the bass was so loud you could feel it in your ribs. it was the kind of party where the air tasted like cheap liquor, expensive perfume, and heat that was thick with the scent of a hundred bodies pressed too close. you walked in like you owned the place and technically you kind of did. your familys money had its fingerprints all over this town and everyone knew it. you could see it in the way people looked at you when you crossed the room with a mix of envy, curiosity, and the quiet kind of respect you dont get from just being popular

your eyes werent scanning the crowd for attention. they were locked in her. regina george.

even now the sight of her was like taking a punch you didnt see coming. her blonde hair was cascading in loose waves and she was wearing a short glittery dress that clung to every line of her body, catching the light like she bad been dipped in champagne. she was moving in the center of the dance floor with her hips swaying in time with the music, a magnet for every guy in the room and they were all touching her

their hands were on her waist with their fingers brushing down her arm. one guys palm was lingering dangerously low on her back. you knew she was bisexual. she had told you early in sophomore year, grinning like she was daring you to be insecure

back then you werent. then she was yours and you didnt have to think about anyone else putting their hands on her but now watching those guys swarm around her like moths, you could feel something ugly twisting in your gut

she laughed at something one of them said, that sharp and perfect laugh you had memorized when it was yours alone. she tossed her hair back and for half a second your eyes met across the room

god you hated that. you hated that you still felt that magnetic pull and electric jolt in your chest. you hated the way her mouth curved just slightly at corner when she saw you like she knew you had been watching her the whole time

youve been broken up for almost a year. sophomore year was fireworks and junior year was a war. your breakup was messy with screaming on hallways, whispered rumors, and public snubs at lunch. no one could even tell you exactly what you had been fighting about by the end because it had been everything. pride, hurt, and the kind of love that made you want to set the other person on fire just so you wouldnt have to feel it anymore and yet here you were

you leaned against the wall with your jaw tight and a drink in your hand, pretending you werent keeping track of every single time one of those guys touched her. your fingers tightened around the glass when you saw one of them pull her closed, his hand settling on her hip like it belonged there

it didnt.

she never broke eye contact with you. not when she let him whisper something in her ear, when she threw her head back and laughed like she was having the time of her life, or even when she moved closer to him making the space between their bodies disappear

that was regina for you. always playing the game and making sure you knew she could still win it

you wanted to cross the room and grab her by the wrist, pull her into some dark corner, and tell her exactly what you thought about her little performance but your pride was as big as hers and youd be damned before you let her see how much she still got you so instead you sipped your drink and kept your expression perfectly neutral