Chapter 88 LXXXVIII.

Chapter 88 LXXXVIII.
Isabella's POV.

I couldn't stop smiling. George was adorable when he was angry.

The way his jaw tightened whenever I teased him, the way he tried so desperately to ignore me, and especially the way his face betrayed him whenever I got too close.

He could keep pretending he hated me all he wanted, but eventually, he'd break.

At first, I hadn't been particularly interested in George. He was just another guy who I enjoy playing games with.

But now? Now I was truly intrigued.

There was something about watching him struggle against his attraction to me that I found ridiculously entertaining.

I wanted to know how long he could keep resisting.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost walked straight into Raine. I stopped abruptly.

Raine stood in the middle of the hallway with her arms crossed, looking at me like she wanted to rip my head off.

And standing nervously beside her was Trisha.

I frowned. What the hell were these two doing together? Raine had just declared that we were strangers. Now she was standing here with Trisha as if they were planning an interrogation.

Interesting.

"What do you want?" I asked with raised brows.

Raine stepped closer. "Are you really Izzy, because you've been acting strange, and Trisha told me something really interesting a while ago?"

My eyes immediately shifted to Trisha. She looked terrified.

Oh. So she had done it. I had warned her not to tell anyone. Apparently, my warning hadn't been enough. I couldn't help admiring her courage or stupidity.

I turned my attention back to Raine and smiled. I have to act convincing so I'll outsmart the little nerd. What better way to do that than to kill herself confidence. "Of course I'm Izzy. Why wouldn't I be?"

Trisha's eyes widened. "That's not true! I'm telling the truth Raine. She's Izzy's twin Isabella who came back from Paris a few days ago and is now pretending to be Izzy."

Raine looked between us. "So who's telling the truth now? Who am I supposed to believe?"

I stepped closer to Raine putting on my sweet tone."Raine, you know what she's saying is stupid. If I had a twin sister, I would have told you a long time ago. I mean you're my best friend."

"She's lying. She's Izzy's. I swear." Trisha looked at me pleadingly. "Stop this already and tell them the truth Isabella. You're pretending to be Izzy and it's ruining her reputation."

I shook my head sympathetically. "Poor Trisha. She is the one who keeps insisting that I'm Isabella, a twin of Izzy that doesn't exist might I add. Raine, I think you should know that Trisha has been acting strangely ever since I told her I didn't want to be her friend anymore."

Trisha stared at me in disbelief. "W...what? T_thats a lie!"

"I told her that I'm choosing you guys over her and she went insane and began spreading these ridiculous stories about me. She believes I can never break off our friendship."

"That's not what happened!" Trisha almost cried.

"She couldn't accept it," I continued calmly. "So now she's trying to convince everyone that I'm my own twin."

Raine glared at Trisha. "I should have known that's what happened. It's my fault for believing a freak like you."

Trisha looked like she was about to cry. "Please believe me, I'm telling the truth Raine."

"Fuck off four eyes. You're starting to turn into a psychopathic freak!" She spat harshly in disgust.

My smile widened. "Honestly, I agree. Forcing friendship on someone is really creepy."

Trisha's lips trembled. She looked at me for several seconds before tears finally rolled down her cheeks. She turned and ran down the hallway.

For a brief moment, I watched her disappear. I felt a bit sorry for her. But I had warned her that this would happen. She should have listened to me.

Still, seeing her cry wasn't exactly satisfying. Maybe I'd gone too far.

Then I spotted George standing among the students farther down the hallway.

For a fleeting second, I thought his gaze was pinned on me.

It wasn't.

His eyes were locked on the empty corridor, fixed in the direction Trisha had just fled. A storm of fury twisted his features, sharp and suffocating. Before I could even manage a smile at his direction, he spun on his heel and went after her.

An ugly, irrational prickle of irritation flared beneath my ribs. Why should I care that he was chasing her?

"I can't believe the nerve of that four eye freak. I was stupid to believe the shit she said." Raine murmured angrily. Then she looked at me with raised brow and said, "And since you chose me over her… I’m willing to put everything that happened behind us."

A sharp, amused breath nearly escaped my throat, but I caught it just in time. This was getting too good. Just a while ago, she threw me out of her friendship squad, and now I'm back in again.

"So you're saying, we're friends again?"

Raine gave an earnest nod. "Yeah. We are, as long as you're choosing Izzy over me, I'm gonna forgive you. It was never easy for you to choose Izzy over us. I'm seeing it as a big deal."

I nodded to myself as realization washed over me. No wonder Trisha was so broken by my words. She's really such a sucker for Izzy.

My thoughts suddenly flickered towards George as I remembered how he had followed Trisha out. What's their relationship anyway? How close are they?

I wasn't supposed to care. This was all a game to me, so why am I annoyed at the thought of George being all lovey dovey with Trisha? What was he saying to Trisha right now? Why do I even care so much?!

Forget it, I had far more important games to play that thinking about George and this disturbing feelings in my chest that I so wasn't used to.

Later that evening, Raine dragged me toward the student lodge. She explained that she had to let the rest of our friends know that I'm back in the group. According to her, that was where our friend group usually sit to chat during free period. I was amazed by Izzy's taste in friends. She really had the whole package, doesn't she?

As we made our way down the hallway, Raine stared at me. "I need to use the bathroom. Go on ahead. I'll catch up in a minute."

"Sure." I watched her hurry down the hallway before going towards the room she showed me earlier. When I stood in front of the door, I frowned at the sound that was coming from within.

I scoffed when I realized that some shameless people were probably fucking behind the door. Seriously, don't they have some shame?

I pushed open the door and was shocked to find Ethan pressed against the far desk, locked in a fierce, breathless kiss with another guy. At first, I didn't realize it was Ethan, my sister's long time crush and Raine's boyfriend, but Izzy had shown me many pictures of him over the years and I've seen him once in the cafeteria.

Holy hell! Was he gay?

At first, neither of them registered my presence, they had their hands far down each other's pants and seem to be lost in the moment. For three long seconds, I just stood there, taking in the tangled hands and the frantic heat in the room. Then Ethan’s eyes fluttered open.

When his gaze collided with mine, he shoved the other boy away so hard he nearly tripped over a chair.

"Izzy!" He breathed out in a shaky tone. His lips swollen from the activity. "H-how long have you been standing there?"

I couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped my lips. "If you're asking if I saw anything, I literally saw everything."

The other guy looked as though he might throw up, his face drained of every drop of color. Ethan, meanwhile, went deathly pale, his chest heaving as terror crept into his wide eyes.

"It's not what you think Izzy," Ethan choked out.

I leaned casually against the doorframe, folding my arms and letting pure, intoxicating amusement wash over me. "I think it's exactly what I think." I raised a brow at him. "So that's why you never wanted me." That's probably why he never wanted Izzy.

Ethan looked panicked. "It’s... it’s not like that Izzy. I just..." Ethan paused and looked at me with raw desperation bleeding through his voice. "Izzy, please. You can't tell anyone."

I raised a brow at him, "And why wouldn't I? I'm sure Raine would be dying to know that her boyfriend is actually gay."

"I'll do anything Izzy," he blurted out, taking a frantic step forward. "Seriously. Name it. Just don't let this get out, especially not to Raine."

I tilted my head, savoring the sheer weight of the leverage hanging in the air. "Are you sure you'll do anything?"

He nodded, eager and entirely at my mercy. "Whatever you want. Just keep your mouth shut."

I tapped a finger against my chin, feigning deep consideration before giving him a brisk, dismissive shrug. "Fine. You're on call," I said, stepping closer until the venom in my smile was impossible to miss. "From this second on, you do whatever I ask. Whenever I ask. No questions, no excuses."

Ethan hesitated, swallowing hard. A beat of heavy silence hung between us. Slowly, defeatedly, he nodded. "Okay. Deal."

I gave him one last patronizing pat on the shoulder"good boy," then I turned on my heel, and stepped back into the quiet hallway. An electric rush of adrenaline hummed beneath my skin, making me feel invincible.

This little game was turning out to be far more entertaining than I'd ever
imagined.