Point Of No Return

Chapter 4: Nebulous

Then Alex ruined everything.

We were sitting in the cafeteria, Tessa picking through her lunch while I attempted to tune out a particularly obnoxious conversation happening at the next table, where Alex and his friends were sitting.

His friends were being loud, engaged in some story about something that happened in the locker room. Meanwhile, Alex was scrolling through his phone between bites of his sandwich. And then he laughed.

It was small, barely noticeable to anyone else, but I recognized the way his lips curled—not in his usual smug way, but the kind of way he did when he actually found something funny.

I glanced up. "What?"

Alex didn't look up from his phone. "Nothing."

Tessa's head immediately snapped up, sensing gossip. "That wasn't a nothing laugh. That was an I'm texting someone funny laugh."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Jesus, you two are nosy."

"It's a gift," Tessa said cheerfully.

I sighed. "Who are you texting?"

"None of your business," Alex snorted in our direction.

"I bet it's a girl," Tessa mused, turning to me with a smirk.

"A girl?" I raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.

"And apparently a funny one at that," Tessa continued, teasing.

"What could she ever see in Alex?" I joked, nudging Tessa.

Alex tapped a few more times on his screen before finally setting his phone down and looking at us. "No need to get all jealous. There's enough Alex to go around for all of you ladies."

I scrunched up my face. "I think I just threw up in my mouth."

Tessa gagged dramatically. "Same. Never say that again."

Alex rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "You two wish you had someone as charming as me."

Tessa snorted. "That's hilarious. Who was it actually?"

Alex hesitated for a second before shrugging. "Just Finn."

The name hit my chest like a slap, and I hated that it did.

It was stupid. It was so stupid. I'd already known that Alex had gotten along well with the Reeds. It wasn't a big deal.

But the moment I heard Finn's name, my brain took an unwanted detour—to the other Reed brother, to the dinner table, to Finn's teasing voice and that stupid, casual comment that had been bouncing around in my head ever since.

Relax, we're just messing with you. We know there's nothing there.

I had laughed it off. Shrugged like I didn't care. Like it didn't matter. But for some reason, it did. Because why did it bother me that they thought that?

We know there's nothing there.

Why did it bother me that Finn had said it like it was so obvious?

"Finn Reed?" Tessa asked, eyebrows raised.

Alex shot her a weird look. "Uh, yeah?"

Tessa's eyes flickered to me for the quickest second before she forced an easy smile. "Oh, nice. What's he like?"

Alex narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing something. "Why? What, are you suddenly interested in my friends now?"

I forced myself to focus on my lunch, refusing to let my brain spiral.