𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑺 & 𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑼𝑷𝑺

𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑬𝑬; 𝑷𝑶𝑽𝑺

It had been a month since Sloane had walked out of Paige's dorm, her words sharp and venomous, biting down on the fragile bond they had been building. Since then, the world seemed to have lost its color. Days bled into one another, an endless fog of going through the motions, barely stepping out of her dorm unless it was absolutely necessary which was only for classes now that cheer was over. Haven had tried to pull her out of it—dinners, coffee runs, going shopping trips—but every effort failed.

Sloane's chest ached constantly, a deep, suffocating pressure that weighed her down. She replayed the argument in her head almost every night before falling asleep, thinking of every wrong word, every missed opportunity to make things right. She knew she was at fault for lashing out at Paige, for saying that stupid, thoughtless thing about Nayo but she was also still so angry Paige was willing to throw everything away.

Her phone screen had stayed blank, no notifications from Paige except the occasional Instagram story that only made Sloane sink deeper into her own misery. She had muted Paige's posts because the sight of her moving on—smiling, hanging with her teammates—was like a punch to the gut. Paige looked fine, unbothered, while Sloane felt like she was drowning in her own emotions.

There were nights when the loneliness hit so hard, Sloane considered messaging her. She would stare at the text box, typing out half-formed apologies, but she never pressed send. What could she say? That she missed her? No, it was too late. She was the one that walked out and didn't look back and it was too late now.

PAIGES POV

Paige wasn't doing much better. For a month she had been trying too be normal, putting on a confident front on social media, like her mind wasn't altered. It was all a performance. Every time she scrolled through her Instagram feed and didn't see Sloane's face, it was like a glaring reminder of the gap between them. The truth was, she regretted everything—the anger, the accusation, the way she had doubted their relationship.

She hated how her overthinking and fear blinded her, letting her insecurities twist things until they seemed worse than they really were. Even though what Sloane said about Nayo was petty, sure but she knew she was the one that had pushed her there, making her feel like she was nothing, disregarding her feelings, avoiding her.

At night, when Paige lay in bed, the silence became unbearable. She missed calling Sloane at night, the sound of Sloane's laughter, the comfort of knowing someone cared that deeply about her. She'd check her phone, sometimes even open up Sloane's contact, her thumb hovering over the call button. But pride—and fear—always stopped her.

"What if she hates me now?" Paige would ask herself in the dead of night, hugging her pillow tight, replaying that last moment in her dorm. She hated how it ended, the look in Sloane's eyes before she left—hurt, angry, betrayed. Paige wished she could rewind time, stop herself from saying those things, from doubting the one person who had always been loyal to her, willing to do anything for her.

HAVENS POV

Haven had had enough. For a month, she had watched Sloane crumble into a shell of herself, moping around the dorm, barely speaking. She had tried everything to cheer Sloane up—movies, takeout, suggesting they hit the gym or hang out —but nothing worked.

It killed Haven to see Sloane like this. She had never seen her friend so low, not even after previous heartbreaks. This wasn't just about losing someone. It was about losing Paige.

Sloane had been head over heels for her, and now she was completely crushed.

That's why, when Haven received a DM from Nika one night, it felt like fate.

NIKA MUHL; Hey, KK and I have been talking... and we think it's time we should help fix everything. Sloane and Paige need to talk. We have a plan, but we need your help.

Haven's eyebrows shot up as she read the message. She had been thinking the same thing, but didn't know how to go about it. So when Nika laid out the plan—getting Sloane and Paige into the same room at a party, forcing them to finally talk it out—She couldn't comply fast enough.

Later that night, Haven, Nika, and KK hopped on a group call, discussing everything.

"I can convince Paige to come," Nika said, her voice crackling through the speaker. "She's been trying to act normal, but I know she misses Sloane."

"And I'll handle Sloane," Haven chimed in. "She's miserable. We just need to make sure they actually talk and don't yell at each other again."

KK laughed softly. "That's where I come in. I'll take care of getting them in the same room. I'll tell them they're not getting out until they've talked things out."

Haven smirked at the plan, her heart already racing at the thought of it. "We need to make sure they apologize. Like, actually apologize. Paige has to own up to her fear, and Sloane needs to admit that thing about Nayo was petty."

KK agreed. "Yeah, and the goal is to make sure they leave that room with no hard feelings. They need to get everything out.

Soon after Haven hung up and went back out to her room after being in the bathroom, talking quietly so Sloane wouldn't hear as she laid in bed she looked at the depressing sight of Sloane already asleep. For the first time in a month Haven smiled knowing it would be over soon she just hoped Sloane wouldn't be too mad.

A/N: yall are gonna be mad for just a littleeeee longer😅😅

but can we talk about how i've updated THREE whole times in one day.

love u allll

-lea

sept 29