The early morning sunlight filtered through the school hallway windows as Hayley rushed toward her friends, her phone clutched excitedly in her hands. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and darted between Emma and Layla as she approached.

"Where have you guys been?" she exclaimed breathlessly. "I had to talk to you before class! Maddy's new blog post is up!" She bounced on her toes, barely containing her enthusiasm. "So, you want me to read the whole thing, or just skip straight to the part about Crystal?"

Emma leaned against her locker, a resigned smile playing on her lips. "You might as well read us the whole thing. I know you want to." She gestured with her hand. "Well... hurry on already."

Hayley cleared her throat dramatically, adopting what she clearly thought was a professional blogger's voice. "Greetings gossip girls (and boys) of Daleside High! It's been an exciting week, and the wheels of the rumor mill have been turning! First up, some news from out of town. The daleside Drakes had the first football match of the year yesterday with our old nemesis, the Westwood Warriors! Needless to say, we were trounced: I'm no football fan, but even I know that nobody stands a chance against the gorgeous Stephen Wilson!!"

As Hayley continued reading about the football match between Daleside and Westwood, her voice grew increasingly animated, especially when describing Stephen Wilson. "That's right– Stephen is still Westwoods football captain, and he is still absolutely killing it– both on the field and off. Girls and guys alike just can't resist the dreamboat. I'm pretty sure even his own team were queuing up to tackle him– or they would've been, if they could've caught him! But he's an all-star athlete, on top of his many other qualities– some people have all the luck, am I right?"

Her dramatic retelling of the "mysterious redhead" encounter had her practically swooning against the lockers. "Speaking of luck, it was certainly in yesterday for the curly-haired redhead on Stephens arm!! She was spotted dancing with him at the after game party, and rumors have it that they shared a sneaky kiss under the bleachers: last year, I reported that Stephen was back on the market, but it seems things have changed! Who is this mysterious redhead? Enquiring minds want to know!"

Hayley lowered her phone briefly, her expression thoughtful. "So, Stephen's dating again," she mused after finishing that section. "Huh. I thought he'd still be hung up on Kathryn Hill."

Layla's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "What... who are these people?"

"If you ever read Maddy's blog, you'd know!" Hayley responded with playful exasperation. "She talks about the Westwood high football team and their girlfriends all the time. And she's, like, super obsessed with Stephen Wilson."

Emma shifted her weight against the lockers. "I almost ended up going to Westwood High."

Emma's quiet revelation caught both her friends by surprise. Hayley's relief was immediate and heartfelt. "Really? Well, I'm glad you didn't! We would have never met, and I'd have just had to read about you on Maddy's blog!" Hayley's eyes widened at the thought.

"Assuming I was the girlfriend of a football player..." Emma's dry response echoed in the hallway.

"You so definitely would have been!" Hayley insisted before returning her attention to her phone. "Now, where was I? Ooh, here we go: 'moving closer to home, another interesting development: on Wednesday I told you about a newcomer to the school, Mason Nieves. Well, I can now reveal another secret from my contact at the school board: he is not the only new student coming to join us at Daleside this semester. That's right! Another transfer student will soon be joining our ranks! All I know right now is that HE (and yes, it's a he) is a senior, and he'll be arriving early next week. I don't know any other details yet. But as soon as I know more, so will you!'"

Layla adjusted her bag thoughtfully. "Two transfer students in one year? That's weird."

The mood shifted noticeably as Hayley reached the section about Mason. "Hang on... here's the bit about Crystals mystery date! 'New arrival Mason Nieves seems to be settling in well, and is making friends already!'" Her voice grew softer, more hesitant, as she read. The words seemed to hang heavily in the air: "'He and Crystal Dale, queen bee of Daleside high, were spotted together yesterday, sharing drink and... and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes!'" She looked up at Emma, concern written across her face. "I'm so sorry, Emma!"

Emma straightened her shoulders, though her eyes betrayed her hurt. "Don't be, Hales. It's not like he's cheating on me or anything. I hope he and Crystal are very happy together."

"I know this is hard for you, Emma, but it's better this way," Layla offered softly, placing a gentle hand on Emma's arm.

----

The school day passed in a blur, and  the afternoon sun cast long shadows through the library tall windows, as dust motes danced in the air. Mason approached Emma between the study tables, his backpack slung over one shoulder.

Their interaction started innocently enough with project discussion, but the underlying tension was palpable.

"Hey, Emma! You ready? I think we'll be able to finish the project today."

Emma barely looked up from her books, her fingers fidgeting with the corner of a page. "Yeah, let's make a start."

"Everything ok?" Mason asked, noting Emma's subdued demeanor. "You seem down."

Emma's response was clipped. "I'm not really in the mood, Mason."

"Are you mad at me about something?" Mason leaned forward slightly, his brow furrowed.

Emma's eyes finally met his. "Should I be?"

Mason paused, his jaw tightening as he thought for a moment. "...This is about me and Crys, isn't it?"

Emma's internal voice noted bitterly, 'So he's now on a nickname basis with her?' Out loud, she merely said, "...You got me. It's just taking me a while to process, that's all."

Mason's expression hardened. "Well, process it on your own time," he snapped. "You've got no right to guilt trip me about this."

"I'm not guilt tripping you!" Emma's eyes flashed with hurt and frustration, her voice rose slightly before she remembered they were in the library. "I was trying to be mature about it!"

"What even is there to be mature about, Emma?" Mason's frustration was evident in his tense shoulders.

Emma's hands clenched into fists under the table. "Look, I'm trying my best here, but I can't help it if it hurts me to see you with someone else!"

"Are we actually having this conversation?" Mason's voice took on a bitter edge. "YOU left ME, Emma. I loved you, and you let some over-involved agony aunt persuade you to dump me."

"Hey, leave Layla out of this!" Emma's cheeks flushed with emotion. "Sure, maybe I regret the decision I made, but that's on me. She was only looking out for me."

Mason's expression shifted, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. "Are you saying you... regret breaking up with me?"

Emma hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper. "...I don't know. It doesn't matter, anyway– like you always say: what's done is done."

"You're right about that." Mason's voice was firm but carried a note of finality. "It's over, Emma. I have my regrets too. But that's the decision I've made on my own, and I stick by them." His final words cut deep as he walked away, leaving Emma alone among the bookshelves.

Emma's eyes followed his retreating figure until she caught sight of a familiar face partially hidden behind a bookshelf. "...Were you there the whole time, Hales?"

Hayley emerged from behind the geography section, her face a picture of guilt and concern. "Not the whole time!" Hayley rushed to explain, words tumbling out. "I just kind of came in at the end, and then I didn't want to interrupt you guys... Please don't kill me!"

Emma's exhausted smile softened her response. "I'm not going to kill you, Hales! You're my friend. I don't mind that you heard our conversation."

"Oh, phew!" Hayley's relief was visible as she stepped closer. "I was really worried for a second there! Because I knew it would look pretty bad, me hiding in the geography section like some kind of terrible ninja, and I--" She stopped abruptly, noticing the shimmer in Emma's eyes. "Hey, Emma, are you crying?"

Emma quickly wiped at her eyes. "No."

"You are!" Hayley's voice was filled with alarm as she rushed to Emma's side. Her attempts at comfort, while characteristically awkward, came from a place of deep caring. "Don't cry, Em! You have me and Laylay! We love you!" She paused, adding under her breath, "That's probably not as good as having Mason. You can't take us out on dates, for one thing– I mean, a 3-person date would be super weird."

Emma's watery chuckle encouraged Hayley. "You're rubbish at cheering people up. You know that, right?"

"It's working, though: I see that smile!" Hayley's grin widened. "My comforting strategy is like a terrible movie–so bad, it's actually kind of good!"

Emma sniffed, managing a small smile. "You're one of a kind, Hayley Smith. I'm lucky to know you."

"Aww!" Hayley's expression softened before she quickly caught herself. "Enough with the mushy stuff– you're going to set me off, and then we'll both be blubbering!" She paused before asking gently, "You really cared about him, didn't you?"

"Yes." Emma's voice was quiet but steady. "But like he said, it's over."

"I think maybe Laylay made the wrong decision, breaking you guys up." Hayley's words were thoughtful, careful.

"I think so too." Emma's eyes grew distant. "If I could go back in time and change one thing..."

"Seriously?" Hayley's face lit up with characteristic enthusiasm. "If I could go back in time, I'd save Martin Luther King! Or attended middle school with you. Or... ride on a dinosaur!"

Emma's laugh echoed softly through the library.

Hayley's expression turned sheepish as she realized her attempt at levity might not be helping. "...This isn't helping, is it? Sorry, I'll stop talking." She brightened with a new idea. "Listen, let's call off clubbing tomorrow. We can just chill at yours instead!"

Emma shook her head, knowing how much her friend had been looking forward to the club. "I know how much this club trip means to you. Besides, I think it would do me good to put this out of my mind. If you wanted to come over a bit earlier tomorrow though, I'd really appreciate having a friend around."

"You got it!" Hayley declared, wrapping her friend in a tight hug, her voice full of warmth and conviction. "I'll be there, Em. Always."