Chapter 1: Three of a kind
"You dreamt about him again?" Mirah asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, but this time it was different. I think he has a new girlfriend," Liyah replied, sounding defeated.
"Oh, come on, you're overthinking it," Mirah sighed. "Just because he ghosted you doesn't mean he's cheating… or maybe he is."
"You're not helping," Liyah frowned, rolling her eyes at Mirah's bluntness.
"Forget about him. We're going to be late for school. Get up and get ready with me," Mirah said, tugging at Liyah's blanket.
Just then, Missi knocked on the door and poked her head inside. "Hey, lovebirds, hurry up! We're already late," she scolded playfully.
With Missi's reminder, the girls hurried to get dressed and grabbed their bags.
Mirah and Liyah were best friends since junior high. Missi wasn't far behind she was their close friend too, though she had her own wild streak.
Liyah was known as the calm and classy girl. People often mistook her quiet nature for pride because she didn't talk much to anyone except her friends. Mirah was her complete opposite bubbly, cheerful, and everyone's helper. She was a huge foodie too, but one bark from a dog could send her running for cover. Missi, meanwhile, was the loudest and most carefree among them gorgeous, flirty, and unbothered by what people thought.
After classes ended, the three friends walked down the hallway, heading toward the cafeteria. Mirah looped her arm through Liyah's and started her pep talk again.
"You know what? You should just get a new boyfriend. Distract yourself. This 'mystery ex' nonsense is getting ridiculous," Mirah said, munching on a snack she had hidden in her bag.
Liyah sighed. "It's not that easy, Mirah. I don't even know if he's really my ex. One minute he's telling me 'I will love you forever' and sending hugs and kisses every night, then out of nowhere, he goes from that to a dry 'hi'... and then, nothing. He just stopped talking to me. No fight, no goodbye. How am I supposed to know what that means?"
Mirah clicked her tongue. "It means he's an idiot. So stop dreaming about him kissing random girls and move on. Please, for my sanity."
Liyah forced a smile, but her mind was still restless.
Missi, who had fallen behind to submit an assignment, ran up to them, slipping an arm around both their shoulders.
"Ladies, gossiping about Liyah's ghost lover again?" she teased loudly enough for people nearby to turn and stare.
"Missi!" Liyah groaned, but couldn't help laughing.
The three of them pushed through the cafeteria doors together—three different worlds, bound by secrets, loyalty, and an endless appetite for trouble