My chest started feeling tight.
I barely made it halfway down the stairs when I heard him yell behind me.
"Evelyn! Wait!"
Owen came after me, buttoning his shirt as he ran.
"Babe, wait!" he yelled.
I spun around. "Don't call me that."
He reached for my arm. "Please. Just listen."
"What do you want from me?" I cried. "You've been cheating on me with her this whole time? What else do you want from me?"
"I….I can explain," he said quickly. "Just stop. Don't leave yet."
I shook my head and turned back toward the stairs.
"Eve!" he stopped in front of me, breathing hard. "I just want to talk."
"You were in a room with my best friend half naked," I snapped. "Don't insult me by pretending this is a conversation."
He reached for my hand. "Please. Just listen."
I pulled away. "When did it start? How long have you been cheating on me with her?"
"I wasn't cheating," he said quickly. "It just… happened."
I laughed bitterly. "It just happened?You don't accidentally end up with someone on top of you."
"Eve! Stop," he said. "You're not being fair."
I shook my head and turned toward the door.
"Eve!" he yelled.
Suddenly, the music stopped.
Like someone pulled the plug on the whole house.
Every head turned.
Every conversation stopped. The room went silent.
Owen stood in front of me. "Were you even really dating me because you liked me? Or because I'm popular."
I stared at him in shock.
What sort of gaslighting is this?
"I loved you," he sniffled. "I tried with you. But you never let me touch you. Every time things got intense, you pulled away and told me to stop. I have needs too. Do you even love me?"
People whispered.
Everyone was watching.
Someone laughed nervously.
Someone whispered my name.
"Oh my God."
"This is crazy."
I shook my head. "I'm not doing this with you right here. Move."
I felt like I was standing naked in front of everyone.
My vision blurred.
The lights were too bright. My knees felt weak, like they might give out any second.
I grabbed the stair railing just to stay upright.
That's when I saw her.
Lily stood at the top of the stairs.
Her hair still messy, her arms were crossed over her chest.
She met my eyes.
And smirked.
Like she'd won.
"So it's true," he said, running a hand through his hair. "You were planning to leave. Go to the city. Start over without even telling me."
My head snapped up. "What?!"
"You were just going to disappear," he said. "That's what Lily told me."
My heart skipped.
Lily told him that too?
"Lily said you were leaving," he continued. "That you're moving to the city, waiting for the right time to dump me."
I stared at him. "What the hell!"
That wasn't even confirmed.
I had told Lily I might move. That my dad might take the job. That nothing was decided.
And she ran straight to him with it.
She twisted it.
She made me the villain.
The signs flooded back all at once.
The flirting.
The stares.
The way she always fixed her top when he walked in.
The way she talked about my mom.
The way she pushed me to sneak out.
She wanted me gone.
The whispers grew louder.
"She's really cold."
"She just used him."
"He actually loved her."
"Omg! Is Owen crying?"
My ears rang.
"It's complicated," I said. "It's not what she told you."
"Then why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "Why was I the last to know? So I guess she was right. You were going to leave me without a word."
I shook my head, horrified. "Nothing was decided yet. Because it wasn't your business yet."
"And that makes it okay to lie to me?" he snapped.
"And that makes it okay to sleep with my best friend?" I fired back.
The room gasped.
I stepped closer. "Don't try to gaslight me. Don't twist this into my fault. You cheated. And now you're standing here blaming me for it."
He opened his mouth.
"Don't," I warned. "You're still disgusting. Both of you. You want to use each other like toys? Fine. But I am done. Done with both of you."
The room was dead silent.
And now… now the whole school is watching me get humiliated.
I wiped my face with the back of my hand, but the tears wouldn't stop. My hands were still shaking
I pushed past him.
All eyes followed me, as i walked away.
Phones were up. Whispers continued. Some people were laughing.
But i didn't look back.