Chapter 77 First, my boyfriend…
NANCY’S POV
Vanessa stood in front of me with an imposing presence, and for a moment, I couldn't respond.
"I need to talk to you," She repeated, face twisting with displeasure at my lack of a response.
My fingers curled around the strap of my bag as a sense of impending doom hit me.
"What do you want to talk about?" I said, hating how small and scared my voice sounded.
She, however, didn't seem to notice, even as her eyes scanned my face like she was trying to read something off of it.
"Lily."
That name hit me like a bag of rocks, and my stomach dropped.
My heart, which had barely just settled in my chest, began to race again, and the questions I had shoved down resurfaced.
Had she figured it out?
Did Lily end up telling her? Was that what she was here to talk about?
The rate at which my heart was pounding made me fear I would have a heart attack, but I just couldn't get myself to relax.
After a long while, I finally managed to choke something out, "What about her?"
It took a lot to keep my expression calm, and while Vanessa stared at me, I struggled to maintain the facade.
"I heard..." Vanessa began, and my hands tightened harder.
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Someone told me they saw you two talking yesterday."
My clenched fingers stiffened, then relaxed.
Vanessa hadn't said Lily told her anything.
She'd begun with something entirely different, but as I considered it, my face began to tighten with worry again.
Lily had approached me because she overheard my conversation with Mr Landon.
More accurately, she had eavesdropped on us.
What if someone else had done the same while I was conversing with her?
And, what if someone had ended up telling Diana about it?
As soon as that thought came to mind, I was on guard once more, and my gaze on Diana turned sceptical.
"Wow, you really look like you're admitting to doing something wrong," Vanessa said, commenting on my appearance.
"I suppose you know why I'm here then, so I'll just go straight to the point."
"Why were you with Lily yesterday?"
I blinked.
"Why..."
"You're asking me why I was with Lily yesterday?" I breathed out, surprised.
"Yes." Diana all but snapped.
My gaze changed.
Hadn't Lily told her what we discussed?
Diana's words hinted at the fact that she knew nothing about that. If she did, then she wouldn't be asking me.
"So," Her voice sharpened. "Since when were you and Lily close?"
It took a long while before I could respond to her. I was still lost in surprise that no one had told her anything, and that I was just scaring myself.
"We are not close," I muttered quickly when I recovered, a little bit too quickly.
"So why were you with her?" Vanessa frowned, questioning.
"She just came to say something to me, that's all."
Vanessa tilted her head, studying me as if she wasn't quite sure whether to trust my words. "She came to say something to you? What could Lily possibly have to say to you?"
"Nothing important," I said, turning away slightly to exhale silently in relief. "It was just random talk."
I turned around after that, still keeping up a neutral pose while internally hoping she didn't question me further.
For a long while, she didn't say anything, and then, she blurted out suddenly, "Are you trying to steal her, too?"
I stilled, caught off guard by the question.
Still rooted in shock, I pointed a finger inwardly at myself, "Am I trying to steal..."
"Yes," Vanessa cut me off.
"Are you trying to steal Lily from me just like you stole Mason?"
My jaw that had slackened slightly slowly closed up, and every iota of nerves that had assuaged me earlier evaporated.
Confusion and irritation took their place.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"First my boyfriend, and now my friend. Won't you rest until you steal everything away from me?"
My eyes flickered with deepening confusion, "Vanessa, that's..."
"Oh, please, don't try to deny it," She scoffed.
"Why else would Mason break up with me if it weren't because of you?"
"That has nothing to do with me!" I snapped before I could stop myself.
I attributed my sudden, explosive reaction to my nerves that had been stretched thin all day and the fear that had gripped me for the same time frame.
There was no denying the fact that I was overwhelmed, and now, Diana's accusation caused me to snap.
Her eyes darkened instantly.
"It doesn't?" She shot back. "Then why did Mason break up with me?"
"How should I know what's going on with you two?" I asked.
I took a deep breath, calming myself significantly.
My voice lowered, too.
"I have no idea why Mason broke up with you, but I can tell you this. Whatever is happening between you two, it has nothing to do..."
"It has everything to do with you." She interrupted, now scowling.
"Do you think I don't know? You're the reason Mason broke up with me!" Her voice rose just enough to draw a few glances, and when they turned to us, I stiffened.
“Vanessa…” I called, trying to get her to lower her voice.
She ignored me and stepped closer instead with an angry, contorted look.
“I know he likes you.”
The words landed heavier than I expected, and I stared at her with widened eyes.
How did she know that? I couldn’t help but wonder if it was Mason who told her.
For a moment, I didn’t even know how to respond.
“That’s not…”
“I’m not stupid, Nancy,” she continued, her voice trembling now, caught somewhere between anger and hurt. “The way he looks at you, the way he acts around you…you think I didn’t notice?”
I swallowed.
This wasn’t how I expected this conversation to go.