( FAYE )

i groan as the first rays of morning sunlight filter through the curtains, piercing through my closed eyelids. my head throbs with a relentless ache while my mouth feels as dry as sandpaper. my hand falls on my forehead, feeling as if it's gonna burst open at any given moment.

rolling over in my bed, i try to recall the events of the previous night. it was all a blur. drinking games, laughter, and then...

the memory hits me like a truck, sending a pang of embarrassment and confusion through my hazy mind.

i struggle to sit up, feeling disoriented and regretful. my thoughts were a jumbled mess. why did i let myself get carried away like that? what was i thinking?

i reach for the plastic bottle of water on my bedside table, downing it in one go, hoping it can alleviate the desert like dryness in my mouth. though it does help, the headache stays.

dragging myself out of bed, i stumble into the bathroom. the reflection in the mirror confirms my hangover- a disheveled appearance and puffy eyes. i sigh, running my fingers through my tangled hair.

as i splash cold water on my face, my mind races through thoughts about sadie again.

i wonder what she thinks of me now, after those two strange moments. the beach, last night... none of it adds up with our relationship, it's not supposed to be like that. so why is it?

questions swirl in my mind as i try to piece together the confusing emotions. i still just know one thing for certain- i need to clear my head and figure out what's really going on between me and sadie. the hangover will fade, but the uncertainty will linger.

there's no way rory was right. i won't let that happen. she can't be right about this.

all i have for sadie is admiration, maybe a little bit jealousy at times, and recently i despise her. any other feeling is off the table.

maybe i just need to know what she thinks.

- ★ -

"oh, she left like an hour ago"

i stare at the brunette as she effortlessly blends her smoothie, dealing with her hangover seemingly well.

"what? what time is it"

she smiles at the raspiness apparent in my voice before responding. "almost 2pm"

i groan, turning around to notice finn sprawled out on the couch in a starfish position. i can't help but laugh, seeing him take up the entire space, causing caleb to be squished into the corner. gaten is on the floor, probably fell over because of finns sprawl.

finn wakes up with a groan once i throw a pilllow on him. i continue hitting him with it before he reaches out, pushing me full force onto another couch.

"goodmorning, you were sleeping in such a graceful way"

he responds with a second groan, falling back on the couch.

"you have to drive us home"

"later" his voice is worse than mine. "everyones leaving late, let's not be losers"

"sadie left"

"exactly" he drifts back to sleep.

- ★ -

sadie sink

hi

hii

listen
idk what that was
last night

no no
it's fine
you were just drunk
that's all

yeah
but

faye
it's out of my mind
let's just forget it okay
nothing happened

okay

mhm
so uh

?

are we friends 😭

lmao
honestly idk

i really wanna fix this
i meant everything i said
i miss you faye

i miss you too sades
okay
yeah
we're friends
i think

you think?

yes
i just need a
little more time

okay okay
and again
none of that meant anything yk
it was just our emotions
getting to our head and
confusing everything further
it happens

i know

good
okay so
i'll see you soon?

no
you'll never see me again 🤬

ha ha ha
sooooo funny 😐

ikr :D
bye sades

bye bye

- ★ -

following the four hour car ride back home, sadie sent me another text, inviting me to go out for ice cream.

i haven't been at work for a whole week. on the third day at the resort, i called shane and received a stern lecture. to be fair, it was irresponsible of me not to hand in an application, but it's finns fault for wanting to surprise me and not mentioning it beforehand.

as for marcus, my phone was blowing up with texts from him on the first day of our trip. once i reached back out to him, he calmed down a bit but still felt the need to lecture me from his perspective.

i'll start my shifts again tomorrow. however, i still feel the need for some more time off. i know I've already had a week off, but it still doesn't feel like enough.

maybe i'm just procrastinating, making up excuses to avoid my shifts. working at a cafe was never my career choice, but for now, it's all i have. there's still time, isn't there?

"finally back home to your diary"

finns voice causes me to swiftly shut my notebook due to instinct. he smiles before taking a seat beside me on the mattress.

"i'm going out with sadie in a bit"

i await his response, receiving a hesitant smile. "have fun"

"you don't sound like you want that" i laugh.

"no, it's just... are you sure you trust her?"

my eyes narrow themselves at his statement. "you're the one who told me to make things right between us"

"yeah, yeah i know. i still want that, i just want you to be totally sure it's what you want"

my lips curl into a smile. "it is"

"then okay, have fun"

- ★ -

me and the redhead walk side by side to her favorite ice cream parlor. we had played rock paper scissors to decide who's favourite we go to. i think she cheated, somehow.

i order a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough in a waffle cone, while sadie goes with mint chocolate chip in a cup.

"you have the worst taste ever" i almost retch staring at her choice of ice cream. "first plain bitter coffee and now this"

"mint chocolate chip is amazing" sadie scoffs, leading me to roll my eyes at her absurdity.

"i wish i never forgave you"

thankfully, sadie grasps that it's just a joke as she playfully punches my shoulder.

as we stroll outside, sadie breaks the long but comfortable silence.

"it's nice to spend time together like this again"

i nod, shifting my gaze from the ice cream in my hand to sadie. "yeah, it is"

she gently bumps her shoulder against mine. "i missed you a lot"

for some reason, my heart skips a beat at those words. it begins getting harder for me to speak as i avert my eyes to the ground. "i missed you too"

we continue to walk, the sun casting long shadows of us. in this moment, it feels like our connection is coming to a mend, slowly but surely finding it's way back where we left off.

my eyes suddenly land on a certain former enthusiastic acquaintance of mine, stood far away but not far enough.

my eyes widen as i duck behind a nearby lamppost, pulling sadie along.

"what-"

"it's rory" i sigh.

she remains silent for a moment. "oh"

the whirlwind of thoughts return to consume my mind once again. i know sadie probably cut off all ties with rory, it would only make sense for her to do so. yet, the words finn spoke stay engraved into my brain.

i turn to look at sadie, wishing to ask her nothing but the question that hangs in the air between us. "is it worth trusting you again?"

sadie, oblivious to my inner turmoil, glances at me with a raised eyebrow. "hey, we're not spies. why are we hiding from her?"

i blink, returning to the present moment. "i... i don't even know anymore"

she chuckles and places a reassuring pat on my back. "she won't notice us within all these people, come on"

★ authors note ,,

this is going nowhere i need drama