𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 | 𝚓𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚊𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚕𝚎

nine | code red: messiah

☆ 𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 ☆

Messiah Hawkins. 24 years old. Blasian.
Chronic pain in my ass. Nothing but drama...

When I first met Messiah during my freshman year of college, she was incredibly welcoming. She was the kind of person who made the big campus of UMICH feel a bit smaller, a bit more like home.

Whenever I couldn't find my way or needed a bit of guidance, Messiah was my go-to, especially when I couldn't find  Jordan anywhere. But everything shifted when Jordan and I started dating.

Almost overnight, Messiah changed her demeanor towards me. She distanced herself, stopped initiating conversations, and declined any invitations to hang out. Whenever we did cross paths, she'd give me the cold shoulder or roll her eyes, treating me as if I were the source of all her troubles. It was as if in her mind, my relationship with Jordan had somehow betrayed her, turning her from friend to someone I barely recognized.

Meeting Stephanie and Halo was a breath of fresh air. They brought a new energy into my life, one that didn't revolve around the drama with Messiah or the complexities of my relationship with Jordan. With them, I found solace in my small circle, content with the company of a few close friends and my boyfriend at the time.

I hadn't interacted with Messiah for quite some time until that unexpected encounter at one of Jordan's games during my sophomore year. Her sudden approach felt forced, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. Something felt off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time.

As time passed, I noticed her growing closeness to the UMICH basketball team, particularly Jordan's teammate, Brandon. Initially, it seemed like a genuine connection, but soon enough, it became evident that Messiah was playing a game, using Brandon as a pawn.

Despite my reservations, I found myself drawn back into Messiah's orbit, spending time together with Jordan, Brandon, and our friends. But just as quickly as we rekindled our friendship, everything unraveled, leaving behind a mess of emotions and unresolved tensions.

Now, seeing her standing in front of me, memories of the past come flooding back, reminding me of the pain and confusion I once experienced. I refuse to allow myself to be entangled in that web of deceit and heartache again.

Stephanie, Halo, and Raya have been urging me to move forward, to embrace new experiences and not let the past hold me back. And they're right. I deserve to live my life without the shadow of past relationships looming over me, to explore new connections and opportunities without fear. It's time to break free from the constraints of the past and embrace the possibilities of the future.

So, I put on a smile and greeted Messiah, saying, "I'm great, Messiah. How are you?"

I couldn't miss the subtle challenge in Messiah's raised eyebrow and the slight curl of her smirk. If there was one thing I knew about her, it was that she was far from foolish. She possessed a sharp intelligence that often left me feeling exposed, as if she could see right through me. And in that moment, I knew she could, and she knew it too.

"I'm great," Messiah replied, her smile barely concealing something more calculated. "I hope you don't mind...I need my nails done. Heard you were one of the best."

"Well," I replied, gesturing for her to take a seat, "Here I am."

Messiah settled into the chair opposite me, casually brushing her hair over her shoulder, and we fell into an uneasy silence as I began working on her nails.

"Nice flowers," she remarked, her smirk oozing with smugness. "Jordan has really good taste, huh?"

I felt a sudden chill run down my spine as I glanced up at her. That smirk, that knowing expression on her face—it was unnerving. How did she know Jordan had given me those flowers? Unless...

"Yeah, he does," I said, trying not to show her that I was annoyed. "How's Brandon, by the way? Did he ever forgive you for...you know, cheating on him with his teammate and closest friend?"

Messiah's smug expression faltered, turning into a scowl note than a smirk. She looked as if she wanted to snatch her hand away and jump over the table and fight me right then and there, but something stopped her. I don't know what it was, but something definitely stopped her from lunging at me.

But one thing was for sure, Brandon was a soft spot for her—which was surprising since she had tossed him to the side the minute Jordan told her to open her legs for him.

"I wouldn't know how he was," she said through a forced smile and semi-gritted teeth. "After he found out what happened, he acted like I didn't know exist, which I'm sure you knew...so why ask?"

I shrugged, a smug smirk on my face. "Oh, I don't know. Just thought that you of all people would know that he recently got engaged."

Sick. Messiah looked sick.

All the color had drained from her face, and it seemed as if she wanted to cry on the spot just by hearing my words. Usually, I would feel bad, but when it comes to her...I don't feel anything but pride and a little bit of amusement. She didn't like being on the other end of that spectrum, now she knew how it felt to have someone that you want or wanted pulled away from you without any chances of getting them back.

It felt good ...

"Engaged?" She repeated. "Engaged to who?"

"Hailey...Hailey Stone," I replied, my smile growing. "She went to—."

"Michigan State," she interrupts. "Yeah, I know where she went."

It took everything in me to not laugh in her face right then and there. I didn't get it...How could someone be so upset about someone they used and led on moving forward with their lives, healing and becoming happy with someone else? Not everyone has it in them to give someone several chances after they've been hurt—especially to the magnitude that Messiah and Jordan hurt both Brandon and I.

"Why do you know so much about Brandon if you're with Jordan? I'm sure he's the last person that he'd want you around." Messiah snapped.

I grinned. "Brandon and I didn't stop being friends after what you and Jordan did. We're actually pretty close—."

"Can you...can you talk to him for me?" Messiah asked.

I paused, looking at her in disbelief. Did she really just ask me that? "Why would I do that?" I asked, laughing a bit.

Messiah jerked her head back. "Why wouldn't you? We used to be friends—."

"Yeah, and we stopped being friends when you and Jordan decided to bump uglies." I snapped back.

Messiah paused and scoffed, shaking her head at me. "Fine," she said, snatching her hand away from me. "Miserable bitch."

"Excuse me—."

I stood up just as Messiah stood up and threw a couple of dollar bills in my face and stomped out of the salon. I balled my fists at my sides and took several deep breaths to try to calm myself down.

Just when I thought that there was a part of me that could at least get close to Jordan enough to at least be his friend, but it was moments like this when I realized that it was never going to happen. Messiah had some kind of hold on Jordan, or vise versa, but all I knew was that I didn't want any parts in it, and I would stop it right before it started.

Starting with these damn flowers.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦

𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤??

I know this chapter was short—but that was the whole point lmaoo.

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