CHAPTER 119: LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG

**OLIVER WEST**

Lunch couldn’t come fast enough. I found William in the cafeteria, stabbing at his salad with his fork like it had personally offended him. His face was flushed with what looked like barely contained rage.

"She doesn’t waste time, does she?" he muttered, the first words he’d spoken since we sat down.

"Who?" I followed his murderous gaze across the cafeteria.

A few tables away, Hailey was all bright smiles and batting eyelashes as she handed Vince a glass of juice. He accepted it and took a sip. Okay, I agreed that they actually looked cozy together.

"Ah... I see," I said carefully.

William’s dagger-sharp stare turned on me, and he slammed his palms against our table hard enough to make our trays jump.

"Is that all you have to say?! I want to puke on both of them!" he gritted out, gaining attention from nearby students who were now openly staring at our table.

"Okay?" I squeaked, raising both hands in surrender. "Why are you mad at me? I’m not the one flirting with your crush."

"I hate her! Just because her ex-boyfriend turned out to be gay doesn’t mean she gets to steal mine!"

I stared at him, completely lost. "Since when is Vince your boyfriend? And also lower your voice, it’s not difficult for anyone to put two and two together" I hushed him, I still wanted to keep Heath’s secret that not even his ex-girlfriend knew about.

"I can’t stand what they are both doing. I have to..." William started to stand up, probably planning to march over there and cause a scene.

I yanked him back down into the seat beside me. "Don’t tell me you’re about to do something stupid. And you still haven’t told me what happened between you two! It’s not fair - you know everything about me and Kieran, but you’re keeping secrets!"

He grabbed his phone, clearly trying to escape my interrogation, but I snatched it out of his hands.

"Well?" I tapped my foot impatiently.

"We’re back together," he mumbled so quietly that I almost didn’t hear him.

WHAT?!!!

I barely kept myself from screaming, but I couldn’t stop myself from smacking the table. "Why didn’t you tell me?!"

William scratched the back of his neck, refusing to meet my eyes. "Well, he’s not exactly my boyfriend. We’re just... friends with benefits?"

My mouth fell open. This was William - my William who had lectured me about taking things slow and being emotionally ready. Where had all his wise advice disappeared to?

"To put it plainly, that’s all we are for now, Yep, that’s all," he continued.

"Are you insane?!" I was totally freaking out, but William held up a finger.

"Hear me out before you chew me. It’s all part of my plan. I’m still in control. I’m going to make him fall for me, then I’ll break up with him. You can call it a revenge plan I came up with"

Revenge?

Still in control? Yeah right. He was acting like a jealous boyfriend some minutes ago.

I facepalmed myself so hard it probably left a mark. My best friend had completely lost his mind!!!

"Did you forget how you made me promise to stay chaste? The whole time you’ve been getting freaky for real?!" I lunged at him, wrapping my hands around his throat in strangulation. "I’m going to kill you! His D can’t be that good that you came up with something so ridiculous!"

"It’s just my revenge plan! Why don’t you believe me?" he yelped, laughing despite my attack.

"You can forget about that chastity promise, I’m not keeping myself for you anymore!" I declared, pinning him down against the bench.

I managed to get his arms twisted behind his back in some sort of wrestling hold, but I ended up laughing as we both struggled.

We were completely wrapped up in our ridiculous fight, my body practically draped over his as I tried to maintain my hold, when I heard the unmistakable sound of a camera phone clicking.

Oh no.

Suddenly phones all around the cafeteria started buzzing with notifications. Gasps echoed throughout the space like a detonated bomb, followed immediately by excited whispers.

Please don’t let it be about me. Please don’t let someone have taken a picture of me and William looking...!!!

My insides tightened with panic as I grabbed my phone and clicked on the class forum.

It was a picture, but not of me.

It was Heath. From that costume party weeks ago, caught in the middle of kissing someone. Another boy. The other person wore a mask, but that build, that hair...

Claude.

Oh shit.

The photo was grainy but clear enough. There was no denying what it showed.

Amanda was laughing so hard at her table that she was practically falling off her chair. But Hailey... Hailey’s face had gone from being flirty with Vince to a bright mask of pure fury.

She stood up so abruptly her chair scraped loudly against the floor, marching toward Heath’s table with murder in her eyes.

"What’s the meaning of this?!" Her shrill cry swept across the cafeteria, cutting through the buzz of gossip like a knife.

Heath looked up from his lunch, confusion clear on his face until he saw her expression. Then his eyes darted around the room, taking in all the phones pointed at him, the stares, the whispers.

"Was this after we broke up?" Hailey demanded, her voice carrying across the now-silent cafeteria.

"We are no longer together, why does it matter to you?" Heath said, earning a chorus of gasps from our audience.

He tried to move around her, clearly wanting to escape, but she stepped directly into his path. When he tried to nudge her aside, she shoved him back hard enough that he nearly stumbled.

William and I shared a look, I felt as though we had somehow jinxed Heath.

"Don’t you dare walk away from me!" Hailey screamed.

She’s losing it, but that wasn’t the worse, yet.

I could see Matt pushing through the crowd of students, his face dark with anger as he headed straight for Heath. This was about to turn really ugly fast.

"Poor Heath, that cheater has no right to accuse him too" I muttered, starting to stand up.

A hand yanked me back down before I could take a step. But when I looked back, it wasn’t William holding me.

A yelp escaped my mouth as Kieran tugged my arms, and I found myself landing awkwardly across his sprawled thighs. I tried to wiggle free, but his arm wound around my waist, keeping me firmly in place.

"He can handle himself, trust me. Besides, I’m not letting my boyfriend get into fights," Kieran said calmly. "We don’t want your pretty face getting scratched."

Damn it.

No, Heath was my friend, I couldn’t let him face this alone, we once shared a cigarette together, that counted as friendship even though I didn’t actually smoke it?

Across the cafeteria, I could see the situation escalating. Hailey was still screaming, her face twisted with hatred as she continued hurling slurs at Heath. Matt had reached them now, and I watched in horror as he grabbed Heath by the shoulder, spinning him around.

The crowd of students pressed closer, phones recording every second of the confrontation.

To think being found out was his biggest fear, I felt even sorrier for him.

High school is hell. And sometimes hell comes for the people who least deserve it