Viral

Nineteen

"He belongs to me – the boy is mine"

-Monica

How do you measure happiness? Sometimes it's in the way you steal glances when you don't think the other is looking. Sometimes it's embedded in what you don't say but what's caught up in the back of your mind. It's that vivid image of happiness you get when everything has finally aligned the way you imagined it to. It feels like a blanket of sunshine during a cool day. It's the soothing sensation you get from iced lemonade when it's too hot to breathe. It's in the tiny ways someone makes your world bigger. It's the honor of being the rainbow in someone else's cloud.

That level of happiness feels like perfection.

Until it isn't.

The Finn utopia I had created wasn't as impenetrable as I thought. I hadn't even gotten the proper time to fully bask in it. All I had were the fresh memories of the treehouse and the smile I woke up with this morning.

Normally I would be questioning if it was all a dream but the butterflies I felt thinking about Finn's embrace washed all my doubts away. Thinking back I was kind of stupid not to notice all the hints Finn had dropped throughout the years. Even if I had picked up on them how was I to know he still had those feelings with him welcoming Carly into his life with ease.

Maybe at one-point Carly truly was all he wanted, or maybe she was all he wanted because I appeared unattainable.

None of which mattered anymore since the boy was mine. That didn't stop some from trying to rain on our parade.

If looks could kill I'm sure my mother would be planning my funeral right about now. Finn and I had car pooled with Marcus the following Monday morning and the moment we stepped foot in school i could feel one pair of eyes burning through me but couldn't find who they belonged to. Everywhere i turned in the crowded hallway i couldn't find who was staring at me. I had a sinking feeling I knew who was shooting daggers in my direction.

The thought didn't last long when I felt two of Finns' fingers curl around my own. I haven't gotten the public display of affection thing down just right, so I knew his subtle actions had caused me to blush. Instead of shrinking into myself I smiled.

Marcus gagged cutting in between us. "Hello I'm here too." Marcus pushed each of his open palms in our direction giving them a little shake as if he wanted us to embrace them. "What, no one is going to hold my hand? I thought that's what we were doing now." Marcus smiles sheepishly as if he was trying not to laugh at his own joke.

Finn playfully pushed him aside and firmly took my hand into his own tickling the side of my hand by tracing circles on it with his thumb. "No that's reserved for me and Ryland."

I really liked how that sounded.

"What the hell is this?" What was meant to be a playful tone was laced in bitterness. August had reached our group where we normally stood in the morning. It wasn't long before Jordan had as well.

Marcus hadn't noticed the extra sauce in August's tone, but Finn sure had. Finn lifted my hand that was already laced within his own then placed a warm kiss to the back of it. I wasn't looking at him but I could feel his lips tugging into a smile as if he was taunting August.

I almost snatched my hand away at how rude he was being then remembered he and August had never settled their differences aside from flying fists in my living room. "What's it look like?"

Jordan cut in before I could ease the situation. "Whoa... when did you and Finn get so close?" Jordan's eyes on mine didn't feel as judgmental as August's were.

I cleared my throat, but nothing came out. What was I to say? Finn and I hadn't put a definition to what we were or what we were doing and ten minutes before I was happy about it now, I wasn't so sure.

Marcus sensing the growing tension tried to land a joke. "Guess the games were just beginning when we left game night!" Marcus nudged August playfully, but August's face was made of stone.

"Game night?" The look on Jordan's face made my stomach drop. He looked worse than a kicked puppy. Before this year all I ever truly hung out with had been Finn. Jordan had been one of the guys even when I hadn't truly fit in. Jordan's face read betrayal; I could relate to that. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" Jordan looked accusingly at each of us, but August didn't even notice. At least everyone else looked concerned about Jordan's feelings.

"No one was invited." August looked between Marcus and Finn before continuing. "These two idiots just showed up." August crossed his arms still emitting rays of animosity towards Finn.

Jordan's ears were turning pink in frustration, "Even so why didn't anyone call me once you were all together?"

I felt like none of the guys were equipped to deal with emotions so i tried my best to soothe the situation. "No worries Jordan, everyone is invited next time. I was hanging out with August and these guys crashed."

Marcus placed is hand on Jordan's shoulder, "You know Beckett just need a little more attention with her new cam girl career coming up!" It was another joke that was supposed to lighten the mood but I couldn't help my eye roll. I didn't need that much attention.

Nothing we said wiped the pain from Jordan's face. "Yeah, whatever man." The bell cut in for us to get to class and it was the biggest breath of fresh air I had all morning.

I thought I had avoided the rain clouds for the morning, but the storm had yet to settle in. The emotions firing through my friends this morning was simply the lighting traveling faster than sound. Carly was the thunder. The sickening crackle in the midst of the storm coming for me.

I was dreading my second period class just thinking of how our face off would go. I wanted to be naive in my thoughts of how news travels throughout the school but after the way my nudes spread like wildfire, I couldn't entertain my fantasy. Although I hadn't found Carly in the sea of the crowd this morning, I know it was her eyes attempting to burn holes in my skin.

I had been so consumed with my thoughts of her first period came and went and it was time to see where our face off would lead. I arrived to second period long before anyone else and took an empty seat close to the back. I took a deep breath and then settled in.

Carly was one of the last few to enter the room and her icy glare sent chills down my spine. I waited patiently for the snake to snap and release deadly venom in my direction. The anticipation was building, and I could feel sweat starting to prickle beneath my arm pits. Carly took her time walking in my direction. She never took her eyes off me and I felt my shoulders involuntarily dipping in response.

She walked past me then took a seat behind me, luckily not the one directly behind me but to my left. I released the breath I had been holding and felt like it deflated the confidence out of me. Why hadn't she said anything, or bumped into me? The lack of interaction was unsettling.

I couldn't help but turn my head to get a peak in her direction. She was still staring at me. Carly leaned over and whispered something into the ear of the guy sitting next to her all while her eyes were still glued to me. He gave me a nasty glare before responding to Cary. What was that about?

I didn't have long to think about it before the intercom cut on for an announcement. "Ryland Beckett to the principal's office please, Ryland Beckett to the principal's office." Everyone turned to look at me as I gathered my things. It was beyond me as to what I had done to earn a trip to talk to the principal. I couldn't help but to steal another glance in Carly's direction. When our eyes met, she raised an eye brown in defiance.

This had her name written all over it.