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bronze babe
"I repeat, the eagle has descended, I repeat!"
"Why are you screaming? I'm literally in front of you."
I've decided that the library would be our headquarters for the oncoming news I'm about to spill for them. "Right. Sorry."
Behind her, Trey saunters over to us. "Why did you send me a cryptic text?" he starts, pulling back the chair next to Liv. "The words library after lunch didn't really sooth me."
"And I don't understand why I'm here," Vic raises his hand on my side, a confused expression on his face. I slowly put his hand down.
"Because." I pause for dramatic effect. "Justine's seen my article."
So the grand plan I was scheming? Remember when I wanted to get close to Justine but couldn't do so without a proper excuse? Well, the excuse was that I was writing an article about her to post for Student Council. I guess everyone forgot about that — including Justine — because none of us followed through with it. Now that we're nearing the end of the school year, though, it's the perfect timing.
It's also the perfect last straw to break Justine.
Vic whistles. "That's actually not bad, Addie. Congrats."
I look at him with heart eyes. "Thank you, Victor."
"Wait, wait." Liv holds up her hands. "How do we know if she read it yet?"
"Logically, she already has," Trey answers, like he's talking about an analytical essay about macroeconomics and not about a teenage girl. "We're nearing the end of the day, which means at least seven hours has passed for her to read it."
Just at that moment, the library door opens and murmurs are heard through the room. And lo and behold, in comes the Golden Girl.
My article has been the biggest talk of the school this time yet. Maybe because it's starring Justine Reynolds herself, but also because no one's done a profile interview of her before. I didn't even give A Midsummer Night's Dream a breather, which I guess is why Mr. Allen has been throwing me death stares all through the day.
We try to act normal as she passes our view through bookshelves, her figure disappearing every few seconds. I have a strange case of déjà vu — of that time Trey and I were here, planning our first move and him approaching her with the little (and failed) plan I concocted.
She catches my eye.
I almost faint right there. But something about her face calms me... like a childhood friend I've been estranged with. So I offer her a smile.
And it looks like she's about to return it — her mouth twitches and her eyes brighten — but, as if realising it, she drops it. Just like that. Then she leaves in a hurry without giving our table a second glance.
"Oh, God," Liv lets out, "that was intense."
"Intense is an understatement," Trey mutters, and I peek at him. It's clear to me now that he's more bothered by all this than we thought.
"It looked like she was about to come here, though," Vic points out.
I nod. "Yeah." Why didn't she?
"She wouldn't have come here." We all stare at Liv. "Think about it. There's Trey, her ex-boyfriend — I mean, just using terms here, I didn't mean it like that," she rushes, seeing Trey's sudden pale face, "and two people she's not close with." She finally looks at me. "Maybe she just wants to talk to you, Addie."
Huh. That might actually be true.
And remembering the look we just shared, I think I can finally fix this... once and for all.
***
I follow Liv's advice and remain alone for the rest of the day.
Nothing interesting happens except for the curious looks I get. Maybe because they know I'm the writer of the article and have kept up with our drama so far. But for the first time, I don't care what these people think. I don't care if they think I'm pathetic and kissing Justine's ass for forgiveness. Because it's true, in a way, but also because it's between Justine and I. Not with the rest of the world. Screw what they think.
I only care about what my friend thinks.
"Addie."
I freeze.
I slowly turn around, gripping the straps of my backpack like a nervous fourth grader about to get on a rowdy bus. Justine is a few feet away from me, with her golden hair in a messy bun -- an unusual look she's been parading at school lately. She purses her lips. A startling thought comes through me.
If someone told me Justine freakin' Reynolds would be nervous to see me, I'd laugh at their face.
"Hey," I say quietly, offering a small smile.
She has my newspaper in her hands, the front crystal clear.
"You read it," I said with a swallow.
"It's hard not to when your face is literally on the cover of the page."
For a second I'm afraid she's mad, but the corner of her mouth twitches. She's holding back a smile. She's joking.
I awkwardly gesture to the bench beside me, tilting the side of my head a bit. She follows and we both sit down, adrenaline cracking in the air — this is the closest we've seen each other.
"Yeah, um," I clear my throat, staring at my untied shoelace to avoid eye contact, "it was a bit of spontaneous, me writing that. I finished it overnight." I'm not trying to impress her, but it's a genuine fact that slips out of my mouth.
She nods. "The article you were suppose to write for Student Council." Shit. My whole body tenses, and she damn well notices. "Or was that one of your other lies?"
"Yes. Partially. I'm sorry."
Maybe I should just stop there.
No.
"But the article — what I wrote in there — that's not a lie," I push. "Everything I said is true."
Justine doesn't return my eye contact and instead peeks down at the newspaper, her hand tucked in between the page of where I'm assuming her article resides.
"So you expect me to forgive you with just a couple of pretty words?"
"I — no," my heart is beating too fast as I fully turn to her, "I just thought it was a good gesture — "
"So you can cross off another check in your list?"
"I didn't mean for that — "
"Think that giving me compliments like the rest of them is going to make me fall at your feet?"
"JUSTINE!" I let out, desperate, and she jumps a bit, not expecting my outburst. "Justine, I am truly sorry for what I did to you. I'm sorry for lying to you, playing you, messing with you for my own selfish reasons. I'm sorry for not considering your feelings enough, for thinking you were just a game, for being shallow enough to think you can be won and bought by a simple set of rules. That's belittling of me and I'm sorry, okay?" I don't remember when my voice starts to break. "I'm sorry for being so fucking immature, I'm sorry for manipulating you from the start, I promise it wasn't always like that and it certainly wasn't towards the end, and I know that I've broken your trust and I can't do anything to fix it and I am sorry — "
My mouth runs dry as Justine pulls me into a tight hug, my words muffled by her golden hair and the curve of her shoulder. I'm so surprised that I don't even return the favour, my arms still and stiff beside me. When she hugs me tighter, though, I wake up and immediately wrap my arms around her back.
"I believe you," she murmurs. "And I forgive you."
"You do?" I croak.
She chuckles. "Yes. Anything to stop you from crying like a baby."
I let out a laugh as well, relieved and so glad, that I start shaking with laughter. Justine can't contain it either when she joins in, her giggles a sound that reassures me everything's going to be okay.
When we pull away, she blinks and smirks at me. "Wow. You actually cried. I don't think I've ever had someone cry over me before that's not a guy."
"What can I say, Reynolds, you've bewitched me."
We both chuckle, and it begs me to ask the question. "So, we're good?" I clear my throat. "Because, not gonna lie, my vocabulary can't survive only with the words I'm sorry."
She smacks my head. "Yes, Hale, we're good. Just don't fuck up again."
"Duly noted."
"And I'm sorry I yelled at you."
"I deserved it."
"You did, but it doesn't mean I felt good doing it. I'm sorry I embarrassed you and left you feeling like shit."
How did I deserve this angel? "I forgive you, J."
Her eyes brighten at the nickname, and a shy smile appears. "You really think I'm the best friend anyone could ever ask for?"
"No, that was just me kissing ass."
She punches my shoulder harder this time, and I burst into laughter, my cheeks hurting from smiling too much. I nudge her elbow. "I'm kidding. Of course I meant it. Also, I've been dying to say this, but you were really good in the play, by the way."
"Psh, me? What about you and all your hidden messages? And with that speech in the end?" She wave her hands in front of her face like the air's too hot. "Damn, woman."
I grin. "Learned from the best."
"Damn right you did." She pauses. "It was really hard ignoring you, you know. Like, the only person I wanted to talk to when all this happened was, well... you."
"Just me?"
Justine doesn't respond right away, but she knows who else I'm referring to. Even though I've stopped being their wingwoman, old habits die hard. "It's hard to see him like that... like someone who lies to me and thinks I'm a trophy."
"Lies," I corrected. "Thought you were a trophy. It doesn't excuse his — our — behaviour from the start, but I can tell you now for sure that all of his feelings and actions are genuine and comes from the bottom of his heart. That has to mean something, right?"
I can't remember when Trey's feelings started getting real, maybe somewhere between Number Five or Six — but I know for a fact that he's head over heels now. If only I could convince Justine that... but maybe I'm not suppose to. Maybe that's not my job anymore.
It's Trey's.
"Yeah, it does," she finally says, soft and contemplative, "it's something."
I wiggle my brows in response, suggestive, and she rolls her eyes.
"But you know, even if Trey and I don't get the ending we want..." she suddenly starts again, her voice thoughtful like she believes it's a fate to be true, "doesn't mean you can't get yours."
I blink. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, while you had him follow guidelines to make me fall in love with him, someone else was already falling for you effortlessly."
My mind is blank for a second until I realise what she's talking about. Who she's talking about.
"Justine — "
"Oh, save it. You know it and everyone knows it."
I bite my lip. "I'm not even sure if that's possible," I say quietly, feeling the sudden weight in my chest. "For all that I did to you, I think he regrets ever letting me do it and that he'll never be able to forgive me because I hurt you — "
"No. Stop making it about me. It's about you and him now, how he's still crazy about you and how he's never stopped. Because you know what I see?" Justine cracks a smile. "Wherever you go, he follows."
"I don't know if you can see, Justine," I drawl, spreading my arms around me, "but he's nowhere to be found. Your theory is wrong."
She grins. "Guess again."
I frown at her expression and suddenly have an instinct to turn around. A few feet away, someone's trying to hide behind a tree. They go in for another peek and that's when our eyes meet. If our positions were switched, I'd have turned away with my cheeks heating. But he stays there. Unflinching. Unfaltering. Just looking at me, like he's been waiting for me.
I smile.
Forget Addie/Jude and Trey/Justine — Addie/Justine shippers, rise.
Also I'm so sorry for the late update. But I'm going active again, the next chapter is the last, and it's what you've all been waiting for.