Avelyn's POV
That was all I could remember from the night before. The next morning, I woke up with no headache whatsoever. Instead, I felt relaxed and ready for the day.
"You're awake, sleeping beauty," a voice said beside me. Mirabel? Did we sleep together last night? How did she end up in my room?
"Hi, Mira. You're here… did you even sleep?" I asked, yawning as I sat up on the bed.
"I don't really like sleeping," she replied.
"Tell me what happened last night. I don't remember much," I said.
"Oh, yesterday was fine. After Zane convinced you not to pull off your clothes, we went into the woods. You confessed your love to me and kissed me," she said. My face burned. I facepalmed and shook my head in disbelief.
"I did that? Oh my god… I'm sorry," I said. Mirabel started laughing, leaving me confused.
"You really believed that? Nothing of the sort happened. I was just pulling your leg. You did threaten to take off your dress, talked to yourself for a while, and eventually passed out from tiredness. Zane had to carry you back here. I couldn't leave you alone, so I stayed overnight," she explained. Relief flooded me. I made a mental note to thank Zane later for bringing me home safely.
"Thanks, Mira," I said, hugging her.
"Anytime," she replied. The bathroom door creaked open as we broke the hug.
"I forgot to mention, Lilian came in this morning, smelling… goodness knows where she had been," Mirabel said. I shook my head, smiling at how she couldn't even keep her judgment to herself.
I saw Lilian coming out of the bathroom. My chest tightened. I had missed my best friend. Being roommates was supposed to strengthen our bond, not create distance.
She said something, but I didn't hear it, so I stayed quiet. After a few minutes, she spoke again.
"I don't know where this new act is coming from," she said. "But you wouldn't even be here if not for me. And why was the door locked when you're not the only one staying in this room?"
I was stunned. This wasn't the girl I befriended. Money clearly changes people. I didn't want another argument, so I chose to answer her last question.
"I wasn't expecting you to forget your keys," I said calmly. "You don't expect me to leave without locking the door, do you?"
I turned to Mirabel. "Aren't you going to class? You should be in your room getting ready," I asked.
She smiled. "I'll leave once I see Lilian heading out. I don't want you to be bullied by her."
I didn't know why Mirabel seemed so protective of me, but I was glad she had invited me to the party. With Lilian ignoring me, it might not be as boring as I expected.
After Lilian left the room, Mirabel and I said our goodbyes. She left to get dressed, leaving me alone.
I took a deep breath and finally got out of bed. I started getting ready for class, freshened up, sprayed my perfume a little more than usual, and took my time with my hair and makeup.
As I stood in front of the mirror, I decided to follow Mirabel and Zane's advice. I was done living in Lilian's shadow. For once, I would just be myself.
I was still admiring myself in the mirror when I heard a knock on the door. I went to open it and found Mirabel standing there, smiling at me. If she were a boy, I would have called her a pervert.
"Go, girl. Now this is what I'm talking about," she said loudly.
I palmed my face in embarrassment. "Keep it down, Mira."
She covered her mouth dramatically. "Sorry—but you look like a piece of art."
"That's you being dramatic," I said, and we both laughed.
"Let's get going before we're late for class," I added.
Together, we left the room.
We got to class late. The lecture had already started.
"Why are you just coming in?" the teacher asked, looking at us over her glasses.
"I was a bit sick, so she stayed back to look after me," I lied.
"Sick, yet you managed a full glam?" she said dryly. "Find your seats."
I scanned the room. Karl and Lilian were sitting together. Zane was with Cole. The only empty seats were just after Zane's, so Mirabel and I took them.
"Thanks for yesterday," I whispered to Zane.
"It's fine," he replied.
"Stop the chit-chat and write down your notes," the teacher snapped.
I went quiet immediately.
The first period ended, but there was no time to relax. Another teacher walked in right away, and the class dragged on for another hour and a half.
By the time lunch finally came, I barely had the energy to feel excited.
"Wanna grab lunch together?" Zane asked, standing in front of me.
"I would love to," Mirabel chimed in.
Honestly, I had forgotten she was seated beside me. Without thinking, I glanced toward Lilian. She had clearly seen Zane ask me out to lunch. Her face tightened, and she left the class with Karl without looking back.
"Yeah, sure," I said to Zane, who was still waiting for my answer.
"Can I tag along, blondie?" Cole asked.
"Really, Cole?" Zane said, clearly unimpressed.
"Won't hurt to befriend a pretty lady like blondie here," Cole said, smirking at me.
"You should have thought about that before picking on me yesterday," I replied.
"Sorry, girl. Didn't know you'd turn out this pretty," he said.
"You really are shameless," Mirabel said, and the two of them laughed.
"We should go now," Zane said, and the four of us headed toward the cafeteria.
On the way, Mirabel did what Mirabel always did and started a conversation.
"Zane, can you believe my childhood best friend left me for a girl he just met?" she asked.
"I know, Mirabel. You wouldn't even be here if not for that," Zane replied. "Was anything wrong before the new girl showed up?"
Mirabel shook her head. "We just got to the school yesterday. We even planned to attend the party together, until he set his eyes on her."
I slowed my steps, suddenly lost in my thoughts. Something about the conversation made my chest feel tight. I walked a little behind them until a voice broke through my thoughts.
"Hey, what's wrong, blondie? You look down," Cole said, slowing his pace to walk beside me.
"I don't know why you're suddenly being nice, but just so you know, I don't really like talking to bullies," I replied, rolling my eyes.
"Ouch," Cole said dramatically, clutching his chest. "That hurt."
"You have every right to be angry," he said more seriously. "And I'm sorry."
"Then tell me why you're suddenly nice to me," I asked.
He smiled. "I'm a naturally nice guy."
"Yeah. There are other girls you can be nice to. Not me," I said.
"I'm just fascinated by you," he replied. "And I look forward to us being great friends in the future."
He winked.
"I can never be friends with a bully," I said.
"Never say never," he replied, just as we arrived at the cafeteria.
We got our lunch before realizing the cafeteria was unusually packed. There were no empty seats anywhere, unless we sat with Karl and Lilian.
"I would rather eat standing than sit with those two," Mirabel muttered.
Zane, however, was already walking toward their table. We followed, Mirabel grunting under her breath.
"Hi," Zane said, stopping in front of them. "Can we join you?"
"Yes, please," Lilian replied immediately, a visible blush creeping onto her cheeks.
She stood up at the same time Zane pulled out a chair, clearly hoping it was for him.
"Blondie, come sit here."
"Avelyn, you can sit here."
Cole and Zane spoke at the same time, each pulling out a chair for me.
Heat rushed to my face. Unsure of what to do, I froze for a second until Mirabel stepped in.
"I'll sit with you, Zane," she said quickly, nudging her head toward Karl's side of the table. "I'm not sitting over there."
That settled it.
I took the seat Cole had pulled out for me and sat down, trying to act natural.
"Do you mind?" Mirabel asked Lilian, already settling into the chair Lilian had meant for Zane.
Lilian swallowed but nodded, sitting back down quietly.
At least, that was what I thought.
A few minutes later, her voice broke the silence.
"Zane, what are you doing later today?" she asked.
"Huh?" Zane replied, clearly caught off guard. "Sorry?"
"I mean," she said quickly, smiling nervously, "if you're not busy, I was hoping we could meet and talk."
"Oh," Mirabel said, grinning as she took a bite of her food. "So the pretty girl is asking Zane out."
"There's nothing wrong with that," I said, trying to sound supportive.
"Oh, so there's a chance I'll get asked out by you someday too?" Cole teased.
I rolled my eyes at him.
"I actually have a lot to do later today," Zane said, not looking at Lilian.
"Oh," she said softly. "Maybe next time then."
"Tch. Shameless," Mirabel muttered.
"Bel, stop," Karl said, speaking for the first time since we sat down.
Mirabel raised an eyebrow. "Thought for a second you were mute."
After that, lunch continued in uncomfortable silence.