Monday was a pretty weird day. We had lots of work to do in every class, and there was barely any downtime. Finn had to film a video for one of his art classes, so Jack and I ran around the school with him at lunch to get clips. It was nice to take a break from all the work, even if it was only for forty minutes. After school, there were a few more clips Finn needed to grab before he could finish his project. I was waiting for the bus with my earbuds in when someone with a sickeningly familiar voice called my name. I groaned, pausing my music and turning around.

"Madison, can we talk?" Millie approached me, and to my surprise, with Ellie by her side. She hadn't been on the bus this morning, which was strange. I had assumed she just woke up late or something. And she wasn't with us at lunch, but I figured she was making up a test or doing homework.

"What do you guys want?" I asked, exasperated. I smiled at Ellie, but she just glared at me.

"Nice hickey, by the way. Which one of your boyfriends is that from?" Millie sneered. Ellie laughed.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Are you delusional? What boyfriends?" I demanded. Millie frowned.

"We both know you're with Jack and Finn. It's pretty obvious," she explained. I opened my mouth in shock.

"You can't be serious right now," I breathed.

"You showed me the texts from Finn. And we all saw you kiss him at the party. Anyone could be able to tell you two still have something going on. The thing is, does Jack know? Because I'd love to tell him," Ellie said. I blinked confusedly. Millie was one thing, but Ellie too? I thought she was better than this. This was something she'd do last year, but not now. We were friends now.

"Oh. Oh, oh my god, I completely forgot to tell you! The texts from Finn were a prank. We're just friends, that's it. I'd never cheat on Jack," I reassured her. I saw her expression soften, but then she frowned again.

"We all saw you three running around the school today. You practically inseparable," Millie pointed out.

"Yeah, because we're friends," I hissed.

"When you were dating Finn you were all over him. And now you're the same way with Jack. It's like they're interchangeable to you," she told me.

"Why are you so fucking obsessed with me?" I said hysterically. I took a deep breath before continuing. "Listen, Millie. I'm so fucking tired of your bullshit. I'm sorry Finn doesn't like you. I'm genuinely sorry. But there's nothing I can do about it, I'm not like, in charge of him. And when you keep acting like this he's gonna like you even less. You're usually a really nice person, and you're pretty too. And you have a really cool accent. There are so many other people at this school, and in this town, and Finn just isn't right for you. I'm sorry." I paused, turning to Ellie. "And you." I began, "Ellie, honestly, I have no idea where this is coming from. This is something I'd expect from you last year, maybe, but not now! We're friends! You've moved on from being petty and jealous, I know you have. Both of you, actually, all three of us have had our chance with Finn, and it didn't work out. So can we all just agree to move on because I honestly don't know how much more of this I can even handle," I ranted, looking up to see their reactions. Millie's brows were furrowed, and her lips were set in a straight line, while Ellie was frowning. I felt an arm slip around my shoulders, and in seconds Jack was standing by my side.

"Hey Millie, hi Ellie," Jack greeted them, kissing my cheek. "Are they bothering you?" he whispered in my ear. I shrugged. Millie smiled curtly at him, and Ellie looked down at the floor.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were filming," I asked him. Before he could answer, Finn approached us. He didn't say hi to Ellie or Millie.

"We needed some outdoor clips," Finn explained. Millie's face changed from a scowl to a smile when he approached, and she was watching him intently. It was clear to anyone that she really liked him. I almost felt bad. Almost.

"You're gonna miss the bus," Jack prompted, nodding at the bus, which had pulled up during the conversation.

"Thanks. See you tomorrow," I said, grabbing his neck for a kiss then running off. I cast a glance over my shoulder. Jack was talking to Ellie, who was watching me with a look of regret, while Millie was attempting to talk to Finn, but he looked extremely uninterested.

Ellie texted me later that night, around seven. I had been on facetime with Jack, but he had just hung up to take a shower.

Hey

So I'm really sorry

its fine

No its not

The way I acted wasn't ok.

I was really immature of me and I'm sorry

dont worry about it

it happens to all of us

I was just jealous

It sucks watching Finn with you

I know he doesn't but it feels like he still likes you

And I'm not over him

No matter how hard I try I can't get over him

i'm so sorry

i know how it feels

But you don't

Its fine but like it just sucks you know

you're still close with him though

But you're closer

i'm really sorry

i don't really know what i can do to help

There's nothing you can do

That's why I'm apologizing

It's not your fault

thanks

i appreciate it a lot

No prob

Friends?

of course

I thought for a moment, then sent another message.

hey do u have millies number?

Yeah

can u send it

Sure

1 Contact Shared

thank u!!

I clicked on the contact information, and began typing before I could stop myself.

hey this is madison

basically i just wanna say im sorry for everything that's happened

i can tell how much u like finn and it rlly sucks that its not mutual

i wish i could help but i cant im sorry

but can we please move on because neither of us need this in our lives

It took a few minutes, but she responded.

You're right

I apologize for being a bitch to you

I won't do it again

and i haven't been the nicest either

im sorry

You're right about Finn too

I need to move on

Thank you

anytime

-

authors note: sorryyyy for not updating recently i lost motivation but i got it back so yay! also sorry for the mediocre chapter. the next one is way better i promise!