I paced back and forth in my apartment, feeling an influx of emotions, but anger was the one that stood out the most. How could Connie have kept such a huge secret from me? I was offended more than anything else.

I aggressively threw clothes into a duffle bag, preparing for my visit with my parents, though seeing them was the last thing I wanted to do at this point. I was feeling more lost and confused than ever.

All I could think about was this betrayal. Because that's what it was. Connie kept something from me that she should never have kept.

I pulled out a sticky note and wrote down a quick message to Marcus telling him that I'd leave my door open for him to drop off Marco. He had an overnight shift but said he'd be back in the morning to pick up Marco before I left to see my parents.

I stuck the note angrily on Marcus's door before stomping my way out of my building. I knew exactly where I was headed.

"You know, I may have been homeschooled but I know for damn sure that there's gotta be something like a girl code out there," I snapped into my phone as I walked with furious determination towards Connie's parents house, pressing the end call button on my phone with force.

I picked my phone back up immediately and dialled her number again. I knew she was sleeping but I didn't care. She had some serious explanations to give me.

"Mabel?" Connie's groggy voice answered.

"Well if it isn't the queen, honouring me with a response," I muttered sarcastically.

"Huh?" She asked in confusion.

"Open your door," I snapped ending the phone call and standing in front of Connie's house. I knew Connie's parents were sleeping and so thought it was a better idea to do this outside (I was pretty level headed when ragingly angry.)

A moment later, Connie opened the front door, her black silky hair in a perfect bun, her skin body wrapped up in a fluffy robe. How this girl managed to look so elegant even in the middle of the night was a wonder to me.

"Is everything alright?" Connie asked, her eyes still half squinting. She drew her robe closer to her chest as her breath puffed out a cloud of smoke.

"Oh, everything's superb," I replied sarcastically.

Connie raised an eyebrow, "Why don't you come inside? You forgot your jacket," She pointed out gently.

I looked down and realized that I had in fact forgot my jacket and the fact that Connie pointed that out infuriated me further.

"Don't tell me what to do!" I exclaimed.

"Huh?" She asked.

"You think you're so cool with your effortless bun, don't you?"

"Have you been drinking?" She questioned seriously.

"Only from the cup of reality, Connie."

"I'm so lost," Connie huffed.

"You're lost? How do you think I feel to find out that you and Jackson have had in depth talks about me?" I shouted and Connie's face turned pale as she stared at me in surprise. "To find out that you've been discussing me behind my back."

"I was telling him how great you were, Mabel!" Connie defended.

"How the hell are you talking me up when you weren't even talking to me, Connie?!" I screamed in frustration. I couldn't feel my fingers at this point as the bitter cold scraped across my body.

She hung her head, "I know. I'm sorry. I have a lot to apologize for, Mabel, but I never said anything to him that I wouldn't repeat to you. Nothing nefarious happened, I swear. I would never do that to you. I love you."

"You know, I don't know a lot about love, but I'm pretty freaking sure that isn't it. You've been distant and weird and talking about me to a guy that I'm seeing behind my back who you didn't even tell me you knew! Like that night at the party? Did he walk up to me because of you? Or was it because he saw me? This entire time, I've just been walking around like an idiot thinking this guy was into me, when in reality my best friend had to convince him to ask me out!" I ranted. I couldn't believe this was happening. Connie was always honest. Connie was always forthcoming.

Connie's eyes began go tear up but I couldn't care less (even though Connie looked like a Disney princess when she was crying - some people had it all). "You're not an idiot. I-I didn't mean it that way," She sniffled, using her fingers to wipe under her eyes. "I swear, M-Mabel. I saw him on our first day of interning but he begged me not to say anything. He said his family and friends didn't even know and if anyone found out, it'd be awful for him so I said okay. Then after the 'I love you' incident, I talked to him about how you were my friend and that you had a lot to drink the night before and he made the connection to that event. I swear, I never said anything to him that I regret saying now."

I glared at her, feeling my determination failing a little but hanging onto my feeling of anger a little longer because I was stubborn and petty and when I got mad, I held onto it. "So, why were you being so weird?"

Connie shuffled on her feet, her hiccuping still evident from her crying. "I-I don't know, Mabel."

I gave her a sarcastic look. "You don't know why you didn't talk to me? Well that's great. Thanks for that, Connie. Friend of the year here."

Connie's tears began again and her lip trembled. "It doesn't mean anything, I swear. It's just during our internship, we hung out a lot and I began to... see what you saw in him."

What the hell? "What I saw in him?" I questioned raising an eyebrow. "What is that exactly?"

"It doesn't matter, Mabel. I would never have done anything because I love you," Connie responded, reaching a hand out for me.

I backed away quickly before she could touch me. Was she saying what I thought she was saying? It didn't seem possible. The guy that I'd been pining over is the guy she got feelings for. "You like him," I stated matter of factly.

She shook her head vehemently. "I would have never done anything. I just saw that he was a good guy. There's nothing I would do to jeopardize our friendship, Mabel. You're too important to me. I wouldn't consider it for even a split second."

"But you felt it," I argued.

"I-I-" She stuttered.

I turned away from her abruptly, "That's all I needed to know, Connie." I walked down her cold desolate street, now even more desolate than it was before.

"Mabel! Please, come back!" Connie shouted but I couldn't be bothered to turn around. Maybe I wasn't as level headed as I initially thought.

I was sick of being the friend that was undervalued. That was taken for granted. I spent my whole life wishing that other people wouldn't figure out that I didn't fit in. I had a lot to offer and I was only beginning to realize that.

>>

Credit to @topaz198 for guessing a connection between Jackson and Connie! Nothing gets past you.