I KNOW THE END

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August 20th, 2023

THE BENNETT RESIDENCE

ALEX

The party was in full swing by the time I arrived. The living room was packed with people, the music was loud, and the air was thick with excitement. It seemed like everyone from Lincoln High was there, including Grace, who was laughing with Cleo in the corner. My heart did a little flip when I saw her, but I quickly pushed the feeling aside. Tonight was supposed to be fun, and I didn't want to complicate things.

As I made my way through the crowd, I spotted Lila talking to some of her friends near the kitchen. She seemed tense, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. I knew things had been rough between her and Dad since he came back, and it had been weighing on her.

I grabbed a drink and headed over to her. "Hey, Lila," I said, trying to catch her attention. "You okay?"

She looked up at me, her expression guarded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, but I could tell she was lying.

"Come on, I know you better than that," I said, nudging her shoulder. "What's going on?"

She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It's Dad. Ever since he came back, things have been so... tense. I don't know how to deal with it."

I nodded, understanding what she meant. Our dad had always had a way of stirring up trouble, even when he didn't mean to. "I get it, Lila. But you don't have to deal with it alone, you know? We can figure this out together."

Her expression softened slightly, but then she tensed up again. "You say that, but it feels like you've already made your choice. You always side with him, Alex, no matter what."

I frowned, taken aback by her accusation. "That's not true, Lila. I'm just trying to keep the peace. It's not about taking sides."

"Maybe not for you," she shot back, her voice rising. "But it feels like it for me. You don't know what it's like to be stuck in the middle of everything, trying to make everyone happy. It's exhausting!"

The volume of her voice caught the attention of a few people nearby, but I ignored them, focusing on Lila. "I'm not asking you to make everyone happy, Lila. I just want us to be a family again."

"Maybe I don't want to be part of this family anymore!" she yelled, her eyes flashing with anger.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I felt my own temper flare. "That's not fair, Lila. You know I'm trying my best here!"

"Your best isn't good enough!" she shouted, and before I could respond, she yanked out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen.

I watched in confusion as she airdropped something to everyone in the room. My stomach sank when I realized what she was doing. "Lila, what did you just do?"

She didn't answer, but the reaction around the room told me everything I needed to know. People were pulling out their phones, their eyes widening as they saw the picture she'd sent. The picture of me and Grace in bed together.

I felt a cold sweat break out across my skin as the whispers started, and then Jason's voice cut through the noise like a knife.

"Grace!" he yelled, storming across the room toward her. "What the hell is this?"

GRACE

I felt my blood run cold when I saw the look on Jason's face. His eyes were blazing with fury as he shoved his phone in my face, the picture of me and Alex glaring back at me from the screen.

"Jason, I—" I started, but he cut me off, his voice shaking with anger.

"You slept with him?" he demanded, his voice loud enough to draw even more attention. "How could you do this to me, Grace?"

Tears pricked at my eyes as I tried to find the words, but nothing came out. I felt everyone's eyes on me, their judgmental stares burning into my skin. This wasn't how it was supposed to come out. I had wanted to tell Jason myself, in private, but now everything was falling apart in front of everyone.

"Jason, please, let me explain," I begged, my voice trembling.

"Explain what?" he snapped, his voice full of hurt. "How you betrayed me? How you've been sneaking around behind my back with Alex?"

I glanced around the room, desperate for help, but all I saw were faces full of shock and disgust. Cleo stood frozen, her eyes wide with disbelief, and even Alex looked horrified by what was happening.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," I whispered, feeling the tears start to spill over.

"That's not good enough, Grace," Jason said, his voice low and cold. "We're done. I don't ever want to see you again."

With that, he turned and stormed out of the house, leaving me standing there, shattered and alone.

ALEX

I stood there, frozen in place as I watched Jason leave, the gravity of what had just happened sinking in. I turned to Lila, who looked just as shocked as I felt, but the anger still simmered in my chest.

"Why did you do that?" I demanded, my voice shaking with barely restrained rage. "How could you?"

Lila's eyes filled with regret, but she didn't back down. "You're the one who lied, Alex! You betrayed me . I was trying to protect you, but you don't care about anyone but yourself!"

Her words stung, but before I could respond, she turned and ran out of the room, leaving me standing there, torn between anger and guilt.

I glanced at Grace, who looked devastated, and a wave of helplessness washed over me. Everything was falling apart, and I didn't know how to fix it.

The party was over. The damage was done. And I had no idea how we were going to pick up the pieces.

I walked over to Grace to see how she was doing. As I put my hand in her shoulder, she quickly pushed it off me and turned to me in rage and disbelief.
"This is all your fault."
"How is it my fault."
"Nun of this would have happened if you didn't kiss me." She says as she runs out of the house, walking right past my mom and dad.

2 SECONDS LATER

"WHAT THE HELL ALEXANDER."

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