𝐒𝐎 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 || 𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐊

I hate it here

Caitlin and Victoria were hanging out with Jada, Kate, Gabbie, and Kylie at their mutual friend Taylor's house. The group was chatting and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere when the door opened, and Connor walked in.

 "Hey, Connor! Glad you could make it," Taylor said, completely unaware of the tension brewing in the room. 

Victoria's expression turned stormy, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Connor. Caitlin immediately felt a wave of regret and guilt, squeezing Victoria's hand under the table to try and offer some silent support. 

Connor looked around the room, his gaze settling on Caitlin. He smirked and said, "Hey, Caitlin. Long time no see. How's everything going with... you know, the publicity stuff?" 

Victoria's jaw clenched, and Caitlin felt her tense beside her. "Fine," Caitlin replied curtly, hoping to shut down the conversation quickly. But Connor didn't take the hint. 

"I mean, it was pretty crazy, right? All those events and appearances. Must've been a lot to handle." 

Victoria couldn't stay silent any longer. "Connor, can you just stop?" she snapped, her voice trembling with barely controlled anger. 

Connor raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely surprised. "What's your problem, Victoria?" 

"My problem?" Victoria's voice rose. "My problem is you acting like everything is normal when you know damn well what you did." 

The room fell silent, everyone exchanging uneasy glances. Jada leaned in closer to Victoria, offering silent support. 

Connor looked taken aback but quickly recovered, his smirk returning. "Oh, come on. It was all just business. Caitlin understands that, right?" he said, looking at Caitlin.

 Caitlin felt a surge of protectiveness for Victoria and turned to Connor with a steely gaze. "Connor, just drop it. You have no idea what you're talking about."

 Connor ignored her, leaning back in his chair and grinning. "It's a shame we had to end that PR thing, Caitlin. You were a good kisser. Maybe we could keep that part going?" 

Victoria's face turned red with anger. She stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I'm done with this," she said, her voice shaking. 

She turned to Caitlin. "I'm going outside." Caitlin immediately stood up to follow her. 

"Vic, wait," she pleaded, but Victoria was already heading toward the door. 

As Victoria stormed out, Jada glared at Connor. "That was really low, Connor. You need to leave."

 Connor looked around, clearly realizing he had crossed a line. "Alright, I'm going," he said, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. 

"Didn't mean to cause any trouble." As Connor left, Caitlin rushed outside to find Victoria. She saw her standing by the fence, taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

 "Vic," Caitlin said softly, approaching her cautiously. 

Victoria turned to her, eyes glistening with tears of anger and frustration. "Why did he have to be here, Caitlin?" 

"I'm so sorry, Vic," Caitlin said, her voice filled with regret. "I had no idea he was coming. If I did, I would've never let this happen." 

Victoria shook her head, wiping away a tear. "It's not your fault. I just... I can't stand how he talks to you, like nothing ever happened." 

Caitlin stepped closer, wrapping her arms around Victoria in a comforting hug. "I know, Vic. And I promise, he won't come between us again." 

Victoria leaned into the embrace, feeling the tension slowly dissipate. "I just want to move on from all of this."

"We will," Caitlin whispered, holding her tighter. "We'll get through this together." They stayed like that for a moment.