OLIVIA BAKER POV
I stepped right in front of Coop as she headed in my direction. "Does he like her?!"
Coop's surprised to be hearing from me. "Oh. Olivia. Hey. I wasn't sure if we were cool or not."
"Does Latrelle like Monse, yes or no?!"
"I don't think that's my business to tell."
I sighed and begged for her to tell me. "Coop, please! I need to know!"
"Damn. He really broke your heart, huh?"
My eyes widened. "He told you what happened?"
"He told me that he's your brother. I'm sorry. That must've been heartbreaking."
"IT IS!" I affirmed. "Everything that we had is ruined because Jordan wanted to snoop around and find out the truth! And it sucks even more because Latrelle and I admitted that we loved each other! Now he's acting like those words meant nothing!"
"Liv, Latrelle is just as hurt about this as you are. He really liked you."
That angered me. "See, LIKED! PAST TENSE!"
"He still does, trust me. But you guys are related. Being romantically involved with each other would just be plain wrong."
I crossed my arms as I spoke bitterly. "Yup, and now he's team Monse! He replaced me in the blink of an eye! He's even sleeping at her house!"
Coop's shocked. "Wait what?"
"Yup! He's avoiding the James family and he's been sleeping at Monse's place! Probably in her bed too!"
Coop laughed dismissively. "You're thinking too much into it. Monse's not a fast girl."
I rolled my eyes.
Coop continued. "Look, Latrelle's your brother. You gotta be happy for him, not bitter." Then the bell rung and Coop said her goodbyes. "That's the bell. I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah..."
And I'm also going to talk to Monse later. Her and I should became friends since she's friends with my brother. I have to make sure that she's right for him, you know? And if I'm Monse's friend, then I'll always have a way of knowing what she and Latrelle are up to.
And I deserve to know everything they're doing.
-
Two classes later, and Monse has been on my mind nonstop. I can't wait to introduce myself to her this period. How should I approach her though? Should I get to know her first, or instantly talk about Latrelle?
Eh, I'll just wing it.
-
So I got lucky because our teacher assigned Monse and I as partners. So I rushed to sit next to her and wasted no time. "Hey! You're Monse right?"
"And you're Latrelle's sister."
My jaw dropped. "He told you too?!"
"Yeah." Monse chuckled a little. "He tells me everything, to be honest."
I bet he does.
I tried to conceal my bitterness. "Yeah I bet because you and him seem hella close! How'd that happen?!"
"He comforted me when I was at my lowest point. And then, I don't know...everything kicked off after that."
"Kicked off?! Like romantically?!"
Monse laughed while doing a no gesture with her hands. "No, no, nothing like that. Latrelle and I are just friends."
"But you like him right?! And does he like you?!"
Monse didn't feel comfortable answering that. "Um..."
Okay, I'm coming on too strong. I need to chill. "Sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself."
But she's already catching on to me. "Okay, what is this conversation really about? You and me, or you and Latrelle?"
"You and me of course!" I lied. "I just wanna get to know my brother's friend!"
Monse raised an eyebrow. "You seem pretty accepting of the fact that he's your brother."
I shrugged. "Yeah I mean, I can't deny the facts."
"Yeah. And I know that you two liked each other, so sorry about that."
Loved, not liked. But now I've been replaced with you.
Gotta love it.
"Wow. He really does tell you everything." I put a fake smile on my face. "Anyway, I'm so happy that Latrelle has someone helping him during these dark times. I hear that he's even staying at your place."
"Yeah, but he's gonna be moving in with you guys right?
"Yes, that's the plan."
And I can't wait.
Monse's mood shifted into sadness. "I just want Latrelle to find peace with himself. He got shot and then found out that he's adopted. He's going through too much."
A lightbulb went off in my head. "Hey. Latrelle tells you everything, right? So do you know who shot him?!"
Because if she does, I'm gonna be upset.
"Latrelle actually pushed me out of the way. So yeah, I saw the shooter," she told me.
Wow! He saved her?! What DOESN'T he do for her?! And this happened right after he told me that he loved me! I'm so mad!
"Who shot him?"
But of course she stayed tight lipped. "It's not my place to say. Sorry. You should ask Latrelle."
I huffed. "I would but things are pretty awkward between us. Maybe you can help with that?"
"How?"
"Play the mediator!" I suggested.
That made her scoff. "Okay, so this is about you and Latrelle."
"It's not! I genuinely want to get to know you!"
Monse shook her head. "You don't. You just see Latrelle through me or something. Well sorry but I'm not gonna be used, Olivia. And I'm definitely not gonna get in between what ever y'all have going on."
And then she got up and looked for a new partner.
I yelled after her. "MONSE! Monse!"
But she didn't come back. She's never coming back and now I'm even more distanced from Latrelle than I was originally.
Damn it.