you belong with me - Olivia Rodrigo

never have I ever

Isa and I walk into another room of the house, away from the blasting music, sitting in a circle with a bunch of other people. I spot Jenna and Alex sitting across from us, next to each other. Olivia is to my left, a few spots away, sitting with her friends. Isa is sitting right next to me.

The rest of the circle is a mix of kids from school, some familiar faces from various classes. Josh is also in the circle, but he's sitting across from Olivia, next to a random blonde girl instead.

I can't help but notice Jenna and Alex sitting so close, holding hands, their knees touching each other. It brings back memories of when Jenna used to sit next to me, and our knees would press against each other.

I wonder if she's thinking of the same thing as me. My gaze drifts to her face, but she avoids meeting my eyes.

Isa notices me looking and gives me a gentle nudge while whispering, "Moving on, remember?"

Right. No more Jenna. My focus is this party.

I observe the rest of the people around the circle. Josh and the blonde girl are whispering in each other's ears, giggling and being touchy. I glance at Olivia, and unsurprisingly, she's already looking at them, her jaw clenched.

Jeez, didn't they break up like two days ago? Why is he already flirting up some other girl? What a douche.

Alex suggests a game of "Never Have I Ever," taking the time to explain the rules to everyone. We'll go in a circle, and one by one, we'll say, "Never have I ever..." followed by something we've never done. If you've done it, you take a drink.

We start off with an easy one. Alex says, "Never have I ever skipped class."

Almost everyone around the circle takes a drink, including Alex, which is stupid because it doesn't really follow the aim of the game—getting others to drink while avoiding drinking yourself.

The blonde girl next to Josh chimes in with her turn, asking, "Never have I ever shoplifted." This time, it's Alex, Josh, and another girl I don't recognise who take a drink. The rest of the circle remains still, and we continue with more easy questions.

"Never have I ever kissed someone in this room," Isa asks.

I shoot her a warning look, before glancing at Jenna. What is Isa doing? Is she trying to get a rise out of Jenna?

Jenna's face briefly registers panic, and she quickly glances at me, then at Alex next to her, before finally taking a drink. I follow suit, taking a drink and keeping my gaze locked on her. I can't help but wonder if anyone else noticed the suspicious tension between Jenna and me. Alex takes a drink, looking at Jenna, completely oblivious to the unspoken exchange between us.

Isa looks down, her mouth's corners slightly turned up, clearly trying to suppress a laugh. I can tell she finds the situation amusing, and I resist the urge to flick her forehead because I know she only did that to make the game more interesting for her.

I spot Olivia who glances at Jenna, then back to me, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. My heart skips a beat.

Oh shit, did she notice us?

Olivia takes a drink, obviously since she's kissed Josh before. Unsurprisingly, Josh takes a drink, but what's surprising is that the blonde girl next to him drinks as well. Olivia's attention is now fixated on the blonde girl, and I'm sure I'm not the only one in the room wondering if Josh has kissed the blonde girl.

If that's the case, this situation just got a whole lot messier.

The next few questions in the game are pretty tame. But, I can't help but steal glances at Jenna and Alex, who continue their heavy dose of PDA with hand-holding and kisses every few seconds. I try to look away to avoid making my jealousy too obvious.

As I look around the room, I catch a glimpse of Olivia.

Thankfully, her attention isn't on Jenna and me, but instead, she appears deep in thought, shifting her gaze between Josh and the blonde girl.

I can tell what she's thinking of - was Josh seeing the blonde girl behind Olivia's back while they were together? I'm curious to know the answer too.

As it comes to my turn in the game, I glance at Jenna again, and this time she's completely ignoring me, whispering into Alex's ear and giggling. My frustration starts to boil. It's becoming increasingly evident that she's doing it on purpose now.

I begin to reflect on everything, from Jenna avoiding me since I returned to her ghosting Isa. It's safe to say I'm more than a little angry at this point.

I decide to take a subtle jab at Jenna, my voice laced with a hint of annoyance. "Never have I ever kissed someone of the same gender."

Isa looks at me with surprise, clearly not expecting me to introduce more drama to the game. However, a small smirk forms on her face as she waits for Jenna's reaction.

Only a few people around the circle take a drink, and I notice Olivia's friend, Conan, among them. However, neither Alex, Josh, the blonde girl next to him, nor Olivia take a drink. I look at Jenna, waiting for her to take a drink but she remains still, her expression now showing her annoyance.

I can't help but feel disappointed, and it only adds to my irritation. However, I'm not frustrated because Jenna doesn't want others to know about our history, but I'm more frustrated that I can't even call her out for not taking a drink.

If I did, I would be outing her, and I'd become the villain.

I avoid looking at Jenna now because I don't want her to see my disappointment. Instead, I catch Olivia looking at me once more, her face bearing a knowing expression.

Damn it, I was too obvious. She definitely knows what's up now.

I don't really care if Olivia knows. I just hope she doesn't gossip about it to everyone and make up rumours. I'm okay with being out to the school but that would be unfair to Jenna.

It's Olivia's turn now to ask a question. She takes a moment to think about what she's gonna say. And I watch her eyes switch between Josh and the blonde girl next to him. She has a nervous expression now, "Never have I ever cheated on my ex"

I side-eye Isa, acknowledging the unfolding drama. This is some major tea, and I can't help but feel a sense of pride for Olivia's audacity in this moment. Yes go on, girl, call out your ex!

The tension in the room has risen, and I see Josh shift around on the floor, clearly uncomfortable. Olivia's gaze remains locked on Josh, and he looks back at her, the drink in his hand remaining still.

Surprisingly, no one makes a move to drink. Not even Josh.

Well, I'm glad to see that everyone in the circle has morals. Nobody likes a cheater these days.

As we move on to the next question, I can see a hint of relief on Olivia's face.

So Josh isn't a cheater. Good. I still think he's an asshole for flirting with another girl days after their breakup though.