𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖚𝖇𝖎𝖒 𝖏𝖆𝖜𝖆𝖍𝖎𝖗

She was sleeping in class.

Versailles Mostafah was sleeping in class.

The teacher caught her the first time and tried calling on her, a poor attempt to embarrass her as she answered his question flawlessly. However, immediately after that, her eyes shut again. She was tired, that was clear to see but the dark bags under her eyes and the red ring around them were not the hangover kind.

She wasn't tired from a fun night out or rolling around in someone's bed all weekend. She wasn't sleeping.

That unsettled me. I couldn't keep the same tabs on her anymore because I'd heard around that she moved out last week and because no one was friends with her no one knew where she went. 

It used to annoy me before, having to hear from her neighbors about the girls she would bring in all the time and how it was fucking up their sleeping schedule but at least then that meant she was alright. Chasing a nasty case of herpes? Sure, but alright. Now she was walking around the school looking like death and I didn't know why.

The teacher gave us the go-ahead to split into groups to discuss our next project. The regular people I was around circled me and dived into it, which made it harder for me to look at Versailles and see if she was okay. "Cherry would know, right?"

I almost didn't reply to the mention of my name until I snapped out of my trance and met the gaze of my friends, who were staring at me expectantly. "I zoned out, guys. I'm sorry. What were you saying?" I apologized, still keeping the green-haired girl in my line of sight.

"Apparently it was the death anniversary of you know who's parents this weekend," Kaleb told me, tilting his head over to point at Versailles. I felt my heart fall at the revelation, tapping my phone I checked the date and sure enough it was two days ago. Is that why she was so exhausted? Was she alone this weekend?

"Maybe that's why," Gina nodded, reapplying her lipgloss, "She's been lights off in almost every class today. If I were that tired I would just not come."

"You don't come even when you're wide awake Gina," Robyn retorted, typing something on her laptop with one end of her pen in her teeth. "Cut her some slack, she lost her parents."

"I did some research on them this one time for my debate class," Joanne cut in, "Did you guys know they used to make her help her with heists and shit," She nodded when she saw the shocked looks on people's faces, "Yeah like apparently since she was little because she was a kid and stuff they'd use her to get into vents and all that."

I frowned, a feeling of defensiveness rising up my throat, "Where did you read that?"

She didn't catch onto my agitated tone, "There's this website for a bunch of true crime stories and they did all the math, and it's like literally impossible that they could fit into some of those places," She explained further, "It's pretty sad actually. They put her in so much danger it's actually good that they're not here any-

"Joe that's a really shitty thing to say," I stopped her so she could go further but the story was noted in my brain as something I definitely wanted to read up on. I'd never really done any research on Versailles parents, always thought it was rather disrespectful and she told me plenty a times that a lot of the shit these websites would publish was just a bunch of flashy headlines with stories written to make a fast buck.

When we were younger she used to be swarmed by reporters wherever she'd go and she even had a couple of stalkers along the way. Just weird people who had weird ideas. It was always clear to her that it was a sensitive topic and the time she spent with them was definitely not something she was willing to talk about.

I used to try and convince her to try to see their graves, she seemed so angry at them all the time but I could tell she loved them just as much. Unfortunately for her, I think she felt like she wasn't allowed to.

"I'm sorry that is horrible," She blushed with embarrassment, finally catching onto my gaze, "I just thought-

"No, you didn't," I snapped at her, "You weren't thinking."

There was a silence after that, that almost made me feel sorry for her but I quickly got over that. Never was there a time that I made them feel it was okay to speak negatively about Versailles around me, I couldn't control them when I wasn't around but I'd always been strict about how they spoke of her near my earshot.

She wasn't a bad person.

I refused to believe that, deep down I knew our falling out was my fault. I said things that I couldn't take back and I couldn't even meet her gaze long enough to not feel ashamed of myself. I'd abandoned her when she needed me the most and now I had to watch her suffer from afar because I doubt she'd ever let me even hold her hand again.

But they were my actions and I'd have to live with them.

Gina, ever the peacemaker was quick to jump in to lighten the mood. "Did you ghost Imani, Cherry?" She asked in a joking manner, her voice as light as possible to contrast the mood I'd just ruined.

"Imani?" Confusion was thick in my voice as I tried to recall a time I'd spoken to an Imani.

"You know Imani," This time Kaleb chirped up, "Apparently you guys have been talking these last few weeks."

They all read the blankness on my face and practically burst out laughing, making me even more dumbfounded. "Omygosh she actually doesn't know who she is!" Robyn giggled, wiping invisible tears from her eyes. "I think I have a picture with her from the party," She put her phone in my face and zoomed in on a mirror selfie, "Do you see the girl with the braces?"

Recognition flooded my brain and I winced, "We have definitely not been talking," I cleared that up.

Joe raised an eyebrow, "You literally sucked off her face outside Curtis's house and apparently you hooked up in one of his guest rooms too."

I put my head in my hands, groaning as I remembered the situation that came about me losing my virginity. "That doesn't mean we're talking," I gestured to the girl beside me, "Gina knows that better than anyone."

The Latin girl gasped, throwing a pencil at me, "Rude!" She scoffed, "We're asking because it's not like you to give a chance to like literally anyone. I can't believe you actually had sex with her."

"I can't believe you had sex with her a month ago and still don't know her name," Kaleb burst out laughing again.

"Once again, Gina can tell you all about that," I giggled when she pinched me, "Why would you guys even think we're talking?"

"She's been telling anyone with ears to listen that you're basically her girlfriend," Gina told me and everyone at the table nodded, "She almost convinced me and I'm literally your best friend." A part of me wanted to correct her about that but I swallowed that.

"Shit Cherry was the sex that bad?" Robyn asked, getting back to whatever she was doing on her laptop. 

I wanted to sink into the floor at the embarrassing memory, "I mean, it was alright?"

Considering what I did on that night I was shocked she was telling anyone what happened that night because I was definitely far from a good fuck. But to be fair, I thought I could do it but a certain blonde with dark skin and the memory of her chest damp from her little accident had me completely unable to think of anything else.

"I could've told you that," Joe snorted, flipping her hair off her shoulders "Imani's a notorious bad fuck. All talk and no action," She rolled her eyes but then they suddenly lit up again. "You know who I've heard can lay it though?"

"Joe," I sighed at her bringing her up again.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry," She pleaded, before shrugging, "But you know what they say, 'once you go Castle you never go back'."

I rolled my eyes as they began to share more gossip and giggle amongst each other. Joe had a problem about being in everyone's business and thinking she knew more about people than they did but I would agree with her on that. Versailles reputation was definitely not for the weak.

She'd never slept with anyone more than once.

Which left behind a long line of heartbroken girls with a longer line of people who'd never tried thinking they'd be the exception to her little rule. Those who had slept with her before however were adamant that it'd changed their lives and that she had enough stamina to go till sunrise, only stopping when you'd be on the verge of passing out.

Was I jealous? Maybe just a little.

The bell finally rang and everyone practically sprung out of their seats, eager to leave and go for lunch. "You should probably talk to Imani about those rumors though Cherry," Gina told me, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Yeah we wouldn't want to ruin that angelic reputation," Kaleb joked.

I packed my bag as slowly as possible, hoping they'd leave me and wait up outside the classroom. "Eh, I'll see what I can do," I replied. Truthfully I wasn't bothered by the rumors, at least it meant I would beat the prude allegations and maybe Versailles would even catch wind of it and get a little jealous.

Just a thought.

As I hoped everyone emptied out of the classroom, leaving a sleeping Versailles who looked far from moving from her positon. I walked up to her slowly, realising that even in her sleep her brows were scrunched into a deep frown with her plump bottom lip quivering slightly. I resisted the urge to smooth out the distress on her face with my fingers and instead crouched to my knees to pick up her notebook that she'd dropped when changing positions in her sleep.

It was open on the floor and when I flipped it over I unfolded the page that had been bent on the floor before chuckling slightly at the contents. It was a large drawing of a ring, one she'd done a long time ago when I'd forced her to plan out our dream weddings to our Hollywood crushes.

She hadn't seemed that interested when I suggested the idea but got more into it when I said she could plan what she'd want her dream wedding ring to look like. She had refused to show me it afterwards saying it was now between her and her future partner but I knew it was because she was embarrassed she put so much time into it.

It was beautiful, the type of ring you'd find in an old king's tomb that would be discovered by archaeologists years later and put in a museum for all to see because it was too stunning to put a price on it. But it didn't matter, one day I'd be able to afford it.

I spared her one last longing glance before raising up the book slightly and slamming it shut on her desk to wake her up. I then slipped out of the classroom before she could fully realize what had just happened.