𝔸𝕕𝕦𝕝𝕥 𝔻𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 // Weston Koury

The Fallout

I was leaning out my window, drinking coffee and watching the orange leaves fall down to the grass, when I saw them again.

Isabelle and Toby.

This time, it couldn't be interpreted as friendly, as innocent. Isabelle was on her tiptoes, arms around his neck. He was leaning against a tree, and they were kissing heavily.

They were tactically positioned out of view from the main pathway leading to our building, but not out of view from my window. I could just see them.

I facepalmed. Saying "...why?" Aloud to myself. 

and before I could think I found myself calling out "OLIVIA!" and getting up.

I walked out my door and called again. "OLIVIA! COME HERE!"

Weston's door opened, and Kalynn came out. "You good?" She asked, in a tone that really said 'please stop shouting.' Sam and Weston appeared behind her, all three of them looking at me.

I walked up to Olivia's door, banging on it. "OLIVI-" She opened the door, her eyes squinting in the light.
"What? What? I'm sleeping!" She said, exasperated. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into my room, towards my window, telling her; "Look!"

She leaned out of the window, waving down and calling. "Hey, Isabelle!"

I came up next to Olivia and peered out of the window to see that Toby was walking away, and Isabelle had turned around and was now waving to Olivia. Olivia had just missed them together.

When we turned away from the window, Sam, Weston and Kalynn were all coming into my room to see what it had all been about.

"They were kissing. Isabelle and Toby." I said, and complete silence fell into the room.

"Isabelle, she's cheating on you. She's been cheating on you. All this time." I said, and Kalynn's hand was now covering her mouth in disbelief.

"What?" Sam and Olivia said together, everyone looking at me now. Weston's eyes were wide with urgent fear, and we held eye contact for just a moment. Olivia closed the window now, the noise of students talking outside became a distant muffled sound when she did. The silence in the room grew louder.

The long drawling silence killed me, and I didn't want to be the one filling it anymore. "Well, say something!" I blurted out, looking to Olivia, but really just throwing that statement out to the room.

"Are you... sure?" Olivia said after a moment, her voice quiet. She sat down on my bed slowly, as if she'd just been told she had a terminal illness.

"I just saw them. I'm sorry." I said. I considered sitting down next to her, putting my arms around her, but my body was involuntarily stiff now. "I saw them behind a tree, just outside."

"You... could have seen it wrong. She's a touchy person, she's a flirty person." Olivia stated, her temperament shifting from shock to denial.

"No, Olivia, seriously-" I started, and Olivia stood up and looked at me.

"She's not cheating on me, she wouldn't do that. You're making a serious claim here Anais, you're gonna need a world of evidence to convince me th-"

"I saw it!" I interrupted her, I was in disbelief at how this conversation was going. "I literally saw it with my own eyes, Olivia!"

"Olivia," Sam piped up, stepping towards Olivia and putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. Look, Anais has no reason to lie. I'm sorry."

She pushed his hand away. "Stop Sam, stop everyone, we don't know for sure. There's no need to freak out until we know for sure. She probably-"

"I do know for sure." Said Weston, his voice low and grave.

"You don't know Weston, Anais could have seen-"

"I slept with her." He said.

"...What?" Olivia said, her eyes wide.

"I slept with Isabelle." He repeated.

"WESTON!" Kalynn yelled. She pushed him, her face already red with anger. "What the fuck is wrong with you!"
"Wait- seriously? Seriously??" Sam looked like he'd seen a ghost, his hands on his head with panic.

I looked at Olivia, who was staring at Weston, tears welling in her eyes.

"Why the fuck did you tell her?" I accused him, even though it was obvious now that it had to be said.

"You KNEW?!" Olivia turned to me, "You hid this from me, you... you BITCH!" She shouted.

"Anais, Weston, what the fuck!" Sam threw his hands up, sitting down on my bed.

"It's not her fault, it's mine." Weston said. 
"Well no shit it's your fault, genius!" Olivia yelled, and for a second I thought she would hit him.

"I'm sorry. I was so drunk, and so lonely, and so sad," Weston explained. "The second time, right before the carnival-"

"The SECOND TIME?!" Everyone yelled. For a moment then I was on everyone else's side, all of us furious at Weston together. That feeling of unity with the others didn't last long.

My bedroom door opened, and Isabelle was stood in the doorway. "What's with all the shouting guys?" She asked, sweetly. "Everyone okay?"

Kalynn pushed past Isabelle, out of the room. Sam followed, and they both went to the kitchen and slammed the door behind them.

"They know." Weston said, looking down.

"Yeah, they fucking know." Olivia repeated, the distain spitting out of her mouth as she spoke. Her eyes glared, shooting invisible daggers at Isabelle's face. "We are done. Leave."

Isabelle looked pale and lifeless, frozen in shock. In one swift movement she had turned on her heel and left as fast as she'd arrived. Now it was just Weston, Olivia and I in the room.

"Olivia, I'm sorry..." I started, but Olivia turned to us now, furious.

"Don't. Don't say another word. I thought we were friends. I'll never forgive you for not telling me. The carnival? That was FOREVER ago, you let me- no, you watched me fall in love with someone you knew was cheating on me?!" Then she turned to Weston. "With YOU?! I can't- I can't even look at you, I'll be sick. Neither of you speak to me, Ever again." 

She slammed the door loud after she left, and now it was just Weston and I in the room.

Silence was back.

"...Oh my god." I said, quietly.

"They all hate me." Weston said, more to himself than to me as he looked out the window. "Olivia, Sam, Kalynn."

"Isabelle." I added.

"I don't care about her." He said.

"Well, they should hate you. I can't believe what a selfish person you are." I told him. He looked at me like a confused dog would look at their angry owner. Weston was the only person to leave my room without the door slamming behind him.

I sat down by my window again and looked down at my lukewarm coffee.

And that was it, the start of the fucking cold war.