Chapter 40: What Do I Do?

Tate POV

“Nika, please stop.”

The girl followed behind me, trying to get me to listen. “Tate, it’s really not what it looks like.”

“Okay, then why is this girl-” “It’s a guy.” She cuts me off. I laugh, there’s actually no way.

“Are you kidding me?” She shakes her head, lowering her gaze to the ground. “So, a guy? You really talking to some guy behind my back?”

“I wasn’t talking to hi-” “Nika, oh my god, you’re literally texting him!”

Her eyes meet mine; I couldn’t read what she was feeling. “You know I would never do anything like that to you.”

I look away, her eyes making me want to listen to what she has to say. But something in me is telling me not to. “How would I know that?”

“Tate, please listen to me.”

“Nika...” I pause, thinking through what to say next. “I don’t want to right now.”

Shock spread onto her face, “Ta...”

“Can you just take me back to the hotel?” She nods, reaching for my hand. She quickly retreats, the awkward moment settling between us. The ride back was the worst car ride I’ve ever been a part of. The awkward silence, the weird energy coming off Nika, my tensed and confused feelings swarming through the air. I held eye contact with scenery outside the window, the trees and buildings passing by. Nika held back, not trying to talk. She sat there. I couldn’t tell if she stopped fighting because she knew she was guilty or that she just didn’t want to push my limits.

Her eyes would make their way off the road and onto me for a split second, then she’d quickly avert her attention back to the moving pavement. Some part of me wanted her to try and convince me that I was being crazy, but she said nothing. I know I told her I didn’t want to talk, but God, I wanted her to at least try to fight harder. It felt like she had given up.

The girl beside me pulled into the parking lot, quickly stopping the car. “Tate, I’m sorry.”

I didn’t say anything, she had the whole drive to explain herself and chose not to. I quickly got of the car, rushing to the shared room. I grabbed my stuff before running into Nika.

“Bebo? Where are you going?” I looked up at her, hurt evident in her eyes. Why was she hurt?

“I’m gonna go stay with Azzi or Paige,” I pushed through her, leaving the room.

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I stood in front of Azzi and Paige’s room. I wanted to knock, but what if they told me to go away and I was being dramatic. But before I could make up my mind, the door swung open; revealing a smiley Azzi.

“Hey, Tatey,” My face must have said it all, the peoples’ princess quickly changing moods, “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I think Nika might have been...” I didn’t want to say cheating, I couldn’t fathom that thought, “...Talking, I think she might be talking to someone behind my back.”

“You think she’s cheating? What made you think that?” She swiftly moved us toward one of the two beds in the room. Her hands finding mine.

“I didn’t say cheating...just talking,” Azzi ignores this, telling me to continue, “She’s been kinda out of it today. Texting someone. I didn’t think much about it until, well, she was like trying to hide it.”

Azzi nods, snapping her head towards a door, “Paige! Get in here!” I jump at the sudden yelling; Azzi smiles and sends a small sorry.

“Oh my God! What’s wrong! You Okay!?” The blonde hastily opens the bathroom door, appearing in a nothing more than UConn attire. Her hair partly done; one braid done and the other in between her fingers prepared to be tightened together. Paige’s face relaxes at the sight of Azzi and I on the bed, completely fine. “I thought something was wrong. Did you just call me out because Nik’s girl is here?”

I wince, Nik’s girl, how was I to know anymore.

“Paige,” The curly haired girl pinches between her eyebrows, “Read the room.”

Paige’s eyes land on me, her face falling with realization. “Tate, what’s going on?”

“She thinks Nika is cheating on her,” I send Azzi a look, “Talking and cheating are pretty much the same thing.” She shrugs, Paige moving closer.

“Wait, why do you think this?”

“She’s been talking to someone on the phone. I wouldn’t think much of it if it wasn’t taking all her attention or if she didn’t try to hide it. I don’t know, I just don’t like what’s going on. They literally said they missed each other. Do you think that means she was seeing this person while we’re in Storrs? Oh my God...is she really cheating on me?” Tears brim my eyes, Azzi jumping to pull me into a hug. Paige sits there, clearly lost in thought.

“Aww, Tatey. I wanna tell you I don’t think Nika would do this...but I don’t know who she could even be texting like that,” Azzi mumbles. Paige springs up, causing both Azzi and I to look at her, startled.

“Imma go talk to her.”

“Paige, stop,” The girl holding me says, not much force put into it.

“No, if she is cheating, she’s dumb. I’ll be right back,” The blonde grumbles, quickly closing the door and heading towards the room my girlfriend and I shared. Or was supposed to.

Lost in my own thoughts, Azzi pulls me out of them, “Hey, you can stay with us tonight. If you don’t want to stay with her of course.”

I quickly snap out of it, nodding to the girl. “I’m sorry for just standing outside your door earlier.”

Azzi laughed, “No cause I was literally thinking, when is she gonna come in.”

I chuckle, relaxing at the girls jokes. “I was overthinking things. I feel like that’s all I’ve done today.”

“I hope you’re just overthinking this thing with Nika. You guys seem so in love...it’s hard to believe she’d ruin that.” Azzi seemed to lose herself in thought before coming back to reality. “Do you know who she was texting?”

Brows furrowing with confusion, I give her a look, “No, why?”

“Just wondering,” The girl shrugs.

“Oh, okay,” I shrug it off, not wanting to really put thought behind this man Nika was talking to behind my back.

A hand falls to my shoulder, “We should, like, watch a movie or something? You wanna do that?” I nod in response.

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Nika POV

I couldn’t believe what just happened.

Tate thinks I'm cheating.

I tried to call her phone, hoping to get to her to just spill everything. I wanted her to know. I wanted her to know everything.

“Come on, come on,” I paced through the small room, frantically mumbling to myself. I snap my head towards the bed. The covers were thrown everywhere, clothes all on top, and a hidden phone ringing somewhere.

“What the...damn it!” Throwing my phone somewhere in the chaos, my body followed. The bed engulfed me as I cried into the pillows.

Why did I have to talk to him? Why did I talk to him for so long? Why did I hide it? Why, why, why?

I wanted to run to Tate, find her, tell her everything, but I don’t think she’d listen. She might call me a liar, a cheater. A cheater. I wasn’t that.

I’m startled out of my thoughts by a loud bang. Someone knocking with so much force, I was scared to see who was on the other side.

“Nika, open the door! Like right now!” Paige’s voice carried throughout the room. Yep, I was screwed.

Without saying a word, my body moved towards the door, slowly opening what was between me and whatever storm was heading my way.

“Sit down,” I sat there, surprised by the words leaving the blondes mouth, “I said sit.”

I did just that.

“Now,” Holding the skin between her eyebrows between her fingers, “What the actually fu-” “P, please calm down. It was a misunderstanding.”

She shakes her head, laughing in disbelief, “Please, turn this from a misunderstanding to an understanding, why don’t ya?”

I nod, “So one of my exes-”

“Not starting out good.”

“He’s gay,” Her eyes widened with surprise, “Yeah, might I also remind you...I’m gay. I’m not gonna talk to a man behind Tate’s back. I love her too much...” I trail off, my thoughts swallowing my attention.

Paige scratched the back of her neck, “Twin...um...you might wanna try to explain that to your girl.”

“I don’t know if she is mine anymore. She didn’t even let me try to tell her what was going on.”

“Would you let a girl tell you what’s ‘supposably’ happening if you thought she was talking to someone behind your back?”

I sat in thought, “What do I do?”

A/n we liking the drama, the twist...cause I kinda like it. Also, sorry about the slow updates y'all hopefully I get better at it.

Anyways...

Peace y'all til the next chapter...