Popular 3: The Error Of Their Ways

Sabina waits on the porch, hands shaking. She swallows hard. Rings the bell. The door swings open. Avi’s face goes white. The apology tumbles out fast, one breath after the next. Avi steps back, lets her in. Jillian’s already on the couch. Eyes lock, words stop. Both girls start talking at once. Their voices stack: sorry for the names, sorry for the rumors, sorry for everything. Avi looks at them, quiet. Then she nods. They sit at the kitchen table. Avi brushes on eyeliner, feathers lashes, lines their lips in soft red. Finished, Sabina and Jillian catch the mirror and freeze. They’re prettier than they ever managed on their own. They glance back at Avi. Really look. Their fingers find her wrists. Kisses trade, slow then hard. Avi drops her brush. Shirts peel off. Tongues trail collarbones, palms slide lower. Hips press. Moans slip out, messy and open. Fingers work and push until each girl shakes apart, one after another. When they collapse together on the couch, someone laughs low. Avi catches their hands, still slick. For once, nobody checks their phones. Something shifted in the quiet. They’d trade popularity for this, and they knew it now.