Secretly Lying | UNDER EDITING |

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 33-𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺

As expected, tomorrow arrived, and with it, the dreaded return of Lola.

The first two classes flew by, probably because I slept through most of them. My thoughts were consumed by the conversation I overheard between Khloe, Luke, and Emma.

What exactly are they planning?

My overactive imagination spiraled. Are they going to kill me? Kidnap me and leave my body for the rats?

Come to your senses, Lillie. You're not in some mafia movie. I shook my head, trying to clear the ridiculous thoughts.

The bell rang, snapping me back to reality. I gathered my things and made my way to the cafeteria to meet the others. When I stepped outside, I saw them waiting near the entrance, their faces lighting up when they spotted me.

"Finally!" Christine greeted me with a warm hug. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry, I kind of slept through my classes," I admitted, smoothing my hair in an attempt to look presentable. "By the way, where's Ry—"

"ITS TUESDAY. THAT MEANS TACO TUESDAY!" Ryan's voice boomed as he sprinted past us and darted into the cafeteria, diving straight into the line for food.

We burst into laughter and followed him inside, each of us ordering our meals before heading to our usual table in the corner. It was a cozy spot, tucked away from the crowd, and gave us the perfect vantage point to observe everything going on in the cafeteria.

"So, what's the plan?" Christine asked as she took a sip of her soda.
"Plan for what?" Tyler raised an eyebrow, looking between us with confusion.
"Oh, right," I said, realizing I hadn't filled everyone in yet. "I haven't told you guys yet."

That caught their attention. They all leaned in, curious and waiting for me to spill the details.
Before I could say anything, Christine's fingers pinched my shoulder, forcing me to turn around.
"Look behind you," she whispered, her tone serious.

I followed her gaze, and my stomach dropped. There they were—Khloe, Luke, and Emma—strutting into the cafeteria like they owned the place. But that wasn't what stopped me in my tracks.

Walking beside them was someone I hadn't seen in weeks.
"Is that...Lola?" Sophie whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Lola looked completely different. Her once light-brown hair was now jet-black, cut short and styled sleekly. She had also lost a noticeable amount of weight, her cheekbones now sharply defined. But what struck me most was the look in her eyes—the same cold, dirty glare she always gave me, only now it felt sharper, more focused.

"What happened to her?" Ryan asked through a mouthful of tacos, his voice muffled but no less confused.

"I didn't even recognize her at first," Christine added, her gaze lingering on Lola as they passed by.
They walked past our table, their voices low as they whispered amongst themselves. For a brief moment, Lola's icy stare met mine, and a chill ran down my spine.

"Anyway, what did you want to tell us?" Andrew asked, snapping my attention back to the group.

"Sophie and Christine already know, but I'll tell the rest of you now," I said, but before I could continue, I noticed Ryan inhaling his tacos like he hadn't eaten in days. "Ryan, seriously. This is important."

"I am listening!" he mumbled, barely pausing to chew.

I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. "So, as you know, the other night we ordered pizza because someone"—I shot a pointed look at Sophie—"decided to have a tea party with my dad instead of eating dinner."