Page 50 of Blades of Obsession

“Frankie?” I barely manage to get the word out. My throat feels tight. “What the hell is going on?”

She steps towards me, holding her phone out like a police officer would his badge. “I didn’t want you to find out from some random stranger.”

“Find outwhat?” My hands tremble as I take the phone from her, my stomach already tying itself in knots.

There, on the screen, are pictures of… of Blade and Catalina. His arm is around her, and she’s holding him back,tooclose. She’s smiling like she just won the million-dollar lottery. Her head rests on his shoulder as if she belongs there, like she… belongs to him.

I scroll. There has to be a dozen pictures. The more I look, the more they look like they’re in love. Or at least lust. Staring into each other’s eyes. Nuzzling their noses. Him kissing her cheek. Behind them in the last picture is the music room, empty. Is that where they go for some kind of quickie? This whole time?

That deceiving jerk.

My whole world tilts. The air rushes from my lungs, and I feel like I might collapse right here in the middle of the quad hall.

“No, Frankie, this… this isn’t real. It can’t be.” I know it’s real, but I don’t want to believe it.

Frankie pulls me into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry,” she whispers into my hair. “I thought it’d be better to show you now so you wouldn’t be blindsided by rumors or some random girl. But I can definitely investigate it for you.”

I can’t even speak. My body is trembling, my mind replaying the images of them, over and over, like a movie I can’t find the remote to turn off. “I don’t understand,” I choke out. “I thought we were—”

“I know,” she says softly, rubbing circles on my back before she pulls away. “It could be nothing, okay? We don’t know the whole story yet.”

“Nothing?!” I half-yell, exasperated. My breath comes in short gasps.

Before I can say anything else, my phone buzzes. Itbetternot be him. Right now, I want to rip every strand of his stupid perfect hair off, one by one.

Skye: You chose him over me and then he ends up with another girl. Ironic. I’m moving my stuff out of the dorm. Our friendship is officially over.

I stare at the screen, the ache that was already gnawing at my chest spreads, growing heavier and heavier until it feels like I can’t breathe. This time, I can’t hold back the sobs that tear from my throat. I press a hand over my mouth, but the pain is too raw, too overwhelming.

People suck. They suck. They suck. They suck. Like human vacuum cleaners, they suck the life right out of you. And then they break down when you need them the most.

“I don’t know what to do,” I whisper, my voice shaking. “I don’t know how to fix any of this.”

Frankie strokes my hair softly, her voice a quiet comfort. “You don’t have to fix anything right now. Just breathe. You’renot alone, okay? I’m here. We’ll figure it out. What’s wrong? Was that him?” she asks. I show her the text, and she shakes her head, her lips pressing into a thin line. “I know a guy. He can get rid of both of them. Matter of fact, all three of them. Just say the word, and they’ll be dead by tomorrow.”

A surprised laugh escapes me, caught somewhere between a sob and a snort. “Seriously, Frankie?”

“Hey, I’m just saying—” She stops mid-sentence, her eyes widening. “Uh-oh.”

“What?” I ask. But I already know who she’s looking at. I can sense his presence behind me.

I turn and instantly regret it. His walk is confident, every inch of him perfectly put together. How could he… practicallycheatand be so unaffected by it? If I were with another man, I’d be eaten up, swallowed whole, and then spit out by guilt.

The second he spots me, surprise flickers across his face—followed by something else. His eyes light up when he sees me, like I’m the best part of his day.

The sight of it makes my blood boil.

How dare he pretend nothing is wrong?

Frankie leans in and whispers, “Don’t worry, I got back up.”

Blade stops in front of me, flashing that stupid, smug smile. “This is a nice surprise. I didn’t expect to see you out of—”

I cut him off, my voice sharp, the words flying out before I can stop them. “You just couldn’t keep your dick in your pants, huh?”

Blade blinks, completely taken aback, his eyebrows drawing together. “What?”

I let out a bitter laugh, my hands shaking with adrenaline. “You think I wouldn’t find out? You think I wouldn’t see the pictures of you and Catalina, all cozy like she’s your next prize?” My voice cracks, the hurt slipping through despite my bestefforts to stay strong. “You really are the king of making people feel like they matter, only to rip it away for the next one, aren’t you?”

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