Traitor
LILY
Thanksgiving is next week, and my mom finally sent an email this morning saying she and Dad will be back on Tuesday!
With the break just around the corner, everyone at school is excited for the football game against Greendale tonight.
Mason was telling me they haven’t lost a match all season and don’t plan on losing anytime soon. Especially with the state championships coming up in a couple of weeks.
Harry has said that since we’ve only lost one game, they will definitely get to go.
“Are you sitting with us at lunch?” Harry asks as the bell rings for us to start heading to second period.
“Nope.” I shake my head, making him roll his eyes.
“My best friend won’t sit with me, my boyfriend won’t sit with me. Am I that unlovable?” He sighs dramatically.
“I love you, but the footballers suck.” I laugh, shoving his shoulder before slipping into my class.
Second period drags so badly. By the time the bell rings I’m out the door in a flash, but it seems like everyone in the halls stops walking and starts staring at me.
I shake my head and begin walking to third. I must be imagining things.
“Traitor!” someone yells out, and I turn my head to see everyone in fact is staring at me—well, killing me with their eyes.
“Bitch,” someone coughs, and I frown as I start walking again.
“Whore,” someone grunts before I see Harry storming up to me.
“What the fuck, Lily?” he yells, giving me the same look everyone else is, and my stomach drops to my feet knowing exactly what’s happened.
“Mason fucking Cooper?” he exclaims as a small crowd gathers around us.
“Let me explain,” I say quickly, ready to tell him everything, including how Oliver cheated on me, no longer caring if everyone knows.
“He’s the boy from summer, right?” he spits out, grabbing his phone and shoving it in my face. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he seethes, showing me the photo of me and Mason at the steakhouse.
“I met him the day me and Olly broke up. I was crying—” I begin, but he cuts me off.
“Save it.” He shakes his head before turning on his heel and walking off.
The people that gathered to watch are starting to leave, but not before calling me a bitch, a slut, a whore, and of course, a traitor.
My eyes well with tears as each person insults me before I turn on my heel and bolt out to my car.
I drive home, somehow managing to see through my tears before I text Mason. He needs to know before it spreads to his school.
Me
Someone at school found the photo of us at the steakhouse
Mason
What?
Me
My whole school knows about us
I watch my phone, waiting for the three little bubbles to appear, but they don’t. Instead, he’s calling me.
“Hey.” My voice breaks as I answer the call.
“Are you okay?” he whispers.
“I’m fine,” I lie, wiping my nose on my hand.
“Where are you?” he asks.
“Home,” I whisper as more tears fall down my face.
“Everything’s going to be okay, princess,” Mason soothes.
“Has anyone at your school found out?” I sniffle, hoping they haven’t.
“Not yet. But I’ll deal with it,” he tells me. “I’ll talk to coach and see if I can leave,” he adds quickly.
“You don’t need to,” I reassure him.
“I do. But if I can’t, I’ll come around before the game, okay?” he says, sounding stressed.
“It’s fine. I’ll see you after the game,” I say.
“You’re still coming?” he asks, sounding surprised.
“Of course,” I state confidently, even though I feel everything but.
“I’ll see you soon, princess,” Mason says before hanging up.
I let myself cry some more before getting into my pajamas and curling up on the sofa and putting on The Notebook. Not even ten minutes into the movie there’s a banging on my front door.
I mutter under my breath as I wrap the blanket around my shoulders and peek through the window, surprised to see Brittany standing at my door in her cheer uniform, clutching a grocery bag.
I slowly open the door, wondering why the hell she’s here. “You look terrible,” she states, walking straight past me.
“Um, why are you here?” I question, following her to see she’s made herself at home on the sofa as she digs through the grocery bag.
“Do you know Liam lives like five houses down?” she asks, not answering my question, pulling out two pints of Ben and Jerry’s.
“No, I didn’t,” I answer slowly.
“I’ll grab some spoons,” she says, jumping to her feet and going into my kitchen.
“Come sit down,” Brittany says, flopping back down onto the sofa and patting the spot next to her.
“What are you doing?” I ask cautiously as I sit back down.
“Moral support.” She shrugs, handing me a tub. “How bad was it?” she asks quietly as she changes the movie to a comedy.
“They were just calling me a traitor, bitch, slut, whore.” I sigh. “And Harry yelled at me,” I add, pursing my lips.
“You hadn’t told him?”
“I was going to after football season.” I shake my head.
“Won’t you get into trouble for missing school?” I question, remembering it’s game day and the footballers and cheerleaders are meant to be at school all day.
“My mom’s the coach.” She smirks.
We eat our ice cream together watching the movie until I decide to ask why she’s here. “No offense, but why are you here?” I ask, placing my empty tub onto the coffee table.
“Me and Mason are in the same Chem class, so I was there when you texted him, then he took off to call you, and being the nosey bitch I am I followed him.”
She places her garbage by mine and folds her legs underneath her.
I pass over some of my blanket, realizing she’s probably freezing. Brittany gives me a grateful smile and pulls the blanket up to her chin.
“I followed him to Coach George’s office, where Mason told him he was leaving but would be back for the game.
“George said if he left he’d bench him, and Mason said he didn’t care, then they both started yelling at each other, so I offered to come here. Because, ya know, I kinda think you’re awesome.”
She says all this without taking a breath.
“I went and told Mom, and she was mad at me for not just leaving and calling her,” she adds with a giggle.
“Thank you,” I whisper, giving her a genuine smile.
“No problem.” She smiles, reaching for the grocery bag again and pulling out a large bag of chips.
“I hope no one is mean to him,” I whisper, wondering if Greendale has found out yet and hoping Mason is okay.
“No one will say anything.” Brittany shakes her head. “Well, not to his face. Or in front of any of the boys,” she adds, pursing her lips.
I reach for my phone to see if Mason has texted and see I have fifty texts, all except two from unsaved numbers: Leah and Ava.
I scroll through, not paying too much attention, but most of them are calling me a dirty traitor.
Leah
Always knew you were a whore xoxo
I roll my eyes at her text and move on to Ava’s messages.
Ava
Seriously Lily??
Ava
You’re a dirty ass traitor
Ava
I hope you get kicked out of school
Ava
Actually no. Go kill yourself no one cares about you any more.
As I read her last text I begin crying again. How could she say something like that? I mean, I know she can be a bitch, but I didn’t think she’d be this cruel.
“That fucking bitch!” Brittany gasps, snatching my phone off of me. “I never liked her,” she says, going through the other texts.
“These people are seriously fucked in the head,” she mutters as she stuffs my phone in the cushions and grabs hers.
“Oh shit!” she gasps again before she leans against my shoulder to show me her texts from Liam.
Liam ~💞~
Brock said something to Mason and he K.Oed him.
Liam ~💞~
Funniest shit I’ve seen 🤣🤣
Liam ~💞~
Mase is fine btw. How’s Lily?
“He knocked someone out?” This time I gasp.
“Brock’s a douchebag. Mason’s wanted to knock him out since forever,” she explains. “The amount of fights that boy gets into.” She tuts under her breath.
“Wait, what?” I ask, wondering if I misheard her.
“You haven’t seen him rage out?”
“Never.”
“Oh. Um.” Brittany hums, avoiding eye contact. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this,” she whispers, leaning forward.
“He’s always been an angry person, and when Callum died it got worse, and then that month you two weren’t talking it was even worse,” she begins quietly as she studies my face.
“It’s a miracle he hasn’t been kicked off the team, to be honest. But George refuses to lose.”
“I never knew,” I whisper back, trying to picture the kind, caring Mason I know angry.
“He’s mellowed out a lot since being with you though.” She smiles, squeezing my hand.
Brittany and I sit in silence watching comedies she picks and eating the shitload of junk food she brought around.
“Are you still coming to the game?” she asks halfway through the movie, breaking the silence.
“I am. But I don’t want to.” I sigh, telling her the truth.
“If I were you I wouldn’t be,” she says, squeezing my hand. “But that’s why you’re a better person than me.” She giggles.
“I promised Mason I’d go. And I don’t want to break my promise,” I explain.
“He’d understand,” she whispers, leaning her head on my shoulder. “But since you are going I’m putting my foot down,” she states, snuggling into my side.
“About what?” I chuckle.
“You’re sitting on our side,” she states matter-of-factly.
“I kinda planned on it.” I laugh.
“Good. Any chance I can convince you to wear green?” she asks, lifting her head slightly.
“I think that would be pushing it a little too far.” I laugh as she pouts.
“Maybe for states then.” She sighs.
