Chapter 2

When Brielle heard that, she raised an eyebrow at David in pure provocation. "Feli just adores me. What are you gonna do about it?"

The two of them were like a powder keg waiting to blow, on the verge of starting another argument.

Instead of stepping in to make peace like I used to, I just glanced down at my watch. "It's time. I'm heading in first."

David and Brielle traded a look and stopped bickering right away.

It turned out that they could get along just fine without me doing anything.

When the SAT was over, I finally let out a long breath. My frayed nerves could relax at last.

Right on cue, the class rep, Kian Walker, suggested in the group chat that we all go out for dinner to celebrate.

After all, everyone would be going their separate ways after graduation, making it tough to gather like this again.

Halfway through the meal, the biggest party animal in our class suddenly ordered a case of beer.

"We're all adults now. Having a little drink to celebrate isn't asking for much, right?"

Brielle's eyes lit up beside me. "Feli, let's try a little too!"

David scoffed and used his spoon to pin down her hand as she reached for the beer.

Then, he called her out without holding back, "I wonder who it was that got so drunk and made a scene at the restaurant last time. I had to carry her home on my back. She was heavy as a pig. Nearly crushed me."

Brielle's face flushed bright red. "That's just because you're weak. How is that my fault?"

I froze for a moment before setting my glass down on the table with a firm click. "When did you two go out drinking together? Why didn't you invite me?"

"It was that night the school had a sudden blackout—" Brielle's voice cut off mid-sentence.

It came back to me then.

That night, I had run a high fever of 103.6 degrees and almost lost my voice.

Thankfully, Kian noticed something was wrong with me. He threw me over his back and sprinted all the way to the infirmary.

When I woke up, I called David over 20 times, but I couldn't reach him at all.

In the end, it was Kian who supported me all the way home.

So that night, David had snuck out of school with Brielle to go drinking instead.

Yet when I asked him about it afterward, he flat-out lied, saying his dad was out of town and his mom had twisted her ankle, so he had to take leave to go home early and care for her.

It turned out that he had been lying to me since way back then.

Realizing she'd slipped up, Brielle looked at me nervously. "Feli, don't be mad at David. He only agreed to come out with me because of you. I mean, if anything happened to me out there, you'd be heartbroken. He just didn't want you to be sad."

David nodded hastily in agreement. "If I wasn't worried about making you upset, I would've left her on the curb!"

I gave a cold scoff. "So you're saying I should thank you two?"

David instantly realized I was pissed off and turned to glare at Brielle. "This is all your fault! Feli, please don't be mad. I swear, I will never give a damn about what happens to her ever again."

Brielle's face flushed red with anxiety, and her voice was tinged with tears. "Feli, I just wanted to test David out for you. If he didn't care about you, why would he extend that kindness to me?"

Before I could say anything, the neck of the bottle on the table spun around and pointed straight at David.

While we were talking, Kian and the others had already started playing games.

"Truth or dare. David, pick one." It was that same party animal who spoke up.

Everyone knew he was a master at messing with people during dares, so David chose truth without a second thought.

"Who was the last woman you kissed?"

Kian clicked his tongue and called him out, "Everyone knows he and Felicity are a pair. Isn't the answer obvious? Do you even know how to ask questions? If you don't, swap out and let me take the next round!"

Yet as I turned to look at David, I noticed him glancing at Brielle instinctively.