Prestige

| 22 |

"Amara!" Talia screamed as she ran towards me, pushing past people who gathered around the lockers in the corridor. I looked up after pausing my little rummaging-through-my-things session, waiting for her to say whatever she had to say.

"What happened?" Luna asked, looking at her curiously. We were standing in front of my lockers, waiting for Talia to meet us for lunch. She was late by ten minutes, leaving us with fifty more minutes of lunch.

"I saw Jae with Charlotte. They were standing real close." She informed me. I froze and watched my stomach sink to the ground, pulling the rest of me down. "I'm so sorry." Talia said, before pulling me Ito an embrace to comfort me.

"Maybe they were just talking and you saw them at the wrong time?" Luna weakly suggested, trying to make me feel better.

"I doubt it." Cade replied as he approached us with June by his side, who kissed Talia's cheek when greeting her.

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Rumours are spreading that they're dating each other." Cade pulled me into an embrace after watching my reaction to his words. So much for that kiss. I didn't know how to react anymore.

"And people saw him leave school with her and show up with her... in the same car." June added, looking at me apologetically.

"What happened here?" Zero asked, showing up out of the blue.

"Jae and Charlotte are dating." Luna reported in a disgusted and angry tone.

"I'm going to kill him." Zero hissed through his gritted teeth. I pulled him back by his sleeve, grabbing it tightly, "Please just leave it. I don't want to have to do anything with him." Talia rubbed my back in an attempt to keep me calm, I sniffled a little before focusing on my breathing. "Let's just get lunch." I told everyone who began to lead the way. I didn't know what to do regarding the heartbreaking news of their affair but I wanted to make him pay for it, more than anything else.

We headed to our usual table, but this time I was sitting between Zero and Talia, allowing Luna to sit beside her man. "How's your story coming along?" Cade asked, looking at me while snacking on his muffin.

"It's going well. I'm so close to done. I just need some parts of it from a certain somebody." I answered truthfully.

"Why do you need him to finish the rest of your story?" Cade asked, looking at me curiously.

"Because he joined late and it all happened when they were on good terms." Talia replied cockily, clearly advising him to drop the subject.

"It's because late admissions can't enter without teaming with another person. And he came very late, therefore I decided to be nice." I explained, trying to be brave and strong.

"And I am guessing you regret being the nice one out of you two twins, huh?" June winked as he asked, cheering me up a little. I nodded as I groaned lowly to myself.

"He's such a dick for doing this to you. I wish we could make him pay for it." Luna declared angrily. It was now clear to me that she might have never actually liked him, she only endured him for being my brother's best friend.

"We could beat him up for you." June suggested, before pulling out his mental list of threats, "Or we could cut his balls off. Or even publicly humiliate him. We could take him to England and stretch him on those Elizabethan torture machines. We could even hang him upside down and let him bleed to death, pagan style." The freakiest part of the whole conversation was the fact that June was smiling happily, the way he usually does with his bubbly character.

"Don't you think that's a bit much?" I questioned, worried more than in agreement with him.

Zero chuckled a bit before talking, "No need for all or any of that. I'll deal with him personally." The last statements sounded like my brother had harsh plans for his own best friend. "Don't let him get to you, I will make him pay for hurting you. He won't ever get away with it, no matter who he is or was to me." My brother assured me, rubbing my back.

"It's fine, seriously. There was nothing between us." I excused, I wasn't lying. I was just in denial to admitting that the kiss we shared was more than just a kiss. I didn't want to submit to the fact that I casually claimed a man as being mine just because we shared a kiss. Dammit, I sound like a twelve year old girl who just shared a chaste kiss with her crush.

"Sorry for being late guys." Jae casually excused himself, sitting between me and my brother and making me move down to give him room. I was going to say something until I realised that my brother was sat next to him; Zero was too busy staring at his best friend, with a cruel smile on his face.

"Speak of the devil." I mumbled to myself, unfortunately I wasn't as quiet as I wished I was.

"And he shall come." Jae replied, looking at me through concerned eyes, while also wearing a heart-melting and softening smile. At this point, I was more than confused, questioning whether his words had another meaning - a double meaning in a statement.

"So you and Charlotte?" Zero intimidatingly asked, only to be reminded that Jae was his best friend, since the man didn't even react to the interrogation as worried as other people would've been. "She's been handled. You have nothing to worry about." I rolled my eyes while groaning to myself, annoyed by his response. It seemed that I wasn't the only one since Cade and June refused to make eye contact with him and were avoiding him too. We stood up and picked our trays, preparing to leave the cafeteria to go to the basketball practice that the guys had. We agreed to support and encourage them, so we all decided to go together. Plans of which I now resent.

"What do you mean by she's been handled?" Zero asked him, with a slightly threatening undertone, forcing him to answer carefully.

"I mean that I have spoken to her. She won't be bothering us anymore, don't worry." Jae revealed, as if he was of any help to any of us. I rolled my eyes and ignored him. I took off without saying anything, simply making my way to the gym, we were meant to be there anyway.