Heartthrob: Love Triangle (A NHIE Fan-fiction)

13

Alexa, play Poison Poison by Renee Rapp

Eleanor: Hey, guys. Get your food and meet me at our table. We need to talk.

Uh oh. Usually when Eleanor put a period after a greeting, it meant bad news. She typically used exclamation points. Devi didn't know if she would be able to endure any more drama after Ben and Paxton's fight, but based on the seriousness of this text, Devi knew she had no choice.

"El! Is everything okay?" Devi asked, slipping into a seat next to her.

"No. Everything is far from okay. I'll explain once Fab, Nees and Haley get here."

And just like clockwork, Haley and Aneesa arrived together, with Fabiola following close behind.

Once everyone got settled at the lunch table, Eleanor took a deep breath and explained the situation.

"Guys," she began, her voice timid. "Paxton's been suspended."

"What. What!?" Devi yelped.

Wait. Why did she care so much? This guy is literally her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her.
But, then again, she still cared about him. Just because they weren't dating didn't mean they couldn't still be friends? Right?

"For how long?" Haley's voice was full of surprise.

"Two weeks," Eleanor replied, scrolling through her phone. "It's all over LadyWhistleBoy."

LadyWhistleBoy was Sherman Oaks' frequently updated gossip app, created by Eric Perkins. He knew every detail about everyone in that high school, and would make posts about them purely for their humiliation and his entertainment.

And now that the truth was out about Paxton, it seemed like Eleanor wasn't the only one who discovered the news that he had been suspended, because people's phones began to buzz loudly and repeatedly.

"Oh my god, Paxton Hall-Yoshida got suspended!"
A blond girl wearing a bright blue top squawked. She was so surprised that she fainted into her friend's arms.

Fingers moved at the speed of light as the entire cafeteria was typing, reacting and responding. Gasps, confusion, and phones. Devi and her friends watched the scene in awe that quickly turned into a state of rage.

"There's only one person who could've pulled this off," said Devi, shaking her head in disbelief.

"And we know exactly who that person is," Haley added, her voice is crisp.

....................

Devi Vishwakumar was approaching Ben Gross now, who stood admiring himself in his locker's mirror.

"You just think you are hot stuff, don't you?" Devi scolded just as Ben shut his locker.

"No manners today, David? How about, hi, Ben, how are you doing? Hm?"

"Shut up, Ben. Since when have I ever been courteous?"

"Yep. You're right," Ben said, pursing his lips together.

"Look, Gross, I know you're the reason Paxton got suspended," she said sharply.

"Okay, Nancy Drew. How can you prove that?"

"Who else would be the person to turn him in other than you? You're the one who started the fight, and now you're falsely accusing and blaming Paxton for it. You can never own up to your mistakes, can you?"

"You're one to talk," Ben scoffed.

"Hey-" Devi began to protest, but then she stopped herself. Now was not the time.

"Look, David, even if I was the one who turned him in, which I'm not, it's too late now. His locker's already cleaned out, and he's gone. No one can do anything about it.

"That's exactly what a liar would say,"
Devi spat in his face and walked off to her next class.