It's always you. - Hector Fort

Chapter 6

This is still about the pool but next one is going to be good ❤️🦅

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"You think you can just apologize to everyone and act like you're innocent? Sure, keep telling yourself that," I laughed in her face, the bitterness clear in my voice.

"And you think you're so smart, always ready to ruin something for me, huh?" Marti shot back, her voice laced with venom.

"Fine, then. Tell me how I ended up in the pool?" I crossed my arms, daring her to keep lying.

"I already told you, I tripped!" she insisted, trying to sound confident, but her voice faltered.

"Tripped on what? Air? Or your own lies? Because even you don't seem to remember what happened." I narrowed my eyes, watching her crumble under her own excuses.

"I don't have to trip over anything," she said, rolling her eyes as if the whole thing was beneath her.

"Right, because you needed to come up to me and shove me in! I've had enough of this." My voice broke as my frustration spilled over. It wasn't just about the pool anymore; it was everything Marti had done, the manipulation, the deceit, the constant drama.

Before I could say more, Pedri stood up, trying to play the peacemaker. "Girls, please, just stop. This has to be a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" I shot back, glaring at him. "No, Pedri, the misunderstanding is me being here at all. Clearly, it didn't bother Marti, and it sure as hell doesn't bother any of you what just happened. I'm out of here." Grabbing my things, I stormed off.

I didn't expect anyone to follow, but as I reached the door, I heard Val's voice behind me. "Sophie, wait!" She jogged to catch up, grabbing my arm gently to stop me.

"Sophie, please don't leave. We can sort this out, I know we can." Her voice was soft, but I could feel the tension underneath. She was trying to fix something that couldn't be fixed, not this time.

"Sort what out, Val?" I asked, turning to face her, my heart heavy. "You made your choice, you chose her over me. Now you're trying to convince me to go back in there, to talk to her? No, thanks. And by the way, happy birthday." My voice cracked, tears burning at the back of my eyes.

"Sophie..." she whispered, guilt weighing her down.

"I don't think you get it, Val," I continued, my emotions spilling over. "My dad liked you. You know how rare that was? He never liked anyone. One day he'd be fine, and the next... the next, I was too scared to let him in the house. But you were always there for me, through the worst of it. So where are you now? With Marti? Or are you still with me? Because right now, I don't feel it." A single tear rolled down my cheek, and I let it fall.

Her expression softened, and she pulled me into a hug. "I love you so much, Soph. I just... I wanted to believe she changed, you know? For Hector. He's part of our group now, and I thought she could be too. We just want to support him, support all of us."

"I get that, but..." I hesitated, my voice quiet. "She's toxic, Val. You know that."

"I know, and we won't invite her back in," Val promised. "I'll go back in there, get Hector and the others—everyone but Marti, of course—and we'll come to your place. No more drama, just us. What do you think?" She smiled gently, the old Val I used to know shining through.

"You don't have to..." I mumbled, suddenly unsure.

"We want to," Val insisted, nudging me playfully. "Hector wants to too." She winked at me, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I smiled back.

This moment, standing outside in the cool air, reminded me of how complicated relationships had become since my dad left. With him, I never knew where I stood—one moment, he'd act like I was the most important person in his world, and the next, he'd disappear for weeks, leaving me and my mom in silence. It had messed with my sense of trust, of knowing who was really there for me.

Growing up with him had been like walking on thin ice. I remember how tense the air in the house would get when I heard his car pull into the driveway. If he was in a good mood, we'd laugh, maybe even watch TV together. But if he wasn't... well, I'd stay out of his way, praying it wouldn't get worse. Those nights were the hardest.

Val had been there through all of it. She was the one I'd call when I didn't know where else to go, when I was too scared to be home. She knew the secrets I kept, the ones even my mom pretended not to notice. That's why her siding with Marti hurt so much—it wasn't just a betrayal, it was like losing the only real support I had.

"Listen," Val's voice brought me back. "I know how hard things were with your dad. I saw it. And I get why this feels so messed up, like you're being abandoned again. But I'm not leaving you, okay? I'm still here."

I nodded, wiping away the tears. "It's just hard to trust people after everything."

"And I get that," she said softly, squeezing my hand. "But you're not alone. We'll get through this, okay?"

As she pulled me into another hug, I let the tears flow. For the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe I didn't have to carry everything on my own. There were people who cared, people who wanted to help. I just had to let them in.

We stood there for a while, me leaning on Val, the weight of everything slowly lifting. It wasn't perfect—nothing ever was—but it was a start.