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Chapter 5

Chrissy

Max is throwing a party, and he never bothered to inform me. I haven't even read his texts yet, and he sends another one right away.

Wait at the parking space!

I'm gonna pick you up, please, baby!

I roll my eyes and decide to go ahead without Max. Ellen and I have resolved our issues with the help of Ken. When Ellen questions my decision to wait, I explain that Max is the reason, and she simply smiles and nods.

Max pulls up next to me, steps out of the car, and plants a kiss on my cheek, urging me to get in.

Last night was a mess between us, but he seemed okay with the things I said to him.

"Are you still mad at me?" he asks.

"Was I? Max, I'm used to your unpredictable schedules, so I'm trying to adjust," I pout.

"Okay, baby! I always love it when you pout. It's sexy!" he says, making me blush.

"I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to hurt you. Ken already gave me a hard time, and I can't bear to hurt you too," He seems sincere and sneaky at once; his hand rests on my thighs while he drives.

"It's fine, babe," I calmly snap.

"I'm hosting a party, and I was thinking maybe..."

"I already know. The whole school knows!"

He didn't tell me until now. Am I always the last to find out?

"Damn it! I was going to tell you, Chrissy..."

"It's... It's fine, Max. I understand. If you're asking me to come to the party, I'll be there. I will!" I tell him, and he grins.

"Great! Do you think we should, you know... be exclusive?"

Wait, did I hear that correctly? Weren't we already exclusive? I practically shouted it to the whole world. Damn!

"Weren't we? Anyway, let's not dwell on it. Exclusive it is!" I snap, looking away. But his face contorts slightly. I feel embarrassed now. Was I expecting too much? Am I just overwhelmed and foolish?

"I thought..."

"Never mind, babe. I was overthinking things!"

We both fall silent.

When he stops the car at my house, he grabs my arm as I try to leave without a word.

"Chrissy—"

"To be honest, I don't know what we're doing. I'm not sure if we're dating or just keeping each other company or if you're just keeping me as an undercover girlfriend. There has to be a clear answer, Max," I pour out my thoughts.

"Chriss," he stops and sighs deeply.

"I know I'm not your usual type, and I know those other girls are. So why pretend? Do you think this is a favor? Or did you think that asking for exclusivity would make me jump with joy? We were never just fooling around, but you're making it seem that way. I'm sorry, Max, but you're better off with someone else. Let's just end this. Please!"

He releases my arm gently, and I step out of the car without saying another word. He drives away in silence.

We were never real... Those words keep echoing in my head. I shouldn't have trusted him so much, damn it.

When I enter the house, I see Mom cooking lunch. I walk over to her and throw myself into her embrace, holding on tightly.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Am I really that unattractive? Just a nerd with zero fashion sense and no social life!"

"That's not true—"

"It is true, Mom. Even Max is hesitant to tell everyone that I'm his girlfriend. It hurts, Mom, it really does!"

"You're the prettiest, Chrissy."

"I knew you'd say that," I whisper under my breath, but she hears me.

"When you grow up and realize how pretty you are, you'll see the beauty that you possess," she says, placing a kiss on my forehead. She continues cooking while I walk away. That was the last thing I needed to hear from her.

Besides, how can I see myself as pretty when I can barely look in the mirror?

After having lunch, Mom and I sit in the living room, talking and watching our favorite show, like we usually do. I lean back in the armchair, and she glances at me.

"Thinking about Max?"

"No, Mom, I'm over him. I'm done."

"Why?" she asks again, and I shake my head.

My phone beeps, and I quickly pick it up to see what's going on. It's a message from Ellen.

Is it true?

*"What's true? Our breakup?" *

I reply, but she doesn't respond. I place my phone on my stomach and continue watching the show. Less than fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rings, and Mom looks at me with a mischievous grin.

"Okay, yeah, I'll get it."

Pouting, I walked away while she laughed, refocusing on the television.

I open the door to find Ellen and Ken standing there.

Ellen holds her cell phone up to my face. A video starts playing, showing my rear end— that moment in class when Ken teased me and playfully knocked my books off the table to prove that I loved Max. To me, it was simply a way to retrieve my books, but in the video, there are mocking emojis and irritating sound effects.

Ellen lowers her phone, and I turn around, climbing up the stairs.

What is wrong with everyone?

"Honey, are you okay?" Mom called after me.

"Leave me alone, Mom!" I screamed back, not even glancing in her direction, fearing my friends would say hi to her.

"Seriously, did you know about it?" Ken asked me, but I stared at him blankly.

"How would she know? If you hadn't tossed her books to the ground to prove something, this wouldn't have happened," Ellen snapped at him.

"Oh, screw it, Ellen! Is it my fault now? Who could have known?" he shrugged, looking away. I remained in my position, crossing my legs on the bed, tears on the verge of falling. I blinked repeatedly.

"'BUSS IT DOWN, CHRIS-SHIT'? Really?" I repeated the words that came from the video. I had become a character in a meme. How could they do this to me? How could Dayle do this to me?

He was the one who started the Chris shit, so there was no way he didn't know about it.

"I'm so confused! It's not on Dayle's page; it's on Steve's and Egan's! Dayle didn't post it! And everyone in school knows!" Ken sighed, disappointed.

"You know, Dayle; he's sneaky and cunning. He definitely knows everything and pretends not to. It's Dayle we're talking about! Did you forget how he treated Molly? And the others? I heard Lauren got used and dumped too. He's onto Amber!" Ellen voiced her disgust.

"Maybe I should just let him fuck me so he'll leave me alone!" I blurted out angrily, shocking my friends.

"Do you even hear how you sound? That's insane!" Ken retorted, and I turned away, my tears betraying me. I knew it.

"What else am I supposed to do? I'm as good as finished! God!! I hate my life right now!" I muttered under my breath.

"What about Max? Will he do something?" Ellen asked.

"Why should he?" Ken grimaced.

"We broke up today. So, I'm not his concern anymore!" I snapped.

"I'll sort it out, Chrissy. Just... be okay!" Ken said, hugging me before leaving. I could see the genuine concern in his eyes.

"I'll try. Thanks, Ken," I replied, my voice choked with tears. Ellen moved closer and pulled me into her arms, holding me tightly as I locked eyes with her and cried without holding back.

"We'll get back at Dayle. And I'm sorry about Max too. It's a lot for you, girl."

"Max and I were never real. It was more of nothing than something," I confessed, my tears flowing more intensely.

"I've got your back, Chrissy. Dayle will pay."

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