My phone pinged, I groaned and picked it up. I smiled when I saw who the text was from.
J: Face time?
I shot her a reply, that I would love to, and in the same second, her face popped up. I smiled when I saw her smile.
"J", she said.
"God, you have no idea how much I miss you, do you?", I said, and she beamed.
"I missed you too", she said.
"How come we haven't talked in a while?", I asked, and she sighed.
"J, I'm stressed. Exam's starting next week, that's why I've been so busy", she said.
"Ah, what exam can faze my sister, the great brilliant Jecintha?", I teased.
"Thank you J, but this is college, and I'm kinda worried", she said.
I clicked my teeth. "I believe in you, you got this", I said.
"Thank you", she smiled. "
So, how's David?", I asked, and wiggled my eyebrows.
"Stop doing that", she said.
"So, how's he?", I asked.
"He's okay. We had dinner together the other day", she paused and stared at me.
"How's Jer?", she asked.
"Jer's...Jer", I said.
We talked for a few more minutes and I laughed at something she said when the awful whistle sounded.
"Bloody hell, what's that awful sound?" she asked.
"That, my dear sister, is courtesy of Mr. Ben, our wakeup call. Believe it or not, I've been listening to that awful sound for a few days now", I said.
"Alright, guess that means you gotta go?", she asked.
"Sadly yes", I said.
"I miss you J", she replied.
I blew her a kiss. "I'll talk to you later okay?", I said, and she nodded and cut the call.
Starr stretched in her bed and opened her eyes. She saw me looking at her, and smiled.
"Hi", she said.
"Hi", I replied awkwardly and looked away. Try as I may, still felt weird talking to her.
"Do you wanna use the bathroom first?", she asked.
"All yours", I said.
She nodded and went to do her business. I laid down and sighed. It felt weird talking to her cause there was still bad blood between us. I wanted to forgive her, but I couldn't help thinking Gabriel and I would have been happy if it wasn't for her. But on the other hand, if it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't be in a relationship with my amazing boyfriend. So I was torn into two.
Gabriel was always with Nessa, and this time, it didn't seem like he was doing it to make me jealous. No, it looked like he was hanging with her because it was something he wanted to do. She wouldn't stop clinging to him, and he didn't mind one bit. They were always together, it made me wonder if they were an item. Somehow, the thought made me sick to my stomach.
Gabby also shared my sentiment, cause she always had a frown on her any time she saw Nessa with Gabriel. The opposite could be said for Jer. He liked the idea of them together and was even friends with her to both mine and Gabriel's disdain.
Starr opened the door, and I looked up. "All yours", she said.
I smiled and got in to do my business. When I came out, she wasn't in the room. Like always, I brought out Gabriel's sweatshirt and sniffed it. It became a habit over the last few days. I clutched it to my chest and heaved a sigh. I put them back and wore my clothes, grabbed my phone, and backpack, and left the room. As always, we were gathered in the hall for breakfast. Jer smiled when he saw me and gave me a quick kiss.
"Morning beautiful", he whispered.
"Mornin'", I said.
I smiled at the gang, who gave me a small wave, and sat besides Jer.
"Not again", I heard Gabby mutter, and I looked up from my plate of spaghetti. Nessa and Gabriel joined us, deep in their conversation, not taking notice of us, and sat down. I returned to my food, and stabbed my spaghetti multiple times, imagining it was Nessa.
Gabby cleared her throat, to call their attention. Gabriel turned to her and smiled.
"Little sister", he said, and Gabby glared at him.
He then turned to us and smiled. "Hey guys", he said, and turned back to Nessa, not even sparing me a glance, and continued their conversation.
I scoffed in absolute disbelief.
I watched them consumed in their little world for a few minutes, then stood up and pushed my chair back loudly.
"I'm not hungry anymore", I said, and left the hall.
I reached the lobby and blew out a hot breath. I hated her guts. Why was he so hung up on her? Did he not see me there earlier? I paced around, mad.
"Jola", Gabby called, and I turned.
She sighed, as she studied me. "What's wrong?", she asked.
"Nothing", I lied, and took a seat. She joined me and stared at me.
"Are you jealous?", she asked.
I scoffed and glared at her. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?", I asked.
"Cause, you are acting like you are jealous", she said.
"I'm not", I said.
"So, why'd you leave the hall mad?", she asked.
"I wasn't feeling hungry anymore", I said.
"Or you just couldn't handle seeing Nessa and Gabriel", she said.
I stared at her, not knowing what to say. "I just don't like her", I said.
She smiled and touched my hand. "Yeah, you and me both sister", she said.
"I mean, I get why I don't like her, but why don't you?",I asked.
"Cause she's not you", she replied.
I sighed loudly. "Gabby, I'm with Jer", I said.
"You know, you keep telling me that every time. Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" she paused and stared at me.
"Cause if you are trying to convince me, shit I know that. I see you with him every day", she stared deep into my soul.
"But, if you are trying to convince yourself, then no one knows the answer to that, except you", she said.
"Jer doesn't deserve that", I said.
"I can't hurt him", I added.
"If you keep denying your feelings, you are gonna end up hurting him", she said.
I stared at her and said nothing.
She touched my chest, "Follow this", and touched my head, "And give this a break from making decisions for you", she said.
I smiled and hugged her. "Thank you Gabby", I said.
"Of course", she said.
I pulled out of the hug and played with my fingers.
"I talked to Jer about her", I said.
"About who?", she asked.
"She-who-must-not-be-named", I said.
"Who are you talking about?", she asked, and her frown cleared.
"Oh you mean Ly-", she said, and I covered her mouth.
"Don't say it out loud", I said.
"Why not?", she asked.
"Cause he banned me from doing so", I said.
"Oh, okay", she said. "So, what did he say? How'd he react?", she asked.
"I told him everything, the truth. Jer was under the impression that Gabriel stole her from him. Turned out she told Jer that she loved Gabriel, and not him when she dumped him", I said.
"That was the same thing she told Gabriel, that she loved Jer, and not him", she said, joining the pieces together.
I nodded and sighed. "Yeah", I said softly.
"That bitch". Gabby seethed.
"She messed them up, bad", I said.
"I never liked her from the onset. She always had this conniving bitch face", Gabby said, and I laughed. "Same way I don't like this Nessa", she said.
"That's because she's not me, Gabby", I pointed out.
"True, but there's something about her I just don't trust", she said. "She's too innocent and pure, I suspect it's a ruse, a façade", she said.
"So what do we do?", I asked.
"Date him", she said.
"Gabby", I sighed.
"What, you asked for my honest opinion and I gave it", she smiled.
"Or we could warn him", I said.
"No, you warn him", she said.
"Me? He'll think I'm jealous or something", I pointed out.
"But you are jealous", she smiled.
"Yeah, but I don't want him to know that", I said, and she gasped.
"So, you admit it, then. You are jealous."
"Shut up", I pushed her playfully.
Breakfast was done, and I sighed as people entered the lobby in troops. Mr. Ben blew his whistle multiple times till everywhere got quiet.
"One of these days, I'll find that whistle and throw it in the toilet", I whispered, and Gabby giggled.
He clapped his hands and stared at us. "Today's gonna be fun 'cause we are gonna play a fun game. Hide and seek", he said, and we cheered.
"This time, only seniors and juniors would play the game", he said, and the freshmen and sophomores booed.
"Sorry guys, you'll stay here and play a different game", he said.
"Now, the seniors would seek the juniors. You will all wear a different jersey, white for the seniors and black for the juniors. So that means, there will be two groups. Now seniors, if you can find more than half of the juniors before an hour, you win, and the Winner's Crib is your for the night", he said, and they cheered.
"But, if you are unable to find them by that time, the juniors win and they get to spend the night in the Winner's Crib", he said, and we cheered. "Understand the rules?", he asked, and we echoed our agreement.
"Good, come pick a jersey according to your group", he said, and we did just that.
I looked at the gang and smiled. "You ready guys?", I asked.
"Hell yeah", Mike hollered.
"They are going down", Mark said.
"Let's do this", Leandre tied her hair in a ponytail.
"I'm ready", Gabby said.
"Okay, I know I've gone to the Winner's crib before, but I really really wanna go again, so let's try to win this guys", Skyy whined.
Mr. Ben blew the foghorn. "You get two minutes headstart. Go, go, go", he said, and we ran.
"We have to split up", Jer said.
We agreed, and I saw Nessa grab Gabriel's hand. "Let's go Gabriel", she said and took off with him.
"Really?", I said.
Jer gave me a quick kiss and ran. "Try not to get caught babe", he called.
"Okay, we gotta do this. Stay out of sight", Gabby said and took off.
Okay, I could do this, I could stay hidden. I looked around, trying to find a suitable place to hide when I heard the foghorn.
"Shit", I cussed.
I knew the seniors had started hunting us. I ran towards a collection of huge rocks and hid under one. It looked like a pretty good place to hide. I stayed still for a couple of minutes and listened. My breath hitched when I heard footsteps.
"We gotta win this guys", a girl said.
"Yeah, imagine staying in the Winner's Crib with Jonah. Maybe, I can finally get that D. Know what I mean?", another girl said, and I gagged.
Shit, they were so close. "I really wanna go into the hot tub", the first girl said.
"And I wanna see the Winner's Crib before I graduate. This is my last chance", the third girl replied.
"Well, we definitely won't win it, if we stay here chatting instead of getting to work", the first girl said. That was very true.
"Come on", the second girl whispered.
I sighed deeply.
"Did you guys hear that?", a girl stopped.
"Heard what?", the third girl asked.
"Like a deep breath."
I stopped breathing with each step she took closer.
"Come on Diana, we don't have time to waste", the second girl said.
Diana stopped and sighed. "Yeah, you are probably right. It must have been the wind", she said.
I resumed breathing when I heard their receding footsteps. That was close. I sighed and got more comfortable. I checked my wristwatch, I had 50 more minutes before I could come out of hiding. This should be fun.
I wondered where the rest of the gang was. Gabby was probably hiding in a tree, clutching for dear life, and I smiled at the image I'd built in my mind. Skyy was probably hiding under the ground to avoid detection. Since she'd gone to the Winner's crib, she couldn't stop talking about it.
Leandre, now she was a different case. Knowing her, climbing a tree would be too dangerous. I just knew she was hiding behind a tree and praying she become invisible. I snickered as I pictured her horrified stare when one of the seniors catch her. Jer, now where would Jer be hiding?
It would probably be under a rock like me, and I smiled. The horrid images of what and where Gabriel and Nessa might be doing and hiding came to mind. I frowned and shook my head trying to disperse the images I'd summoned up. God, I really really hoped they weren't making out, or worse, having sex.
No matter how hard I tried, the image wouldn't leave me, and I groaned. I paused when I heard footsteps and someone panting. I checked my wristwatch, I had just twenty minutes before it was game over. I stilled when I heard the footsteps moving toward my direction. I was too scared to even blink. Someone yelped when they saw me, and I punched the person, adrenaline running high.
"Fucking hell," they groaned, and held their nose in pain.
"Oh my, Starr. I am so sorry. I thought you were someone else", I felt bad I hit her.
She chuckled, and groaned clutching her nose. "It's okay. I deserved that anyway", she said and smiled.
"I'm sorry", I said.
"It's okay", she said.
"I'm all good. See?", she said, and offered me a warm smile.
We stayed like that in silence for some minutes. It was so awkward and tense, I wanted to pass out.
Starr turned to me. "Can I talk to you?", she asked.
I avoided her gaze. "Now's not a good time, Starr", I said.
"No, I really gotta talk to you. I've been avoiding the inevitable, hoping it'll all go away but it hasn't, so I have to do this", she said.
"Really? You wanna do this right now? When people are out there looking for us?", I asked.
"Yes, please", she said.
I sighed and said nothing.
"Jola, you have no idea how sorry I am. I was a bitch, I betrayed you, and I'm so so sorry", she said.
"You were my friend Starr. My best friend, and I loved you. I loved you so much that I put you first, every time. Before I could be happy, I asked myself if it will make you happy. You were the only thing that mattered to me."
Starr sighed, and sniffed. "I know that, and I regret it every day", she said, and I scoffed.
"It's true. I regret breaking you and Gabriel up. I regret becoming friends with Blair just to spite you. I regret kissing Gabriel, and letting him use me to make you jealous", she said.
I stood up, not wanting to hear any more bullshit.
"I'm sorry, I can't do this", I said, and got out of our hiding place.
I knew I was vulnerable being out in the open, but didn't wanna hear anything she had to say again.
"No, please you have to listen to me. You have to know how sorry I am", she said and followed me.
I turned to her in anger. "I don't wanna know how sorry you are, all I know is that you treated me like shit. That's all that matter to me!", I yelled.
She flinched. "I'm so so so sorry, Jola. I really am. Part of the reason I was so jealous when I saw you and Gabriel together was because I knew immediately that he was the one for you. I didn't wanna accept that, I wasn't ready to accept that. So, I did what I could to make sure you both didn't end up together, and it ate me up inside. But my pride and bad advice from Blair didn't let me see the truth", she paused.
"When I followed you and Jer to the Arts block, and I saw you kiss, Blair told me to record you guys. I refused, but she pointed out that it was a good opportunity to be with Gabriel. If Gabriel saw you kiss Jer, he wouldn't like you that much, and would have time for me. I knew it wasn't right, but I did it anyway", she blinked.
"I didn't want to post the video, I told Blair I couldn't do it. I knew it was wrong, but Blair released it. That is still no excuse, cause I didn't stop her from doing it. I felt so bad after Gabriel saw it, and I knew what I did was unforgivable", she paused, tears falling down her cheeks.
"When you confronted me in the hallway, in a way I was proud of you. I was proud that you were finally standing up for yourself, I was proud that you gave me the scolding I so rightfully deserved. But when I saw your eyes, I knew I'd lost you forever. I knew I'd lost a great friend, and I couldn't handle it."
"But I realized then what Skyy had been trying to tell me and what you told me was true. I did not love Gabriel, I only wanted to win him cause I wanted to prove to everyone that I got him. Thing is, I've always gotten what I want, and when I saw I couldn't get Gabriel, the guy on top of my wanted list, I kinda lost it. I've spent everyday since then in regret. I couldn't look at you in the face for months cause I was ashamed. I was ashamed of everything I'd done to you and to the gang. I'm truly truly sorry, Jola", she pleaded.
We stayed there for a few moments, staring at each other. I could see how sorry she was, and no matter how deeply she'd hurt me, she was still the same Starr I knew and loved.
"Please say something", she said, after a minute of silence.
I sniffed and wiped the tears furiously. "I mean, I don't hate you", I said.
"Oh", she said relieved, and jumped into my arms.
"Thank you, thank you", she said, and hugged me tighter.
"Can't breathe", I wheezed, and she released me.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that", she said.
She released me and I stared at her.
"We caught two", a guy said.
"It's called hide and seek guys, not stay in plain sight where you can easily be seen", the second guy said, and I sighed.
The foghorn sounded in the distance, and they hollered.
"And just in the nick of time, thank you girls", the first boy said.
Starr groaned loudly.
"This is your fault," I told her.
"Let's go", the first guy said.
We finally got to the lobby, and Mr Ben blew his whistle.
"Here, Jola", Gabby waved me over.
"Come on, let's go", I said. Starr hesitated.
"I don't think that's a good idea", she said.
"Why not?", I asked.
"Gabriella hates me", she stated.
"She doesn't hate you", I lied. "
"Um, yeah, she does", she said.
I gripped her hand, hard so she wouldn't let go.
"Come on", I dragged her with me ignoring her protests.
"Hey guys", I smiled.
"Hi", Skyy beamed at Starr.
"So, were you guys found?", I asked.
"Yeah", Leandre sighed.
"Gabby and I hid up a tree, so we were not caught", she said.
"How about you?", Gabby asked.
I groaned. "I'm sorry guys, I got caught", I said.
"It's my fault", Starr smiled, and Gabby raised an eyebrow.
"No, its not", I said.
"Yeah, it is", Starr said.
"No, we were both at faults", I argued.
"I have to take responsibility for this one. Its all on me", Starr replied.
I opened my mouth to tell her it was my fault when Gabby interrupted me. "We get it, okay? The question is why was it your fault, or both your faults?", she asked.
"We had to talk", I said.
"Talk about what?", she asked.
"Stuff", I shrugged.
"Really? And this 'stuff' couldn't wait till after the game was over?", she asked.
"Like I said, my fault", Starr said softly.
"Yeah, I'm sure it is", Gabby said bitterly.
"Gabby", I scolded.
"No, it's okay," she turned to Gabby.
"Look, I know you hate me, and I'm not your favourite person right now, but I do want you to know how sorry I am", Starr said.
Gabby folded her arms, and stared her down. "It's all a bit too late for that right now, don't you think?", she said. "L
"Gabby", Skyy said softly.
"No, it's because of you things are so messed up right now," she glanced at me.
"They don't wanna be with each other cause their pride is as big as their stupidity. They'd rather go after distractions while ignoring their true feelings for each other", she said.
Jer hugged me from the back, and distracted me from Gabby's low key diss. Did she just call me stupid?
"Did you get caught?", I asked.
He nodded, and buried his face in my neck. I chuckled cause his hair tickled. "What about you?", he asked.
"Yeah", I said.
The boys joined us, and wore long expressions. The whistle blew again, and I groaned.
"Gather round everyone. It turned out the seniors caught more than half of the juniors, thereby making them the winner. So tonight, the Winner's Crib belongs to the Seniors", Mr Ben announced.
All that hard work went to waste. I ignored the cheers from our opponents, and glared at the wall.
"The freshmen and sophomores are still playing, so you are more than welcome to watch them, or go to your room and rest if you like. But remember, we reconvene at 00:19 hours for the campfire. It's gonna be fun", he said.
Gabriel and Nessa joined us, and I frowned. "Did you guys get caught?", Skyy asked.
Nessa sighed. "Yeah, but that was our fault. We got distracted which made us easy target", she said.
Gabby raised an eyebrow, and stared at them. "Why were you distracted?", she asked.
"That's private", Gabriel interrupted and shared a look with Nessa. I looked away when Gabby's eyes met mine. She glanced at Gabriel, and then back to me.
"Hey, Starr", Jer called, and Starr smiled.
Jer turned to me. "Are we all friends now?", he asked.
I nodded and kissed him.
Gabby scoffed. "You know what, I can't do this anymore", she walked away.
I stared at her receding figure in surprise, till I could no longer see her. "Why's she acting so weird?", Jer asked, I shrugged.
I was just as confused. "We better go after her", Skyy said, kissed Mark and grabbed Leandre before leaving the lobby.
"Great, then we'll be anywhere else", Gabriel left with Nessa on his tail.
I sighed, and turned to Jer. "Starr and I have some things to talk about", I informed and he nodded.
"Sure babe. See you at the campfire?", he asked.
"Yeah", I said, and gave him a quick kiss.
"Come on guys", he said to Mike and Mark.
"Told you she hates me", Starr said.
I waved it off. "Ah, she'll get over it. Shall we?"
She closed the door gently behind her, and I patted my bed. She smiled, and joined me.
Starr shrugged and smiled sadly.
"I guess I deserve her hate", she said.
"She doesn't hate you. Gabby's just frustrated about a lot of things", I paused.
"She doesn't like that I'm not with Gabriel, she's convinced that we are soulmates", I said.
" I mean, I get where she's coming from. You and Gabriel are made for each other", she said, and I groaned.
"Not you too"
She chuckled. "Okay, okay. So tell me, what's been going on with you?"
I sighed. "Where do I even start from?", I asked, and she smiled.
"The beginning", she said.
So,I told her everything, from the letters, to where I publicly updated my status with Jer, Gabriel's pleas to take him back, and when I was done Starr heaved a sigh.
Wow, that was-,"
"Yeah, I know", I said.
"So, what are you gonna do now?", she asked.
"Nothing. I'm with Jer now, and I'm happy. That's all that matters", I said.
"Are you really happy?", she stared at me.
I nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?", I asked, and she said nothing.
"Anyway, enough about me. What about you? Are you seeing anyone?", I asked.
Starr chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't call it dating, but I really like him", she said.
"Who's he?", I asked.
She blushed. "Finn", she said.
"Hold up, the same Finn? Finn Finn?", I asked.
She laughed. "Yeah, Finn Finn", she said.
"Skyy called it", I said.
"Yeah, she practically throws it in my face all the time."
The whistle blew, and we grunted.
"Come on, let's go roast some s'mores", I said.
"you think they'll accept me back?", she asked.
"Of course."
I located the gang easily.
"Hey", I hugged Gabby.
"Hey", she said softly.
I released her, and let Starr have her turn.
"Hey Gabby", she said, and looked at her fingers.
"You were a bitch, and what you did was unforgivable", she said.
"I know that, and I'm so sorry", she said, and looked up to show how sorry she was.
"You didn't only hurt Jola, you hurt me too. You know that right?"
"I realize that, and words can't even begin to explain how deeply regret that. I'm sorry", she apologized.
Gabby heaved a huge sigh, and glance at me.
"If she can forgive you, then I can", she said.
Starr yelped, and jumped on her.
Jer hugged me. "We're all friends again", he beamed.
I kissed him, and wrapped his arms around me. I was really really lucky to have someone like him.
I missed you", Gabby smiled.
Starr laughed, "And I, you."
Gabby looked at something behind her and sighed. "I think you have one more person to talk to", she said, and nodded at Gabriel.
He was talking to Nessa, and coming towards our direction. He stopped when he saw Starr and frowned.
"Hi", Starr said, and he glared at her.
Nessa looked from Gabriel to Starr, and then back to Gabriel.
"Can we talk?", Starr asked.
"Why, so you can kiss me again and frame me?", he asked.
"Ooh", Jer said, and I glared at him. There was enough tension in the air without his commentary.
"I deserved that, but please can we talk?", Starr was determined to make peace. Gabriel glanced at his sister who gave him an encouraging nod. He stared at me, and I smiled.
"Fine", he replied.
Nessa moved to follow them, and I glared at her.
"They need to talk alone, Nessa. He doesn't need his dog to follow him every time", I said.
"Jola", Gabriel scolded.
Everyone looked at me, shocked, on how rude I was.
"No, it's okay", Nessa said.
I turned away, and sat down on the log. The gang came to join me and I sighed. Jer rubbed my back, and stared at me.
"You okay?", he asked.
"I'll be fine", I said.
Nessa ignored me, and sat as far away from me as she could.
"You were a little bit harsh there", he said.
"She just won't stop following him around like a lost puppy every time. It's getting annoying", I complained, and Jer smiled.
"Why are you smiling?", I asked.
"Gabriel is very lucky to have a friend that cares about him", he said, pulled me closer, and kissed my hair.
I stared at the fire, my mind bothered with different thoughts. I really hoped that was all there was to it. I hoped it was plain concern for Gabriel that made me not like Nessa, cause if it was anything other than that, I was fucked.