Be My Girlfriend

71

Brittany's P.O.V.

I stood frozen where Jo had left me, my chest tight, my hands shaking. The words she had spat at me... the hate in her eyes... they replayed over and over in my head. "I hate you!" She had said it so clearly, so painfully. And then she had gone, turning her back and walking away without another glance.

The past two days had been a nightmare. Two days of frantic searching, unanswered calls, unread texts, and constant worry gnawing at my chest. Jo... my Jo... had vanished, and I had no idea where she was. Every passing hour without a word from her had made my stomach twist tighter, my mind spiral further.

I remembered the first moment I realized she wasn't responding. My phone screen lit up with 'Delivered' but no 'Read,' no reply. At first, I thought she was busy. Maybe she was working on her savings or helping Mrs. Schmidt again. But hours turned into a whole day, and still, silence. My heart raced every time the phone buzzed, only to feel disappointment wash over me.

By the second day, desperation set in. I went to her house, she wasn't there. I went to Reese, hoping she could tell me something—anything.

"Britt, I don't know where Jo is," Reese had said, her eyes apologetic. 

I left with a storm raging inside me. She knew something. I could feel it. But if Jo asked her to lie, what could I do? The thought of Jo hiding from me... it broke me in half.

Had I done something wrong? Was I... the reason she disappeared?

For a moment, I couldn't move. The world felt impossibly heavy. My mind raced, trying to process everything—her anger, her tears, her mocking words. Hailey tripping Jo on the field... the accident... her losing the scholarship. Jo thinking I was part of it, that I was behind it. And Gizelle—that motherfucking Gizelle! Did she talk to Jo? Did she tell her about the plan? The plan I didn't even come up with, but let everyone believe I was going along with.

I had allowed it to exist. I had been too much of a coward to admit to my own girls—or to anyone—that I'd fallen for Jo. That I loved her. I let the lie persist because I wanted to keep control, to hold on to the power, to stay untouchable. Untouchable... until now.

But what is power, I realized bitterly, if the person I love hates me? Hates me with every fiber of her being? That thought, that truth, cut deeper than anything. I had chased control, believing I could bend feelings, situations, outcomes. But the one thing I couldn't control—the one thing that mattered most—was Jo's heart. And now, I had shattered it.

I buried my face in my hands and whispered her name, over and over. Jo... Jo... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean... I didn't know.

But words couldn't reach her. Not now. Not after everything.

When I lifted my head, the door she had walked through was closed. She was inside the gym now, where our graduation was being held.

I hadn't even realized I was alone. Everyone else was already inside—even my parents. They were probably looking for me.

I forced myself to stand, wiped at my eyes, tried to erase the evidence of my tears, and walked in.

I slipped quietly into my seat among my girls—Gizelle and Hailey included.

"Where have you been?" Hailey whispered, leaning toward me. "The ceremony started ten minutes ago."

I shot her a sharp look, remembering what she had done to Jo. My jaw clenched. I would deal with her later. 

On my other side, Gizelle didn't even acknowledge me, the bitch sitting there like nothing had happened.

I turned away from them, searching the crowd, scanning row after row until—there she was.

Jo.

She was sitting in the front, Reese right beside her. From where I sat, I couldn't see her face, but it didn't matter. Just knowing where she was, just seeing her there in her gown, was enough to make my chest ache and tighten all over again.

At least I could see her.

The ceremony moved forward, though I barely heard a word of it. The principal's voice was just background noise, the clapping and cheering from the crowd a dull hum in my ears. All my focus, all my attention, stayed locked on one person.

Jo.

The announcer finally began calling names, one after another, each graduate making their way up to the stage to receive their diploma. Applause rose and fell in waves, parents cheering, friends whistling, the gym buzzing with excitement.

But for me, time felt painfully slow. Every name that wasn't hers was just a delay. I sat stiff in my chair, my nails digging into my palms, my breath shallow.

And then—

"Josephine Thompson."

Her name echoed across the gym, and my heart lurched.

I sat up straighter, eyes locked on her as she rose from her seat. She adjusted her gown, smoothed the fabric nervously, and walked with steady, deliberate steps toward the stage. She looked so composed, so strong, like nothing in the world could break her.

But I knew better.

I knew the tears she had shed, the pain in her voice when she spit her hatred at me minutes ago. And yet... seeing her there, chin high, posture firm, she didn't look broken at all. She looked radiant. 

The crowd erupted with cheers—Reese clapping loudest of all. My throat tightened as I watched Jo cross the stage, shake hands with the principal, and accept her diploma. A small, polite smile touched her lips, but it never reached her eyes. Not the way it used to, not the way it always did when she was with me.

She walked down the steps on the other side, clutching the diploma in her hand. She didn't look at the crowd, didn't search for me. Her eyes stayed forward, as if she'd already decided—I didn't exist anymore.

And that hurt worse than anything.

When my own name was called a few minutes later, I went through the motions. Standing, walking, smiling for the cameras. The cheers from my parents, my girls, my classmates—all of it blurred together. I shook hands, took my diploma, and forced a smile that felt like stone on my face.

Because all I could think about was her. Jo.

Graduating in front of me. Walking across the same stage. Yet somehow, feeling farther away than ever.

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