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IRL, INSTAGRAM AND IMESSAGE
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↳"FUCK HIM AND FUCK LAYLA!

Two months after the breakup, Lovette was learning to function in fragments. Crying every day had turned into crying every other day—progress, if she squinted hard enough to see it.

It was spring break, and Imani had driven up to spend time with her best friend. She sat perched on a stool by the kitchen island, flipping through her phone while Lovette rummaged through the pantry, half-listening as Imani scrolled.

The sharp buzz of a notification broke the quiet. A beat later, Lovette heard Imani gasp, followed by the muffled slap of a hand over her mouth.

"What happened?" Lovette turned, catching the flicker of panic on her friend's face.

Imani straightened as if snapped into place. Her brown eyes darted everywhere but toward Lovette. "Nothing," she said quickly, too quickly.

Lovette crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing on the phone clutched in Imani's hand. "Really?"

Imani's grip tightened. "Lovette, you really don't need to see this."

A dry laugh escaped her. "I'll decide that, don't you think?"

Imani shook her head firmly. "Trust me, Lovette. You don't."

There was a pause, Lovette's lips parted as if ready to argue. But she stopped, studying Imani's face—the tension in her jaw, the way her eyes flickered with something close to pity. With a sigh, Lovette turned away. "Fine."

She tried to let it go, to believe in Imani's good intentions, but then her phone buzzed.

Her heart sank as she picked it up, noticing the sender's name: Layla.

Layla never messaged her. Not after their falling out, not after all the things left unsaid.

Against the voice in her head screaming don't, Lovette clicked the notification.

The TikTokRoom post loaded slowly, like the universe was giving her one last chance to stop. And then the photo appeared—a grainy snapshot, but unmistakably Chris. His face tilted close to another girl's, their proximity intimate.

Her chest tightened, her breath catching in her throat. Tears stung her eyes before she could stop them.

Imani's soft voice broke the silence. "Lovette..."

Lovette looked up, phone trembling in her hand, her vision blurred with unshed tears.

And in that moment, there was nothing Imani could say to make it better.

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LOVIEDOVIE JUST POSTED!

loviedovie:

liked by imani.brown, elijah_jackson and others
@loviedovie: FUCK HIM AND FUCK LAYLA FOR SENDING ME THAT POST

view comments

elijah_jackson: do u want me to beat him up
╰─▸ loviedovie: yes.
    ╰─▸elijah_jackson: 🫡

imani.brown: bro she's a villain why would she send that to you too??
╰─▸ loviedovie: wait she sent it to you!?
    ╰─▸ imani.brown: girl why do think i gasped

mateomartinez: i'm so sorry lovette
╰─▸ loviedovie: it's not ur fault dw 🫤

ONE MESSAGE FROM CHRIS <3!

chris <3

hey can we talk?

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
hi!!!!
what are ur thoughts so far?
until next time <3!