17

CHAPTER SEVENTEENadonis pov

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"WHAT THE HELL YOU DOING HERE, CHANEL?" I asked, , my voice low. I grabbed her arm and maneuvered us up the stairs, every step heavy like I was dragging a damn weight behind me. How my momma ain't peep the whole thing? Ion know. Right now, Ion care either. I just needed to get her out of sight before she said some shit that she ain't have no business.

I pushed open my bedroom door and let her walk in first, shutting it quietly behind me. Chanel strutted inside, eyes scanning my room like she was clocking details. Her eyes landed on the small picture frame sitting on my desk.

The one with me and Clover from that night at the photobooth. We were pressed up too close, her head on my shoulder, my arm slung around her waist. Both of us laughing like we didn't have a care in the world. Looking too damn comfortable.

Chanel strolled over, picked it up, and held it in her hand, turning it side to side like she was examining evidence. "Well, well, well," she purred, her acrylics tapping on the glass. "Y'all really thought you was being low, huh?"

I clenched my jaw, stepping forward and snatching the frame from her hand. "Don't touch my shit."

She raised her eyebrows, smirking like she just won a game I didn't even know I was playing. "Sensitive much?" she teased, leaning back against my desk, crossing her arms. "I'm just here to have a conversation."

"About what?" I shot back, setting the frame down. "Ain't you got better things to do?"

She didn't move. Just stood there, tapping her nails against the wood like she was building suspense on purpose - she act like she doing somethin but it's only bugging me out. Her eyes never leaving mine. "You know...I used to think you were smarter than this."

My eyes narrowed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Chanel pushed off the desk and stepped closer, her voice dropping. "It means I thought you were smarter than to be sneaking around with some old ass hoe and thinking nobody would notice. You really thought you could keep her a secret?" She scoffed, shaking her head. "From Elizabeth?"

"Aye, watch yo mouth," I point my index finger at her. "Youn know what you talm bout."

"Oh, I don't?" She slid her phone out of her back pocket, her thumb swiping across the screen like she was just waiting for me to ask. She turned it towards me, and there it was—the picture. Me and Clover at Speakerz. Her hand on mine. My lips on her neck.

I took a step back, running my hands down my face. "How did you even..."

Her grin widened. "I'm everywhere, Adonis. I see everything."

My chest felt tight. I wanted to grab the shit and smash it against the wall, but I knew that wouldn't solve none. I took a breath instead, steadying myself. "So what? You here to blackmail me? That it? You want money?" I laughed, but it was forced. "You tryna hustle me, Chanel?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Hustle you?" She laughed, all loud and shit. "Boy, I don't need your lil pocket change. I just wanna see you sweat."

I stared at her, fists clenching and unclenching. "You always been this bitter? Or you just bored?"

Her smile vanished. "I just don't like liars and ion like nobody messing with my friends."

I leaned back against the door, crossing my arms. "What you want, Chanel?"

She tilted her head, tapping her nails against her phone screen. "It's real simple. I want you to come clean...or I send this to Elizabeth myself."

My heart stuttered. "You bluffing."

"Try me."

We locked eyes, neither of us blinking, neither of us backing down. My mind was racing, searching for some way out of this. Some way to flip it back on her. But she had me cornered, and we both knew it.

She took a step back, sliding her phone back into her pocket. "I'm feeling generous today, Adonis. I'm giving you until tomorrow to figure out how you wanna play this. Either you tell Elizabeth...or I will." She smiled again, all teeth. "And trust me—I won't be gentle about it."

Without another word, she turned and walked out, leaving my door wide open like she was daring me to follow. I stayed rooted to the spot, heart pounding, hands shaking.

I didn't know what I was gonna do.

But I knew one thing for sure— I had less than twenty-four hours to figure it out.

"You ain't come over last night. I was looking for you," I murmured, sliding my hands around Elizabeth's waist, leaning in close enough to feel the warmth of her skin through her shirt. My voice was low and soft.She smiled, glancing over her shoulder to her friends. "I'll catch y'all later," she called, waving them off before turning fully to face me. Her eyes were bright, cheeks flushed with that same warmth she always carried. It was like she glowed. And the way she looked up at me—like I was still her world—made my stomach twist up tight.

I sighed, my hands slipping down to rest on her hips. I didn't know how I was gonna do this. How I was supposed to tell her everything. How I was gonna watch her smile crack, her eyes go dark with something I wasn't used to seeing in her: betrayal. Hurt.

"I'm sorry," she said, brushing a strand of her coils behind her ear. "I was hanging out with Chanel and Stevie and nem, and I got carried away." She leaned up, pressed a kiss to my cheek. I tried to focus on her words, but my mind was far away. Thinking about Clover. About Chanel's threat. About the timer running down in my head.

"What did you wanna talk with me about though?" she asked sweetly, but she also sounded curious. She blinked up at me, eyes shining like she actually couldn't wait to hear what I had to say.

I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.

My mind blanked, the words stuck in my throat like they were covered in barbed wire. I saw the picture flash in my mind—the one Chanel had taken of me and Clover. Her hand on mine, my lips on her neck.

Fuck.

"Ah..." I stammered, rubbing the back of my neck before rubbing a hand over my wave and forcing out a laugh. It was fake as hell, but she didn't seem to notice. "Man, ion even remember for real," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. I laughed again, and shaking my head like I just forgot what I was thinking.

Liz laughed with me, her fingers tracing the edge of my shirt. "You always forgetting stuff," nudging me with her shoulder. Her head tilted slightly, like she was about to ask something else, but she just shook it off and kept going.

I laughed with her, but my hands were shaking. Not enough for her to see—but I felt it. My heart was pounding so hard I thought she'd hear it if she got any closer. She started talking about something—class, some project she was working on—but her voice faded into the background. My eyes wandered over the courtyard, scanning faces, looking for trouble before it found me. Looking for Chanel.

"You listening to me?" Liz's voice snapped me back.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening. You said the project was due next week, right?" I tried to recover, throwing in some random guess, praying it was right.

She squinted at me, then laughed, shaking her head. "Boy, you are not slick."

I chuckled, pulling her closer. "You got me."

But she didn't know how real that statement was. She didn't know I was caught up, tangled in my own mess with the walls closing in.

"Adonis," she started, voice softening, "you sure you good? You been actin weird." Her hands slid up my chest, resting just above my heart. I swallowed hard.

"Nah," I lied, eyes meeting hers. "I'm good. I'm always good."

She smiled, nodding slowly. "Okay...if you say so."

She pulled me in for another hug, and I held her close, my eyes shutting tight. I knew what I had to do. I just didn't know if I could.