Chapter 24
24
The first day back.
I walked through the gates of St Victor’s School knowing that things would be different this year, and yet I still hoped The Exes would be waiting for me at our picnic table like they always used to.
It was empty. The other tables were full of high school students and sixth formers, but the table right in the centre was left abandoned. Everyone knew it was ours, whether or not we used it.
We’d created so many memories at this school, and they hung vividly before my eyes: me explaining our weekly schedule to The Exes while we lounged around our picnic table; Chloe eating an apple as she leaned against my locker waiting for me after class; Sanjay sneaking in a quick smoke as he drew hilarious caricatures of us during lunch; Abeo waiting for our teacher to turn away before throwing gossip-filled notes at my head; Felicity pulling out a camera at the most inappropriate times to capture content for our vlogs.
And, of course, everyone else watching us from afar, taking note of everything we did so they could emulate it, finding any excuse to talk to us or sit nearby, trying to earn invites to our exclusive events or get a mention on one of our platforms. Their stares would be the same as ever this year, but what they saw now would be very different; there could be no hiding the divisions that had formed between us.
All these memories that I held so close to my heart suddenly felt like something to forget rather than to reflect on.
‘Hey, Karim. Over here.’
It was Abeo. Felicity waved at me from beside him. They were standing by one of the stone pillars that lined the marble corridor leading to the grand entrance.
‘Goodness gracious,’ Felicity said, getting straight into it, ‘the ball got rather tense! Chloe filled me in on what happened between you guys, and I just want to be clear with you that I don’t support what they’re doing at all. It’s way too soon and so disrespectful. Did you manage to cool off on Sunday?’
I nodded.
My Sunday with Zara had been perfect. We were texting non-stop now; she was addictive. Although the sting of Chloe and Sanjay getting together was still there, it seemed distant now, already in the background.
‘I was going to apologize to Chloe just after the ball,’ Abeo said, ‘but when Felicity told me what happened, I didn’t bother.’
‘Did you guys notice the cryptic messages she’s been posting everywhere online?’ Felicity hissed. ‘Talk about playing the victim.’
I sighed. ‘I unfollowed them, so I have no idea what either of them are up to.’
Abeo’s eyes widened. ‘That’s a big move.’ None of us had unfollowed each other before this. ‘I obviously get it but …’ He looked at Felicity pointedly.
Felicity stuttered before saying, ‘I hope you don’t expect us to unfollow them too? We’ve got to think about our collective platforms –’
‘No,’ I cut in. ‘I would never ask you to do that. I just really didn’t want to see them on my page any more.’
‘Understandable,’ Abeo said, nodding.
‘They barely have anything in common,’ Felicity huffed. ‘Chloe always thought Sanjay was basic, and he always thought she was fake. Just watch how they barely even last two months. They’ve messed up The Exes for a meaningless fling.’
Abeo glared at something in the distance.
I followed his gaze.
Chloe and Sanjay were walking in our direction, hand in hand, black and white uniforms crisply neat, expressions fierce. It was almost as though time slowed when Chloe’s eyes cut into mine, communicating only one thing: I don’t give a shit any more.
My heart clenched, but my face betrayed no emotion. We both turned away from each other at the same time.
‘The nerve!’ Felicity screeched.
‘Let’s not do this right now,’ I muttered, massaging my temple with a hand.
Abeo nodded. ‘There are far too many eyes on us. Let’s not give them anything more to talk about. Did you notice that neither of them were wearing any Exes icons?’
‘What does that mean exactly?’ Felicity snapped. ‘Are they even Exes any more?’
They both looked at me.
An idea flashed in my mind. ‘We need a meeting with them about the brand, and you’re going to arrange it, Felicity.’ She opened her mouth to argue but I stopped her with a look. ‘They’ll listen to you. You’re the one with the least animosity towards them.’
‘ Obviously I care about our brand and income,’ Felicity said, ‘but I hate being caught in the middle.’
‘Karim’s right though,’ Abeo chipped in. ‘Before getting our managers and PR team involved, we need to figure out what we want. We haven’t uploaded anything as a quintet for a while now.’
‘But our followers are still going up,’ Felicity said with a shrug.
Abeo snorted. ‘I guess it’s true what they say – there’s no such thing as bad publicity.’
Felicity threw her head back and whined, ‘I really don’t want to talk to them. I just want to be in a dance studio doing ballet until I drop.’
Abeo placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘Perfect! Azad’s mehndi is coming up and we need you to start working on the choreography for it.’
‘I’ve already started that … and I did it for a group of five dancers.’
I cleared my throat. ‘I’ve got plenty of cousins who’d be happy to fill in the remaining two spots. There’s no way Chloe or Sanjay will be a part of my family celebration.’
The bell rang and we separated.
Chloe and I were in the same form for registration and I’d usually sit with her, but today the seats on either side of her were filled with girls who stared daggers at me while she completely ignored my existence, gazing into a mirror and applying lipstick. It seemed she’d already chosen her cronies for the year.
I walked past them all and took an empty seat near the back. Classmates stole glances in my direction, whispering agitatedly. The scandals over the summer had provided enough gossip for the rest of the year. I ignored them all.
There was only one reason I was still in school, despite earning enough through my social media to not have to worry about working, and that was the University of St Andrews. My parents and siblings had studied there, as had my grandfather. While Mum and Kiran had studied history of art, Dad and Azad had done computer science, and that was exactly what I wanted to study too.
This was more than a family tradition. It felt like something I had to accomplish for myself . I planned to stay focused in school, keep up my grades, and not let any of this gossip get in the way of my dreams.
At lunchtime, I sat with Abeo in an empty classroom, our lunch trays before us, my head floating with trigonometry, university applications, and worries about whether The Exes brand would survive all of this drama.
Felicity suddenly burst in, lunch tray in hand. ‘They’ve agreed to come,’ she groaned.
She sat down facing us and stuffed a spoonful of peas into her mouth.
‘Did they agree easily?’ I asked.
She gulped her food down and rolled her eyes. ‘They were quiet for a sec and then began whispering. After making me wait around for a good few minutes – on an empty, growling stomach, may I add – they said yes. Who the hell do they think they are? I’m so done with them.’
We ate our lunch in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Mere seconds after we’d finished, the door creaked open. Chloe entered first, her expression steely and defensive. Sanjay followed close behind her with a sheepish look on his face.
‘You wanted to see us?’ Chloe asked me sharply.
My insides darkened at her bluntness. It was a show; it had to be. She couldn’t be so cold, not after everything we’d been through together.
‘Yes,’ I said, gesturing for them to join us. ‘Thank you for coming. We wanted to discuss the future of our brand.’
She looked flustered at the kind, professional stance I was taking, unsure of how to proceed.
I was the unspoken leader of The Exes for a reason, and I wasn’t going to let personal quarrels break up a brand worth multimillions.