the one ( graham lansing )

# 9

"YOU KNOW BEN IS GOING TO FREAK out if you tell him you bailed on you guys going to prom with each other, right?" i said, following mandy outside as she called bens name, he looked . . . stressed? sad? both?

"liam just asked me to prom" mandy said with a happy tone in her voice.

"latoya just asked me to prom" ben spoke, not sounding too thrilled.

"graham asked me to prom" i spoke as i looked up from my phone since i've been anxiously texting andrew.

"that's great!" mandy said as ben scoffed.

"uh oh, someone's mad" i whispered to mandy.

"why isn't that great?" she asked, sounding confused.

"well, when i told her that i was going with you, mandy, she was pissed. but, what did liam say when you told him?" ben asked as my jaw dropped since i knew mandy didn't tell liam that she was going to prom with ben.

mandy was thinking of what to say as i stood there awkwardly. it felt like everything between them was going to fall and i'd be there not knowing what to do. both of them got into more fights with each other than with me.

"you didn't tell him? you said yes?" ben said as he was angry with her, "two nights ago, you were crying to me and taylor, telling us that liam kenning was using you and that he had a girl on the side"

"i know, i know but i was wrong about all of it. she was helping him plan the promposal, my promposal. so just tell latoya what happened" she said to him, saying like it was easy but it wasn't as easy as it seems.

"i should go" i said quietly.

"no stay," ben said to me and i did stay, "what? you want me to tell latoya that you got a date, so now i'm free? yeah, that'll go over real well. what the hell, mandy?" he shouted.

"ben you need to calm down" i said as mandy agreed.

"no! you guys can't tell me to calm down! mandy, you asked me to prom ! we had a pact! we freaking double-tapped it!" he said as i took a look around as people were surrounding us.

"i know and i'm sorry" mandy said to ben.

"guys, i think we should do this somewhere else" i said, pointing to the people around us with my eyes but they didn't listen.

"oh, oh, you're sorry? i did not realize you were sorry. well, then it's totally cool, forget about it. mandy, i am supposed to be your best friend. all three of us were supposed to tell us everything and taylor does, she always does because we made a promise to tell each other everything and you decided to tell me that you were going to use liam to find a way to get to senator lansing! and you knew if we told taylor then she would attempt to stop you because you noticed the way she started to look at graham and you told me to keep it and i-" he started to keep talking but i cut him off.

"how long have you planned this mandy? i tried to stop you at the fundraiser! we made a pact on telling each other everything no matter what! and you," i said as i turned to face ben, "you are one of my best friends, i've known you since we were born and you decide to keep something this important away from me? i thought we were best friends, like a family but i guess we're not!" i said, walking away, noticing that andrew was there and i ran to him, giving him my car keys and getting into the car to go home. i knew ben and mandy would still be fighting but i didn't care, we made a pact to tell each other everything since we were five-years-old and they broke it which hurts more than anything.