Beneath His Cold Charm

03

Behind Closed Doors

★★★

The afternoon sun had dipped behind the trees, casting long shadows across the school courtyard. Zoey sat beside Emely, her mind swirling with the weight of the day's events. She hadn't fully processed how Matt's constant coldness affected her, or how deeply her family's problems gnawed at her. It wasn't just Matt's arrogance that got to her—it was the way he seemed to be a walking reminder of her own insecurities. His icy demeanor only made her feel smaller, more trapped in her own skin.

But right now, Zoey needed to focus on her friends, on the lightness they brought to her life. Emely was still beside her, scrolling through her phone with an occasional frown as she read something aloud, always finding a way to bring laughter into the moment.

"So, Zoey," Emely said, nudging her shoulder playfully, "Matt still being a pain?"

Zoey sighed. "Matt's always a pain. It's like he's determined to make everyone feel like they're beneath him."

Emely raised an eyebrow, her eyes glinting with curiosity. "And yet, he doesn't seem to bother Chris or Nick."

Zoey glanced at where Chris and Nick were, sitting a few feet away. Nick was watching Chris mess around on his phone, occasionally letting out a snort of laughter. The triplets were close in a way Zoey both admired and envied. They were a tight-knit unit, always able to brush off Matt's attitude, while she couldn't seem to get past it.

"It's like they're used to it," Zoey muttered. "Like it's just part of who he is."

Emely nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe they've learned how to ignore his...rough edges. You know, the whole 'don't take it personally' thing."

Zoey gave her a half-smile. "Yeah, maybe. I just don't get why he has to be like that in the first place."

Chris, overhearing the conversation, looked up from his phone. "Talking about me?" he joked, wiggling his eyebrows. "I know, I'm fascinating."

Emely rolled her eyes dramatically. "Chris, we're not talking about you!"

"Shame." Chris teased, before his gaze settled on Emely, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "But now that we're on the topic, what about you, Em? How come you're always so...intense around me? Do I make you nervous or something?"

Emely bristled immediately, sitting up a little straighter. "Nervous? Please. You're just...irritating."

"Irritating? Me?" Chris put a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. "I'm a delight."

Emely scoffed. "A delight to anyone who enjoys constant sarcasm and jokes at inappropriate times."

Chris grinned, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth. "Admit it—you'd miss me if I wasn't around."

Zoey watched the exchange with a knowing smile. Chris and Emely's banter was always like this, laced with insults that seemed too charged to be taken lightly, but too playful to be truly serious. It was clear to Zoey that there was something between them, a tension that was different from her dynamic with Matt. Where Matt's coldness felt like a wall, Chris's teasing was more like a spark—a way to get under Emely's skin, to force a reaction from her.

"Chris," Emely said slowly, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "the day I miss you is the day pigs fly."

"Oh, we're getting there," Chris retorted, flashing her his signature grin. "I'm wearing you down, I can feel it."

Zoey chuckled as she watched Emely's face flush slightly with annoyance—or maybe something more. The two of them had been at this for as long as she could remember, constantly at odds but never truly pulling away from each other. It was almost like they needed the banter, the tension, as much as they needed the friendship that came with it.