𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑, COLBY MADDEN

1x13: Friend or Foe

Amy practically burst into the cafeteria, plopping her tray down next to Y/N and Hartley with a grin that could power the whole school.

"Guess what," she announced dramatically, leaning in. "I got an A today."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "Really? On what?"

Amy smirked and slid a crumpled test paper across the table.
Y/N squinted. "This is Tina Stevenson's test."

"I didn't say it was my 'A,'" Amy shot back with a little shrug, as if stealing academic credit was just another harmless hobby.

Hartley shook her head with a soft laugh, but before she could comment, a tall guy with messy hair and an easy smile strolled up to their table.

"Hey, Hartley," he said, voice smooth like he knew exactly the effect it had on people.

Hartley straightened in her seat, cheeks warming. "Hi, Declan. I like your shirt. The color really makes your abs pop—" she froze, correcting herself, "I mean... your eyes pop!"

Declan grinned, clearly enjoying her fluster. "Thanks. You're so cute, you make any color pop."

Amy made a fake gagging sound, earning a glare from Hartley.

"Sup, J?" Declan greeted Jake as he walked past.

"'Sup, Dec."

The moment Declan was out of earshot, Y/N turned slowly toward Hartley, arms crossed. "Okay... who was that and what was that?"

Hartley bit her lip, still staring after him. "Declan. He's a new student from Chicago. I'm... kinda crushing on him."

"Yeah," Y/N deadpanned, "kinda got that from the way your jaw hit the table and your tongue rolled out like a rug."

Amy tilted her head. "Did you know about this? The Hartley/Declan thing?"

Jake nodded casually. "Yeah. We went mini-golfing last week. Well, they golfed. I caddied."

Y/N narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't anybody tell me? I tell you everything."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell me when you 'borrowed' twenty bucks from my wallet yesterday."

"That's because you caught me in the act," Y/N countered without missing a beat. "If you want a confession, you gotta let me commit the crime."

Hartley sighed. "Look... the reason I've been keeping Declan a secret from you is... I didn't want you to ruin things."

Y/N's eyes widened. "I'm sorry—what did you just say?"

Jake muttered under his breath, "Oh boy..."

Hartley crossed her arms. "Because you don't trust anyone. You assume everyone's got a hidden agenda!"

"That is not true," Y/N argued.

Amy snorted. "Five minutes ago you threatened to sue the lunch lady for short-changing me."

"She's a crook!"

"She's eighty!" Hartley countered.

"She's an experienced crook!" Y/N shot back, leaning forward.

Jake shook his head, grinning at the chaos.

Y/N softened a little. "Look, Hartley, I know you're kindhearted and trusting, but sometimes people take advantage of that. I know because..." she gave a guilty shrug, "...I'm usually one of those people. But I can also help protect you from it."

"Being trusting doesn't make me naive," Hartley insisted. "It's only been a couple weeks, but Declan seems like a good guy. I think you should give him a chance."