Three's A Crowd

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE 

Billy 

As I step through the doors of Fairview High, a strange energy hangs in the air, palpable and heavy. It's a feeling I've come to recognize, an unspoken warning that something is off. My eyes scan the crowded hallway, but it's the sight of every student transfixed on their phones that sends a shiver down my spine. In all fairness, there is always a shiver traversing my spine whenever I'm at school.

Normally, this wouldn't be cause for alarm - in fact, it's become a routine part of daily life at this school. But today, it's different. Even the chess club, a group of usually reserved and introverted students, are huddled together in a tight cluster, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of their screens. 

Whispers spread like wildfire, bouncing from student to student in a dizzying wave of excitement and intrigue. I know without asking that it's gossip - the kind that spreads like wildfire and lingers for days, maybe even weeks. Even the cheerleaders, usually the source of the rumors, are wrapped up in the frenzy. 

I can't help but wonder what's got everyone so worked up. My mind races through the possibilities - a fight, a scandal, maybe even a tragedy. But then it hits me: whatever it is, it must involve one of their own. Perhaps one of the popular kids, the kind of person who always seems to be at the center of attention. 

For a moment, I consider the possibility that they're just discovering what I already know - that Colton Samson is a racist, homophobic bully with an ego the size of Jupiter. But I know it can't be that simple. The hate and vitriol that Colton spreads is old news - it's a part of the fabric of this school, woven into the very walls themselves. 

No, whatever they're looking at must be something new, something fresh. And I can't help but feel a small thrill of excitement (or nervousness, I don’t know what to call it) at the prospect of uncovering this latest secret, of being on the ground floor of the latest drama to sweep through Fairview High.

But, I doubt that that's what everyone is going crazy about. 

I have no idea what the hell is going on. I just got here and this is the first thing I walk into. I'm curious to know what is going on, so when I spot Tilly Beck by her locker, which is right next to mine, I walk over to her. Even Tilly freaking Beck is engaged.

"What is going on?" I quietly ask Tilly as I punch in my locker combination.

She turns to me, her eyes wide with anticipation. "You haven't seen it?" She asks, her voice filled with a mix of surprise and frustration.

"Saw what exactly?" I ask, genuinely puzzled by her reaction.

She sighs loudly, not hiding her frustration with me. It's as if she's known something all along and can't believe I'm oblivious to it. She grabs her phone and taps on the screen for a few seconds before shoving it into my hands. "Are you sure you haven't seen this?" She asks again, her tone tinged with disbelief.

Her phone almost slips through my fingers, but I manage to secure a grip on it just in time. As I flip over the phone to look at what everyone is freaking out about, my eyes widen in shock.

I can't believe what I'm seeing. "This is not real," I tell Tilly, desperately wanting to dismiss it as some clever Photoshop job. "It can't be real."

"It is real. I don't believe it's Photoshop—no one at this school is that good," Tilly says, her voice filled with conviction. She's certain that the photo everyone has been buzzing about, the one she's been poring over, and the one I'm staring at now, is one hundred percent legitimate.