Chapter 3 : knock knock trouble

Charlotte's POV

Out of all the schools in the world to go to , why did it have to be mine? I started pacing in my room, debating on what exactly I should tell her .

"Ohhh, I've heard of that school before. It's a very boring place and nothing exciting happens there".

The moment I sent this, regret grabbed my neck but it was already too late. I threw my phone on the bed, switched off my lights and pretended to go to sleep like that would magically solve all my problems.

The next morning, I walked into school clutching my books like they were emotional support objects. I barely slept, my dreams were just Sophie's message floating around my head like a ghost

I was still trying to breathe like a normal mammal and I had barely opened my laptop, when someone dropped into the seat beside me so hard the whole table shook.

Nai Brook, head cheer captain, loudest human on the planet and my friend, I think.

Sometimes I wonder if she sleeps with her hair tied to a ring light because how else does it stay bouncing like that? Meanwhile I woke up today looking like a squashed plantain. Life was not fair.

"Babe, you will not believe what just happened," she announced, flipping her ponytail like she was auditioning for something.

I sighed and shut my laptop slowly, Goodbye peace.

"What happened now?" I asked.

I braced myself, this girl only comes with two types of news: gossip that shakes the entire school or gossip that somehow ruins my day first before shaking the entire school.

She leaned in, wearing that smile she does when she's pretending everything is fine, it's cute, but it never means good news and okay maybe I noticed she looked me up and down too long.

I know she says she's happy for me, but the way she always brings up my "perfect boyfriend" makes me suspicious, seriously girl just shut up about it already .

"I swear your relationship is trending," she said, half laughing, half annoyed. "Everybody keeps asking if you two are still together, because you haven't posted anything in weeks."

I rolled my eyes so hard they could've flown out the window. I mean, imagine if people judged your relationship based on your Instagram activity.

Some of us are fighting for our lives academically, emotionally, spiritually, we can't be posting soft launch pictures every minute.

"People act like if you don't post, you've broken up."

Nai shrugged. "Well I'm just saying. Charlotte this, Charlotte that, you're like the girl everyone wants to be right now."

There it was, that weird tone.

The "I love you but I kind of hate you but I still love you" tone.

The tone that makes me want to squint at her like,

Are you okay? Or are you planning my downfall?

Because honestly, with Nai, both are possible.

Before I could answer, she reached for my laptop.

I smacked her hand "Don't touch my stuff!"

"I wasn't! I was just checking the time!" she said, even though the clock was literally on the wall.

I hugged the laptop closer "Right,totally believable."

She stared at me for a second, her expression softer than usual "You okay though? You've been acting, I don't know, distracted."

I mean, she wasn't wrong but how do I explain distracted without explaining everything?

"I'm fine," I lied, because the last thing I needed was her turning my life into a whole school wide announcement.

She didn't look convinced, but before she could push it, the bell rang. Nai stood up, fixing her skirt and brushing her hair behind her ears.

Her eyes stayed on my face like she was trying to read my thoughts but if she could, she'd be traumatized.

My thoughts right now are basically:

panic and Sophie's username on repeat.

"Fine, whatever but after school, you're telling me everything."

"I literally have nothing to tell," I said.

"Sure" she said, giving me a look like she knew I was lying.

She grabbed her bag and walked off, her ponytail swinging like it had its own personality.

I waited until she disappeared around the corner before I opened my laptop again. My heart was beating stupidly fast for no reason and my hands were sweaty.

But before the screen even loaded, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out and stared at my screen. My stomach dropped to my knees and my brain simply said, "We are finished."

The notification said:

"A new student was added to Bridgehall's roster."

And underneath it a name, Sophie Hart

Immediately, I ran to the bathroom to wash my face. I couldn't believe it. My brain was spinning and my hands were shaking.

"Calm down, calm down, calm down..." I whispered to myself, splashing more water on my face. The droplets went into my bra, which was annoying, but I was too stressed to care.

It's not like she even knew who I was.

I kept repeating that part like I was hypnotizing myself.

She didn't know I was Lottie and my profile picture on the app was blurry because Maya said "mystery is sexy" Her words, not mine.

I inhaled big girl oxygen and pushed the bathroom door open.

The hallway was somehow quiet and loud at the same time.

People were whispering, but the whispers felt like shouts. Even some Year 12 boys who normally acted like their fathers owned the whole school suddenly stood straighter, like they were trying not to look too impressed.

A girl from my class even dropped her lip gloss, and it rolled across the floor dramatically and no one picked it up. That was how serious the vibe was.

I wiped my wet face with my sleeve, trying to look normal, but my heartbeat was still going "KUNG KUNG KUNG" like it wanted to make an exit through my ribs.

Everyone's eyes were glued to something behind me.

"She looks like a rebel," someone whispered.

I turned around and Sophie walked in and stared at me .

Chapter 4

Charlotte's POV: My online girlfriend

She didn't see me or maybe she did and didn't recognize me because why would she?

I could breathe normally again or sort of. I always thought transfer students were supposed to look confused or maybe holding a map upside down.

But the girl walking through the hallway right now? Yeah, no. She looked like she walked out of a dramatic anime intro with theme music blasting behind her.

She had dark messy wolf cut hair and people actually slowed down to stare. Someone bumped into a locker because they weren't looking and a group of girls whispered, "Who is she??" like she was a celebrity.

Max saw her and immediately stopped laughing mid sentence, his whole face rearranged itself like someone punched him. His smile dropped and his grip on his backpack strap tightened.

Charles leaned in, whispered something to him, and Max shoved him lightly, but his eyes didn't move from her.

Before I could even process any of that, Maya came sprinting toward me.

"Charlotte!" She grabbed my arm dramatically. "Have you seen the new girl? Why is she that hot? Why is my school allergic to transferring ugly girls?"

"Maya..."

"Oh my gosh, you think she's cute too, don't you? Wait Piper from the LGBTQ group just texted me." She shoved her phone in my eyeballs. "They said she looks like she escaped a biker gang, I'm scared but also emotionally attached already."

Someone behind her said, "She looks like she beats people up for fun," and Maya gasped and said that is so romantic.

Classic Maya, she always lived loudly inside her own rainbow universe.

"Maya, please breathe," I whispered.

"I can't breathe," she whispered back. "Can you see her? She looks like a cartoon character."

I rubbed my forehead, ready to tell her to calm down, when Max suddenly stood way too close to me, too close for normal Max behavior.

His hands slipped to my waist like he was trying to claim me or protect me, honestly I had no idea.

He never touched me like that in public.

"Don't stare too much," he muttered.

Excuse me??

Why is he acting weird?

I turned to look at him, but he avoided my eyes while Charles crossed his arms behind him, nodding like he was watching a live episode of drama.

"Interesting!" Charles whispered.

What is interesting??

Someone explain something to me.

Whispers started popping up around the hallway like popcorn.

"Is she a model?"

"Bro she looks dangerous."

"No way she's our age."

"I bet she has tattoos."

Someone even said, "I heard she got expelled from two schools," which was physically impossible because she arrived literally ten minutes ago but this school loves drama more than oxygen.

A group of year eights ran past screaming,

"The new girl is so cool, I'm scared of her "

Great, perfect, lovely, exactly what my heart needed while I was internally combusting.

Before I could interrogate anyone, my phone buzzed.

"Lottie guess who's at Bridgehall Academy."

My whole soul collapsed, Sophie was texting me while I stood ten steps away from her.

I looked up again, and Sophie wasn't staring at me, she was staring at Max.

My stomach dropped straight to my ankles.

Why him? Why that look?

My brain ran through every single possible nightmare scenario in two seconds:

Do they know each other? Did she recognize him before me? Does Max know her? Does Sophie know that I know him? Does anyone know anything about anything??

I felt like a character in a movie who suddenly realizes she is not the main character in the movie anymore.

Max stiffened like someone punched him with air, but before I could even ask what was wrong, he suddenly leaned in and kissed me.

It wasn't romantic, It wasn't sweet and it felt like a shield, a cover to hide behind.

People gasped and someone yelled, "Damn"

I think I heard a phone camera shutter.

Max pulled back, but didn't look at me even for a second. His eyes snapped straight back to Sophie and Sophie didn't look away.

My heart was beating like it was trying to run out of my body, everything felt so unreal and I was panicking

So I did the only thing my brain could think of: stick to Max's side like glue. If I acted normal, maybe nobody would see the emotional fire burning inside me.

"Charlotte? Are you okay?" Maya asked, her eyebrow raised like she already knew I was lying.

"I'm fine," I said too fast, "I'm perfect."

She stared at me,"Why are you holding Max's sleeve like that?"

I looked down and I was, I dropped it immediately and laughed, a laugh that sounded like a dying cow.

"I'm just tired."

Her jaw tightened in that tiny way she does, when she's pretending to be unbothered.

Her arms crossed, then uncrossed, then crossed again.

She bit her lip, glanced at Sophie, then at me like she was trying to solve an equation she didn't like.

Maya wasn't dramatic anymore, she was quiet,

too quiet and that scared me more than anything.

Then Sophie stepped closer, Her boots echoed on the floor in that slow, dramatic way villains walk in movies, Max looked tense beside me and Maya's entire vibe shifted fully from rainbow to storm cloud.

"I'll see you later," Maya said, oddly quiet and walked past us without looking back.

My chest hurt a little at how cold that sounded, but I didn't have time to think about it because a soft voice spoke behind me.

"Hey, excuse me."

My whole heart slammed into my ribs.

I turned around and her eyes met mine. There was something about the way she looked at me, like she recognized me but didn't want to say it out loud.

Her eyebrows lifted just a little, and her eyes did this tiny shine thing that made my brain go blank.

It felt like she was reading me before even speaking.

Then she said, slowly:

"Do I know you?"

Chapter 5 : kissing my girlfriend In front of my boyfriend

Charlotte's POV

I honestly didn't know I could breathe that fast. I wanted to say something cool and casual, but words refused to come out of my mouth.

"You're Max's girlfriend right? I see your Instagram posts everytime. Hi, I'm Sophie"

Ahh, shit, I knew I should not have posted those soft launch pictures on Instagram, now she knows me as just, Max's girlfriend, that's such a bad label.

"Hiii Sophie" I said still holding on to max

Max pulled me closer to him and whispered in my ear "Let's go get launch babe"

I immediately followed him without thinking and we went straight to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria felt louder than usual like everybody was talking at the same time just to drown out my thoughts, and across the table was Sophie talking with everybody like she has always known them.

I couldn't stop staring at the way she moved her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ears or the way she covered her lips while giggling.

"I'm going to eat outside" Maya grabbed her plate hurriedly and left, she didn't even wait for my reply before she left.

"Everybody, gather round let's play truth and dare, we have a new one among us "Nai stood on top of the table .

The Truth or Dare tradition started back in fourth grade, no one knows who started it but it's basically law, now. Every time a new student joins Bridgehall, we play it in the cafeteria.

It's kind of our thing, a loud, chaotic, slightly unhinged way of saying welcome to Bridgehall.

Tables scraped loudly, chairs screeched back and suddenly the cafeteria wasn't a cafeteria anymore, a circle was formed and Sophie was in the middle of it all.

I scanned around to see if Maya had returned and then I spotted Max and Sophie talking .

What could they possibly be talking about? I tapped my feet continuously on the floor, while biting my finger nails debating if I should walk up to them.

"Charlotte and Sophie you'll start" Nai literally saved me by pulling Sophie away from Max, while Max just walked out of the cafeteria.

"Charlotte truth or dare" Nai smirked , probably expecting me to pick dare.

"Truth."

I narrowed my eyes, guilt tightening around my throat. I shouldn't even be here. I should be hunting down Maya and dragging her back, apologizing for reasons I didn't know about.

"If you were into girls," Nai said slowly, smiling like she already knew the damage she was about to cause, "who would you kiss?"

The whole cafeteria gasped, whispers bursting out all at once. Names flew around the circle, loud and reckless, and I swear I heard someone say Maya's name.

Why would she ask that? Why here? Why in front of Sophie and everyone else?

My throat went dry and I swallowed hard.

"Ma... Maya," I said, biting my lower lip, the name slipping out before I could stop it.

The second her name left my mouth, I wanted to take it back. The whispers died and someone laughed awkwardly.

"That makes sense, because you know she's lesbian already," Nai added almost immediately.

Sophie eyebrows raised and she wouldn't let her eyes leave mine.

Why was Sophie still looking at me like that?

" How cute" Sophie smiled abruptly

My face burned instantly, Cute didn't feel like a compliment. It felt like something else. Like she was putting me in a box and closing the lid.

I laughed, even though nothing was funny, and glanced around for Max. He still hadn't come back,Of course.

Everyone was watching me now, waiting for a reaction I didn't know how to give. I suddenly felt like a twelve year old again, too exposed , wishing I could rewind the last five minutes of my life.

I wondered if Maya was still outside, if she'd heard and if she'd care I said her name

Nai clapped her hands once, loud enough to snap everyone back to reality. "Okayyyy! New girl's turn."

She spun the bottle with dramatic force. The bottle clattered against the tiles, loud and wobbling, like it wanted attention. Someone kicked it by accident and got yelled at. Someone else shushed the crowd, even though no one listened.

I held my breath without realizing it. My knee bounced uncontrollably. The bottle slowed down. Click, Click, Click.

Every eye followed it and then it landed on Sophie.

The cafeteria erupted again, people chanting her name like this was a concert and not a public emotional execution.

"Sophie! Sophie! Sophie!"

She laughed softly, pushing her hair back like none of this fazed her. Then she looked straight at Nai.

"Dare," she said.

Of course she picked dare, who in their normal mind picks dare.

My stomach dropped.

Nai's smile widened, the dangerous one, the one that means she already has ten ideas and all of them are unhinged.

"I dare you," Nai said slowly, dragging it out, "to pick someone here you found attractive the moment you walked into this school".

The noise dimmed, just slightly and the whole room leaned forward.

Sophie didn't answer immediately.

She scanned the circle, unbothered, her eyes sliding over faces like she was flipping through a magazine. People straightened, smiled, whispered and someone actually waved.

I told myself not to care or at least pretend I don't but I failed at pretending. My chest felt tight, like I was bracing for impact. I didn't know why her opinion mattered, only that it suddenly did.

I thought of Max again and how easy it was for him to walk away and how hard it was for me to breathe.

Sophie tilted her head slightly, like she'd already made up her mind.

Then her gaze landed on me and stayed.

My heart did that stupid painful flip again like I was going to have a heart attack and then die of high blood pressure.

"I don't even have to think about that," Sophie said.

She stood up.

The movement alone caused a reaction. Chairs shifting, people sucking in breaths, someone whispering "oh my God."

She walked toward me.

Each step felt too loud, like the floor was announcing her arrival. I became painfully aware of everything, my hands, my posture, the fact that Max wasn't beside me anymore, the empty space Maya should've been filling.

Sophie stopped right in front of me.

Up close and she smelled clean like soap and strawberry juice. Her eyes flicked over my face, slow and deliberate, like she was memorizing it.

My heart raced and I prayed the floor would open up and swallow me because why was she picking me.

"I pick" she said slowly " Charlotte boyfriend".