GrandView High

~FOURTEEN💙~

ILHAM'S POV

I knew something was off the moment I stepped into the cafeteria and found my best friends looking all anxious.

"I hope you guys are ready for our study session o" I said as I plopped down on a chair and placed my plate of fries and barbecue sauce on the table.

"Of course"

"Hmmm"

They both replied half-heartedly.

I narrowed my eyes at them chewing on a fry.

Riri was acting weird—like, weirder than usual. She kept glancing at me, then looking away, pushing her food around her plate like it had personally offended her. 

Aasiyah, sitting across from her, looked impatient, like she was waiting for something to happen.

I raised a brow. "What's with the faces?"

Riri sat up straighter. "Faces? What faces?"

Aasiyah gave her a pointed look. "Riyike."

Riri groaned, rubbing her temples like this was physically painful for her. "Can we not do this here?"

"Yes, we can." Aasiyah folded her arms. "You said you'd tell her today."

"Tell me what?" My eyes darted between them.

Riri exhaled, dropping her spoon. "Okay. Um—so, the thing is..." She fidgeted with her bracelet. "Kamil and I... we kinda... like each other or liked or I don't even know what to call it again."

I blinked.

Then I blinked again.

The words sat in my brain, heavy and unmoving, as if my body refused to process them. "What?"

Riri winced. "I—I know this is unexpected—"

"Unexpected?" I let out a sharp laugh. "Try insane. You and Kamil? Since when?"

Aasiyah cleared her throat. "Ilham—"

I turned to her, scowling. "And you, you knew? You knew, and you didn't tell me? And you made me go on and on about them hiding something from 'us'."

Aasiyah sighed. "She made me promise. It wasn't my secret to tell."

I felt my stomach twist. Of course, she did. Riri and Aasiyah were close, but still—I was their best friend, wasn't I? How long had this been happening behind my back? What else could they possibly not be telling me?

I pushed my tray aside and stood up abruptly. "I need air."

"Ilham—" Riri started, but I was already walking away.

I didn't speak to them for the rest of the day.

Not in class.

Not after school.

And especially not on the ride home.

I didn't even look at Kamil.

The silence in the car on the way home was unbearable.

Riri and Aasiyah kept sneaking glances at me all day, but I refused to acknowledge them. My chest still burned with frustration, a deep betrayal sitting in my stomach. It wasn't about the fact that Riri and Kamil liked each other—it was the secrecy. The lies. The fact that they had been carrying this around for who knew how long while I remained clueless.

I barely waited for the car to stop before I stepped out, slamming the door behind me and heading inside.

Later that night, after Riri's driver came to take her and Aasiyah home, Kamil came to meet me in the living room.

He knew I was ignoring him.

Of course, he did.

He tried to joke his way into my good graces, making snide comments about my sulking, throwing a pillow at me while I was scrolling through my phone. But I still didn't budge. 

That was, until he got too comfortable.

"Na wa o," he said, stretching out on the couch beside me. "So you're really giving me the silent treatment? Ilham, be serious."

I snapped.

"Be serious?" I turned to him, furious. My phone long forgotten. "Oh, you want me to be serious? Alright. Riri told me everything." I said folding my arms.

His face went blank.

For the first time in a long while, Kamil looked... stunned.

"She—she told you?" His voice came out quiet, almost unsure.

"Yeah." I folded my arms tighter. "So... how long were you planning on keeping it from me?"

He exhaled, running a hand down his face. "Ilham, it's not like that."

"Oh, really?" I folded my arms. "Then what is it like, Kamil? Because from where I'm standing, it looks exactly like that."

He hesitated. "We weren't trying to hide it to make you feel bad."

"Then why did you?"

He sighed, slumping back. "Because... we didn't even know what it was at first."

I raised a brow. "Explain."

Kamil ran a hand through his hair, suddenly looking exhausted. "It wasn't supposed to happen. Riri and I—we just... it started with little things. Jokes. Moments that felt different. And then, before we knew it, we—" He broke off, shaking his head. "I told her we should stop—."

He exhaled.

"You and I tell each other everything, Ilham. But this... this was different. It wasn't just my secret to tell. It was Riri's too. And we knew it would change things. We didn't want to mess up what we all have."

I clenched my jaw, his words making too much sense for my liking.

"We didn't want to make you feel like you were being left out," he added quietly.

I swallowed, my anger simmering slightly.

He was right—our friendship would've changed the moment they told me. But it wasn't like they could keep it a secret forever. And now, instead of feeling included, I felt like the only fool in the room.

I sighed, looking away. "You still should've told me."

"I know." Kamil exhaled. "We handled it badly. I handled it badly."

I crossed my arms. "Yeah, you did."

Silence settled between us.

Finally, Kamil sighed. "So, does this mean you're going to ignore me forever?"

I gave him a flat look. "Obviously."

Kamil snorted. "Liar. You're already talking to me."

I rolled my eyes, but the tension in my chest was slowly easing.

He smirked slightly. "So... does this mean we're good?"

I lifted a brow. "Midterms are this week, so I need all the peace I can get." I narrowed my eyes. "But you're not fully forgiven yet."

Kamil groaned. "You're so difficult."

"And you're an idiot."

He grinned, bumping my shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. It takes one to know one sha."

I sighed, shaking my head. I still wasn't fully over it, but at least I had the truth. And midterms were already stressing me out enough—I didn't need more drama on top of it.

One thing was for sure, though—Riri and Aasiyah still had a lot of explaining to do.

~~~~~~

Omo

Yours Truly,

TheAuthorOfThisBook 🩰💙