prodigy | e.d.

nineteen

morgan

the night after halloween, i wake up at noon, my makeup still all over my face and my dress tossed to the floor, only an oversized t shirt and some shorts as my pajamas.

josslyn's at her desk, and doesn't say anything when i push my cover off me, rubbing my raw eyes.

"hey," my voice is gravelly.

i hear the smallest sigh escape her lips, but she doesn't speak to me. only pauses her writing for a moment before her hand flings across the paper yet again.

i frown and stand up. my knees are wobbly.
"i didn't do it, josslyn."

she pauses again, like she wants to talk, but doesn't.

"it wasn't me. i didn't tell alex anything that ethan told me."

finally, she turns to me. her eyes don't look excited to see me like usual. "then who, morgan? who was it if it wasn't you?"

i play with my hands, trying not to cry. i can only shake my head. "i... i don't know."

she sets her pen down. "ethan is my best friend. and you hurt him. you revealed his secrets that he trusted you with to the person he hates most. and that hates him. and that, morgan, is the lowest of the low."

"i didn't do it!" i exclaim desperately for probably the hundredth time. "it wasn't me, i promise. i don't know how you can think that i would do that to him. especially him."

she thinks about it for a moment, and sighs again tiredly. "i don't know, morgan. i don't want to think you did this. i don't know if i believe it. but ethan said you were the only one who he told about that stuff. and it's not even what secrets you told, but that you told his secrets at all."

"alex must've found out somehow, i don't—"

"i have to go," she stands up, avoiding my eyes and packing up her things quickly.

"josslyn, please," i beg, grabbing her arm as she tries to leave. "please believe me. i didn't do it, i swear."

"i just don't know what you would've gotten from it,"
she shakes her head like i didn't speak at all. "ethan trusted you, morgan. with stuff he didn't even trust me with. he doesn't trust a lot of people. and you completely ruined that."

"joss—"

"bye, morgan," she mumbles. "and i would probably eat dinner in here, if i were you."

i want to cry. i want to cry so hard.
not necessarily that i'm being accused of something i didn't do, but because ethan feels betrayed by something i didn't even do.

i feel my panic start to set in as i realize how the rest of the group probably hates me too, and that they'll never let me explain and be let in again.

my feet pave the length of my room as i chew on my nails, wondering how could the secret possibly have slipped.

was there someone around when ethan was telling me? someone we didn't notice was listening?