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The cafeteria is an interesting place.
Trey and I are sitting with his friends, like we have been for the past weeks; Jude and Justine are with Jude's track mates and some of Justine's girls whom I recognise from her old circle. Including Iris and Yolanda, even after everything. It's like the Round Table is back, and seeing them in a different crowd where I obviously don't belong... stop.
Then there's Liv and Vic, who's nowhere to be seen.
Like I said, interesting.
"You were so dope in the play, man," Keith starts, clapping Trey's back. The play is what everyone's been talking about.
"Yeah," Landon adds, "like, I really felt the tension." Of course you did, none of it was fake. "You should really try out for — "
"Hey."
That was a feminine voice and it's not mine.
The five of us look up to see Liv and Vic standing in front of our table.
"Are these seats taken?"
None of the boys answer, not even Trey. I think that's a sign that they want me to answer, or giving me the chance to do so. "It's saved for my best friend," I slowly say. "Haven't seen her in a while."
"Well, I bet she must've missed you a lot."
"She does?" My voice is too vulnerable with hope.
"Eh, just a tad bit."
But she cracks a smile, and damn, how I've missed my Olivia's smile. I grin wide and nudge the seat closest to her. "Hop in, then, the seat's getting cold."
Next to her, Vic pouts. "Am I invited, too?"
"Who are you again?"
He gives me a middle finger and the entire table chuckles.
The ruckus we make attracts attention, but from one particular group: the twins' table. Everyone there turn heads except Jude and Justine, and I'm sure they're pretending like they don't care. Checking their phone and glancing at their nails. Or at least I hope they do.
I look to the person next to me. She looks at me back.
"I'm sorry — " we both utter at the same time.
Liv and I blink before bursting out in laughter. "You first."
I gulp. "I'm sorry," punctuating that freakin' word, "for being a know-it-all, okay? For being a complete control freak on your love life. You're much more than capable in taking care of yourself — and I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you weren't. Like I knew things better than you, because clearly I don't — "
"You do — "
" — and I feel horrible for almost ruining what you two have," I say in a rush, flickering my gaze between her and Vic. She follows and visibly swallows. "Because that's the last thing I want, Liv."
"Addie." She turns her whole body to me. "I know that. And I don't mind your support. You've been there when it comes to guys that wanna take advantage of me. Sometimes I am naïve to see through their intentions." She licks her lips. "But when it comes to guys I actually like... correction; guy, since this is the first time I've felt this way," she whispers, glancing quickly at Vic and blushing right after, "you can offer advice any time you want, but leave all the decisions to me, alright?"
"Absolutely. One-hundred percent." Pause. "Swear on my life."
"Swear on your dad's gnomes."
My mouth twitches. "I swear it on my father's dwarfish creatures."
She grins. "Then it's settled."
We hug, in the only way best friends know how to, like those girls in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I can't remember their names.
Someone claps near us.
Vic puts down his hands when no one follows him. He skims around the table in sincere confusion. "Oh, we're not suppose to clap?"
Trey rolls his eyes.
I analyse them more closely. Despite having my own clashes with Liv and indirectly with Vic as well, I don't think there was any animosity between the two boys. Granted, Vic had to stick with Liv and Trey had to stick with me after everything that happened — but between the other pair of best friends, I'd say they were always cordial. Brotherly.
I catch Vic's eye.
"I'm sor — "
"Save it," he interrupts with a smile. "You don't need to apologise. Trust me, I get it, and it's totally fine now."
I blink. "Okay." I don't know how to respond to that. "Cool."
Vic winks at me.
And for once, everything feels normal again. How it was before the twins got involved; Liv, Trey, Vic and I, the four of us together. Best friends reunited. We could end it this way. The way we started.
But Trey and I are missing our halves.
Which begs me to unearth a vital question...
"So," I wiggle my eyebrows at her, "are you, like, bisexual now?"
Liv smacks me in the head.
***
A best friends' reunion also requires painting each other's nails.
"Why did you paint this one in full colour and the other one with patterns?" Liv squints.
I shrug. "Versatility."
"It doesn't look right."
"Your face doesn't look right."
Liv throws a pillow at my face. I catch that pillow and am about to return the hit before a knock comes from my door. I smile to myself. Penny's learned her manners.
"Yes?" I call out.
She peeks her small head in, her big eyes on me. "There's a boy waiting for you downstairs."
I freeze. Is it...?
But I haven't talked to him at all. He's made it clear that he wants some distance between us until the whole Justine problem gets resolved. But at this point, I don't know when that will be. "Does he have a mean face?" I lick my lips, trying to calm my racing heart.
"No." Penny's eyebrows furrow a bit. "He kind of has a sad one."
Liv and I glance at each other. Now we're both confused.
When I skip downstairs with Liv and Penny on my trail, I open the door and prepare myself. What I see is not what I expect.
"Trey." I blink. "Hey. What're you doing here?"
"You forgot your History notes."
Oh, right. There's this exam we have that's coming up by the end of this week. "You're a lifesaver," I grin, graciously taking his notebook. "And what prompted you in this act of kindness?"
"Call it genuine intention."
I chuckle. "I can work with that. See you tomorrow?"
"Hasta mañana."
He starts to walk away and I'm closing the door, when Liv suddenly sticks out her foot and blocks the edge of it. The door halts. "Wait."
"What?"
"Does he seem okay to you?"
I don't know what she means. "What do you mean?"
"I mean... about the whole Justine situation," Liv drawls, giving me a look. "Have you asked him how he's been doing?"
That's when I realise.
All this time, I'd been so preoccupied with my own problems — having to deal with my relationship with Jude, my friendships with Justine and Liv — that I hadn't given a single thought towards Trey. My friend who's always been there for me. My friend who's stuck by my side during this hellhole. My best friend.
Just because he seems okay on the outside doesn't mean he's not in the inside. Some people are just not the type to show their true emotions, and I'd be a fool not to know that about Trey. If he was devastated, I'd have no way of knowing it.
Or maybe I have, but I've been too selfish.
"Trey! Wait!" I run, and he stops and looks back. He waits.
"Wanna go go-karting with us?"
***
Weekdays are perfect for the ultimate go-kart experience.
The last time we were here, Liv and I were celebrating Penny's birthday... and I also became Justine's knight in shining armour when she needed an escape. Granted, because of that, I was temporarily banned, but the Great Gonzalez here was charming enough to convince the old lady to let me in.
But with success comes regret, because he bumps into me for the hundredth time.
"Oof!" I let out. "Trey! What the hell, man?!"
"Seeing you in pain is my source of entertainment."
"So you're into BDSM?"
"Tsk tsk, what a dirty mind you have."
But his brown eyes are glinting with amusement, and it's certainly worth it to see this smartass having fun.
"Hey," I cough, "I never asked you how it went down with Justine." The day we decided we were going to talk to our respective partners. The last number of the List.
Mine didn't turn out well, obviously.
"Oh, yeah." Trey fumbles with his gear, pretending to be nonchalant. He's pretending really good. "I left her a few messages with no response, so I thought I'd approach her in person. But... it was clear she wanted space," he cleared his throat, "and it'd be pointless to talk to her if she doesn't want to listen to what I have to say."
Harsh truth, but very true. "Sorry to hear that."
"It's not your fault." He frowned, rethinking his automatic reply. "Actually, it kind of is."
I give him a look. "But that thing I did at the play, it worked, right?"
"With Liv. But I'm not sure with Justine. Has she reached out to you?"
I shake my head. "But she's nicer. Like, she's not actively bringing people against me, you know? It's grown to a kind of... silent hatred."
"Right."
The thing is, it feels like we've tried everything. But I think there's one more thing we can do to break Justine's cold act; I know it in my bones. We're always thinking of doing something bigger than the previous; the next one to topple over the other...
"Let's look at our history notes." Trey blinks at me. "What we did back then to win Justine? Not every one of them was a failure."
He scoffs. "So what, we stalk her again?"
"I mean — " My car slams away from Trey's, getting rocked again but this time by a little kid. My head buzzes as I fumble for the stirring wheel and get my grip back. "Hey!" I whirl around. "Watch it, nuthead!"
Meanwhile, Trey calmly steers over to me, to the edge of the ring where I've been left for dead. He parks smoothly like he's testing for a freakin' driver's license. "As you were saying."
I huff. "History notes."
A pause. "Well, we did the getting-close-to-her-twin plan, and it certainly won't work now. Then we did the theatre spectacle, which is over and done with."
"And I saw her Facebook to get that information." That also won't get me new results. And I won't go to TJ Barnett for help again. What else did I do? Something in the middle of everything...
"You're making that face."
"What face?"
"The face that says you're figuring something out in a second."
He's not wrong. It's in the back of my mind. What I —
"Oh my God."
And with that, Trey smiles. "There she is."
***
For three days, I lock myself in the Student Council room, fingers flying through the keyboard as I stare at my screen for an alarming amount of time. Liv passes by and offers me a bagel and coffee.
Trey checks in to see if I'm not dead.
Delete. Enter. Save.
At last, on a random Thursday evening, when the halls are thinning and the sounds of footsteps fade — I decide to click publish and print.
And the next day I wait, using the lockers as a disguise. I watch as students flood the hallways again, buzzing with noise and chit-chat. Then I watch as they start grabbing the new school paper that's distributed around the stands.
I finally spot her.
She arrives at school alone. Noticing where people are gathering. She looks down on one of the stands, hesitant. I know what she sees. It's her face front and centre.
She's going to ignore it. I'm about to lose hope.
But Justine picks up a piece.
A/N: Christmas came early, y'all.
Also, Liv is the best friend ever.