𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑺 & 𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑼𝑷𝑺

𝑻𝑾𝑬𝑵𝑻𝒀 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑬𝑬; 𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑫 𝑳𝑨𝑼𝑵𝑪𝑯

Sloane left Paige's dorm feeling lighter 
than she had 12 hours ago, but her mind was still lingering with thoughts. The conversation with Paige had been intense, but at least they'd come out of it stronger. She smiled to herself as she walked across campus, the crisp air cooling her flushed cheeks. The weight she felt from the situation, gone. but she knew the drama wasn't entirely over

Quietly, she closed the door behind her and slipped off her shoes, tiptoeing toward her room. She had hoped to sneak in without waking Haven, but as she rounded the corner, she found her roommate already sitting up in bed, blinking groggily at her.

"Sloane?" Haven asked, rubbing her eyes and stretching. "Where the hell were you? I woke up and you were gone and I know you didn't have class today.

Sloane dropped onto her bed with a heavy sigh, laughing at how oblivious she must've seemed. "Yeah, I went to go talk to Paige about.. yesterday."

Haven raised an eyebrow, interest piqued. "Oh? What happened? Was it a good talk or...?"

Sloane laughed dryly, pushing her damp hair off her forehead. "You could say that.."

Haven's face lit up with curiosity. "Alright, spill."

Sloane leaned back against the wall, her head resting on her pillow as she recounted the whirlwind of events from the day before. "So, you know the game last night. Paige and Nayo almost got into it—like, an actual fight on the court."

"What?!" Haven's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know. I was watching the game, and Nayo whispered something to Paige. Next thing I knew, Paige shoved her, and all hell broke loose. It was bad enough to get Paige benched."

Haven scoffed, shaking her head. "She shoved her? Damn."

Sloane nodded, the memory of Paige's furious face flashing in her mind. "Exactly. I was sitting there, losing my mind. I texted Paige during the game, but she didn't reply and was leaving me on read and being weird. So, when I didn't hear from her by this morning, I went over to her dorm."

Haven crossed her arms, already predicting where this was going. "And?"

"And... Paige thought I slept with Nayo." Sloane rolled her eyes, the absurdity of the accusation still fresh. "She thought I hooked up with her the night I gave Nayo my number."

Haven's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Paige really thought you were messing around with Nayo?"

Sloane sighed, sitting up straight. "Yeah, because Nayo apparently told Paige some bullshit about us hooking up. I had to spend, like, an hour convincing her that I didn't do anything with Nayo. She was so upset."

Haven frowned, leaning in closer. "And did she believe you? What did she say?"

"I think she does now. I had to remind her about that night—when we kissed at the party? She left right after that, and I told her I didn't even know where Nayo went after. I didn't sleep with her, I barely even spoke to her after the game, but Paige was so hurt, Haven."

Haven let out a long sigh. "Bruh, Why Nayo tryna start shit?

"Exactly! It's like she was trying to mess with Paige's head. But I think we're good now. We talked it out, and Paige trusts me again." Sloane rubbed her temples, feeling the tension slowly ease.

Haven watched her for a moment, and then a sly smile crept onto her face. "You know, what you should do, so Nayo—and everyone else— know that You're both is off-limits."

Sloane raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Hard launch," Haven said, her grin widening.

Sloane blinked in confusion.