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Carmen ran as fast as her legs could carry her, trying to catch up to Alice who was walking briskly in front of her. She knew she had to explain herself to Alice and make things right between them before things went too far.

As she finally caught up to her, she tapped Alice on the shoulder to get her attention. Alice turned sharply and glared at Carmen, the anger evident in her eyes.

"What do you want?" Alice spat out.

Carmen took a deep breath before speaking. "Alice, I need to talk to you. I need to explain what's going on."

Alice crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, you better make it quick."

"I'm sorry for ditching you with Amber at the party," Carmen began. "But I've been pretending to be friends with her to get something from her. I know it's wrong, and I understand if you don't want to be friends with me anymore. But I had to tell you the truth."

Alice's expression softened as she listened to Carmen's explanation. "Why didn't you just tell me the truth from the beginning?"

"