I hate her...I think
✅ The full girl squad:
Jay → Main character, masculine girl, 17 years old, junior year
Taira
Stéphanie → Taira’s best friend (they’re super close)
Monaïcha (Jay’s best friend)
Colombe (Jay’s ex-crush)
Marylin
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💬 Chapter 1 — “Lunch Breaks in the Courtyard”
> Noon. Jay’s favorite time of day. Not because she liked the cafeteria food — never — but because it was the real break.
The only moment she could actually be herself, without having to explain her style, her tone, or the way her gaze was always too cold.
> As usual, she was the first one on the low wall, at the far end of the courtyard, where the sun still hit a little. Headphones on, hoodie half-up, looking chill — but deep down, always a bit on guard.
> She spotted Taira arriving, with Stéphanie right behind her, stuck to her like always.
> — You’re always early, huh? said Taira with a half-smile.
> Jay turned down her music.
> — I avoid the chaos. And annoying people, she replied without even looking up.
> Stéphanie frowned but stayed silent. She sat across from her, giving Taira a quick glance.
Jay felt the tension.
> A few minutes later, the rest of the squad showed up: Monaïcha, Colombe, and Marylin. Laughs, gossip, the usual teasing.
But Jay wasn’t really in the mood.
Not today.
> She could feel Taira’s eyes on her, now and then. Not heavy, not intrusive. But there. And it irritated her.
Because for too long, Taira had looked at her like an enemy.
And today? It was something else.
> — You’re awfully quiet, Jay. Something changed? Marylin teased with a grin.
> — Maybe she’s finally thinking, muttered Taira.
> Something was definitely going on. And Jay didn’t like it.
> — Yeah, I’m thinking, Jay replied softly.
— About what? asked Colombe.
— The weather, she joked. Nothing important.
> But truth was, she was lying.
She was thinking about Taira.
And she hated that.
> Because before, it was simple: Jay and Taira hated each other. Since elementary school. Too many fights, too many sharp comments, too much awkwardness.
But now?
Now Taira was talking to her. Gently. Kindly.
And Jay hated not knowing how to react.
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✍️ Chapter 2 — Getting closer
> I don’t even know when it shifted. One day, we were throwing jabs. The next, Taira was tugging on my shirt like a little kid every time I turned my back.
I didn’t say anything.
I even laughed, at first. But deep down, I was like:
“Is it just me or is she acting weird with me? Is she playing or what?”
> What made it even messier was that everyone still thought I was hung up on Colombe.
And okay, yeah — I was obsessed for a while. Like, heart-eyes, texting her at 1 a.m., dumb dreams where she kissed me on the bus.
But she rejected me. Twice.
Once nicely. The second time... not so much.
> And yeah, that’s just how I am. I can fall for someone, then switch. Flirt here, flirt there.
Some days I’m sure I’m into a girl. The next? I’m not.
It’s not that I’m playing. It’s just... my heart’s starving, I think.
> Anyway. Point is — Taira was making me glitch.
And the worst part?
She knew.
She knew exactly what she was doing.
> We were all sitting on the steps outside room E-22, like we did every lunch. Sun on our faces, endless jokes, nonstop laughter.
And Taira wouldn’t stop touching me. Shoulder taps. Shirt tugs. Playful slaps that screamed anything but “I hate you.”
> — You’re pretty quiet today, she said, glancing at me real quick — like she was testing my reaction.
> — Trying not to mentally fall for someone, I replied, faking a serious tone.
> She burst out laughing. That laugh. Always too loud. Always too real.
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👀 Enter Stéphanie:
> That’s when I noticed Stéphanie’s stare.
Sitting a little further away, but not far enough to miss anything. She was watching Taira. Then me. Then our hands. Our gestures.
Nothing obvious. But I felt the tension rising.
> Her brows slightly furrowed.
That strange silence.
Her — the one who usually jumped into every convo with a snarky comment or a joke... Now? Nothing. Just this heavy silence, aimed at me.
> And suddenly, it hit me.
She sees me as a threat.
Not just some girl in the group. Not someone she tolerates.
But someone who could ruin the bond she has with Taira.
> And in her eyes, it wasn’t “romantic jealousy.”
No. It was something else.
Like she spotted the crack in her duo with Taira.
And I was that crack.
> I looked away.
I wasn’t looking for drama.
But I already knew — this wasn’t going to stay calm.
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✍️ Chapter 3 — “That Kind of Message”
> I should’ve seen it coming.
That stare, I knew it too well.
That silence, that weird distance while everyone else was laughing…
Stéphanie wasn’t the type to ignore something she saw as a threat.
> That evening, I was chilling on my bed, music on, phone in hand.
And the message dropped.
From Stéphanie.
No “hey,” no emojis. Just this:
> “You know Taira and I are like sisters. I see right through you. Leave her alone.”
> I read it three times.
No question mark. No doubt.
A threat. Clear. Cold. Straight.
> I typed a reply. Deleted it. Typed again. Deleted.
Then finally wrote:
> “If you’ve got a problem with me, say it to my face.”
> She replied instantly:
> “I don’t have a problem.
But if you keep clinging to her like that, you will.”
> My heart was racing, but I didn’t freak out.
I just got it now — why she’d been staring at me like I was gum stuck to her shoe.
She was scared of losing Taira.
And she saw me as some toxic chick, a player, unstable.
> Okay… maybe I am unstable.
But I’m not fake.
And I hadn’t done anything wrong.
> Since Taira and I started talking more, everything had just… happened. Naturally.
It was her coming to me. Her laughing. Her touching me. Her throwing weird glances whenever someone else talked to me.
> And I wasn’t about to pretend I hadn’t noticed.
Because I felt something too.
Even if it was messy. Even if I wasn’t ready to name it.
> The next day, when I met the group in front of the classroom, I didn’t say a word to Stéphanie.
She didn’t either.
But her eyes had already told me everything.
> And I knew this was only the beginning.