Hi,

Chapter 7

This morning was surprisingly normal. No sign of Nathan or his gang, and William acted as if nothing was happening. Apart from the occasional side glances and whispers, it almost felt like the whole Nathan situation had blown over. He didn't even text me. When I told June, she was beside herself, furious that I hadn't called her right away. She's way too excited about all of this, practically planning double dates with Marco and Nathan. I keep reminding her that this is just some stupid challenge, and I'm not going to be a part of it. But then she brings up the fact that I accepted him on Snapchat, and the cycle starts again.

She's right, though—I'm not making much sense. I feel lost in all of this. I asked her not to tell William yet, saying I'll do it when the time is right, but I don't even know what to say. I can't justify why I added Nathan. I'm a terrible person, and William will hate me for it.

We're all sitting in the cafeteria now—my friends and me—at our usual table. William is next to me, his hand resting on my thigh. It's nice, feeling some sense of normalcy with everything that's been happening. But then they walk in—Haze, Nathan, Dustin, Marco, and Connor. I can feel William tense up beside me. My eyes lock on Nathan, and it feels like he's walking in slow motion. A wave of anxiety crashes over me. They sit down at their usual table, and I quickly look away before anyone notices that I was staring at Nathan. Guilt washes over me as my eyes drift back to William, who is now glaring at Nathan with fire in his eyes. If looks could kill, Nathan would be a pile of ash on the cafteria floor.

I squeeze his hand, I squeeze his hand, partly to shake the guilt, partly to pull his attention back to me, away from whatever murder plots he's hatching in his head.

He glances at me, then back at Nathan, and suddenly grabs my chin, pressing his lips to mine in a forceful kiss. I try to respond, not wanting to make him angrier. His tongue invades my mouth, and his hands grip my face. When he finally pulls away, he throws a smug glance at Nathan. Is he seriously doing this right now?

"Did you just—?" I blurt out, pulling back.

"What? I can't kiss you?" he snaps.

"Right..." I frown, waiting for some kind of apology that never comes.

"It's got nothing to do with—"

"What are you even talking about?" he interrupts, his tone defensive.

"Oh, of course, I'm crazy, right? And you know I hate when you kiss me like that in front of everyone," I raise my voice, feeling my frustration boiling over.

People around us are starting to stare. My phone buzzes on the table, and I'm not quick enough to hide it—William's already seen the notification from Nathan. His face darkens, and before I can stop him, he grabs my phone and opens it. He stands up abruptly, throwing the phone back onto the table.

"Are you fucking serious, Mackenzie? Why the hell is he texting you?" he shouts.

I feel my face flush with shame as everyone's eyes are on me now.

"William, please, just sit down. I'll explain," I whisper, desperately trying to calm him down.

But it's no use. He's already turning toward Nathan, pointing angrily.

"And you, you fucking douche—don't text my girlfriend, or I swear I'll fucking kill you!" William's yelling now.

I want to disappear. Everyone is watching. My eyes dart to Nathan, who's sitting calmly at his table, a smug grin plastered on his face. He fist-bumps Dustin like this is all some game. I can't stand it. I storm out of the cafeteria, my heart racing.

"Mackenzie!" someone calls from behind me.

I turn to see Haze jogging toward me. I stop, letting him catch up.