"You're awfully quiet," I said, cautiously breaking the silence.
Nate let out a long, frustrated sigh. "I'm just thinking of how many years I'd get after I strangle you."
I stepped closer, guilt heavy in my chest. "I'm sorry, okay? I panicked. He was on my case, I looked up, saw you, and just blurted it out."
"Yeah, well, I don't think he bought it," he muttered.
"Does it matter what he thinks?"
Nate gave me a skeptical look. "Are you sure about that? Because day after day, I'm more convinced you're obsessed with what he thinks."
"I am *not!*"
"Oh really?" he shot back, crossing his arms. "Dragging Freya into your craziness was bad enough, but then you dragged me into it, too."
"I said I was sorry," I insisted, voice wavering.
Freya stepped in, defensive. "Nate, that's enough. You're being way too harsh on her."
"Am I, Frey?" Nate ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "She needs help. This obsession—this hatred for Josh—is driving her insane."
"I said I was sorry!" My voice broke a little, but I held his gaze.
He sighed, shoulders slumping. "I gotta go find Cat, explain everything before she gets the wrong idea," Nate said, already heading for the door.
I nodded quickly. "I'm really sorry, Nate. I meant no harm."
He paused, looking back with a softer expression. "I know. I'll see you girls later." And with that, he walked out, leaving just me and Freya.
Freya sighed dramatically before plopping down onto the nearest seat. "I mean, personally, I don't like them together. I think she's a pretentious little bitch."
I rolled my eyes. "You think every girl he likes is a pretentious little bitch, Frey."
"Yeah, and have I ever been wrong? Glinda, ring any bells?"
I gasped, the memory hitting me like a truck. "Oh my God, I forgot about her! What do you think she's up to now?"
Freya smirked. "Who bloody knows? Probably scheming, like always."
We shared a look, bursting into laughter. Freya might have been over the top sometimes, but she wasn't wrong about Glinda—and she was rarely wrong about Nate's taste in girls. "At some point, I secretly rooted for you both to get together," I admitted with a mischievous grin.
Freya's eyes went wide. "Are you crazy? Nathan and me? Why would you ever think that?"
I shrugged, smirking. We were all best friends, but there had always been a little extra spark between them, even if she didn't see it. Plus, I knew Nate once had a crush on Freya, years ago. "A girl can dream."
"Well, wake up from that dream—there's nothing there, and there never will be."
"Never say never," I teased.
"Leah!" she groaned, but I could tell I'd struck a nerve.
I gasped, laughing. "Oh my God, are you blushing? You do like him!"
Freya's face flushed a deep red, and she glared at me, fuming. "I hate you," she grumbled, standing up abruptly.
"And I love you," I sang, grinning.
"I'm going to kill you!"
"You have to catch me first!" I laughed, darting away, with Freya hot on my heels. Just as we ran out into the hall, the bell rang, signaling lunchtime. I stopped, waiting for Freya to catch up.
"Gosh, I'm starving," she groaned, clutching her stomach.
The hallway buzzed with activity as students spilled out of classrooms. We made our way to the cafeteria and headed for our usual table. Nathan was already there, but the stormy look on his face was impossible to miss.
"Uh oh," Freya whispered. "What do you think happened?" I asked
"You did, Leah," she muttered, as if the answer was obvious.
We reached the table and sat down in uncomfortable silence.
"How'd it go?" I asked hesitantly.
"I don't want to talk about it," Nathan replied curtly.
"But I—"
"You've already done enough," he snapped. His words stung, and I flinched.
Freya, ever the peacemaker, stood up abruptly. "I wonder what's for lunch. C'mon, Leah, let's go." She tugged me to my feet before I could say anything else.
As we joined the line for food, we ran straight into Josh. Of course, he wasn't alone—he had his arm casually draped around Cat's shoulder.
"Well, look who it is," he said, his signature smirk firmly in place. "Ice Queen and her loyal minion. Where's the other one?—Oh, sorry, I meant your *boyfriend*."
I ignored him at first, my eyes darting to Cat, silently pleading for her to hear me out. But she didn't even look at me, her gaze fixed somewhere over my shoulder.
"This is low, even for you," I shot back, trying to keep my voice steady.
Josh chuckled mockingly. "Cat and I go way back. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do!" My voice cracked. "God, how can someone be so evil?"
For a brief moment, I saw something flash in his eyes—hurt, maybe?—but it disappeared just as quickly, replaced by his usual nonchalance.
"I'm the evil one?" he said, his tone sharp. "You caused this."
I opened my mouth, ready to fire back with some clever retort, but nothing came out. Because, for once, he was right—I had caused this.
"But you can fix it," he continued, stepping closer. "Just admit the truth."
"What truth?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Josh smirked, leaning in slightly, his voice low enough for only me to hear. "The truth about your little 'boyfriend.'" "Admit that you were in the boys' locker room," Josh demanded, his tone sharp.
"What will you gain from this?" I snapped, frustration bubbling up inside me.
"Me? Nothing," he said with a casual shrug.
"Then why?"
Josh leaned in slightly, his smirk fading into something colder. "You can have it your way, Leah. Keep dragging everyone down into your mess. But I'm not surprised—it's who you are. A conceited, selfish person who only thinks of herself, never anyone else. And then, when it all falls apart, you blame others for your actions."
I stepped back, the words hitting me harder than I expected. "What did I ever do to you?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"I should be the one asking that, don't you think, Leah?" His eyes burned into mine. "What did I ever do to earn so much hatred? I'm only giving you a taste of your own medicine." He paused before repeating, "Admit it."
"She has nothing to admit, Josh. She didn't lie—we're together."
I whipped my head around to find Nathan standing beside me, his jaw tight, his eyes blazing with determination.
"Stay out of this, Nate," Cat snapped, her voice cutting through the tension.
"So you'll just stand there and let him say all of this to her?" Nate countered, his voice rising.
Cat crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Well, he isn't lying, is he? She didn't think of you, Nate. She didn't think of us."
Her words sliced through the air, leaving a heavy silence between us. For the first time, I couldn't find a single thing to say in my defense. "Fine, I admit it," I said, my voice trembling with both anger and defeat.
"Admit what?" Josh asked, his smug expression infuriating.
"That I was in the locker room spying on you," I snapped, crossing my arms.
"Now, how hard was that?" he said with a satisfied smirk, pulling out his phone.
"What are you doing?" I asked, panic creeping into my voice.
He tapped the screen lazily, his eyes never leaving mine. "Oh, nothing much. Just documenting this little confession for posterity—or maybe to share with someone who'd find it... interesting."
"You wouldn't," I said, my voice dropping into a low warning.
He raised an eyebrow, his smirk growing. "Try me."
"Nate, do something!" Freya hissed, stepping closer to him.
Nathan's jaw tightened as he glared at Josh. "That's enough, Salvatore. Don't take this any further."
Josh gave a mock laugh. "Relax, Scott. I'm just messing around... for now." He pocketed his phone and stepped back, his smugness still intact.
I exhaled, feeling a mix of relief and irritation. As he walked away, Cat glanced back at me briefly, her expression unreadable, before following him.
Freya grabbed my arm. "This guy is insufferable! I don't know how you haven't murdered him yet."
"Don't tempt me," I muttered, glaring at his retreating figure.