Mary's POV
"Lana! Hey, Lana, wait, please!" I called, my voice full of desperation.
She slowly turned around.
Tears streamed down her face, her eyes swollen and red from crying.
"What?" she asked bitterly. "Are you going to blame me like your sister did? Call me a slut or some other name, huh?"
"Lana, I would never call you that, and you know it," I said softly. "It's just that ever since that day happened, I haven't seen you. We've all been worried."
"We?" she repeated. "Who is we, Mary?"
"Me... and Lee."
She looked away.
"Look, I know what's going through your head, but I think we should at least hear him out. And as for Maya..." I sighed. "She keeps attacking you because she thinks you're weak."
Lana let out a shaky laugh.
"You don't understand. Maya's my best friend. She should trust me, right?"
She sniffled.
"But she didn't. Instead, she called me names. It would've been better if she had just ignored me completely, Mary. It hurts differently. I don't even know what to think anymore. My mind is completely blank."
The pain in her eyes made my chest tighten.
Without saying another word, I took her hand and led her into an empty classroom.
"You can let it all out."
The moment we sat down, she broke.
She cried into my shoulder until she had no tears left.
When she finally calmed down, I pulled out the pancakes I had packed for her that morning.
"Here. Eat something. You look malnourished."
A small smile appeared on her face as she took a bite.
"Mmm..."
"So?" I asked hopefully.
"Who cooked this?"
"I did."
She stared at me.
"What?"
"You need cooking lessons ?."
I asked dramatically.
"I never said it was good," she replied, trying not to laugh. "You're the one who clearly needs lessons. I swear there's no butter in this."
She chuckled, and for the first time in days, I saw a tiny piece of the old Lana.
"Damn," I groaned. "We forgot to add butter."
"And there's way too much milk."
"You can't blame me! We didn't have butter at home—only peanut butter. And God knows I hate that stuff. It tastes like..."
I lowered my voice.
"...period."
Lana burst into laughter.
"Mary! You're disgusting!"
Soon we were both laughing so hard that our stomachs hurt.
For a few precious minutes, everything felt normal again.
Then...
Bing!
Lana's phone lit up.
She reached for it, but I quickly grabbed her wrist.
"If it's another stupid post about you, don't open it."
She shook her head.
"Don't worry. I can handle it."
She unlocked the phone.
"It's anonymous."
A second later, her face went pale.
"Fuck," she whispered.
"What? What does it say?" I asked, suddenly nervous.
She swallowed before reading aloud.
"Ruby is crushing on Lee. It's not just a crush—they're secretly dating."
Silence.
I slowly looked at Lana.
She was already staring at me.
Our eyes widened at the exact same moment.
"Maya..."
We both said together.