𝘾𝙃𝙊𝙊𝙎𝙀 ➵ 𝕔𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕝𝕠 𝕒𝕦

06; 𝙞 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.

STELLA'S POV:

Walking into the group therapy session today, my stomach twisted with anxiety, but seeing Olympia here was nice a surprise. I knew she was one of the few people who knew about my struggles with anxiety and depression, being my best friend and all.  "Hey, Ella!" Olympia waves at me from across the room.
I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I make my way over to her chair. "I didn't know you were coming today too," I say as I sit down.
"I've been struggling a bit lately too," Olympia admits. "I figured it couldn't hurt to come an extra day." I nod in understanding. "I know what you mean. It's been helping me a lot."
We chat for a while about our experiences in the therapy sessions, since it seems we've both been a little too busy to catch up this past week or so.
I almost forgot to tell Olympia about the Kiss! How could i have not told her already, i mean she's my best friend after all. without hesitation , I blurt it out.
"Chris and I kissed," I say,
my voice barely above a whisper.
Olympia's eyes widened in shock. "What? When did this happen?"
I shrug. "A few days ago. It was just a quick kiss" i lie. sort of.
"but still. I don't know how I feel about it."
Olympia puts a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay? Did you want to kiss him?"
I shake my head. "I don't know. I mean, I've always found him...attractive, i guess.. but I never thought we would actually kiss. And now I'm worried about Ember." i groan. ugh. ember. We haven't even spoken in days. Fair enough, according to girl code, i'm the biggest asshole. And if she knew Chris & I kissed, I can only imagine what kind of beast that would awaken from inside her. "Ember?" Olympia looked confused. "Yeah, you know how she's obviously has a crush on Chris? Not to mention the fact he almost called her his girlfriend the first day we met, although i've been trying to not think about that... i just don't want to hurt her." i look down at the ground for a moment. Olympia nods. "I see what you mean. But, you know, Chris and Ember aren't actually together. They're just friends. And if Chris has feelings for you, then that's something he needs to deal with."
I nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. But what if Ember finds out? She's going to be pissed. beyond pissed actually."
"Well, that's something you'll have to deal with if it happens. But in the meantime, why don't you talk to Chris? Ask him how he feels about Ember and about you. That might give you some clarity." I nod. "Yeah, I think I'll do that. Thanks, pia. You're always so supportive."
Olympia smiles "That's what friends are for."
Just as Olympia finishes speaking, the door to the group therapy room opens  and in walks Chris.
Speak of the devil.
He looks around the room, scanning the faces until his eyes lock on mine. I feel my heart skip a beat as he makes  his way over to our chairs. "Hey, guys," he greets us, taking a seat next to me. "Hey, Chris," Olympia says with a smile.
I fidget nervously in my seat, wondering if Chris could tell that something was off. Did he know that I had just told Olympia about our kiss? did he hear me tell her??
As if reading my mind, Chris turns to me and asks, "Is everything okay, Stellar? You seem a little tense." I hesitate for a moment before deciding to be honest. "I told Olympia about our kiss." I whisper just loud enough for both of them to hear me, and nobody else.
Chris looks surprised, but not angry. "Oh. And how did that go?"
I shrug. "She was supportive, but she also mentioned Ember. I don't want to hurt her."
Chris nodded in understanding. "I get it. But you and I are just friends, right?" he asks, throwing me off guard a bit. did he only want to be friends? is that what that means?
I nod. "Of course..I just don't want things to be weird between us." I admit. Chris smiles. "They don't have to be. We can talk about it if you want. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
I felt a sense of relief but also sadness wash over me at his words. "Thanks, Chris..That means a lot." i say half heartedly. because, it does. But i find myself wanting to be more than friends with Chris, more and more as the days go on. I'm not sure how much longer i can keep up.
• • •
As the therapy session ends, Chris and I head to our usual spot under the oak tree. Sitting there, I ask, "How's your day been?"

Chris lets out a sigh. "It's been tough. We talked a lot about my brother in my solo therapy session today."
"I'm sorry," I say, placing a comforting hand on his arm.
He looks at me with a pained expression. "Sometimes I feel like it's my fault he's gone. Like I could have done something to prevent it." he's opening up to me more, and my heart can barely stand it.
I try to reassure him, "Chris, you can't blame yourself for what happened. whatever it was, i'm sure it wasn't your fault."
He wipes away a tear and looks away. "I just wish things could have been different."
Just as we are about to delve deeper into the conversation, we hear an unexpected voice interrupt us. "What the hell is going on here?"
Ember had appeared out of nowhere, interrupting our heart-to-heart conversation. I feel annoyed, seriously not in the mood for her drama. "What do you want, Ember?" I ask, my irritation evident in my tone.
"I want to know what's going on between you and Chris," she says, her voice full of accusation. Rolling my eyes, I respond, "There's nothing going on between us, Emma. We're just friends." I tell the truth. sort of.
She scoffs, "Yeah, right. I know you've been trying to steal him away from me since the moment you came back to North Wood"
My temper flares, "What are you? a fucking child? You and Chris were never together. And I can't steal something that was never claimed in the first place. i'm over your shit" I say through gritted teeth. I feel Chris's hand rubbing circles into my back, in an attempt to calm me down, which surprisingly works a bit.
Ember glares at me, her face twisted with anger. "You're such a two-faced bitch, Stella Quinn" Chris intervenes, trying to diffuse the situation. "Emma, there's no reason to be so upset. Stella and I are just friends. Even if we were together, it wouldn't be any of your business."
Ember huffs, her eyes still filled with anger. "and to think, you were my 'friend', stella." she scoffs as she walks away. I feel frustrated. I didn't want to deal with her drama, especially not when Chris was opening up to me about something so personal. It didn't help that i had been anxiously waiting for her to explode. am i the bad guy? "I'm sorry about that," I say to Chris, my voice filled with frustration. Chris shakes his head. "It's not your fault. Ember can be a bit much sometimes."
Feeling grateful for his understanding, I smile at him. "Thanks, Chris. You always know how to make me feel better." I say, sticking my tongue out at him, earning a laugh from him.
• • •
Chris and I make our way to his dorm room, still feeling a little rattled from the confrontation with Ember. As we enter the room, we find Matt and Kelsey cuddled up together, watching "Finding Nemo" on his laptop. "Hey guys," Kelsey greets us warmly, a bright smile on her face. "How was your therapy session?"
Chris shrugs, "It was okay. We talked about my brother a lot today."
Kelsey's expression softens, "I'm sorry, Chris. That must have been hard."
Matt gives us a small wave, still not saying a word. Chris asks them if they mind if we join them, and they happily agree.
We climb into bed with them, snuggling up and watching the movie. It's a welcome distraction from the stress of the day, and I find myself relaxing as the familiar story plays out on screen. At one point, Matt nudges me and points to the screen excitedly as the characters swim through a field of jellyfish. Even though he doesn't speak, his enthusiasm is infectious and we all laugh along with him.
As the movie comes to a close, I feel a sense of contentment settle over me. Despite the drama with Ember, I'm surrounded by people who care about me and who I care about in return. And for now, that's all that really matters.
• • •

As the credits roll, I glance over at Kelsey and Matt, and my heart swells with warmth as I watch them cuddled up together, fast asleep. They make such a cute couple.
I reach over to close the laptop and feel Chris's arm wrap around my waist, pulling me back into him, catching  me by surprise.
I laugh shyly. "what are you doing?" I ask just above a whisper, careful not to wake Kelsey and Matt. He responds with a grin, "Getting comfy."
We stay like that for a while, cuddled up in bed together. It feels so natural to be with him like this. Suddenly, Chris breaks the comfortable silence, "You know," he whispers. "I really like you, Stellar." My heart flutters at his words, and I can't help but smile.
"I really like you too, Chris," I say softly, my eyes closing as I feel myself drifting off to sleep in his arms. For the first time in a long time, I feel truly content and at peace.
• • •
Author's Note;
i still promise they won't move too fast, they're just super flirty guys😭 but they'll tone it down.. maybe lol.
If anyone else reads this, i really hope it's meeting your standards. i'm falling in love with these characters the more and more i write about them, and i hope you guys are too xx