I’M SAVAGE

The air was heavy. The kind of heavy that presses on your chest and makes it hard to breathe. I sat there on the edge of the couch, my leg bouncing, my hands clammy.

It was just the four of us — Bill, Nate, Tim, and Belle. No team. No crowd. Just the people who mattered…and the people I'd hurt.

And they were all waiting.

"Okay, so?" Tim finally broke the silence, arms crossed. "Why are we here, Billie? Because I'm missing practice for this, and unless there's food or a confession, I'm out."

My heart was pounding. "It's…a confession."

Bill shifted beside me. "Billie—"

But I couldn't stop now. The words were already there.

"I'm Pink Savage."

The room went so still it felt like the air had been sucked out. Even Tim, who always had a snarky comment, just stared at me like I'd grown an extra head.

Then —

"WHAT?!" Belle's voice cracked. She stared at me like I'd just slapped her.

Tim, on the other hand, just raised his brows. "Huh," he said. "I knew Pink Savage was one of us. I was wrong when I said she'd be hot in real life."

"Shut up, Tim," Bill muttered, already rubbing his temples like this was giving him an actual migraine.

But my eyes were locked on Nate.

He wasn't saying anything. He just…stared.

Then, finally —

"You both knew?" His voice was quiet, but the weight behind it was like a hammer. "You knew and lied to my face?"

"Nate—" Bill started, but Nate held up a hand.

"Don't. Just—don't." His eyes flashed as they turned to me. "And you—what? You thought coming clean would fix this?"

"No," I whispered. "But it's a start."

"Yeah? And I'm supposed to just forgive you?" Nate's voice was rising now, his face flushed. "You humiliated me, Billie. You made my coming out a circus — something you never had the right to touch. And you—" He turned on Bill, his voice breaking. "You let it happen."

That's when I snapped.

"That's not fair!" I shot to my feet. "Bill didn't let anything happen. He didn't know what I was going to post — and when he found out, he was furious. He's been furious. You wanna blame someone? Fine. Blame me. But don't you dare put this on him."

The room went silent.

Bill's eyes softened, just for a second. But Nate — Nate just shook his head.

"I don't even know who you are," he said quietly. "Either of you."

My chest ached. "Nate, I know I messed up. I've been messy and selfish and wrong. And I'm sorry. I didn't think — and that's the problem. I hurt you. And I hate myself for it."

Nate's jaw tightened, but he didn't say anything.

And then, out of nowhere —

"For what it's worth," Belle spoke up softly, "you helped me once. Pink Savage helped me when no one else would. And your secret's safe with me."

My throat closed up. "Thank you," I whispered.

But Nate just shook his head again. "I don't know if I can forgive you," he said. "Not yet."

"I get it," I whispered.

The group broke up after that. Belle squeezed my hand. Tim muttered something about how I owed him for the drama. And Nate…Nate didn't even look back.

But Bill stayed.

"You didn't have to defend me," he said after a beat.

"Yes, I did." My voice cracked. "You didn't deserve any of this."

He looked at me for a long time. And for the first time in weeks, there wasn't coldness in his eyes.

"Fix it, Billie," he said quietly. "You've got a second chance. Don't waste it."

And then he left too.

I sat there alone, the silence pressing down like a weight.

I had a second chance.

But I wasn't sure if I deserved it.

*-*

That night, I stared at my screen for a long time. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, the weight of everything that happened sitting heavy on my chest.

But I owed them this — a little honesty. Even if it was wrapped in the usual Pink Savage flair.

So I typed.

[Pink Savage Exclusive]

For the past few posts…yeah, it's been weird. And it's come to my realization that I hurt someone in the process. I mean, Pink isn't the villain here — but I get it. Lines were crossed. So, for the first and last time, I'm saying it: I'm sorry.

Sorry for pressuring Nate into coming out. But hey — not entirely my fault he's now with the love of his life. And let's be real, Bill Parker has been making everything hot lately. I mean, someone tell him to take off that basketball T-shirt for the rest of us.

But really — Pink Savage kinda enjoyed this one. Almost too much.

Now…back to the MIA girls. Stay tuned. You know you love me. 💋

I hit post before I could overthink it.

And just like that, the damage control had begun.