ʙᴇ ᴍʏ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ?

1. my prettiest problem

Maddison Blanchette sat on the train to uni, the steady, rhythmic clatter of the wheels against the tracks mingling with her laughter and the gentle hum of conversations drifting from nearby compartments. Grace, Walker, her best friend and partner in crime, sat beside her, gesturing wildly as she animatedly recounted a story from their recent senior trip.

"-and oh my goodness, Maddi," Grace exclaimed, her green eyes sparkling with mischief, "when you guys were on the glass bridge in Cobbold last year and he looked at you... I swear, he's either the world's best actor or head-over-heels in love with you!"

Maddi laughed, shaking her head. "Grace, you've been saying that for years. Alex and I? Never gonna happen."

Grace grinned, a knowing look in her eyes. "Oh, it's happening. You just can't see it."

Maddi raised an eyebrow, her expression challenging. "Prove it."

Before Grace could respond, the compartment door slid open, and Alex strolled in, wearing his usual playful smile. Maddi's heart skipped a beat despite herself. Of all people, Alex. "Hey, princess," he greeted, giving her a wink before turning to Grace. "What's she done now?"

Grace flushed, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "N-nothing?"

Alex raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Uh-huh. Sure."

Maddi seized the opportunity, grinning. "Yeah, Grace. What have I done now?"

Grace shot Maddi a warning look before quickly composing herself. "Like I said, nothing. She's innocent this time." Her tone was sweet, but Maddi saw the glint of mischief in her friend's eyes.

Alex rolled his eyes, holding his hands up in surrender. "Whatever. I'm out of here." With a final amused glance at Maddi, he turned and left. She couldn't help but notice the butterflies swirling in her stomach.

Grace's laughter filled the space between them, loud and triumphant. "Point proven," she teased, nudging Maddi's arm.

Maddi buried her face in her hands, trying to hide her blush. "Grace, you're impossible."

Grace smirked and flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

"It's in my job description, darling."

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The sun was setting over the university campus, casting a warm golden glow over the terrace of the library building. Maddi lounged on a bench, watching the waves gently roll onto the nearby beach. Beside her, Grace was sprawled out, flipping through a magazine.

Without warning, Grace broke the peaceful silence. "When will you stop being so blind?"

Maddi turned her head, eyebrow raised. "What are you on about now?"

"You and Alex!" Grace tossed the magazine onto the bench and threw her hands in the air. "It's so obvious he's into you. I mean, the guy looks at you like you're the only person in the room."

Maddi chuckled, though a flicker of doubt gnawed at her. "Grace, we've been friends since we were kids. He's like a brother to me."

Grace rolled her eyes, unfazed. "Yeah, sure. You keep telling yourself that. But I have a plan, and like it or not, you're going to help me."

Before Maddi could protest, the French doors behind them swung open, and Alex stepped onto the terrace, a stack of papers under one arm and a sports bag slung over his shoulder. "Hey, guys." His goofy grin lit up his face as he strolled over.

Grace immediately buried her face in her magazine, muttering, "Girl talk. Nothing for you to worry about."

Alex shot Maddi an exaggerated, worried look. "Should I be scared?"

"Probably," Maddi said with a laugh, glancing sideways at Grace, who was doing a terrible job pretending to read. Maddi had learned the hard way not to get involved in Grace's elaborate schemes, but this time she was oddly curious.

Alex sighed dramatically and shrugged. "Well, if you two are plotting my demise, I guess I'll leave you to it. I have a mountain of homework anyway."

As he turned to go, a small pang of regret hit Maddi. She couldn't deny that lately, something had shifted between them. The thought of losing their easy friendship felt... terrifying. But maybe it wasn't as simple as that.

"Wait!" Maddi called after him, surprising even herself. "Are you free tomorrow? Grace and I are heading into the city. You should come with us."

Alex's face lit up. "Yeah, sounds fun. Should I invite Lewis too?"

"Sure," Maddi nodded, trying to ignore Grace's not-so-subtle nudge beside her.

As Alex walked away, Grace rounded on Maddi, grinning from ear to ear. "See? That wasn't so hard. Now, here's the plan..."

────୨ৎ────

a/n bcuz i love to yap

title from "dopamine" by giselle of aespa as of me writing this its still unreleased 😭😭

i <3 grace sm shes so silly and as im writing it i realise who she reminds me of (not my bestie but another close friend also i <3 her sosososososo much too)

very happy with this

yes i know its short as fuck but thats how i roll this will probably be around 5 to 7ish chapters so mini story and i will try to write others if my brain recovers from brain rot 👍👍

peace ✌️✌️