𝒹𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 ⁱⁿ 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐲

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏

Eleanor's eyes darted across the screen, her mind struggling to process the text in front of her. Angel's trembling hand held her phone steady, but her voice wavered.

"It's real, Eleanor. I double-checked. influencer.inside posted it an hour ago."

Eleanor swallowed hard, her voice barely audible. "Why would they do this?"

Nick, Matt, Nate, and Chris appeared in the doorway, their easygoing expressions quickly shifting to concern.

"What's going on?" Nick asked, stepping closer.

Angel hesitated, glancing at Eleanor before thrusting her phone toward him. Nick grabbed it, his brow furrowing as he read the screen. His jaw clenched, and he muttered, "You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Matt demanded, snatching the phone. His face hardened as he read the post aloud. "'Look who we caught getting cozy last night at the party. Eleanor and Chris—childhood besties or something more?'"

The room fell silent.

Eleanor's stomach churned as the weight of the words sank in. The accompanying photo wasn't blurry or ambiguous. It was her and Chris, sitting on the bed the night before. Her head rested against his shoulder, her hand brushing his. The caption might as well have been a bullhorn announcing what she wasn't ready to admit.

"Who took this?" Chris's voice was sharp, his expression a mix of anger and disbelief.

Angel shook her head, looking helpless. "No idea. Someone must've been upstairs at the party. Maybe they heard you two talking."

"That's private!" Chris snapped, running a hand through his hair.

"Clearly not anymore," Nate muttered, leaning back against the wall. His tone was light, but the tension in his posture said otherwise.

Eleanor felt a wave of embarrassment crash over her, heating her face. "This isn't what it looks like," she blurted, her voice rising defensively.

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because it looks like you two were having a moment."

"It's not," Eleanor insisted, glaring at him. "We were just talking."

Nick smirked, but there was no malice in his expression. "Sure."

"Nick, not now," Matt said, his voice low but firm.

Eleanor turned to Chris, hoping he'd say something to make this all go away. Instead, he stood there, silent and tense, his eyes fixed on the floor.

Angel broke the awkward pause. "Okay, let's focus. We need to figure out who posted this and how to stop it before it spreads."

"Too late for that," Nate said, nodding toward his phone. "It's already making the rounds. People are reposting it everywhere."

Eleanor's heart sank. "Great. Now everyone thinks..." She trailed off, unable to say it out loud.

Chris finally looked up, his expression hard. "It doesn't matter what they think. They don't know anything."

"That's easy for you to say," Eleanor shot back, her voice sharper than she intended. "You're not the one being painted as some desperate girl chasing after her best friend."

Chris flinched, his jaw tightening. "You think this only affects you? They're talking about me too, Eleanor."

Angel stepped between them, holding up her hands. "Okay, enough. Fighting isn't going to solve anything."

Eleanor bit her lip, turning away. She didn't want to fight, but the humiliation bubbling inside her was too much to ignore.

"I'm calling the person who hosted the party," Matt announced, pulling out his phone. "Maybe they know who took the picture."

As Matt paced the room, trying to get answers, Eleanor sank onto the couch, her thoughts spiraling. Chris sat down next to her, his presence overwhelming even in the tense silence.

"I didn't want this to happen," he said quietly.

Eleanor glanced at him, her defenses crumbling at the vulnerability in his voice. "Neither did I," she admitted.

Before Chris could respond, Matt hung up his phone and turned to the group. "No luck. They don't know anything."

"So what now?" Nick asked, crossing his arms.

"We wait," Angel said reluctantly. "People will move on eventually."

Eleanor wasn't so sure.

The rest of the day passed in a haze. The photo lingered in her mind, and no matter how much Angel tried to distract her, Eleanor couldn't shake the feeling that everything had changed.

That evening, the group decided to watch a movie in the living room, but Eleanor found it impossible to focus. She could feel Chris's occasional glances, but she refused to meet his gaze.

Halfway through the movie, Eleanor stood abruptly. "I'm going to bed."

"Ella," Angel called after her, concern evident in her voice.

"I'm fine," Eleanor lied, hurrying upstairs before anyone could stop her.

The house was quiet as Eleanor stood on the balcony connected to her room, the cool night air brushing against her skin. The sound of waves crashing against the shore offered a small comfort, but her mind was still racing.

She didn't hear the footsteps until they were right behind her.

"Elle?"

Eleanor turned to see Chris leaning against the doorway, his hands shoved into his hoodie pockets.

"Chris..." she began, but he shook his head.

"Don't say you're fine, because I know you're not," he said, stepping closer. "Neither am I."

Eleanor looked away, her eyes stinging. "What do you want me to say, Chris? That I'm okay with everyone thinking we're—"

"Maybe we should let them think it," he interrupted.

Eleanor's breath caught, her heart pounding.

"What are you suggesting?"

"You know excatly what i'm suggesting..." he replies

𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀 ˢᵖᵉᵃᵏˢ: I know not many people read this fanfic, but I am so grateful for the people who actually do! I do really love riding for you guys. Go and check out crashing waves my other fanfic. Once again, thank you so much. I love all of you and hope you have the greatest day ever.