Chapter 31: CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT | ♕

[𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓: 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓]

"  𝐈 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔, 𝐁𝐔𝐓

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐈𝐗 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒.  "

✯✯✯

𝐌𝐄𝐈𝐋𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘. If she was going to move on from her past she needed to do one thing first. Set the record straight.

She wanted to be happier than she was. She didn't want to always have walls up. She wanted to be able to trust people again, so in order to do that she needed to forget high school drama so she could enjoy her senior year in peace.

And that's exactly why she was on Bethany Dalton's doorstep.

"What are you doing here?"

"Remember that time you tried to ruin your friend's lives?" Mei asked as she pushed past Bethany without an invitation into her bedroom. Mei went to sit on the edge of her bed, crossing her legs and setting her black Louis Vuitton handbag beside her.

"You're not over that?" Bethany asked, clearly annoyed, as she leaned against the doorway. She didn't dare to sit next to Mei.

"It was all fun and games until you got me involved." Mei rolled her eyes, "I've been informed that Ella now hates me."

"That's not true."

Mei gave her a look, "Beth, she literally has it out for me." Bethany went to sit at the other end of the bed.

"I'm sorry, okay." She muttered, "I didn't actually mean to 'ruin her life'. Sometimes I think bad things, and I do bad things, and I-" She paused, "I don't mean to."

"So you regret it?"

"No- Well, I don't know." She glanced down at her hands.

"You can't say it can you? You can't admit you regret it. You embarrassed Ella and got her basically kicked out of ballet. Do you even care what her parents might think of her? What her teachers might think? Other students? She has a life, Bethany, that doesn't revolve around you!"

"It wasn't just for some fun, you know? Not like the others! She would have stopped playing tennis! She would have stopped hanging out with us! I did her a favor." Bethany argued back.

Tears sprung in her eyes as she faced the reality of her problems. She had been cooped up in her room for the past couple days just thinking about all the bad things she had done and all the consequences that resulted in them. Except she never faced those consequences... the people she had hurt did.

"That's an excuse." Mei looked at her with pity, "You just can't come to terms with how bad of a person you are." She paused, "Ella was my friend. I liked her, and now I have to explain to her how exactly I didn't ruin her life." Bethany didn't say anything. She knew she was in the wrong, "I thought things were going to be different this year... Maybe we could've all been friends... real friends. Because Sebastian was right, you all are the only ones who really understand what it's like to be... us. And I always used to think you were the most like me, but now... now I know you're worse. I just wanted to help Theo. If it were any of you I would've done the same." Mei stood, "He was dying. Come to terms with the fact it was me who saved him, Bethany. Not you."

Bethany bit her lip and looked down at the ground, "Theo doesn't want me anymore." She replied, "I tried. I fought for him for a long time, but deep down I always knew... he didn't love me. He never even liked me. He was only with me because he needed to please his father."

Mei sat back down, "Theo loves you Beth-"

"No." She shook her head as she smiled sadly, "He doesn't. Maybe he tried to, after my overdose for a bit, but I think he's always been in love with Ella... maybe that's why I never liked her. All she's ever been is nice... and innocent, and I hated her."

Mei looked over at the blonde sad girl with pretty hazel eyes and a beautiful face who always seemed like the perfect plastic Barbie doll. She looked tired and broken now and it was almost heartbreaking. How could someone so perfect be so broken? She was Bethany Dalton.

"I forgive you," Mei almost whispered, "But you need to fix this." Bethany nodded, "And I can't be your friend anymore." That was surprising, "Not right now. Not until you figure things out. If we're having a group hang out or if there's a party... please don't come or atleast don't come near me. I don't want to be around you."

"Meili..."

"No, please don't make me change my mind." Mei stood up, "I want to move on, Bethany, and I can't be involved in your high school drama if I want to do that."

"But-"

"Bye Bethany." Mei said before closing the door and leaving. It was a sad departure, but deep down she knew she hadn't seen the last of Bethany Dalton. Their paths would cross in the near future, and she didn't have a problem with that... she just didn't want their paths to cross now. She had one more house to visit and it was that of some of her closest friends.

"Your majesty, come in." Ezra bowed after opening his front door. She rolled her eyes and stepped into the modern mansion similar to her own home, "Nice dress. How much did that one cost you?"

"Don't provoke me, Ez, I'm trying to be a better person." She replied making him scoff.

"Why?"

She set her bag on the island counter, "Don't you think I'm sort of... self centered, stuck up... mean?"

"I like you just the way you are. Sure you've got your quirks, but... that's just you, ya know?" He shrugged, slipping his hands into his sweatpant pockets.

"Sooner or later I need to grow up. There's already been so much drama this year. Did you hear how Ella hates me?"

"Yeah, about that. Did you actually... do it?"

"No!" She frowned, "Of course not! Maybe if it were some random girl, but it's Ella. I don't manipulate my friends."

"So... Bethany did it." He sighed, "Great. That's just great." He added sarcastically, "Why can't we just all get along?"

"Well, I cut Bethany off."

"Wait, really?"

Mei crossed her arms, "It needed to be done. I really think she needs some time away from us. From everything. She needs to really work on herself because she can't keep doing these... things to people." She furrowed her eyebrows, "Too many lives have been ruined because of her and I'm ready to move on and have a normal senior year."

"Sounds reasonable." He nodded. They were both quiet for a second, "Want me to get Sebastian for you?"

"That'd be great, thanks." She smiled small and sat down at the island counter, waiting. It wasn't long before Ezra called Seb to come downstairs, and she turned around to meet his brown eyes staring back at her.

"Mei... what are you doing here?" He asked, "Did we plan something and I forgot?"

"Oh, no..." She replied, "I'm just stopping by..."

"Want to go up to my room and talk?" He asked, his eyes glancing toward Ezra who was still standing there. She nodded and Seb led her up to his bedroom.

"Okay, so, guess what I did." Mei smiled a bit and dropped her bag at the end of his bed. Sebastian gave her a suspicious look as she took a seat at the end of his bed.

"I finally cut off Bethany." She sighed, "You were right. There's no reason to be friends with her, especially now that she's created a mess that I have to fix." Mei rolled her eyes, "She said she's going to fix it, but when Bethany says she'll fix something she really means that I'll fix it. I mean, the only good thing she's really done this week is get the dean to not expel Theo."

"We might have a bigger problem." He chuckled, leaning back against the wall behind him.

Mei raised her eyebrows, "And what exactly would that be?"