I'd been standing in front of Rhys's car with Stacy for what felt like two hours. In retrospect, it was more than likely only five minutes. In study hall, Stacy had told me I needed to confront Rhys and ask him for details, and advice. I wanted to know more about Tessa, about why Danny had even approached someone else.
Practice had ended for cheer in the gym just half an hour ago, and the guys had finished up on the field around the same time. I had texted Danny that I was hanging around after practice with Stacy to do some project for one of our coaches, and I waited for him to leave the parking lot before staking out for Rhys.I had brought Stacy along with me, because I needed some sort of emotional support. There was no way I was going to confront this head on without my best friend. She wanted to interrogate Danny as soon as I told her, but I explained to her that I just needed time. Of course, it didn't stop her from wanting to murder Danny, but she knew I would be upset."There he is!" Stacy whisper-yelled to get my attention. I looked up from my phone; since un-blocking Tessa, I'd stalked her page every few minutes. Rhys was walking towards his car that we were currently standing in front of, his eyes glued to his calculus book. He didn't look like the kind of person who'd betrayed his best friend's trust just over twenty four hours prior."Rhys." I called when he was within earshot, and he met my gaze. I could tell he was curious about Stacy's presence, and watched as he folded the page of his book without looking, to save his spot. "We need to talk.""How many people have you told?" Rhys asked me without hesitation. He seemed bothered, and looked around the parking lot."No one. Well, I mean, just Stacy." I admitted. "I had to, Rhys. She's my best friend.""If it weren't for her begging me to keep quiet, I'd have dug your friend's grave already." Stacy said with an eye roll. She and Rhys had a slightly rocky past, they'd briefly been an item during freshman year, before he decided to stay single for a while. They'd established a weird friendship since then, but there were times when they were tense. Obviously, this was one of them."What do you guys want?" He asked me, brushing Stacy off. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for me to talk. He knew why I wanted to talk."I found Tessa's F******k. He had blocked her." I said, and Rhys sighed, shaking his head."I figured you would. She wants to talk to you, Abby." He said. I inhaled deeply and nodded my head softly."I know." I thought about my options for a moment. "How do I contact her?"Rhys narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head in disbelief. "You've already got her number."It dawned on me that she was the unknown number, and I let out a small laugh. "Of course." Stacy pulled my phone out of my pocket, prompting me to call her."Okay, I'll call her." I said, and pulled up my texts. The texts from her were buried deep beneath group chats, and my finger hovered over her contact for a moment longer than necessary. Did I really want to do this? It would be so final."Do it." Stacy said eagerly.I sucked in a breath and hit "audio". My heart raced as I heard a dial tone. What would I say? Where would I even start? I didn't get much time to think before I heard her pick up."Hello?" She answered, her voice slightly winded and husky, she was definitely busy. I was frozen, unable to speak at the sound of her voice. I didn't know why, but I was terrified to talk to her."Abby? Are you there?" She asked again, and I heard her take a drink from a bottle. Without thinking, I hastily hung up. I ran my hands over my hair, and clasped them behind my head."I couldn't do it." It was unnecessary to say, they'd heard her pick up."We'll do it later, okay?" Stacy smiled softly, and placed her arm over my shoulder."Just remember she's hurting, too." Rhys said. "I've got to get home, my dad's taking us out to dinner tonight. Between us, he's just trying to look cooler than my mom for Cian and I." He said the last part a little quieter. His parents had separated early on, and were extremely competitive for their two sons' love."Have fun." I said, moving away from his car so he could pull through the parking spot."Call her." He looked at me pointedly before disappearing inside of his car.*I couldn't focus on my homework to save my life. I was supposed to be studying for a government quiz I had tomorrow, but I couldn't stop thinking about calling Tessa. I was nervous, but I knew I needed to.I checked my phone, and pulled up Tessa's F******k for the third time that afternoon. She was a very private person it seemed, but I was able to view a few of her photos. I clicked on her profile picture and enlarged it. She was standing in front of a white brick wall, dressed in a black checkered shirt dress and heeled boots, and was laughing at something to her right. I scrolled through a few more, the same ones I'd seen multiple times today. She seemed to have the perfect life, with thousands of friends and plenty of likes on all her photos.I groaned in frustration, stalking her online persona would do absolutely nothing for me. I swiped back out of her photos and went to exit out of F******k, but did a double take when I realized what the screen said. I panicked, noticing I had sent her a friend request."Shit, oh my God. Oh, my God." I tossed my phone onto the end of my bed and bit the inside of my cheek. If I deleted it quickly enough, she wouldn't see it, right? All I had to do was delete it. I reached for my phone, only to find it was buzzing with an incoming call. I grabbed it and sucked in a breath when I read Tessa's number across the screen.Shit. I answered, and shakily raised my phone to my ear. "Hello?" I asked, hoping my voice came across as though I didn't know who was calling."So you won't talk to me, but you're stalking me on F******k?" Tessa said, letting a chuckle breeze through the phone.I ran a hand down my face, and cursed myself for doing something so stupid. "I didn't mean to do that, you just popped up in my suggested friends." I lied through my teeth."Suggested friends? Although, we only have one friend in common, and you just un-blocked me this afternoon?" Tessa asked knowingly, but it was more of a statement. Okay, smartass."So you've been stalking my page, too." I pointed out."I briefly skimmed. I was curious." She said easily. I could hear a guitar being tuned in the background, before she spoke again. Did she play the guitar? "Anyway, Abby, I wanted to apologize if I was rude to you yesterday at all. I know we bombarded you, I was just so hurt and angry seeing you in person.""You weren't rude." I lied, remembering how inadequate she'd made me feel in a span of two minutes. "I was just shocked. And pissed. Or both? I still am." I tried to form my words into one complete, coherent sentence, but it wasn't happening."I can't even imagine how you feel. I'm so sorry that you had to find out from me, but you needed to know.""I didn't need to know. Two days ago, I was happy. Why did this have to happen to me?" I knew I sounded angry, but I had every right to. Danny was everything to me. I ran a hand over my face, trying to calm myself down. "I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you. I'm just...mad that I let myself get into this situation.""But that's the thing, Abby. You didn't let yourself get into this situation." Tessa quickly retorted. "Danny cheated on you. He lied to you, and made you vulnerable. He's the one to blame, not yourself." I heard the guitar again."Are you playing the guitar?" I asked, slightly taken aback. We were discussing the guy we'd both fallen in love with, as much as it pained me to say, and she was playing the guitar. Did she even have any idea how insane that was?She laughed lightly. "Sorry, just tuning it." I could hear a muffled movement, she must have put it down. "I have a show in a few weeks and haven't practiced in a while.""You're in a band?" Every little thing I learned about her, I hated my boring life more. She seemed to have everything: money, looks, talent, my boyfriend."Can I ask you something?" I blurted out, changing the subject. I needed to talk about Danny."Anything you want." She answered.I took a deep breath and thought for a moment. I had an endless amount of questions, hardly any of which seemed to be right. I needed answers, and I needed a lot of them. How did Danny ask her out? Where was their first date? "Have you slept with him?"As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to shrink into my bed and not come out. I wanted to know, but did it really have to be the first question I asked?I could hear the squeak of what I assumed to be Tessa's chair as she shifted her position. Was she going to tell me the truth? I could feel a nervous sweat prick my skin, and contemplated hanging up the phone, putting an end to this conversation. I didn't want to know."Yes."I was lightheaded. I closed my eyes and reached for my water bottle on top of my nightstand. I took a slow sip of the ice water, trying to focus on the feeling of it going down instead of my rapidly increasing heart rate. Holy shit. I'd lost my virginity to Danny, he was the only guy I'd ever been with. As far as I had been concerned, he was my first, and would be my only. I brought my knees to my chest and clasped my hands together around them. I knew I was about to cry, the unmistakable taste of pennies in my mouth."Okay." Was all I could manage to get out, before I was crying. Of course they'd slept together, what normal person didn't after six months of seeing someone? I was angry I couldn't stop crying, but I was angrier at Danny for making me out to be such a fool. How could he have done this to me?Tessa didn't speak on the line, I almost wondered if she'd hung up. A quick glance at my phone confirmed she hadn't, and I tried to steady my breathing."I'm sorry." I muttered, and wiped at my eyes. I sucked in a breath and shook my head. "I shouldn't have asked.""Maybe another question would've been better." Tessa tried, and I rolled my eyes."No question would've been better." I paused. "Do you know he was getting me a promise ring?" I asked."A promise ring?" Tessa asked, seemingly unaware. "Like a pre-engagement ring?" Her tone was snide, of course she'd think something like that was beneath her."Yeah." I muttered."Seriously? You guys are only seventeen years old." She retorted with a snort."So?" I snapped. "I knew I wanted to marry him.""Abby..." she started, and it was clear she was thinking of what to say. "I don't mean anything negative. I just mean there are things out there that are bigger than Barton. Most people don't end up with their high school sweethearts."I clenched my jaw and shook my head in disbelief. Who was she to say any of this? "We were endgame.""I didn't mean to upset you, I'm sorry." She tried. "I just wish we could hurt him as badly as he's hurt us." Her voice was tired, and I thought about Rhys's words earlier. She's hurting, too."Yeah, wouldn't that be something." I let out a small chuckle. Tessa inhaled sharply, and I could hear her getting up from her seat."I have an idea. Can we meet tomorrow?"I couldn't believe I was doing this, it had to be insane for at least thirty different reasons. I'd let Stacy talk me into agreeing with Tessa's plan to meet up again, which is why I was sitting in my car, trying to control my breathing as I plugged in Tessa's pinned location. Stacy wouldn't let me talk her into coming along with me, she claimed it was something the two of us needed to talk about ourselves. I held my breath as my phone searched for the address, and let it out slowly when I saw she was only sixteen minutes away from the Barton parking lot. Did she really live that close? I wondered where she and Danny met up, and felt a wave of nausea crawl over my body. I shook my head and arms, and tried to clear my thoughts as I buckled my seatbelt. I turned on my Bluetooth, letting my phone sync up before moving my car. I was grateful for the extra minute of peace, but it was gone too soon, and I put my car in reverse. Stacy was calling me as soon as I pulled out of the parking l
Friday mornings had been my favorite part of the school week since the seventh grade. There was nothing more refreshing than waking up on a game day, knowing I didn't have to think about AP Literature for two days, and that I got to cheer my boyfriend on. Except, this Friday was the polar opposite, and I woke up completely out of my element. We didn't have a game for the next two weeks, and I was plotting revenge against my boyfriend with his other girlfriend. Tessa and I agreed the only way we could get revenge on him was if we both kept up the charade. After all, one scorned girlfriend would be the prime suspect, while two would be like pleading guilty instantly. I'd done my best to act normal around Danny, and it was easy, as long I didn't think about Tessa. But to be honest, that was almost always. I couldn't get her face out of my head, every time I looked at him. It was 2:15, and I was waiting on Danny to get out of his last class so he could take me home. He had physics last,
"Alright class, pencils down." Ms. Lively, my AP Literature teacher, announced. I looked up at the clock, noticing it was just two minutes until the bell rang, meaning it was lunchtime. "Exams on my desk on your way out." The young teacher finished. She was easily one of my favorite teachers I'd ever had, and I think it came with being in her mid-twenties. She'd graduated college early, and came back to Barton almost immediately. She didn't have the easiest curriculum, which I appreciated, but a lot of other students detested. I slipped my pencil back into my book bag, and stood up from my desk. I didn't hurry getting my bag like everyone else, knowing Danny was standing outside the door waiting for my class to finish. He'd missed school yesterday, claiming he had caught a stomach bug over the weekend, but I knew it was from the embarrassment of poking his friend mid-tackle with his unwarranted hard on. As the bell rang, I slung my bag over my shoulders and watched everyone else fil
"Okay, so remind me again why she and I are soul mates." It was just past six, and Stacy and I were pulling into the parking garage catty-corner from the venue. I'd driven over to her place since I was staying over after the show, and she been asking questions about Tessa all afternoon. Stacy loved meeting new people, and Tessa seemed to be the perfect challenge for her. I was so thankful my parents had agreed to let me out of the house, but the only condition was that Danny wouldn't be anywhere near me after ten. Which, didn't seem to be any sort of problem in our current situation."Because she was an emo kid just like us. Like, the warped tour kind of emo kid." I said, and Stacy placed her hand over her heart dramatically. "There was a picture on her wall of her and Mayday Parade together." "Oh my god, I'm in love with her." Stacy joked, making both of us laugh. "Okay, Romeo, let's go inside and find your Juliet." I pulled the keys out of the ignition, and Stacy swatted at me p
There was nothing I was currently more afraid of than talking to my boyfriend during church. I'd driven myself since my dad had to work - and my mom hated going without him - which meant I had almost nothing to blame a quick exit on. I was just finishing up the lesson for today, and Danny had been sitting quietly at the table next to the couch, half-heartedly scrolling through his phone. He had hardly spoken, but I could feel his anxiety from across the room. He was waiting for the class to end, so he could ask me a million questions about why I was where I was, and why I saw who I saw. "Okay, kiddos, pack up your Bibles and put your things in your cubbies." I reluctantly announced to the ten kids currently sprawled out across the room, playing with toys and coloring. I tried my best to keep my face free of any worry, and focused all of my attention on the kids packing up their stuff. "I think I hear someone's shoes in the hallway. Who do we think it is?" I said to the kids to hurry
I was spinning again, but not in a good way. My head had been spinning since Sunday afternoon, since Tessa kissed me. I hadn't answered a single one of her texts or calls, and I'd avoided Danny like the plague. He most likely still thought I was mad at him for being annoying on Sunday, which was fine. I couldn't talk to him, he was the reason any of this had happened."Come on, guys, let's pick it up!" It was now Wednesday, and I was leading practice on my own since Stacy was at the orthodontist, attempting to get my team spirit on. "Okay, Abby, we need a water break." One of our flyers, Ella, piped up from the middle of the floor. I looked at the clock and cursed under my breath as I realized what time it was."I actually think we'll call it for the afternoon, guys. With Coach out, there's not much more we can do today." Admittedly, there was so much work to be done before the playoffs game on Friday, but I selfishly wanted to go home and figure out a solution for my problems. Why
"So, she kissed you?" "At this point, I don't know if it even happened or not." I watched Rhys's eyes widen in shock as I caught him up to speed. Albeit, omitting the part about the weekend-long boner being our doing, of course. "So, let me get this straight." He paused to chuckle, which earned an eye roll from me. "You guys are essentially plotting revenge based off a teen movie, and somehow Tessa got you high," I held up a finger to interrupt, but he continued. "And then kissed you." I groaned and rolled my eyes so hard, I shook my head. "Yes, Rhys. Tessa kissed me. Right now, I'm wishing it was just a fever dream or something." "And you're telling me this because I'm your token queer friend." Rhys studied my face. I let out a stressed sigh and sat down on the bleachers. It was currently half past five, and we were out on the football field alone. After hearing Danny gloat with one of the other guys about someone other than me, I had texted him to tell him I couldn't do dinner
"Come on, Barties! Let's go!" The cheer team was lined up, waiting for the last three minutes of the second quarter to finish, so we could bust out our half time routine. Most of us, myself included, loved the thrill of the sport. But some only loved how it made them look. And even though it was a chilled 40 degrees out, we all had our legs on full display, ready for the routine. I, for one, couldn't wait to put my sweatpants back on over the cheer skort.My nerves were settling in as I looked at the timer on the scoreboard. We had less than two and a half minutes to go, and Tessa, who had been sitting directly above me all night, hadn't said a word or done anything to get Danny's attention yet. Honestly, I had absolutely no idea what she had planned, or if she was just going to hope he saw her when he looked at me. So far, he hadn't even looked in my direction once. There were scouts here from all over, and whether he had his plan or not, he still wanted to impress any and all compe