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ryan and seth strolled through the crowded courtyard of the harbor school, the buzz of students and the rustle of leaves filling the air. seth had that familiar, nosy look on his face, clearly itching to pry into ryan's personal life, as he always did.
"so uh... you and marissa," seth started casually, but ryan could hear the curiosity in his tone. "you guys broken up, you guys taking a break, what's the deal?"
ryan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as they walked. he wasn't ready to dive into the messy details of why things really had fallen apart. "we're just... not seeing each other."
seth raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth twitching with amusement. "ooh, except you will see each other, of course. you know, at school. every day. for the next couple of years."
ryan shot him a tired look. "right. well, we'll just go back to being friends."
seth gave him a sidelong glance, clearly not buying it. "when were you guys ever friends? was it when you were beating up her boyfriend, or uh, making out on the ferris wheel?"
ryan couldn't help but smirk a little at seth's sarcasm, though it quickly faded. "yeah, well... it doesn't mean we can't be friends, does it?"
seth shrugged, his expression doubtful. "i don't know, man."
"think i'll have to see her today?" ryan muttered, more to himself than to seth.
⛵️
marissa, summer, and savannah walked side by side through the courtyard at harbor, the cool breeze from the ocean offering little relief from the tension simmering between them. marissa hadn't said much since they left class, her eyes darting toward savannah with a kind of quiet hostility.
summer, as usual, was filling the silence with chatter, oblivious to the tension. "so, friends, huh, coop? what're you guys gonna do together—lift weights? try on wife beaters?" she threw a glance at marissa, raising an eyebrow.
marissa shot summer a look but forced a half-hearted smile. "sorry, but guys like ryan aren't friends with girls," summer added quickly, sensing marissa's unease.
marissa sighed, her tone sharp as she responded. "well, i don't want to just be his friend." she glanced at savannah for a split second before quickly looking away. "but after the whole oliver thing, i guess i need to show him he can trust me again. who knows if he'll even want to be friends..."
savannah noticed marissa's shift in tone and frowned. "ryan trusts you, marissa. he just... needs time."
marissa's jaw tightened, and she shot savannah a cold look, her voice clipped. "did he tell you that?"
