Chase's POV
Emma had arrived yet, but I didn't want her to meet the word air that was brewing between Gray and I.
Just a few hours ago, I assured her that Gray had nothing to threaten us with again, and that he might even soften towards her in the very near future.
"What's going on?" I asked Gray, sitting next to him in class.
He had a pensive look on, and stared unblinking at Jessica and Lily.
"You mean you never thought to tell me?! Me of all people, Chase?!" He said, but he maintained a low voice. "I hate how I got to know about it, Chase, but I hate it more for you. I'll claw you with every weapon in my arsenal and I'm gonna bleed you where it hurts." He said.
I thought to reason with him, but there was so much disrespect in all he had said and done.
"I'm not gonna take this shit anymore." I said. "Gray, it was a fuckin mistake, I was fuckin paranoid. None of us was in a place to raise a child. Lily's family was breaking apart, I have no parents." I said to him, "If you just took a deep breath, and thought things through, you see sense in what I did."
"That means I'd never be thinking for the rest of my life!" He spat in my face.
Emma walked in, and flashed the brighter smile I had seen that morning.
Gray openly snubbed her, after which I saw her face crease into a slight frown. I waved at her, but I knew she'd rather be somewhere else.
Emma hated drama and confrontations. It's part of the reason I was drawn to her. I didn't like too much drama myself, but I was always at the center of one thing or the other.
"I'll see you at lunch break." She texted me.
"Are you guys back together?" I dared ask Gray.
I saw no reason why Lily would share something like that when they'd been done for months already. But prom was on the way, in six days time. There's nothing people won't do for fame that came with being prom king and Queen.
"You don't get to ask me those anymore. You're no friend." He replied, coldly.
"You're just overreacting. I'll come by your house after school." I said, and closed that chapter.
I was tense, and a bit nervous too. I could only imagine how Gray must be feeling.
But I wasn't the villain he thought me, I was just a kid, a very clueless one.
I tried to distract myself from everything and looked around.
The class was rather filled. I looked over to where Jessica and Lily were seated side by side.
Lily, coincidentally, looked my way. And then the most shocking thing happened. She smiled.
I froze. I blinked hard and pinched myself to see if what was going on was real.
I looked at Gray next to me, and his confused face was confirmation enough.
Next she looked at Gray and the smile died.
I looked back at him.
His eyebrows were raised, he was just as confused as I was.
"Good morning, soon to be graduates of County High!" The new teacher announced her presence.
And that was it still before lunch break.
My head was so messed up, all I thought of was reconnecting with Emma.
"Let's meet in my car?" I texted her, about ten minutes before break.
"I heard the principal is addressing us after this class." She replied.
"What?!" I didn't like that short bald man for shit, and I sure didn't look forward to his address.
"Yeah. Prom!!!" She replied, with many confetti emojis.
Everyone was so excited about it, but I never got what the excitement was about.
The alarm for lunch break went off, and everyone was so excited.
"Hello!" He said, introducing himself. "As we all know, prom is in six days, five, if you count today out." He started. "And as such, we are here to discuss the decor and theme. We are open to suggestions. Meet with the team behind to project your beautiful ideas and submissions." He said.
A short file of students formed behind to show their ideas, I saw Jessica up first. The sight was so ridiculous.
I slid to where Emma was sitting and slipped my hand around her waist.
"Hey you. Couldn't wait?" She teased, and rested her head on my shoulders.
"We have these submissions from Miss Jess, our famous runway star!" He announced, very ecstatic.
Everyone was dying to see whatever she had planned.
Emma stiffened beside me, and I held her closer.
Lily was somewhere else in the crowd, alone, but not gloomy. I saw Gray sneak up to her too, and their conversation seemed to be somewhat heated.
I've seen through Lily long before. She had always been two timing Emma. That was what she always did. An idea struck me then. But something struck us even faster!
It came in batches.
I recognised the first one to be from the bar. The night Emma pushed me away.
It was a video.
The whole class went wild.
They were properly seated, but everyone was chattering and even taking pictures.
I looked back, screaming out for them to stop it, no one was listening.
The principal got a call at the exact moment the video came on and walked out of the hall.
The next was a picture, still from that night.
I buried my head in my hand, wishing it to stop or go away. But that didn't stop me from feeling how rigid Emma had become.
I dared to look at her face, and I saw how morbid she was.
There was simply no explanation to give.
How could Jessica be showing the world pictures with us both in it?
The filter whoever used to take it had a date on it, and it was less than two months ago.
"Sorry for that mix-up. We'll now be looking at her actual ideas." The announcement came.
"Sorry, everyone." Jessica's nasty voice came up.
There was nothing to apologize for. The crowd was enjoying the show.
The next pictures were from the hotel we stayed the night after our school trip. Emma and I at Grayson uncle's five star penthouse. The picture flip was pretty quick, but it showed both our faces clearly.
"Chase?!" Emma said, gasping. "I fucking hate you." She said crying.
I know I carelessly took pictures that night, but none of them were even that good.
"Emma, please." I begged. I sat helplessly and watched our private pictures serve as amusement to the whole class.
She sprinted out of the hall, and Lily trailed behind her.
Emma must hate me.
"I apologize for all that." I heard the voice from behind the projector say. "Miss Jessica, the principal will now see you in his office." He added.
Nothing could undo the damage she had done.
"Lily please, please wait." I screamed.
"Don't you dare call my name, you fuckin beast." She yelled at me and continued in her pursuit of Emma.
"It's not about this, Lily, it's about us. Well, what we used to have." I said, finally catching up with her and near breathless.
"'We' are history. Fucking history." She yelled back.
Defying common sense and practicality, I grabbed her hand.
I saw Lily burst into tears.
"I never got the chance to explain myself, Lily." I started, mumbling over my words and speaking fast before my mind failed me. "But I regret what I did with what we had. I was stupid. I knew it just under a year ago, but Lily, I was a kid who made stupid choices. At the time, it really was what I wanted. A stronger connection with you. But neither of us had the moral or societal infrastructure to raise a kid."
"Chase, please let go." She begged weakly.
"No please. I owe you a debt I'd never be able to repay. Please, let me do the little I can." I went down on my knees. "What is it you want, Lily? I want you to be the beginning of me righting my wrongs." I begged her.
She had a vacant and painful look on her face. "Chase, I've gotten my revenge. I want nothing more. I should be with Emma."
"I don't think you should." I said getting back on my feet.
"You don't get to choose who I roll with." She said, wiping the tears off her face.
I really thought we were having a moment a while ago.
"Emma's out of it for you." I repeated.
"Why?" She asked, her arms on her hips, and her curls flew in every direction. I used to be fascinated by those.
I drew closer to her ears and whispered. "Because I think you're two timing her, like you did me. I'm sorry I made you abort Grayson's child. It doesn't make me any less of a villain, this is me shedding unnecessary emotional burden so I can have a perfect life with the girl that has my heart."
I watched the color drain off her face.