“What did you say to Bridget?” As much as I was feeling bad for interrupting Tim’s date with Zoe, I was even more freaked out at the ‘offer’ Bridget gave me at school today. It was a good thing, I found Tim and Zoe sitting here at Dunkin’ Donuts, having donuts and dunking them in something.

“Hi, Jade.” Zoe gave me a wave and a friendly smile, and I gave her a small smile back, before turning back to Tim, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. “I – I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He thought he could fool me with that. He wasn’t even looking at me while saying that!

Grabbing a nearby empty chair, I sat down next to Zoe and across from Tim, so that I could stare right into his lying and betraying eyes. “What. Did. You. Say. To. Bridget?” My voice came out scarier than I was going for, but at least it was scary enough to make Tim cower in fear and confess everything before peeing himself (not intended).

“I – I asked her about Paige, and she said she didn’t know.” I squinted my eyes at him, as he took a sip of his drink before gulping loudly. If that was all, I sure must’ve been one sexy beast to make Bridget suddenly interested in me. “Is that all?”

He tried to not look me in my eyes as he glanced at Zoe before eating his donut, which looked really tempting at the moment, so I snatched it away from him and began eating it myself. He just glared at me, before shaking his head. “There’s more.”

I gulped after chewing, “Continue.”

Glancing at Zoe again, Tim gave me a nervous smile before saying what I needed to know. “She asked me why I was asking that question, and I didn’t want to tell her.”

“But, you did.” I felt my stomach drop into an endless pit as I watched the apologetic look on his face. “S-She cornered me and I couldn’t escape her!” Well, a little like how she trapped me in the bathroom too, then. Wow, I didn’t know Tim could be forced into revealing something against his will. It made me suddenly scared of what else Bridget could do.

Tim was looking at Zoe with a small apologetic smile, as I glanced at Zoe to see her frowning. Shaking my head, I leaned forward in my seat and gave Tim my best intimidating stare, which was really bad but really worth it at the same time.

“What did you tell her, exactly?” Tim gulped at my question. He looked scared suddenly as if, he told her something that could destroy either his life or mine, and judging by his constant apologetic look on his face, I had an idea whose life could be destroyed, not like it wasn’t already. “You told her about Paige, didn’t you?”

Zoe gave both of us confused glances, since she didn’t know about the crush-turned-love I had on Paige. She only knew that we wanted to know if Paige was a lesbian.

Oh my god, why do you hate me so? Now, Bridget knows. (that really rhymes)

Tim nodded his head lightly as he gave me yet another apologetic look, which I was starting to hate.

I didn’t know what else to do than to stand up from the chair and just leave the place, leaving Tim sad, and Zoe confused. But, I didn’t care. I only cared of what I had to do now. If Bridget really knew about Paige, she could use it to blackmail me and before that could happen, I knew what to do.

***

The next day everything had changed, literally.

The hallways weren’t the same anymore and the students roaming them were certainly not the same either, as I walked into the building with Bridget clinging to my arm.

It was a good thing Paige hadn’t come to pick me up again because I wouldn’t know what to say to her when she would see Bridget’s stylish convertible parked in front of my house.

It was enough for me to explain that to my mom and Caleb, who were both dumbfounded that I was popular with girls other than Paige. And I definitely didn’t know what to tell them when Bridget had introduced herself as my girlfriend to them. I have never choked so hard ever in my life.

And the awkwardness continued when both Bridget and mom had come to rub my back. I wanted to die at that moment, and it didn’t make it any better that Caleb was laughing the whole time.

Well, nothing could beat this exact moment here, as Bridget and I passed the hallways, because it definitely was the most awkward from the two previous encounters. The two previous encounters being: my mother and Bridget going to nurse me when I choked, and when Bridget introduced herself as my girlfriend to my family.

Oh my god, could this day get any worse?

Wait – I think it just did.

Tim emerged from the crowd of students that were clearing from our way, and I wanted to smile at how clueless Tim was to his surroundings with his face in his phone.

Bridget glanced at me and I didn’t like the glance at all.

We both walked up to Tim – well, I was dragged since I wanted to go to my locker which had already arrived. Bridget cleared her throat to get Tim’s attention, while pulling me closer, as he continued to be away in his own world. I wanted to laugh at my best friend, but I also didn’t want to know what Bridget might do if I did that, so I stayed neutral.

It was after the third time that Bridget cleared her throat agitatedly did Tim raise his head from his phone and give her the attention she wanted. And as his eyes caught Bridget’s, they eventually landed on me, and I had never seen him look so scared before.

“Hi, Timothy. Do you remember that you asked me a question yesterday?” I didn’t know where Bridget was taking this conversation, and I guess neither did Tim as he glanced at me with confusion before giving Bridget a hesitant nod. “You wanted to know if Paige was a lesbian, right?”

The whole hallway gasped dramatically while I rolled my eyes at them for even doing that. Come on, people, we don’t live in the 80’s anymore!

Tim’s eyes also widened a good fraction as he looked at something or someone behind Bridget and I. Not knowing who it was, I gladly took a look over my shoulder, and my ‘girlfriend’ did the same.

What I didn’t expect was the blonde girl I liked, to be there staring at the scene before me with a betrayed look on her face. Zoe, who was standing beside Paige, looked like something really bad had happened, while I just tried to hide my face from showing concern.

Did I tell you that I wasn’t wearing my paper bag anymore? No, well, I tend to forget about important things.

“Well, well, well, everyone is united here then.” As Bridget talked, she pulled me insanely closer to herself, which I was not liking at all, as I watched Paige’s eyes running over our linked arms and our close bodies over and over again with the same betrayal showing in her eyes. “So, I guess, we can all announce some big things, right, honey?”

Honey? As much as, I would’ve been loved to be called that, I just didn’t want to hear it from her.

I looked like a deer caught in headlights as everyone’s attention fell on me and Bridget gave me a subtly cold glare which only made me shiver. I didn’t know what to do so I just stood there, and blushed.

I really didn’t like attention and at the moment, I wasn’t sure if this was the good kind of attention or the bad kind. “Tell them that we are dating now.” I felt a whispered hiss in my ear, and I stiffened gradually before speaking out about the ‘good news’ which wasn’t good for me in any way.

“Uh, Bridget and I are dating?” My voice was hesitant and uncertain as I spoke in a low volume which made the crowd gathered around us give each other confused glances. But, I didn’t care about them, I cared about the blonde goddess that looked like she had been hit in the gut with the information.

“Jade and I are dating now, and I’d like everyone to stop bullying her!” Bridget declared and as if the students couldn’t get any more annoying, they gasped dramatically before we heard the clear murmurs of everyone.

It made me wonder why the bell to first period hadn’t rung yet.

“And also, to answer your question,” Bridget turned around swiftly, letting my arm go, as she faced Tim. I watched Paige, not caring about the other blonde who was now my said girlfriend, and how Paige’s face turned into a scared look, as if she was afraid of something. “Paige is a lesbian.”

And, the whole hallway gasped, while I didn’t know what to feel as I saw Paige’s teary eyes and shaking body turn around and leave the hallway, followed by Zoe.

I didn’t want Paige to go. I wanted to follow her as well and check if she was okay, but even before I could move my feet, I felt my arm being linked with Bridget’s again, and just from a single look of hers, everyone in the hallway scattered, mumbling things about Paige and Bridget.

“Well, wasn’t that a great show.” I was sick to my stomach. Was this Bridget’s plan all along? To out Paige like that? She needed only my emotions to do it.

I felt myself being pulled by the arm, and then dragged away to the first period, since the bell had rung finally.

The hallway looked longer as I was dragged away from the double doors out of which Paige and Zoe disappeared. I wanted to go to her, but as we turned a corner, the sight of the doors disappeared as well.

***