but I'll just let you live-

the cafeteria

The days following the carnival were tense. Everyone at school seemed to sense it—how Hope and Josie barely spoke now, how there was this growing distance between them. Josie wasn't answering Hope's texts, and every time Hope saw her in the hallways, Josie would quickly walk the other way. It was tearing Hope apart.At lunch, Hope sat with Rafael, Jed, and MG at their usual table, absentmindedly pushing around the food on her tray. She hadn't eaten much since the carnival. The weight of everything with Josie was crushing her. She missed her—missed her laugh, her smile, missed the way they used to talk about everything and nothing at the same time. And now... now it felt like Josie was slipping further away with each passing day."You okay, Hope?" Rafael asked quietly, noticing her distress. Hope sighed, putting down her fork. "I don't know. Josie won't talk to me. I just keep thinking about what I could've done differently that night, and every time I try to reach out, she pulls back even more."MG, who had been unusually quiet, cleared his throat. "I feel like there's more to this than just Landon showing up at the carnival," he said cautiously, not wanting to tread on sensitive ground. Hope frowned, her eyes fixed on her tray. "I know she's hurt, but... I don't know how to fix it. I've told her over and over that I love her, that she's the only one I care about. It's not like I asked Landon to make everything so complicated.""Yeah, but it seems like you're not seeing how much it's affecting her," Jed chimed in bluntly. "I mean, she might know that you love her, but every time Landon shows up, it looks like you don't even notice how bad it makes her feel."Hope snapped her head up, her jaw tightening. "That's not fair, Jed.""I'm not saying it's your fault, but it kinda is," Jed replied, not one to sugarcoat the truth. "You're caught up in this friendship with Landon, but Josie sees him as competition. She might not say it, but she feels like she's fighting for your attention every time he's around."The truth of Jed's words hit Hope like a ton of bricks. She hadn't realized just how deep Josie's insecurities about Landon ran. It wasn't intentional—Hope had never meant for any of this to happen—but she could see now how it must've looked to Josie, how it felt like she was stuck in the middle between them, even though Hope's heart had always been with Josie.Rafael glanced at Hope sympathetically. "It's not like Josie doesn't trust you, Hope. It's more like... she doesn't trust the situation. And honestly, you're not helping by being so casual about Landon being around all the time."Hope ran a hand through her hair, frustration bubbling up inside her. "I get that, but it's not like I'm trying to hurt her. Landon's just a friend.""But does Josie know that? Really?" MG asked gently. "Because I think what she's seeing is a guy who clearly has feelings for you, and you're not shutting it down. From her perspective, it's like you're leaving the door open for him."Hope stared at the table, feeling the weight of their words. She thought about how many times Landon had popped up in the past few weeks, how he'd lingered just a little too long, how she hadn't really done anything to stop it. She thought about Josie standing there at the carnival, looking so hurt, and how she hadn't noticed until it was too late.Lizzie sauntered over, looking uncharacteristically serious. She plopped down at the table with a sigh, throwing her bag down with a huff. "Okay, what's with the depressing energy here? You all look like someone just told you the school's canceling prom.""Hope's got some major girlfriend drama," Jed supplied, not bothering to soften the blow.Lizzie's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, really? This about Josie?"Hope groaned. "It's complicated, Lizzie."Lizzie shrugged, crossing her arms. "Well, it's not that complicated if you ask me. The solution is simple—stop making it so easy for Landon to get in the way. You're acting like you don't have control over the situation when you actually do. You have to set boundaries, Hope. Landon's your friend, sure, but Josie's your girlfriend, and right now, she needs to know that she comes first."Hope swallowed hard. She hated to admit it, but Lizzie was right. She'd been avoiding having the hard conversation with Landon, hoping it would all just blow over. But it wasn't going to. If she didn't do something soon, she could lose Josie for good.As if on cue, Landon appeared at the edge of the cafeteria, his eyes searching the room. When he spotted their table, he started walking over. Hope's stomach churned. She knew what she had to do."Landon," she called out as he approached, "can we talk?"He looked surprised but nodded, following her as she stood up and led him out of the cafeteria, away from the others.Once they were outside in the hallway, Hope stopped and took a deep breath. "We need to talk about what's going on between us."Landon's face faltered. "What do you mean?""I mean," Hope started, her voice firm but not unkind, "I can't keep letting this go on. I love Josie, and I think maybe I've been giving you the wrong impression by not being clear about where we stand."Landon's expression darkened slightly. "I know you love her, but I don't see why that means we can't be friends."Hope shook her head. "We can be friends. I want to be friends, but I need you to understand that's all we can ever be. I've been with Josie for a while now, and she's the one I want to be with. I think... I think maybe we need some space for a while."Landon's jaw tightened, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "So, what, you're just cutting me off?""I'm not cutting you off," Hope said, her heart aching. "I just need you to respect my relationship with Josie. This isn't fair to her."Landon stared at her for a long moment, his eyes searching hers. "You're choosing her over me.""It's not about choosing," Hope said softly. "It's about doing what's right. I love Josie, and I don't want to lose her."Landon took a step back, his face hardening. "Fine. Whatever. Do what you have to do."Before Hope could respond, he turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.Hope stood there for a moment, her chest tight. She had done the right thing, but it didn't make it any easier.She walked back into the cafeteria, her mind heavy with everything that had just happened. But as she reached the table, her heart stopped when she saw Josie standing there, her eyes red from crying. Josie had heard everything."Josie," Hope whispered, rushing over to her. "I didn't know you were—"Josie shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "I heard enough."The cafeteria was buzzing around them, but it felt like the world had shrunk down to just the two of them."I love you," Hope said, her voice trembling. "You're the only one I want to be with. I don't care about anyone else."Josie looked at her, her eyes filled with so much emotion that it nearly broke Hope's heart. "But why did it take you so long to do this?" Josie's voice cracked. "Why did you have to keep hurting me first?""I didn't mean to," Hope said desperately. "I was stupid, and I didn't realize how much it was affecting you. But I swear, Josie, it's you. It's always been you."For a long moment, they just stood there, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife. Josie's lip trembled as she wiped another tear away."I don't know if I can keep doing this, Hope," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I love you, but it hurts too much."Hope felt the ground slipping out from under her. "Please, don't say that. I'll fix it. I'll do whatever it takes, Josie."But before she could say more, Lizzie stepped forward, placing a hand on Josie's shoulder, giving Hope a knowing look. "Give her some space, Hope."Josie turned and walked out of the cafeteria without another word, leaving Hope standing there, feeling more lost than ever.As she watched Josie leave, Hope's heart shattered, knowing that this might be the moment she lost her for good.