"Don't get me wrong, Lily. I'm not so sure," Sarah explained. "Then why would you think they are dating?" Lily asked. "Because of your intense crush on Ethan and your failed kiss attempt, I've been keeping my eye on him,” Sarah started. "On the days you weren't around, I noticed he wasn't hanging around the MJs again. It's either he's alone or Madison is clinging to his body like a baby koala.” "And as much as I hate to say it…" Emily chimed in, "They look good together." Lily laughed hysterically, prompting confused gazes from her friends. "I should have known," Lily said. "That's why he pulled away, isn't it?" "But that doesn’t mean you should give up. I remem
'What was I thinking? Of course, it was Mark.' ‘He is zipping up his jeans while maintaining eye contact with me; does he not feel embarrassed or guilty? Doesn't he have conscience?’ They are both staring at her weirdly, or at least that is what she thinks. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have come in here," Lily said, She wanted to disappear, hide, and leave as fast as possible. It felt like she was the one doing the wrong thing, not them. She tried to stand up using her hands for support, but her injured hand pressed against the ground again. "Ahh ow," she cried, raising her arm to see more blood gushing out. Mark rushed towards Lily as he saw the blood, while Miss Tina hastily pulled down he
It was the weekend, and Lily and Loral were out shopping in the mall. Loral had gotten used to the school and had made a bunch of friends, but she was still close to Lily and her friends. Lily couldn't help but notice Ethan with Madison, and Mark was behaving like his normal self again - cold, rude, and distant. Luckily, he hadn't gone through another mood swing. It had been a calm school week for Lily, but she found herself missing all the drama. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. "Let's take that!" Loral said, pointing at a very big, cute white fluffy animal that stood out on the display shelf. "No, it's too expensive," Lily argued. "We're on a budget, remember? Let's get Mom's things first and then buy something small for ourselves with the change." "But you already have something like this, Lily," Loral whined, rolling her
Ethan was in the training room, sparring with Audrey. He had been taking defense lessons with his personal trainer since he was 10, immediately after the day his elder sister was attacked and assaulted right before his eyes. After taking lessons with his unbeatable trainer, he would spar with his personal bodyguards, and this time it was Audrey. She had been trained and programmed since she was little to be a bodyguard. Audrey was his personal bodyguard, tasked with being by his side everywhere, all the time, which was why she was living in his mansion disguised as a maid. They regularly sparred, and the moment Ethan beat her in a fight, she would get swapped out immediately. Ethan's last bodyguard had been a man whom he had defeated in a fight when he was just 17. Audrey had been newly assigned as his new bodyguard, and she had been doing the job for one and a half years now.
Damon threw Loral to the ground and then ran out, along with the huge dude. Lily immediately sprinted to Loral as they fled. "Loral!" Lily yelled, wrapping her arms around Loral's body. "Are you okay?" Loral nodded, wiping away tears from her face with her fingers. "I-I’m fine," she said, trying to catch her breath and control her rapid breathing. Lily hugged her tightly, feeling crushed. "I'm so sorry, Loral. I'm so sorry you had to go through all this because of me. Please forgive me; I'm sorry." "No, Lily, it's not your fault." Just as Loral was comforting Lily, the door burst open, causing both girls to jolt up, with Lily holding onto Loral tightly. Lily's face relaxed when her eyes landed on the figure at the door. "Ethan," she breathe
Lily was in the hallway, arranging and exchanging books in her locker. She glanced around a little, then turned back to her locker but whipped her head the moment her brain registered that she saw Ethan amongst the crowd. Ethan was walking towards her, with his gaze locked on her. She quickly packed all her books and slammed her locker shut, fidgeting as she tried to compose herself and fix her outfit before he arrived. As soon as he stood before her, Lily greeted with a high-pitched voice, "Hi Ethan." "Hey," he greeted back. "Are you okay?" Lily bobbed her head, smiling. "Yes, I am. Thanks again for back then." "Yeah, just promise to call me if anything like that happens again," he said. "I'll always come for you. Okay?" Lily beamed, her face flushing red like a tomato. She couldn't help it; her heart was already melting from Ethan’s words. He always had a way of stealing her heart. "I promise to call," Lily replied, looking up at Ethan and meeting his dazzling blue eyes. "Li
"Gosh! This is just fucking crazy!"Loral giggled, watching Lily's reaction."I can't believe I'm betraying my friends—""For your cousin," Loral completed Lily's statement.Lily hissed rolling her eyes.The car had stopped in front of Ethan's mansion, and they had been let in after pressing the bell at the front."Don't be like this, Lily. Mark is going to be there," Loral smirked, raising her eyebrows playfully. "Your crush.""Mark is not my crush," Lily shot back, then whispered, "Ethan is.""What?" Loral arched a brow."Nothing," Lily muttered. 'Why is going to be here though? I thought they had a falling out. Or are they friends now?'As they began to walk, a white convertible sports car playing loud music zoomed in. Both Lily and Loral turned to look at the car."Hey, babes!" Madison, who was at the wheel, squealed. In the passenger seat at the front sat Joelle, and at the back was Beth, the girl who always tried so hard to be part of them, but Madison and Joelle only used her—s
Lily finally caught up to Mark. He was sitting on one of the stools by the bar, close to the pool, taking a drink in a glass. Lily walked up to the bar and sat on the stool next to him. She stared at him for a while, examining his facial features. He didn't look mad, but he didn't look pleased either. He took his drink quietly, not even throwing a glance at Lily to acknowledge her presence. Lily inhaled deeply before she started talking. "I don't want to sound self-centered, but..." she hesitated, taking a rather long pause. "At first, I thought I was the reason for the fight." "Because you said something about being jealous," she exhaled. "But now, I'm sure I'm not the reason. Instead, it feels like some sort of power struggle." Mark finally turned his eyes to Lily. Her eyes locked in with his. "Is something else going on between you and Ethan?" she asked. She probably hadn't reached the level of closeness to ask him that, but for some reason, she felt she was caught up in the dr