Chapter 84 LXXXIV.

Chapter 84 LXXXIV.
Trisha's POV
Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.
I had been there when Izzy left with her parents just two days ago. There was absolutely no logical reason for her to have returned alone, especially not with the flimsy excuse that she "couldn't stand missing" me.
It made no sense. And that didn't even account for the fact that she was acting completely differently—nothing like the Izzy I knew.
A wild thought was beginning to take root. It couldn't be a coincidence that Izzy had mentioned her twin sister, Isabella, returning home yesterday, only for a completely different "Izzy" to show up at school today.
I had to get to the bottom of this. If that was indeed Isabella impersonating her sister, I needed to find out what the hell she was planning.
I waited outside the classroom where I'd seen her go in with George earlier. I dreaded what they might have been talking about. I hoped he wasn't planning to confess some sudden, undying love for her. I'd seen the way he looked at her at Ethan's party. Maybe all this time he claimed to hate Izzy, it had been a secret crush after all.
The thought made me sick with jealousy, regardless of the fact that Izzy would never love me back.
The classroom door opened, and Izzy walked out. She spotted me immediately, a bright smile lighting up her face.
But it wasn't Izzy's smile.
Izzy's was always soft and gentle. This smile was predatory, her eyes sparkling with dangerous mischief. Furthermore, Izzy despised pink, yet the girl in front of me was dressed in a vibrant crimson sweater.
"Were you waiting for me, cutie pie?" she asked, approaching with a confident chuckle.
Another clue.
Izzy would never call me "cutie pie." She sometimes called me "cute," but she never used pet names.
"Izzy, what happened between us while you were drunk after Ethan's party?" I didn't bother beating around the bush. I needed her to admit the truth.
Her brows shot up in mock surprise, followed by amusement.
"How am I supposed to remember that? You said it yourself—I was plastered."
"But we talked about it the next morning, and you remembered everything perfectly," I pressed. "It's convenient that you're using being drunk as an excuse now."
She stared at me for a second, a look of pure delight crossing her features.
"Then remind me, cutie. What happened?"
She stepped closer, invading my personal space. I stiffened as she leaned her face near mine.
"I'm dying to know."
I gulped, hugging my textbooks tightly to my chest in discomfort. Why was she so close? And why did she smell like lavender instead of Izzy's usual vanilla?
"Y-you're not Izzy, are you?" I finally summoned the courage to ask the obvious.
She smirked, looking triumphant.
"Of course you'd be the first to figure it out, smarty pants."
She leaned back, and I let out a shaky breath of relief.
I gulped hard. She was incredibly intimidating.
"W-why are you pretending to be her?"
She shrugged carelessly.
"Staying at home alone for two weeks seems boring, so I figured impersonating Izzy might be fun."
She smiled down at me.
"I thought it would take longer for anyone to notice, but I suppose you knew her better than she knows herself."
I shook my head rapidly.
"This is wrong, Isabella. Izzy already has a tarnished reputation after that kiss with Ethan. Anything you do will only make it worse for her. You have to stop."
She arched a brow.
"Is that an order?"
The playful look vanished, replaced by a terrifying coldness.
She began taking slow, deliberate steps toward me.
Panic seized me as I retreated, taking step after step back until my shoulders hit the wall.
She slammed a hand against the wall beside my head, causing me to flinch. She had me trapped, her face inches from mine, the lavender scent overwhelming.
I was visibly shaking, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
She reached out, twirling a strand of my hair around her finger, her voice dropping to a low whisper.
"Do you know what I hate the most?"
I shook my head, paralyzed by fear.
She smirked.
"I hate being told what to do. Especially by a cute, tiny little mouse like you."
"I didn't mean—"
"Shhh."
She pressed a finger to my lips to silence me, and I thought I might actually pass out from sheer terror.
"I'll let it slide because you're cute, but let's establish a rule, shall we, cutie?"
I blinked, struggling to breathe.
"A rule?"
"Yes. I love playing games, and every game has rules. Since you're the first to discover my little secret, you're now a player."
I hated the sound of that. I couldn't trust anything she said.
"I-I don't think I want to be part of..."
"You don't?" she whispered, cutting me off.
I gasped as I felt her hand slide down to my waist.
What was she doing?
"W-what are you doing?"
She ignored me, leaning in until our lips were almost touching. I pressed myself harder against the wall, trying to escape her.
She smirked, her hand trailing further down to rest on my hip near my lower back.
"Do you really not want to play with me, cutie? Why? Because I'm not Izzy?"
"I-I-I..."
"What are you two doing?"
George's voice cut through the tension, and a wave of immense relief washed over me. I had never been more thankful for an interruption.
However, Isabella didn't pull away. She merely glanced over her shoulder at George, her body still dangerously close to mine.
"Hey, sweetie," she said, her tone dripping with false sweetness. "Have you finished sulking?"
George looked between me and Isabella, confusion clear on his face before a look of realization dawned.
"I see. So you convinced Trisha to lie for you, didn't you? You made her lie to me about you having a twin."
Wait.
What were they talking about?
"Get over yourself, George," Isabella snapped, rolling her eyes. "People get lied to every day. You aren't the center of the universe."
I watched, horrified, as George's fists clenched at his sides, his eyes darkening with rage.
What had Isabella said to him in that classroom?
George's gaze shifted to me.
"I've made up my mind, Trisha. I can't be friends with you if you're going to associate with someone like Izzy. She's a bad influence, and she's even making you lie to people who care about you. I know it's selfish, but you have to choose between me—someone who truly cares—and Izzy, who is only using you. Think about it."
With that ultimatum, he turned and walked away.
Isabella scoffed.
"He's absolute trash. Playing dirty just to soothe his fragile male ego."
"George doesn't even like Izzy that much," I whispered, breathless. "But he has never gone as far as asking me to choose between him and Izzy. What did you say to him?"
Isabella smiled at me again, leaning back in. I gulped, trying to maintain my composure as she replied,
"I just told him that I am Izzy, and that all this time, I've just been playing a game and lying about having a twin."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because it's entertaining, duh."
This was exactly what Izzy had feared. George would end up hating Izzy, never knowing that her erratic twin was the one pulling the strings.
"I'm going to tell George the truth!" I declared, determination warring with my fear. "I'll tell him you're not Izzy!"
That only made her laugh.
"This brings me back to the rules," she murmured.
Her knuckles brushed my cheek, and I shivered violently at her touch.
"One, don't ever tell me what to do. Two, don't you dare tell anyone that I'm not Izzy."
She leaned in closer, whispering directly into my ear.
"If you do, you will deeply regret it."
Cold dread washed over me.
It was a threat.
"A-and what would you do?"
She pulled back, looking amused.
"Here's a hint."
She leaned in and kissed me, grazing dangerously close to my lips.
I died inside, my body going rigid, but I forced myself to hold still.
She pulled away with a saccharine smile.
"See you later, cutie. Don't break the rules."
With that, she turned and walked away.
My legs finally gave out, and I slid down the wall to the cold floor, gasping for air.
Izzy was right; Isabella was pure trouble, and she was far more than I could handle alone.
I didn't care what Isabella did to me now.
I was going to find George and tell him the truth. If that meant protecting Izzy's reputation—and her heart—then that's exactly what I was going to do.