I woke up the next morning with a sharp pain in my frontal lobe, throbbing and pulsing as I gained consciousness. The sound of the alarm both woke me up and worsened my headache. Groaning, I reached over to silence the incessant beeping, but my hand missed the snooze button and knocked the alarm clock to the floor instead.
"Great start," I muttered, rubbing my temples in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Last night had been a whirlwind of emotions and experiences, and now it was all catching up with me.
I dragged myself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face to wake up. As I looked at my reflection, memories of the party flashed through my mind—Rachel's intense gaze, the warmth of the jacuzzi, her revelation about Meave's real persona. It all felt like a surreal dream, but the dull ache in my head was a harsh reminder that it had been very real.
After getting dressed and forcing down a light breakfast, I headed to school. The halls were buzzing with the usual morning chatter, but I felt detached, still processing everything that had happened. I spotted Rachel near the lockers surrounded by her squad, her confident demeanor unchanged despite the late night.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked as I approached.
"Like I got hit by a truck," I admitted, managing a weak smile. "But I'll survive. How about you?"
Rachel shrugged. "I'm used to late nights. Comes with the territory. But I'm glad to see you made it."
"I'm glad I made it too." I say as I opened my locker with a sigh, doing my best to let out the exhaustion washing over me.
Rachel glanced over her shoulder and her expression shifted from relaxed to wary in an instant. I followed her gaze and saw Maeve striding towards us, her eyes locked onto Rachel. The queen bee asks space from her squad and like a flick of a finger, the buzz of the hallway seemed to fade as she closed the distance between us.
"Morning, Rachel," Maeve said, her voice dripping with feigned sweetness. "And Joanne. Nice to see you both up and about after last night."
"Maeve," Rachel replied coolly, stepping slightly in front of me. "What do you want?"
Maeve's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "Just wanted to check in on Joanne. I mean, she wouldn't want to miss lunch with the gang today."
She states as she puts her arm around my shoulder, her smile turning more of a smirk as she looks challengingly at Rachel.
Rachel's eyes narrowed slightly, her posture remaining calm but firm. "Joanne can decide for herself where she wants to have lunch, Maeve."
Maeve's grip on my shoulder tightened slightly, as if she were staking a claim. "Of course she can. But it's important she gets to spend time with us. I mean, you two had a wonderful time at the party last night, especially the pool," she said, her smirk growing.
I felt my face flush as Maeve's words hung in the air, the implication clear. Rachel's expression hardened, her eyes narrowing slightly as she met Maeve's gaze.
"Maeve," Rachel began, her tone icy, "whatever you're trying to imply, it's not going to work. Joanne doesn't need your drama."
Maeve's smirk widened, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Oh, I'm not implying anything, Rachel. In fact, I just came by to remind her that Sophie brought the food today, since we were talking about making her an official welcome feast."
I looked at Meave confused at her statement, "really? I don't remember any topic about that-"
"Well, it's because it was supposed to be a surprise," Maeve interrupted smoothly. "And if you were reading the group chat last night, you wouldn't be surprised that I'm reminding you about lunch."
Rachel's eyes narrowed, clearly catching on to Maeve's manipulation. "Joanne doesn't need a 'welcome feast' to feel included," she said, her tone firm. "She's already got friends who care about her."
Maeve ignored Rachel, turning her attention back to me. "It's just a little gesture from the group, Joanne. Not to mention, Sophie really put a lot of effort into the food for you. We wouldn't want you missing out on your welcoming feast." Her tone was genuine and sweet.
I felt a warmth in her words, and it seemed sincere. It would be appropriate to reject her, but then again, the person I had to look out for was Maeve, not the others from the group.
"Alright," I said, smiling. "I'll join you guys for lunch. It sounds nice."
Maeve's smile widened, satisfied. "Perfect. We'll see you there, and I'll see you at Bio, okay?" With that, she sauntered off, leaving Rachel and me to our thoughts.
"Right, Bio," I said, a bit uneasily, reminded of today's schedule.
I hold my head, sighing as more memories flood while my hangover subsides, especially Liam's statement last night about Rachel. The idea of Rachel cheating on her boyfriend for a girl and then denying it felt unsettling. I needed to clear my head before our biology class.
Rachel noticed my hesitation. "You alright, Joanne?"
"Yeah, just thinking about what Maeve said," I replied, managing a small smile. "And also..."
"And also..?" Rachel looks at me, filled with curiosity and worry
"And also...just about the welcoming feast thing.." I lie, I wouldn't want to talk about something like that to her at the moment, especially because she and her boyfriend haven't been doing great lately, as she has previously mentioned.
Rachel nodded, seeming to accept my explanation without pushing further. "Ah, right. Maeve can be a bit... enthusiastic about these things."
"Yeah, definitely," I agreed, relieved that she didn't pry further into my thoughts. "Anyway, let's focus on our first class for now...you have Chem right?" I ask doing my best to have her less worried.
"Ah, correct, and you have History?" she asked, the mood seemingly shifting to something more casual.
"Yeah," I smiled, feeling a bit more at ease. "Should be interesting, I guess.
"Rachel grinned. "History's not so bad. At least it's not as stressful as chemistry."
We walked to our respective classes, parting ways with a friendly wave. As I entered the history classroom, I took a deep breath, reminding myself to focus on the present. The room was filled with the usual chatter of students, but I quickly found an empty seat and settled in.
The class began, and I tried to immerse myself in the lesson. The teacher was talking about the causes and consequences of the Industrial Revolution, and despite my lingering thoughts about last night and this morning, I managed to take some notes and participate in the discussion.
By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, I felt a bit more grounded. I gathered my things and headed to my next class, hoping the rest of the day would be uneventful.
As I walked through the halls, I spotted Maeve and her group again, laughing and chatting near their lockers. Maeve caught my eye and gave me a knowing smile. I took a deep breath and gave her a glare before turning to check my locker.
The clang of the locker door opening was oddly soothing, grounding me as I fumbled through my books. I needed to focus on the mundane to push away the lingering thoughts about Maeve and Rachel. Just as I found my notebook for Biology, I felt a presence behind me.
"Joanne," Maeve's voice was suddenly closer, softer. I turned to find her standing there, her earlier smirk replaced with a more serious expression. "Can we talk?"
I hesitated, glancing around the crowded hallway. "About what?"
Maeve sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I just wanted to clear the air. I know things have been a bit... tense between us."
"Tense?" I echoed, raising an eyebrow. "That's putting it lightly."
She nodded, seeming to appreciate my honesty. "I know. And I admit, I've been passive aggressive towards both of you an Rachel...but I have a good reason for it...I can't talk right now since second period is gonna start, but I will DEFINITELY explain everything at Bio, third period right?" She asks me for confirmation.
I nodded to confirm to her, then it clicked, seconds before the bell for the next period began, Meave was about to rush for her class until I heald her wrist, making her face me with surprise and curiosity.
"Is it about Liam's statement at the party?" I ask, looking into her eyes, searching for an answer, but before she could, the bell rang and she gets out of my grasp.
"I'll explain in Bio okay? Go on, you'll be late." She reminds me as she rushed to her class.
I turn to my heel, and rushed to my class as well. The picture becoming clear, but big chunks are still missing, the more answers I get, more questions pop up.
Luckily, we're partners in Bio, it wouldn't be too hard to chat while the professor is giving his lecture, but then again...Rachel's also in that class, it's gonna be hard not to be anxious of our topic. We'll probably just make up shit along the way, I need to focus on the next class for now.