Never Not You

The truth comes out

Leah's heart raced as she approached Alex's table during lunch. She knew she needed to talk to her, to clear the air about what had happened with Kayla.

"Hey, Alex... Can we talk?"

Alex didn't respond, her attention still fixed on her lunch tray.

With desperation Leah tries once more, "Please, Alex... It's important."

Finally, Alex looked up, meeting Leah's gaze with a cold stare. "Fine. Talk."

Leah took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. She knew this wouldn't be easy, but she had to do it. "I... I ended things with Kayla."

Before Alex could say the snarky comment she wanted to, Beth, Lotte, Jordan, and Danielle approached the table, sensing the tension.

"Who is Kayla?"

Leah's heart sank as she heard Beth's question. She knew she couldn't avoid the truth any longer.

Alex's eyes narrowed, and Leah could feel the tension in the air. "Yeah, Leah. Why don't you tell them exactly who Kayla is?"

Leah sighed heavily, feeling the weight of Alex's skepticism bearing down on her. "Kayla is... she's my friend."

Alex's eyes narrowed further, disbelief etched on her face. "Yeah, right. Tell them the truth, Leah."

Leah felt a pang of guilt as she met Alex's accusing gaze. Hesitantly she says "Kayla is... she's a girl I've been seeing for around two months now."

Jordan chimed in, her voice laced with concern. "What about Aurora? I thought there was something between you and her, Leah."

Alex rolled her eyes dismissively, scoffing at the suggestion. "Leah doesn't care about Aurora."

Leah's heart sank at Alex's words. She felt a lump form in her throat as she fought back tears, her voice trembling with emotion and almost in tears."Alex, stop... I do care about Aurora. I love her, and I know I messed up by practically cheating on her, but I'm trying to fix it."

Beth and the other girls exchanged shocked glances, their eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean by 'practically cheated,' Leah?"

Alex interjected, her tone accusing as she turned to Leah."Leah and Aurora were basically dating without making it official, right Leah?"

Leah muttered in agreement, her gaze fixed on the table in front of her. "Yeah..."

One of the girls piped up, her voice filled with disbelief. "Wait, for how long?"

Leah sighed heavily, feeling the weight of her actions bearing down on her. "Around two years..."

Danielle's eyes widened in shock. "Why would you do that?"

Leah shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper."I don't know..."

Lotte's eyes widened in concern as she processed the revelation."Does Aurora know?"

Leah nodded solemnly, her voice tinged with regret."Yeah, Alex told her when she saw me and Kayla kiss."

Danielle nodded slowly, a look of realization dawning on her face. "Ah, that explains the tension between the pair of you..."

Leah winced, feeling the weight of the truth hanging heavily in the air.

Jordan's eyes widened in realization."Oh my god, do you think the songs Aurora sang the other day were for Leah?"

Beth nodded, a knowing look on her face. "Obviously."

Alex, her tone dripping with sarcasm, interjected."Well, as nice as this chat was, I've got to go say goodbye to my friend."

Leah's head popped up, her eyes widening in concern."Is Aurora leaving?"

Alex glanced at Leah with a mix of irritation and indifference. "Not that it has anything to do with you, but yes, she is."

Leah opened her mouth to respond, but Alex cut her off with a sharp tone. "And before you ask, no, I won't tell you where she's going or for how long."

With that, Alex turned on her heel and strode away, leaving Leah feeling a mix of frustration and regret swirling inside her.