Amy and Sarah hadn’t even reached the school gate when Sarah’s phone buzzed. She glanced down, saw Lily’s name, and her eyes lit up.
“Ohh, Lily wants us to come meet,” she said, tugging Amy’s sleeve before Amy could protest.
By the time they got to the little café near campus, Lily was already there, sipping on iced coffee with her usual calm smile. Sarah plopped down across from her like nothing had happened.
“Heyyy,” Sarah drawled, scratching the back of her neck. “About that day… y’know, when I kind of… shut you down? Sorry. My brain wasn’t working right.”
Lily chuckled, shaking her head. “You were still half-asleep. Don’t worry about it. I knew you didn’t mean it.”
Amy slid into the seat beside Sarah, watching the exchange like she was third-wheeling a sisterly reunion.
But then her gaze swept the table and frowned. “Wait. Where’s Chelsea?”
Lily’s smile grew faintly mischievous. “With her new boyfriend.”
Sarah smirked knowingly. “Of course. Where else? Girl’s practically glued to him now.”
Amy rolled her eyes, sipping her drink. “Mm-hm.. At this rate, we’ll need an appointment just to see her face.”
Lily sipped her coffee slowly, as if savoring the suspense. “She didn’t exactly make a grand announcement. She just… disappeared. And when I asked, she said she was ‘busy.’ But I saw them together.”
  They laughed.
 Sarah leaned forward, eyes glinting mischievously.
“Oh, speaking of obvious things,” Sarah said, tapping her nails on the table. “Guess whose birthday is coming up?”
Amy instantly stiffened. “Don’t you dare.”
Lily’s brows shot up. “Wait—Amy’s?”
Sarah grinned like a cat with cream. “Bingo. Our dear Amy here is about to turn a year wiser. And she’s trying very hard to pretend it’s not happening.”
Amy groaned, covering her face with her hands. “Sarah, why are you like this? We’ve been over this. I don’t celebrate birthdays.”
Lily clapped her hands together, delighted. “That makes it even better! We should definitely do something. A little surprise—”
“No,” Amy cut in immediately, peeking through her fingers. “Absolutely not. Don’t start plotting.”
  Lily leaned back, sipping her drink. “By the way, how was detention? Everyone in school’s still talking about that rooftop drama.”
Amy groaned instantly, slumping forward. “Don’t remind me. It was like prison but with squeaky chairs. The teacher kept glaring at me like I was public enemy number one—just because I was holding a stick!”
Sarah smirked, tossing a peanut into her mouth. “Well, you did look like some kind of gladiator. Admit it—you enjoyed the attention.”
Amy lifted her head to glare. “Enjoyed it? I thought I was going to faint. My palms were sweating so bad the stick almost slipped.”
Lily laughed. “And Sarah? You looked way too relaxed for someone in detention.”
Sarah shrugged, leaning back coolly. “Please. That wasn’t my first rodeo. I’ve been in detention before. You just have to act like you own the room.”
Amy rolled her eyes. “She’s lying. She was doodling on the back of her worksheet the whole time.”
Sarah grinned shamelessly. “True. Gotta keep the art alive.”
Lily shook her head, grinning. “And Clara? Suspended for three weeks? No wonder she looked like she wanted to set both of you on fire when I saw her.”
Amy shivered dramatically. “Did you see the way she slammed her shoulder into us earlier? I swear I felt it in my bones.”
Sarah gave a wicked little smirk. “Let her glare. She was the one begging for that fight. I just gave her what she wanted.”
Amy sighed, rubbing her temples. “Sometimes I wonder how I’m still alive hanging around you.”
Sarah smirked, leaning closer. “Maybe you secretly like the chaos.”
Amy deadpanned. “No. Definitely not.”
Lily chuckled, eyes flicking between them. “Oh, I’m enjoying this way too much.”
  Lily’s phone buzzed on the table. She glanced down, and her eyes flicked wide for a second before she quickly stood up. “Uh—be right back, I need to take this.”
But Sarah was faster. With a mischievous grin, she snagged the phone right out of Lily’s hand before she could move.
“Hey!” Lily yelped, reaching for it.
Sarah held it high, scrolling with a sly smile. “Ohhh… a text from—wait…” Her eyes went wide, and she gasped so loud a few students nearby turned their heads. “LEO?? Are you dating him??”
Lily froze like a deer in headlights, her face flushing crimson. “W-what? No! I mean—absolutely not!” She waved her hands frantically. “I can’t date Leo because—”
And then the words tumbled out before her brain caught up: “—because he’s gay!”
She slapped a hand over her mouth instantly, eyes huge.
The table went silent.
Amy, who had half-risen from her seat, slowly stood up all the way, pointing an accusing finger. “Leo is WHAT?!”
The three of them froze, the words hanging in the air like forbidden gossip that could never be un-heard.
  Sarah leaned in across the table, eyes narrowing as if she needed confirmation. “So you mean Leo… like the Leo I know? Tall, always in black hoodies,mischievous....walks like he’s auditioning for a vampire movie?”
Lily swallowed so hard her throat clicked. “Y-yeah… that Leo.”
Amy’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “No way. No freaking way. You’re saying that Leo?”
Lily nodded miserably, twisting her fingers together.
Before she could add anything else, Sarah’s gaze dropped back to the phone still in her hand. A sly smirk spread across her face. “Well, well… looks like Mr. Hoodie just texted you. ‘Meet me later?’” She read it out loud with way too much dramatic flair.
Lily lunged for the phone. “Give it back, Sarah!”
But Amy was already leaning over to peek, gasping again. “Oh my gosh—it’s true. He did text you!”
Sarah held the phone high out of reach, grinning wickedly. “Guess what, Lily? We’re coming with you.”
“What?!” Lily squeaked, her face going pale. “No, absolutely not! You can’t!”
Amy folded her arms with mock sternness. “Oh, we definitely can. Think of it as… moral support.”
“No, no, no,” Lily begged, her voice dropping into a desperate whisper. “Please—you can’t tell him I said anything. Please! If Leo finds out I—” She clamped her mouth shut again, horrified at almost repeating it.
Sarah tapped her chin dramatically. “Hmm… so we don’t tell him you told us, right?”
Amy smirked, leaning closer. “Oh, don’t worry, Lily. We won’t tell him it was you…”
Sarah finished with a wicked grin, “…we’ll just act like we magically figured it out.”
Lily groaned and dropped her forehead onto the table. “This is a nightmare.”