a mistake. A big, big mistake and every day I wish I could take it back. But I can’t."

He turned his head to the left, nodding to someone at the side of the stage.

Within seconds, Olivia was being blinded by a bright light shining in her direction. Immediately, she squinted and raised a hand to shield her eyes, but after a couple of seconds of standing under it, her pupils became accustomed to the extra light shining at her.

Suddenly, she became aware of all eyes on her. Her cheeks flushed darkly, wanting to run away and hide, but she was frozen to the spot.

"This is my way of apologising, because, Olivia Webb... I think I’m in love with you."

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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I think I'm freaking out as much as you are right now ;) I have waited so long to upload this! CUE SAPPY ROMANTIC ENDING. Only 2 more chapters and an epilogue left!

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