[BOOK2]
Friendship built their world. Love will break it open. ❤️
*****
I want her.
I want her more than I've ever wanted anything.
But I can't have her. Because the moment I admit that out loud, the moment I risk everything we've built, I could lo...
{Song of the chapter: Happier than Ever - Billie Eilish}
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I pulled Jake's jersey over my head, the fabric dragging against my skin like it didn't belong there. His cologne clung to it — sharp, chemical — and instead of grounding me, it made my stomach twist. I smoothed my shorts in the mirror, trying to ignore the heaviness in my chest, but it clung to me just as stubbornly.
Becca glanced up from her phone, catching my reflection. She froze mid-scroll. "Alright. That face? Spill."
I crossed the room and sank onto the bed beside her. The mattress dipped, the springs groaning under us. "It's Jake. And Theo."
Her brows lifted, her tone wary. "Let me guess — still acting like they'd rather set each other on fire than breathe the same air?"
A hollow laugh slipped out. "Pretty much. I asked Jake earlier about the almost-fight with Theo, and he completely brushed me off."
Becca's frown deepened, her phone sliding forgotten onto the duvet. "And Theo?"
I twisted the hem of the jersey in my hands. "He wouldn't tell me either. Just said I'm not the problem and... to keep my eyes open."
Her brows pulled together. "That's not nothing, Isla. That's him telling you something's wrong without actually saying it."
"Exactly." I tried to smile, but it came out flat. "No one will give me a straight answer. And then..." My throat closed for a second before I could get the words out. "When I spoke to Jake earlier, I swear I heard a girl in the background. Music, voices — then she laughed and asked him who it was."
Becca's head snapped up, eyes widening. "And he just... what? Pretended it didn't happen?"
"He said it was his cousin." The scoff escaped before I could stop it. "Then he got off the phone so fast, like he couldn't wait to hang up."
Becca leaned forward, elbows braced on her knees. "That doesn't sit right with me. At all. Do you believe him?"
My gaze dropped to my lap. I picked at a loose thread on the jersey, the fibres fraying between my fingers. "I want to. God, I want to. But after what Theo said... everything feels off. I don't even know what to believe anymore."
Becca didn't hesitate. "Then you're starting to see it for what it is," she said, her voice low but certain.
My chest tightened, the truth pressing in. "What if I've been wrong about him this whole time?"
She held my gaze, her tone steady. "Then you'll know. And you'll be fine without him. But, Isla — you need to trust your gut. If it feels off, it is off. And Theo wouldn't stick his neck into something like this unless there was a damn good reason."
Her words settled heavier on my shoulders than the jersey itself. I nodded, but the doubt was already curling tighter in my chest, coiling higher with each breath.
