The shrill ringing of my phone sliced through the silence, jerking me awake. I groaned, fumbling for it, my fingers clumsy with sleep. The screen glowed with an unknown number.
I should've ignored it.
But I didn't.
"Hello?" I mumbled, voice hoarse.
"Helloooo!" came the bright, overly enthusiastic reply.
A slow smile tugged at my lips. Evelyn.
"Took you long enough, Sleeping Beauty. Were you dreaming about my brother?"
I sat up so fast I nearly fell off the bed.
"EVELYN!"
She laughed, pure mischief. "I mean, you didn't say no—"
"Oh my God, do you harass everyone first thing in the morning, or am I just your special victim?"
"A little of both," she admitted cheerfully. "But let's focus on the important part. I'm bored. Luke is boring, my brother is worse, and I need entertainment. So, shopping. You, me, today at four. No excuses."
I rubbed my eyes. "What if I already have plans?"
"Cancel them. I'm more important."
"Wow. The humility is blinding."
"I know, right?"
I sighed dramatically. "Fine. Where'd you even get my number, anyway?"
Evelyn groaned like she'd suffered a deep personal betrayal. "Do you know how much I had to beg for this? My brother was so damn annoying about it. 'Why do you need it? What are you planning? I swear it was like I was trying to access the Pentagon."
I smirked, imagining Sebastian's frown of suspicion. "Must've been painful."
"Oh, the worst. But in the end, I got it. Because I always get what I want."
I shook my head, unable to fight my grin.
And for a brief second, something hit me—both Sebastian and Evelyn, in their own chaotic ways, were dragging me back to the version of myself I used to be. The sharp, quick-witted girl who never backed down. The one who enjoyed herself instead of merely existing.
And I loved that feeling.
At exactly four, I pulled up outside an upscale boutique, where Evelyn was perched on the hood of her car, looking like a damn movie star.
"Finally!" she huffed, flipping her hair. "I was about to die of boredom."
"How tragic that would've been for the world," I deadpanned.
"I know, right?" She hopped down. "Come on, we have an obscene amount of money to spend."
And spend we did.
Dresses, shoes, accessories—I lost track of how many stores Evelyn dragged me into.
"This," she declared, holding up a sleek black dress against me. "This is dangerous. I approve."
"Dangerous how?" I asked, eyeing it.
"Like, if my brother saw you in this, he'd forget how to breathe."
I rolled my eyes. "You need therapy."
"I need you to buy the damn dress," she countered. "Try it on."
I did. And okay, maybe she was right. The dress hugged my curves just right.
When I stepped out, Evelyn let out a dramatic gasp. "Liv. If he doesn't lose his mind seeing you in that, I will."
"You're ridiculous," I muttered, even as my face warmed.
She waggled her brows. "But I'm right."
We kept shopping until our arms were weighed down with bags. Eventually, we collapsed outside an ice cream parlor, massive sundaes in front of us.
"Shopping is exhausting," Evelyn groaned, dramatically collapsing into her seat with her ice cream like she'd just returned from war.
I raised an eyebrow. "You say that like we weren't literally chauffeured around like royalty and had people handing us water bottles while we tried on shoes."
Evelyn waved her spoon at me. "Physical effort, Liv. Emotional effort. Trying to decide between two shades of black heels? That's trauma."
I snorted. "Oh yeah, real battlefield out there. I almost lost you in the perfume section."
"And you did leave me for dead in the handbags," she accused, narrowing her eyes.
"In my defense," I said, grinning, "that bag was calling my name. Priorities."
She sighed dramatically. "Next time, I'm bringing snacks. And a stress ball. And possibly a therapist."
"Add a personal fanboy to follow you around and fan you dramatically every time a price tag makes you nervous."
She snapped her fingers. "Brilliant. See, this is why we're friends."
Evelyn dug her spoon into the last of her ice cream like it had personally offended her. "You know," she said suddenly, "I always wanted a girl best friend. Someone who wouldn't just grunt like Sebastian or set things on fire for fun like Luke."
I blinked. "Set things on fire?"
"Well, not literally. But emotionally? Constant arson."
I laughed, watching her dramatically flop back in her seat like she'd just survived a war.
"But seriously," she continued. "It was always just the three of us. Me, my eternally brooding brother, and Luke, our human golden retriever with zero off-switch. I love them, obviously. But God, they're exhausting."
I smiled, swirling my straw through the watery remains of my milkshake. "You talk about them like they're sitcom characters."
"Because they are. A very poorly written, chaotic sitcom." She glanced at me, then added, "But, you know... the kind you still binge because you love the characters even when they make terrible decisions."
I grinned, but something about her tone pulled me in. There was fondness there—deep and real—but also something heavier beneath it.
She looked out the window, quiet for a beat. "Sebastian... he's a lot. Stubborn. Intense. Acts like nothing touches him but he's always the one holding everything together. He carries more than anyone should."
That made me pause.
I didn't know the full story—and Evelyn hadn't offered—but the way she said it... it did something to my chest. Tightened it.
Because the more I thought about Sebastian—the little smirks, the sarcastic texts, the moments he almost let his guard down—the more I realized he wasn't just some guy I was flirting with.
He was someone I was starting to feel something for.
And hearing Evelyn talk about him like that, like he was fighting invisible battles I couldn't see, only made that feeling twist deeper into my ribs.
"He sounds..." I began, not sure what I was even trying to say.
"Complicated?" she offered, one brow raised.
"Yeah," I admitted.
Evelyn leaned in, lowering her voice like we were conspiring. "He's a pain in the ass. But he's also the kind of person who'll give you the last piece of cake and then deny it with his dying breath. He's saved me more times than I can count—even when he didn't know how to save himself."
I stared at her.
And then she smirked, tossing her spoon into the empty cup with a flourish. "And Luke's just... sunshine. The loud, chaotic kind. When everything goes dark, he finds a way to make it bearable."
There it was again—that look. The flicker in her eyes when she said Luke's name. Like she was holding a secret she hadn't even admitted to herself.
"You're not in love with him, are you?" I asked, teasing but curious.
"Pfft. Ew. No. Absolutely not." She laughed a little too quickly, waving a hand. "Luke's... Luke. He's the light in both our lives. Doesn't mean I want to date the light."
"Riiight," I said, watching her with a sly smile.
"Stop it." She pointed her spoon at me like a weapon. "Anyway. Speaking of grumpy boys, you were the impossible one. All closed-off and mysterious. I had to beg Sebastian for your number."
My head snapped up. "Wait—what?"
"Oh yeah." She looked far too smug. "Because you had your whole mysterious loner girl who doesn't need anyone thing going on. I was obsessed. I had to basically grovel. Swear on my favorite boots that I wouldn't emotionally scar you. And even then, he only gave it to me because I think he was lowkey worried you were plotting world domination."
I choked on my milkshake.
She just grinned. "But look at us now. Besties. Shopping soulmates. Codependent disasters with excellent taste in ice cream."
I couldn't help it—I laughed. Like, full-body laughed. It had been a while since I felt like this. Light. Unburdened. Myself.
They brought it out of me—Evelyn, with her chaotic charm and zero-filter mouth. And Sebastian, with his quiet intensity and unexpected vulnerability.
Something in me whispered that I was starting to care more than I should.
And I didn't hate it.
"I'm glad," I said suddenly, surprising even myself.
Evelyn looked up, mid-stab with her straw. "Glad about what?"
"That you're my friend," I said, trying not to sound too soft about it. "It's...nice. Having someone like you around."
She blinked, then grinned so wide it looked like her face might crack in half. "Aw, Liv! If you cry right now, I swear I'll cry too and then we'll have to hug and then people will definitely think we're dating."
I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling. "You ruin every moment, you know that?"
"I try. Keeps the emotions from getting too sappy. My skin can't handle it."
I shook my head. "You're exhausting."
"You love it."
"I hate that I kind of do."
She looked entirely too pleased with herself and went back to poking her straw through the bottom of the cup like it was a scientific experiment.
"So," I said, trying to keep the moment light, "are you always this dramatic?"
"Only on weekdays," she said seriously. "Weekends I go full soap opera."
Before I could say anything else—
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here."
I went rigid.
No. Not today.
I turned slowly.
Stacy.
She stood with her arms crossed, Emily hovering beside her like a second shadow.
"Well, well," Stacy said, arms crossed, lips pursed. "If it isn't the charity case and her... sponsor."
Evelyn, however, just raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed. "Oh, look. Trash can talk."
I nearly choked on my ice cream.
Stacy narrowed her eyes but kept her smirk. ""You know, it's cute that you're trying to fix Olivia, Evelyn. But some things can't be fixed. Once a mess, always a mess."
My jaw clenched. Here we go again.
I exhaled sharply, trying to hold onto my patience, but before I could even open my mouth, Evelyn leaned forward with a wicked grin.
"You know, Stacy," she mused, reaching for her water glass. "You talk too much."
And then—she dumped the entire glass over Stacy's head.
I gasped. Emily gasped. Stacy shrieked.
"YOU CRAZY BI—!"
"Oops," Evelyn said innocently. "My hand slipped."
Evelyn grabbed my hand. "Run."
And I did.
We sprinted out of the café, laughter bubbling up in my chest as Stacy screamed curses after us. Pure, unfiltered chaos.
We didn't stop running until we were several streets away, breathless and giggling like idiots.
Evelyn grinned at me. "That was satisfying."
"You're insane."
"And you love me for it."
"Okay, maybe."
I shook my head, still catching my breath. But God, that had felt so damn good.
I felt... light. Free. Like the old me was clawing her way back to the surface, sarcasm and all. Something about Evelyn—and maybe even him—brought out that side of me.
I liked it.
But then her phone rang.
I barely noticed at first, too busy licking the last bits of my cone. But the moment Evelyn looked at the caller ID, the laughter drained from her face.
Her hand shook as she answered. "Hello?"
I turned my head, suddenly alert. Evelyn's body tensed, her grip on the phone turning white-knuckled.
I couldn't hear the voice on the other end, but whatever was being said made her pale.
"Wait—what? No, I—I—" She shut her eyes, inhaling sharply like she was trying to steady herself. "I'll be there. Just—don't do anything until I—hello? Hello?!"
The line must have gone dead because she pulled the phone away and stared at the screen, her face blank.
"Eve?" I asked, my voice careful. "What's going on?"
She flinched like she had forgotten I was even there. "Nothing," she said quickly, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I—I have to go."
"Evelyn." I stood up as she started backing away. "What's wrong? Who was that?"
She shook her head, still moving. "I'll call you later, Liv, I swear. Just—just don't worry, okay?"
The look in her eyes begged me not to ask.
I clenched my jaw. "If you're in trouble, I—"
"I have to go." Her voice cracked.
Then, before I could stop her, she turned and practically ran.
I watched her disappear into the crowd, my stomach twisting painfully.
Something was very wrong.
That night, as soon as I reached home, I threw myself onto my bed, grabbed my phone, and sent a quick message to sebastian.
Olivia: Hey. Everything okay?
I waited.
And waited.
Nothing.
I frowned, staring at the empty screen. No response. No read receipt.
Sebastian was always quick to reply—whether it was sarcasm, flirtation, or just to annoy me. But now... nothing?
A chill crawled down my spine.
I tried to shake it off. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he fell asleep. Maybe I was just overthinking.
But then I thought about Evelyn.
She had left in such a hurry, her face drained of color, her hands shaking as she clutched her phone. I had asked—twice—but she had forced a smile, told me it was nothing, and left.
I swallowed hard.
Something was wrong.
I clicked on our chat and hesitated before typing.
Olivia: Eve?
The message sent.
No reply.
I stared at the screen, the knot in my stomach twisting tighter.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard before I typed again.
Olivia: I know something's up. Please just tell me you're okay.
Still nothing.
My heart pounded against my ribs, a growing sense of unease curling in my chest.
First Sebastian. Now Evelyn.
I didn't know what was happening, but I knew one thing for sure—
I was scared.
For both of them