23. Friend to Friend

Rose's POV:

"I still can't believe you did that, Ro!" Aria whisper-exclaimed, her voice dripping with excitement as we sat in our chairs. She sounded as if I had just won a gold medal in badassery.

"Yeah, well, neither can I," I groaned, rubbing my temples. "Maybe I should've just let them fight like five-year-olds at a birthday party. They clearly had some unresolved bad blood—and trust me, it wasn't over me. I realized that after I made a fool of myself."

I tucked an irritating lock of hair behind my ear for what felt like the hundredth time.

Aria rolled her eyes, unwilling to let this go. "I don't understand why it's so hard for you to believe that they were, in fact—or at least kind of—fighting over you."

I gave her a deadpan stare, silently daring her to try and convince me otherwise.

Sensing my skepticism, she switched tactics. "Okay, fine. Let's just agree that you completely snuffed out two overly confident guys who were acting like major jerks."

Now that was something I could get behind.

"Yeah, yeah... I kinda did, didn't I?" A slow smile crept onto my lips, and I nodded in agreement. At least one of them was being a complete ass.

The one who apparently doesn't know how to be anything but an ass.

Aria beamed. "There we go! That's the spirit."

Then, as if she had been waiting for the perfect moment, she leaned in dramatically. "Now that your—" she made air quotes, "embarrassment—"

I scowled, and she quickly corrected herself, "Alleged embarrassment is out of the way, I find it impossibly difficult not to inform you that—"

And then she whisper-yelled right in my ear, forcing me to jerk back.

"—you didn't just shut down any two jerks. You put The Jerks in their place, Ro! The two most handsome guys in the whole damn town! And that's not just me talking—it's general consensus."

Her eyes were wide with urgency, like she was both exaggerating and somehow not exaggerating at the same time.

"Every girl—and I mean every girl—would practically fall to her knees for just a single glance from them. They are the heartthrobs of the entire campus. Honestly? I've even seen some guys eyeing them."

I let that sink in for a second.

So... I wasn't wrong earlier. They really were being gawked at.

"Oh, I think I saw that too," I admitted, lowering my voice as if we were exchanging top-secret information.

Aria gasped, clutching my arm. "Right?!" She was way too satisfied with that confirmation.

Then she tilted her head and studied me with narrowed eyes. "Honestly, I think I'm more shook over how you got both of their attention in the first place."

"Hey!" I smacked her arm, feigning offense. "That did not sound like a compliment!" I huffed, shifting in my chair as I tilted my head back.

Aria simply snickered.

We were still waiting for class to start, the professor nowhere in sight, and the bell taking its sweet time ringing.

The sooner it rang, the sooner this first day would be over.

And honestly? I couldn't wait to leave.

After this morning's disaster, it was glaringly obvious that I had become today's hot gossip.

Every time I passed someone, I could feel the stares—too long to be casual but just short enough to not be blatantly rude. The way they looked at me, like they knew me, made my skin crawl.

Like I had unknowingly signed up to be a spectacle.

Fabulous.

"I'm serious, though," Aria continued, dragging me out of my thoughts. "Whatever magic spell you cast, you need to teach me."

She pouted, full puppy-dog mode activated.

"I cannot get even one of the average jocks on the campus team to notice me!" She groaned dramatically, tossing her head back.

That did it. I burst out laughing—so loudly, in fact, that a few people shot me weird looks. But that only sent Aria and me into another fit of giggles, making us both clutch our sides like total idiots.

After a moment, Aria wiped a fake tear. "God, it's good to finally have you back, Rosie," she said, smiling warmly. "I missed you so much. It just wasn't the same without you."

The teasing lilt in her voice was gone, replaced with something softer, more sincere.

She hesitated for a beat before adding, "And you know by 'we,' I mean Jake too."

I stiffened slightly.

"Don't keep the poor guy hanging, Ro. He hated keeping the truth from you all these years. We all did. He was devastated by it."

Her voice was quiet now, her usual playfulness gone.

"And I'm really sorry," she admitted. "For not telling you, for keeping it a secret. I should have told you myself."

A part of me wanted to be angry. After all, she had stayed in touch with me for years—called, texted, visited—and never once did she tell me.

But when I looked at her, I saw it—the guilt in her eyes.

The fear that I might not forgive her.

The regret that she'd been part of something that hurt me.

And as much as it stung, I knew I couldn't hold it against her.

They thought they were doing the right thing. Protecting me. Keeping me from more suffering.

I let out a sigh. "I know you guys were just trying to do what you thought was best for me back then," I said honestly.

"I'm not saying what Jake did was right. I do feel betrayed. I was hurt. But…" I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "I also know that he was hurting too. He lost his family, just like I did."

I looked at Aria, making sure she understood. "So I forgave him."

She exhaled a relieved breath, nodding slightly.

"And," I added, pulling her into a sideways hug, "I forgive you too, Ari."

She stiffened for a second before relaxing, squeezing me back.

"All these years, you stuck by me," I continued. "You never left me alone. And I really am grateful to have you as my best friend."

It was a rare mushy moment, but I meant every word.

Of course, I had to ruin it.

"Although, sometimes you're a hopeless, dramatically desperate bitch," I tacked on, grinning.

Aria immediately pulled back, glaring daggers at me.

I threw my hands up in surrender. "But I love you! You're the best friend not everyone gets—I'm one of the lucky ones!" I nodded furiously, trying to sell my sincerity.

Aria narrowed her eyes at me for another second before breaking into a beaming smile.

And just like that, we both started laughing again.

Yeah. This—this right here—I had missed this.

Maybe this day wasn't a total disaster after all.