Rule #1 (Rule Number One) | COMPLETED

Chapter 15: Ocean Blondie

"Eyyy, girlieee, come onnn, spill! Right. now!" Reed pleads with puppy eyes, shaking your body in desperate curiosity.

To add more context—she's been like this since morning. Because of who? Oh, her Gossip King boyfriend of course. She wasn't there when.. our pool moment happened. Because where was she? The toilet. And now, she has the audacity to guilt-trip me—when regretting her excessive kombucha consumption. LOL.

"Your fault for being so glued to the toilet, girlie~" you tease her in amusement, a smile dancing on your lips as you turn your head to the ceiling with closed eyes. Oh you've been in such a good mood since this morning. You continue to eat your lunch, ignoring her pouting face beside you. However, the atmosphere shifts when you sense her enthusiasm returns as she straightens up—letting out a delighted squeal,

"Speak of the devil!"

At her sudden outburst, your head jerks forward, oblivious to the chunk of food still bulging on your cheek. And sure enough, there they are. The trio. First, you catch Wyatt with an amused grin, undoubtedly because of his girlfriend—no brainer. In the middle is Tyler—and an uneasy feeling washes over you. He hasn't noticed you yet, busy with his girlfriend next to him and you simply roll your eyes. You see Taylor's friend—ok skip. However, your attention sharply focused when your eyes land on..

Him.

And he's already gazing back at you, standing there, hands casually tucked on his pockets, giving you his charming lopsided grin. The moment you realize he's already noticed you, you instinctively gulp down the food in your mouth and blush uncontrollably. Eve, catching your reaction, lights up with excitement, exclaiming,

"Oh my gosh! You. are. in trouble, bestieee!"

You playfully shove Eve, embarrassed of her teasing, but your attention is still drawn back to him. Just then, Wyatt calls out, "Girls!" and without hesitation—he dashes towards your group, leaving the others behind!

This is when Tyler finally notices you, and his demeanor becomes rigid. His expression becomes somewhat—tense, as if he's grappling with numerous thoughts. You, however, choose to ignore him, as your focus is now on the fact—that Hunt is heading your way, following Wyatt, his eyes not moving from you.

Eve stands up and hugs Wyatt, who reciprocates by giving her a playful pinch on her cheek. She leans in to vent to her boyfriend, discreetly.. not. saying, "Ugh, she really won't spill the tea, babe! So annoying," just as Dominic arrives at the table.

He smirks, taking a seat in front of you and leaning both forearms on the table, moving closer with a mischievous grin. You reciprocate with a shy smile, maintaining eye contact. As the two of you exchange glances, Wyatt chuckles in amusement as Eve playfully exclaims, "Look at that, babe! They're openly flirting in front of us now!"

Wyatt saunters over to the table, playfully whispers to Dom while raising an eyebrow, "So, what's the verdict?"

Dom cackles with an open mouth—the tip of his tongue showing, briefly darting his eyes to Wyatt on the left, then back to you. You giggle cheekily and shake your head, amused by your two friends. Just as the hilarity ensues, Tyler appears with the two girls. Making the scene awkward, at least for you, and takes a seat next to Dom while glancing at you.

Wyatt and Eve are engrossed in their own world of affection as Tyler, arm wrapped around his girlfriend, appears deeply involved in a conversation. Still, he can't help but steal occasional glances in your direction. Taylor's friend, seated not too far from you, maintains a considerable distance but also—still—gawking at Dom.