Mary POV
"Shit, Lana, calm down okay?" I said, trying not to laugh at the panic written all over her face. "How did you not notice? He was literally everywhere you went. And the way he looked at you? Like he wanted to eat you alive."
Lana stared at me in horror.
"Wow. If that's your way of comforting me, you're doing an amazing job. Keep it up," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
But beneath the sarcasm, I could tell she was genuinely stressed. First, her breakup with her boyfriend of four years, and now this weird fight brewing between her and Maya.
"How did I not notice?" Lana muttered mostly to herself. "I should probably talk to her before she starts thinking something else."
Before I could even respond, she jumped out of her seat and practically sprinted toward the library.
I smirked to myself.
Yeah… they were definitely about to discover the monster my sister could become.
And trust me, I knew Maya better than anyone. She was not the type to let things go, especially when she believed someone liked her back.
My smile widened at the thought of the chaos already brewing.
Poor Lana had no idea what was coming for her.
"Maya is about to go full Hulk on that girl," I whispered to myself, giggling quietly.
"Hey."
A voice suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts.
I looked up and blinked. The guy standing in front of me looked familiar, but I couldn't place him.
"You don't remember me, right?" he asked with an amused smile.
I cringed apologetically. "I'm sorry… I don't. Who are you?"
"Peter," he replied. "The boy you poured water on because you didn't like the color of my water bottle."
My eyes widened instantly.
"Oh my God, it's you!" I exclaimed.
Okay wow. He grew up really well.
Like… suspiciously well.
I definitely wasn't expecting the height.
"What did you say?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Nothing!" I answered quickly. "So… uh…"
God, this was awkward.
Peter chuckled softly. "I saw you earlier and thought you looked familiar. I mean… you were kind of hard to forget."
He mumbled the last part, but I still caught it.
"Right… well, I gotta go. Catch you later!"
I was already halfway down the hallway before I even finished speaking.
The hallway was unusually noisy compared to normal. Students stood in little groups whispering to each other while others kept checking their phones dramatically like they were discussing breaking news.
I slowed down when I heard Maya's name.
"Everyone knows Maya likes Lee."
"And her best friend still decided to steal him?"
"That's actually messed up."
"Girl friendships are terrifying."
The moment I heard those words, I knew it had officially started.
There was no going back now.
Rumors in this school spread faster than wildfires.
I immediately decided to find Lana because this was her first time experiencing Maya's madness, and honestly? She was probably terrified already.
But while searching for her, I spotted Maya surrounded by a crowd of students.
Some were hugging her.
Others were apologizing like somebody had died.
I scoffed.
Seeing Maya eat up all that sympathy and attention annoyed me more than it should have.
And unfortunately… it brought back memories.
Memories from that night.
Before I could stop myself from spiraling deeper into those thoughts, I accidentally bumped into someone.
I looked up.
And immediately scoffed.
Lee.
The generator of all this drama.
I tried to walk past him, but he stepped into my path again.
Looks like somebody had something to say.
"What?" I asked flatly, crossing my arms.
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh… have you seen Lana? I've been looking for her."
He actually looked worried. Genuine even.
I stared at him for a moment.
Part of me wanted to yell at him for starting this whole mess. Because if he really liked Lana the way I suspected, then maybe he should've stayed away from her instead of staring at her like she hung the moon.
But another part of me knew this wasn't entirely his fault either.
I sighed deeply.
"I don't know," I admitted. "She wasn't in gym class. I was actually about to ask my sister if she'd seen her."
Lee frowned slightly before the realization suddenly hit him.
"Wait… you're Maya's sister?"
He actually took a small step back.
I smirked immediately. "What? Scared now?"
"No," he lied quickly.
I rolled my eyes. "Sure."
For a second he hesitated, then looked around nervously before lowering his voice.
"But seriously… where do you think Lana is?"
I was about to answer when his expression changed like something suddenly clicked in his head.
"…I might have an idea," he muttered.