COURTNEY's POV

Talking to Jackson was such a great help. He gave me some perspective that I didn't have or even realize before. Both him and my friends were basically on the same page and believed that what I did was really dumb.

Not gonna argue with that.

I thanked Jackson for his help, especially when he said not to give up. The fact that it came from Chad's best friend made such an impact. That's what I needed at that point, more so after what happened that day.

I also told Jackson to make sure Chad gets the paper bag I left for him. At this point, I was relying on the letter I had written for him, hoping it would be enough to get through him or even speak to him because I wasn't sure if I would have another chance to talk to him now that Olivia is around.

After that, and thanking him again, I left.

The situation was getting harder to handle. Every time I thought of a plan, it always backfired on me. It was as if I kept reaching a dead end.

"Trust me, this will all be worth it in the end."

Yes, Jackson's words somehow gave me some hope, but despite this I still couldn't help but feel down, especially whenever I remember how Olivia hugged Chad, and to make things even worse, how he wrapped his arm around her.

The image just kept replaying in my head--torturing me in the process.

As much as I wanted to stay positive, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. I had no idea how I would make it through. I honestly ran out of ideas. My head just wanted to give up, but my heart was too stubborn to listen. It's like my heart and my head were in a tug of war.

I was so happy to have Terry with me throughout the whole night. When I arrived home, she immediately asked me what happened, and the only thing I could do was shake my head. With just that, she totally understood already. She hugged me and let me cry on her shoulder. She told me everything was going to be alright, even though she couldn't do anything to make the situation better.

I cried myself to sleep, feeling a mix of emotions--hurt, sadness, jealousy, and frustration. I was overwhelmed and I didn't know how to make it stop.

Damn it.

How I could shed so many tears over a guy I had known for just a few months and had a relationship that lasted only for a few days, not even a week, was beyond me.

I tried to convince myself that there would be someone else, I could find someone better. But let's face it, there's no one better than Chad.

I groaned and cursed and blamed myself for being so stupid. Why did I let my feelings get so out of control? Why did I let myself fall in love again?

That had been the question that I kept asking myself since I woke up. It's Saturday, a brand new day, but felt like I was still stuck in yesterday.

Well, I have been sulking for god knows how long now. I guess I need to get out of my bed and find something to do. Anything that can distract me from this depression I am in.

I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror, stopping me in my tracks. "God, I looked awful!" My eyes were puffy from all the crying and my hair was a mess. I was so used to seeing myself looking pretty and great in the morning, and this was a completely different level! I sighed, "This is what you get from falling in love; a broken heart and a messy face."

I went to the kitchen to get some ice to press against my eyes, hoping it would reduce the puffiness. Suddenly, I was caught off guard by a loud pop sound that made me jump in alarm. My head whipped around to see what was that noise about. To my surprise, I saw Terry with a big, pink balloon, Lucy with a cake, Jenny and Fiona with party poppers. They all shouted, "Happy Birthday!"

It took me a minute to process what just happened. Then I realized I may have been so stressed lately that I forgot it was my birthday!

The real one.

I fought the urge to cry again. God, I'm going through an emotional roller coaster right now. I was so upset, disappointed and annoyed that I forgot my birthday. But then, I was happy and grateful for the surprise and for my friends who always have my back, and remembering my real birthday even though we already celebrated it in advance!

"I told you she forgot it was her birthday," Jenny said in disbelief, shaking her head. I couldn't help but laugh at her words while tears streamed down my face. It was overwhelming, but, this time, in a good way.

In the midst of heartbreak, I still have friends to share a laugh with and that made me feel less depressed. It was a reminder that no matter what happened, I had someone in my life.

This was something I took for granted before. At first, I thought we were friends because we're all popular and pretty, we share the same interests and thoughts. But it's clear that we're more than that, we're sisters.

Fiona came over and wiped the tears from my face. "Oh, Court. You look like crap!"

I laughed even more.

"I've never seen you this messy, especially on your birthday!" Lucy commented while examining my hair.

"I thought you weren't going to wake up!" Terry joked to lighten the mood even more. "We were tempted to call an ambulance."

We all laughed at the silly jokes, relieved that the heaviness I felt in my heart had been replaced with warmth of friendship. I hugged them all and thanked them for this. I needed it.

"Seriously, Court. You need to get ready, we have a lunch reservation to celebrate your birthday at the country club."

"Apparently, it's booked every year on your birthday!" Jenny cheered excitedly.

"Yeah, my dad said he'd been doing it since I was a baby. It's like a family tradition I guess," I responded.

"Oh, that's why we celebrate it there almost every year," Jenny said in surprise.

"Yeah, what do you think?" Terry raised her brow at her in question.

"I thought she's just lazy to think of other places that's why."

Jenny's innocence made us all laugh.

For a day, I'll try to forget the nasty sht going on in my life and just savor my special day.

* * * * * *

Over lunch, I finally shared with my friends what happened yesterday. From the library up to Chad's house. How I ran into Jackson when I left and told me his thoughts about the situation.

I made sure to look at Lucy when I told that part of the story. I couldn't help but notice the blush on her cheeks and smile on her face. This made me think something was brewing between her and Jackson, but I didn't want to interrogate her or even force her to say something. I'm sure she'll let us know when she's ready.

"What a total bitch." Fiona blurted out of the blue.

We were by the pool enjoying the sun while lying in the lounge chairs. The waiter handed us our drinks and Fiona's words made him pause. He quickly recovered his composure, smiled politely and walked away.

"What was that all about?" I had to ask.

Fiona shrugged, "I just can't get over what you told us. That girl hugged Chad in front of you? Like seriously?"

They didn't say much when I told them the story during lunch. The only thing they did was nod their heads here and there, listening intently to what I had to say without any interruptions.

But at that moment, I felt them struggling to bite their tongues, as if they were given strict instructions to let me finish the story first before they could give their opinion. Also, maybe they thought it would be better to talk about this elsewhere.

And Fiona was the first to break the silence and let out whatever she'd been holding awhile ago. Smart that she chose the poolside for this moment.

"I mean, I know she is such a bitch, but I didn't expect she would be a freakin' total a-hole."

The girls laughed at her outburst, and seconded it.

For some unknown reason, I wanted to defend Olivia, but Terry clearly sensed this, so she shot me a stern look. "She was being bitchy, Court. She was spiteful to you. It was clear that she was trying to make you jealous and feel helpless about it. She knows she has the upper hand."

"And she's succeeded." Lucy chimed in. "Jackson said she was extra annoying during dinner. His words, not mine."

"Are you dating Jackson?" Jenny asked suddenly, making us look at Lucy, who was choking on her drink. Lucy quickly recovered and tried to brush off the question. "No, no. We're just friends." She said, blushing slightly.

Jenny nodded, looking convinced. But the rest of us weren't. Of course we didn't call Lucy out on this. We just smiled and kept the real answers to ourselves.

Though it's obvious, like what I said, I won't push her. That's a topic for another day. Lucy was too defensive about this, so I guess she's not ready or unsure yet.

I cleared my throat and went back to the previous topic. "Whatever her intentions are--" I paused when I noticed Terry and Fiona staring at something behind me with a look of disbelief and disgust, almost as if the fun that was in the air just a few moments ago had been sucked away.

I turned around to see who they were looking at. My stomach dropped when I saw who it was.

"What is she doing here?"

"She is not a club member, right?"

"What the actual fck."

"Is she lost?"

My friends said, I could detect a hint of annoyance in their voices and faces as they stared at Olivia.

Olivia was wearing a yellow summer dress, looking around like she was exploring. I quickly turned away before she even notice me.

Not that I was a coward or something, I just couldn't afford to ruin my birthday that's all. And having another interaction with her would definitely spoil my special day.

But Fiona had a different plan in mind. She continued to glare at her which I guess caught Olivia's attention, because the next thing I knew, she was standing in front of us in an instant.

"Courtney, right? The one Chad's tutoring?"

"I'm going to strangler her, Court." I heard Fiona mutter. Soft enough so only I could hear. I held her hand, trying to stop her, and somehow tell her I didn't want any drama on my birthday.

"And you must be Fiona! The cheer captain. I heard so many great things about you. Are you ready for the competition?" Olivia smiled as she extended her hand. But Fiona didn't take it, instead, she stood up and walked up to Olivia.

"I wish I could say the same thing, that I heard great things about you. But sadly, no." Fiona pouted mockingly.

I quickly stood up and come in between them, just in case this develops into something bad. Olivia's smile faded and was replaced with a look of rage. I knew that a fight was about to break out. I was trying to diffuse the situation by stepping in, but it didn't seem to work.

I turned to the other girls for help. They too all stood, ready to intervene if needed. The tension was palpable and I knew that if we didn't do something, things could escalate quickly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Olivia hissed, trying her best to stay composed as possible.

"Fiona, please." I said, trying to get through her.

"Why ask the obvious when you already know the answer, Miss traitor?"

And that was enough to make Olivia lose her cool. It happened so fast! She grabbed Fiona's hair and started tugging at her with all her might. Fiona grabbed hers as well. I stepped in to stop their fight. Fiona was furious and Olivia was so angry she was about to burst into tears.

Just when I thought I managed to break them apart, when all of a sudden, I heard a splash and saw Olivia fall into the pool.

I, more like we, were in complete shock and frozen on spot! One minute we were trying to stop the fight, the next thing we knew, Olivia ended up in the pool.

I snapped back into life when I noticed Olivia struggling to keep her head above the water. What? She couldn't swim!

I was about to jump into the water to help her. But, someone already beat me to it. When I looked down, I thought it was the lifeguard, but someone else dived in to save her.

It was...

"Chad."

-END OF CHAPTER 53-

A/N: Did you like it? I honestly had a hard time writing the pool scene. Hopefully you pictured what I had in mind. Let me know what you think will happen next.

Love you all!

ADVANCE CHAPTERS: Want to read more? Chapter 65 is now up on my Patreon account: notjustarandomgirl. The End is coming soon!