FATAL ATTRACTION

19.

"She said yes just like that?" Eva said, sounding incredulous. "She didn't even think about it? What kind of an idiot does that?"

"I told you before that the girl is dumb and stupid," Collins said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't believe how easy that was."

"Well, obviously she is," Eva replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to play along and get what I want," Collins said, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"So, what's my role in all of this?" Bella asked, looking confused.

"Since you're her friend, when Collins is distracting her, you'll need to steal her songbook," Eva explained. "It's simple, really."

"But... I can't do that!" Bella exclaimed. "I'm not a thief!"

"Relax, it's not like you even like her in the first place," Michelle said, rolling her eyes. "This is just a game to you, right?"

"So, if we steal her songbook, what are you guys going to do with it?" Bella asked, still not convinced.

"You ask too many questions," Collins said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Just do as you're told."

"But how am I supposed to do that?" Bella asked, feeling more and more conflicted.

"It's very simple," Eva said, her voice soothing. "There's a party tomorrow, so you can use that as an opportunity to steal the songbook."

Bella's phone pinged with a new message. She glanced at it and saw that it was from mike.

"Hey, where are you? I'm hungry and I want to hang out," the message read.
"Are you ignoring me?" a second message read.

Bella frowned. "I have to go," she said,"I'll see you guys later."

"But what about..." Eva started to say, but Bella was already out the door.

"Wow, she's in a hurry," Collins said, looking confused.

🎶🎶🎶🎶

"Leo, wait up!" Winnie called, her voice breathless.

Leo turned around, his expression unreadable. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice cold.

"I want to know why you're avoiding me," Winnie said, her eyes searching his face. "Did I offend you? Please, just tell me!"

"You didn't offend me," Leo said, his tone dismissive. "I just think things are better this way."

"No, things are not better this way," Winnie said, her voice insistent. "I hate it when you avoid me - it's seriously annoying!"

"But I like it this way," Leo said, his tone unyielding.

"But why?" Winnie asked, feeling frustrated. "Just tell me what I did wrong - I'll apologize!"

Leo looked at her, his expression unreadable. "Do you like Gerald?" he asked, his voice calm.

Winnie felt her heart skip a beat. "What does he have to do with this?" she asked, confused.

"Just answer me - do you like him?" Leo asked, his voice quiet.

Winnie felt her heart thudding in her chest. "Yes," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Leo turned to leave, and Winnie rushed to catch his arm. "Wait, what - why did you ask that?" she asked, confused.

" it's useless," Leo said, his voice low.

"But why?" Winnie pleaded, desperate for an answer.

Leo stopped and turned to look at her. "Because I like you," he yelled, his words ringing through the air.