LOGINAva went to join her and cringed. From here, she can hear the girl moan and Mason grunt. Her stomach knotted in disgust and she had to gulp the vomit that tickled up her throat.
“Oh, Mason!” The girl screamed and Ava's jaw ticked. She didn’t want to hear them anymore so whatever Sophia had planned, she hoped to God that it would make them stop.
“When I’m done with you two, you’ll only be screaming in mercy.” Ava sneered and Sophia looked at her sideways. Her best friend had something up her sleeve, but what was her plan?
“Alright, what’s the plan, Sophia?" Ava asked with a hint of urgency. It was best to get this done before her parents came home, and hopefully before the cold got to them and they froze outside.
Sophia tilted her head toward the hose connected to the pipe. “I’m going to climb that tree and rain down some blessings on them.”
She pointed at the branch that stretched over to Mason's window. It was the same branch Mason used whenever he wanted to sneak out. Ava's eyebrows arched. Why hadn’t she considered that before? She covered her mouth to keep from laughing, even though she knew Mason was far too occupied to hear them.
Sophia then turned to Ava and said, “Alright, here’s the plan. You’re going to help me climb up that tree. Once I’m on the branch, you'll toss the hose to me.
Then, when I give the signal, you’ll turn the water on.” Ava nodded, a little unsure but also kind of thrilled at the idea of stopping Mason and that girl inside.
Sophia shot one last glare at Mason's bedroom window before heading toward the big tree. She wasn’t exactly an expert tree climber like her brother, but she was confident she could make it up without snapping a bone.
Ava followed close behind, and when they reached the tree, Sophia gave a strained grin that was meant to be encouraging. “No problem. I’ve got this.”
Ava gave a firm nod. “Yeah, you do.” She tilted her head back, studying the tall tree, and winced. It was high, the branch stretching right across Mason's window.
The tree was pretty tall, but if Sophia could grab onto the right branches, she’d be fine.
Sophia gave a firm nod. “Okay, boost me up.”
Ava stepped in close, lacing her fingers together and waiting for Mira to set her foot.
When she did, Ava winced but didn’t complain as she shoved Sophia upward until she managed to grip a branch. Sophia was heavy as hell, and Ava huffed. “Damn, you weigh like a whole elephant, b*tch,” she teased, breathing hard as if it was a full workout.
“Shut up, h*e,” Sophia shot back while hauling herself the rest of the way up the tree.
Ava snickered this time, not even caring if she was loud. Mason was way too busy to hear them anyway.
When Sophia reached the branch leading to Mason's window she wrapped her legs firmly around it. She quickly looked ready to barf.
“Are you okay there” Ava questions a bit loudly. Sophia nodded, her palms covering her mouth in what Ava perceived as an attempt to stop her from vomiting as she lifted her thumbs.
Ava sighed relieved and found herself back under Mason's window where she could still hear some sexual sounds. She grumbled and couldn't wait to put an end to this. Ava smirked, with the satisfaction that she knew she was going to ruin his night.
Ava tugged the hose, it was so long and she did not doubt that it would get to Sophia.
Ava did her best but the first attempt had the head of the hose smacking Sophia's hands.
“Fuxk” Sophia hisses.
Ava said sorry and tried again, this time Sophia caught the hose and lifted her hands in victory. Ava giggled and waited for Sophia to open the pipe.
Sophia fixes herself and aims the head of the hose at Mason's open window then with a smirk, looks down at her best friend and gives her a thumbs up.
Ava grinned and skipped over to the pipe, looked up at Mason's window, and then leaned down to twist the pipe open.
And just like that, the sound of screeching fills the night. The water was cold and she had an inkling it was.
Ava giggled as he ran to Sophia, she watched her best friend shower the inside of Mason's room with water, Mason's room was directly under the window so she was aiming for the right place.
The girl who was moaning a few seconds ago, screeched in shock.
Ava and Sophia laughed their asses off, Sophia nearly rolling off the tree and Ava clutching her stomach.
“What the fuck!” They heard Mason yell and were suddenly showered with a yellow light.
They turned their heads to see a car rolling into the driveway.
“Holy crap!”Ava thought as Ella the twins’ mother got out of the car followed by her husband in a suit.
There was no doubt that they could spot the two girls.
“Whats going on here?”Ella yelled.
Sophia who was still with the hose in her hands aimed at Mason's window, yelped and then…
“Oops” she fell and landed on the grass just beside Ava's feet.
Ava gasps as she witnesses her best friend tumble to the ground.
“Shit, I think I broke my ass.” she wheezed and her words had ava cracking up, Sophia was fine.
“Dont be ridiculous, you landed on your front. I think you deflated your boobs if anything.” Ava said
Sophia touched her boobs and squeezed them.”Bitch I can't deflate these oranges.”
“They are flat.”Ava deadpanned.
“Like your ass.” Sophia winked with a grin forgetting Ella and Jason were at the back seeing everything.
“Oh my God!you two!Sophia!”
Sophia's eyes widened as she looked at Ava in slight fear. “Oh shit.”
A collective intake of breath. Ava’s heart hammered against her ribs. Sophia. No. Not Sophia.The words unfurled, raw and intimate, for the entire school to see.“October 12th:”*It’s Ava’s birthday party tonight. She’s so excited. She always gets what she wants. Duke, too. He looks at her like she’s the only star in the sky. I wish someone looked at me like that. I wish I had her life. Her easy smile. Her perfect hair. Her… everything.“September 20th:”Duke walked past me today. He barely saw me. He was laughing with Ava. They look so good together. It hurts. It hurts so much. Why can’t I be her? Why can’t I have him?September 5th:“I hate her. I hate her for having everything I want. I hate her for having Duke even though she isn’t interested. I hate her for being Ava.”The words burned, each syllable a brand. Ava felt a fresh wave of nausea. The air in the room grew thick, suffocating. Whispers erupted, louder this time, laced with pity and a cruel satisfaction.“Sop
“You think?” Ava whispered, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. Her eyes darted around the room. The party was over. The festive atmosphere had curdled into a thick, uncomfortable tension. Students were starting to disperse, some heading for the door, others lingering, whispering behind cupped hands.“We need to find out who did this,” Mason stated, his voice hard, determined. “And we need to talk to Sophia.”“She won’t listen,” Ava said, shaking her head. “Not now. She’s too hurt.” She felt a fresh wave of despair. Her best friend. The person she trusted most. Now she hates her.“She’ll come around,” Stephan said, though his voice lacked conviction. “Eventually. But first, you two need to get out of here. This… this is too much.” He gestured to the dwindling, but still curious, crowd.“He’s right,” Luke added, stepping closer. “Go. We’ll try to calm things down here. Tell people to give it a rest.”Ava looked at Mason, her eyes pleading. She wanted to disappear, to vanish into
“I didn’t do anything to you, Sophia,” Ava said, her voice rising, a flash of her own pain breaking through. “This wasn’t some plan. It was… it was unexpected. We didn’t mean for you to find out like this.”“Unexpected?” Sophia’s laugh was a harsh, broken sound. “You call kissing my brother unexpected? While I’m upstairs, setting up your birthday cake?”Her words hit Ava like a physical blow. The cake. The party. Her birthday. All of it tainted, ruined.“Sophia, please listen,” Ava pleaded, her voice cracking. “We… we didn’t know how to tell you. We were scared.”“Scared?” Sophia’s eyes blazed. “Scared of what? That I’d be happy for you? That I’d understand? Or scared that I’d be disgusted that my best friend and my brother were sneaking around behind my back?”The word ‘disgusted’ hung in the air, a poisonous cloud. Ava felt her face flush, tears blurring her vision.“Sophia, you’re being unfair,” Luke said, stepping closer, his voice calm but firm. “They’re clearly upset.
The image filled the display: Ava and Mason, locked in a kiss, the soft glow of her bedroom lamp illuminating their intertwined forms. It was clear, undeniable. Her heart plummeted. Below the picture, stark white text burned into her vision:“So our good girl Ava isn’t really who she is. Does this mean she’s having a secret affair with Mason, her best friend’s brother, or is it just the influence of the alcohol from this party?”The words twisted in her gut, venomous and cruel. “Best friend’s brother.”The anonymous sender knew. Knew everything.“No,” Ava whispered, the sound barely audible above the ringing in her ears. Her fingers trembled, reaching for Mason’s phone, but then recoiled. The image seared itself into her mind.A girl near them, her face pale, stared at Ava. “Ava is this real?”Ava didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Her throat felt tight, constricted. The party, once a vibrant tapestry, had unraveled into a tangled mess of whispers and stares.“Mason ” she breathed, h
His eyes searched hers, a silent battle raging within him. The desire to protect her, to confront the threat, warred with the desperate plea in her gaze. Slowly, painstakingly, the anger in his shoulders began to ease, replaced by a heavy resignation.“Together,” Mason finally conceded, his voice a strained whisper. He took her hands in his, squeezing them tightly. “But Ava, this isn’t going away. This changes everything.”Ava nodded, a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill. She knew. In that single, blinding flash, their world had shifted, irrevocably. The stolen kiss, meant to be a moment of pure, unadulterated joy, had become a ticking time bomb. The secret, the thrilling, dangerous secret, was now exposed, a vulnerability waiting to be exploited.“I know,” Ava breathed, her voice choked with emotion. She looked at him, really looked at him, the man who had just stolen her heart and now shared her deepest fear. “But we’ll face it. Whatever it is. We have to.”The distant t
The sharp, unnatural burst of light, accompanied by a faint, almost inaudible click, ripped through the intimate bubble they had created. Ava’s eyes snapped open, wide with shock, her body recoiling instinctively. She pulled away from Mason, a cold dread seizing her.Her gaze darted towards the window, where the flash had originated. A dark, fleeting shadow, small and quick, darted away from the sill, disappearing into the night. It was too fast, too indistinct to properly identify, but the message was clear. Someone had been there. Someone had seen them. Someone had captured them.Panic, cold and sharp, clawed its way up Ava’s throat. Her breath hitched, ragged and shallow. Her fingers flew to her lips, still tingling from Mason’s kiss, as if to wipe away the evidence.“What was that?” Mason’s voice was strained, his eyes narrowed, scanning the window, then the door, a protective instinct already rising within him. He stood up, his body tensing, radiating an immediate concern.







