Intoxicating

One By One

Timothée's POV

That Monday, I met up with Blake, Marcus, and Troy in the glass hallway before first period. The sunlight poured through the windows, giving the place a weirdly peaceful vibe, which didn't match the mood I was in. I had a lot on my mind, and Courtney was barely part of it.

"Yo, heard about you and Courtney," Blake said, leaning against the lockers with a grin on his face like he was waiting for some drama. "What happened, man?"

I just shrugged. "It was time."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "That's it? Just like that?"

"Yeah, man. No big deal," I replied, trying to play it cool. I didn't feel any remorse, which said everything. Courtney and I were done, and it didn't feel like a loss.

Troy glanced at the other two, then smirked. "Let me guess... This have anything to do with Leia?"

I shot him a look, and they all laughed like they knew something I wasn't saying.

"I mean, you've been acting kinda different since her nudes got leaked," Marcus added, nudging my arm.

I shook my head, trying not to give anything away. "It's not about that," I said, but the truth was, my mind had been on Leia more than I'd like to admit. And they were starting to pick up on it.

"C'mon, bro," Troy pushed. "You've been thinking about her. It's all over your face. You've been into her, haven't you?"

I stayed silent for a second, then gave a half-smirk. "I'm not saying anything."

Blake leaned in, eyes wide like he was ready for gossip. "Damn, so there is something going on with Leia?"

"Nah," I said, but I didn't sound convincing even to myself. "I just... I don't know, man. Maybe. But it's complicated."

They all exchanged glances, like they knew exactly what was going through my head. Hell, they probably did. I'd been thinking about her more than I should, way more than I'd thought about Courtney in a long time.

"Guess you finally figured out what you want, huh?" Blake chuckled.

I didn't answer. But deep down, I knew. It wasn't a question of if something would happen with Leia-it was a question of when.

Marcus leaned in closer, lowering his voice as if this was some big secret. "But, bro, do you really think Leia would get with you? That's her best friend you just dumped. Doesn't that make it... you know, pretty fucking complicated?"

I leaned against the locker, crossing my arms. "Yeah, I know it's messy," I admitted. "But I've been thinking about it. And I don't know, man... I just feel like there's something there."

Troy raised an eyebrow. "With Leia? You sure you're not just imagining it? I mean, she's tight with Courtney. That could be a hard line."

Marcus nodded in agreement. "Right. And even if she's into you, you really think she's gonna go for her best friend's ex?"

I thought about that for a second, feeling the weight of the question. It wasn't like Leia and I had history-hell, before all this, I barely gave her more than a glance. But ever since that ride home, ever since I saw her in a different light... things changed.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "But I'm not sure that'll stop me."

Blake shook his head with a laugh. "Man, you're asking for trouble. Girls don't take shit like that lightly. Courtney will lose it."

I shrugged, already knowing what they were saying was true. Courtney and Leia were close, and if Leia crossed that line, there'd be fallout. But the way I saw it, I didn't really care about Courtney anymore. If there was even a chance with Leia, I was willing to take that risk.