If Only (GxG)

Chapter 7 Friends

A/N
🎶Arms Length by Sam Fender 🎶

『 °*• ❀ •*°』
Alison's POV

The next morning came too quickly, and I felt the weight of the previous night pressing on my chest as I got ready for school. I hadn't had a chance to really process what had happened with Blake, but now, here I was, sitting in my classroom, waiting for the bell to ring. My stomach churned, knowing I'd have to see her again, but this time, it would be different.

It felt strange, the way things had shifted between us. I couldn't just call her Blake at school—no, in the classroom, she was Miss Bradley, and the thought of addressing her by that title felt...odd. It was a professional distance that made everything feel so formal, and I wasn't sure how I'd navigate the sudden, blurring line between our two worlds.

I sat at my desk, trying to distract myself with some last-minute notes before class started. Ross was talking about some game or other, as usual, and Amy sat beside him, her eyes glued to her phone as she scrolled through something, probably some drama from Instagram.

"Did you get any sleep last night, Alison?" Ross asked suddenly, breaking my focus.

I looked up, startled by the question. Ross was leaning back in his chair, one leg casually stretched out, a smirk on his face. He had that knack for reading people that made him impossible to hide anything from.

"Why would you ask that?" I replied, trying to keep my voice light, but I was pretty sure the bags under my eyes gave it all away.

"You look like you've been up all night," he said, raising an eyebrow. "That, or you've been playing some kind of mental gymnastics in your head. Which, let's be honest, you're always doing."

Amy snorted quietly from her seat, barely lifting her eyes from her phone. "Yeah, girl, you've got that look," she added, her lips curling into a grin. "So, spill. What happened last night?"

I hesitated. They were both good friends, and I knew they were just being nosy in the way only close friends could be, but this? This was different. This was about Blake. Miss Bradley. I couldn't just talk about it like I would any other situation.

"Nothing really happened," I muttered, trying to downplay it. "Just...a weird run-in with someone I used to know."

Amy's head snapped up from her phone, her eyes narrowing. "Uh-huh. So why do I get the feeling that's not the whole story?"

Ross, never one to let something go, leaned forward, his face teasing now. "Alison. What's going on? Did something happen between you and someone?"

I felt a knot form in my stomach. Ross was perceptive. And he was right. Something had happened. But how could I explain it? How could I even begin to put into words the rush of emotions I'd felt when Blake stepped in to handle the situation with Marie? I had no idea what it meant. I didn't know what I was feeling. And worse, I didn't know how to navigate it.

"I just—" I stopped myself, realizing how worked up I was. "I don't know. It's complicated. It's not like I can talk about it, anyway, I'm just me, they are way out of my league", I added quickly, feeling my face heat up but I wouldn't give anything away. I would never betray Blake's trust like that.

Amy gave me a sideways glance. "Just...you? Please. Like that matters. You're Alison Greystone, and from what I can tell, you've got it all together. If there's something going on with someone—and I'm guessing there is—you're not fooling me."

The bell rang, and the tension in the room shifted as everyone settled into their seats. I just let out a breath, trying to calm my nerves. "It's nothing guys," I muttered.