You Drive Me Crazy || Sam Evans

77. Lights Out

Melanie and Sam walked into the choir room hand in hand, following behind Marley and Jake. The atmosphere was unusually subdued—most of the kids were absorbed in their screens, thumbs flying, eyes locked onto glowing phones.

"Hey, Kitty, who are you texting?" Ryder asked, peering at her suspiciously as her thumbs moved rapidly across the screen. "Let me see your phone."

"I'm playing 4 Pics 1 Word, weirdo stalker," Kitty replied, leaning away from him with a scowl. "Do I need to get a restraining order?"

Ryder rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh, his knees bouncing with nervous energy. His gaze drifted toward Melanie, who had taken the seat next to him. Sam sat on her other side, while Melanie smiled down at her own phone. Ryder hadn't considered her as the catfish before—but lately, something about her seemed off.

"Hey, Mel," he said, his voice tightening with growing frustration. Every second he didn't know who was messing with him was a second too long. "Who're you texting?"

She didn't look up immediately. "Mercedes," she replied, still typing. "Why?"

"You sure?" Ryder asked.

Melanie paused this time. Her fingers stopped moving, and her eyes lifted slowly from her phone. "Yeah..." she said, dragging the word a little.

"Lemme see your phone then," he said, nodding toward it like that was a perfectly reasonable request.

Melanie froze, caught off guard. "Um... no?"

"C'mon," Ryder pressed. "If you've got nothing to hide, just let me look. It'll take two seconds."

"Dude," she said, voice flat, "I'm not handing you my phone just because you asked."

Ryder leaned in. "I'm just saying—if you're not the catfish, prove it."

"Seriously?" she scoffed, pulling her phone closer.

"C'mon, man, she's not catfishing you," Sam said, leaning forward.

"Then why won't you show me your phone?" Ryder said, looking between them impatiently.

The rest of the glee kids looked between the three as the tension grew.

"'Cause it's none of your business," Melanie said.

"I'm just saying you've been acting weird lately, and it started around the same time 'Katie' started messaging me," Ryder accused, pointedly.

Melanie tensed, knowing that everyone liked to tell her she'd been "off" lately—and she was sick of everyone bringing it up or questioning her.

Sam glared at Ryder, knowing he had just hit a nerve. "Dude, back off."

Ryder ignored him, focusing on Melanie and lowering his voice. "Look, I'm not trying to fight. I just want to know the truth. I told Katie things I've never told anyone. Things I can't take back. And if it's you—if you were messing with me like that—"

"It's not," Melanie said flatly, not meeting his eyes.

"Then let me see your phone," he said frustratedly, reaching for it.

Melanie frowned just as Sam pulled her into him, using one hand to swat Ryder's away while giving him a hard glare. "What the hell's your problem?"

"Dude, someone's messing with me," Ryder said.

"So why are you yelling at my girlfriend about it?" Sam shot back harshly.

"Whatever," Ryder muttered, shaking his head and slouching forward.

Sam still looked, for lack of a better term, pissed at Ryder, and Melanie avoided his and everyone else's gazes—always feeling an anxious feeling spread through her chest when anyone brought up her "seeming off."