Snow sighed, feeling a sense of frustration. "Minnie, Nahhhhhhh. You know me way past that level. Hellish nooo!!"
Minnie looked skeptical. "And that's all there is to it?"
Snow nodded, trying to convince herself as much as Minnie. "Yeah, that's all there is to it. I fücking promise."
Minnie looked at her for a long moment before nodding. "Okay, Snow. I believe you. But just be careful, okay? Violet's still got feelings for Oliver, and if she finds out that you're getting close to him...it could get ugly."
Snow nodded, feeling a sense of unease. She knew that Minnie was right - Violet was still hurt over her breakup with Oliver, and if she thought that Snow was moving in on him...it could spell disaster for their friendship.
She wondered why Violet left Oliver if she seemed to like him so much but she had no regrets for what she did to Violet.
They both needed to be free from the lies including the deceit. That includes Oliver too.
Violet walked out of her lecture hall, lost in thought. She was still fuming about her conversation with Snow, and she couldn't believe that Snow was being so stubborn.
Just as she was starting to calm down, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Hey, Violet."
Violet turned to see Leo falling into step beside her. He was flashing his famous charming smile, but Violet wasn't having it.
"What do you want, Leo?" she asked bluntly.
Leo chuckled. "Ah, come on, Violet. I'm not going to bite. Unless you want me to, that is."
Violet rolled her eyes. "Leo, please. I'm not in the mood."
Leo's grin faltered for a moment before he recovered. "Okay, okay. I get it. You're still mad at Snow."
Violet's eyes narrowed. "What do you know about it?"
Leo shrugged. "Just that you two are having some issues. But I'm happy to listen if you want to talk about it. I heard you relationship with Oliver fell through."
Violet raised an eyebrow. "You're not exactly the most neutral party, Leo. I mean, you did collide with Snow on purpose."
Leo's smile returned, but it was tinged with malice. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. But either way, it's not like I'm trying to hurt anyone."
Violet's voice was icy. "Save it, Leo. I know exactly what you're trying to do. You're trying to break Oliver and me apart."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "And what if I am? Oliver isn't exactly happy with you right now, is he?"
Violet's face turned red with rage. "That's none of your business, Leo. And even if it was, I wouldn't let you get to me."
Leo chuckled, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, Violet. I'll leave you alone. For now, but just know I have you in my mind, sugar biscuit."
Violet turned on her heel and stalked away, leaving Leo watching her with a calculating gaze.
She could feel his eyes on her, and she knew that she hadn't seen the last of him.
______
A WEEK LATER
Snow walked across campus, lost in thought. She was still reeling from the tension between her and Violet. As she turned a corner, she collided with Oliver.
For a moment, they walked past each other, awkwardly. Oliver nodded curtly and continued on his way, leaving Snow feeling frustrated and confused.
"Hey, what's going on?" Snow asked herself, watching Oliver walk away. She hadn't expected him to be so cold towards her.
As she continued on her way, Snow noticed that Oliver wasn't calling her back. She quickened her pace, feeling a sense of unease.
Suddenly, she stopped and turned around. "Wait a minute," she said to herself, determination etched on her face. She walked backwards to Oliver, determined to get his attention.
"Hey, say something," Snow said, trying to sound casual.
But Oliver just passed her by, not even acknowledging her presence. Snow felt a surge of anger and frustration.
"Seriously?" Snow said, following after Oliver. "You're just going to ignore me?"
Oliver didn't respond. Snow grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop.
"Oliver, wait up," Snow said, looking up at him. "What's going on? I really don't deserve this."
Oliver turned to her, his expression unreadable. "What do you want, Snow?"
Snow took a deep breath. "I just wanted to know if you're still mad at me. About you and Violet breaking up, I mean."
Oliver's expression softened slightly. "Snow, it's not your fault that Violet and I broke up. You didn't do anything wrong."
But Snow wasn't convinced. She knew that Oliver was still hurting from the breakup, and she couldn't help but feel responsible.
"Then why are you being so distant?" Snow asked, feeling vulnerable.
Oliver sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Snow, I just need some space right now, okay? I'm still trying to process everything."
But Snow wasn't willing to give up. She kept pestering Oliver, trying to get him to open up to her.
"Oliver, please. Just talk to me. Well I don't understand that like you said... Can I not get this cold aura I can't handle it." Snow asked, feeling desperate.
Oliver's expression turned firm. "Snow, I mean it. I need some space. So you can't handle a cold aura but you do it most of the time."
****
William walked across campus, lost in thought, when he saw Violet approaching him. He tried to avoid her, but she quickly caught up to him.
"Hey, William," Violet said, trying to sound casual.
William nodded curtly, not wanting to engage in conversation. "What's up, Violet?" he asked gruffly, still walking.
Violet fell into step beside him. "Hey, William, can I ask you something?" she said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
William sighed, not wanting to get drawn into a conversation. "What is it, Violet?" he asked, his tone neutral.
Violet hesitated, her eyes darting around nervously. "I was just wondering if you've....Oliver." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
William raised an eyebrow, his expression incredulous. "You think I'd talk to you about Oliver after what you did to him?" he asked, his voice laced with disdain.
Violet's face fell, her eyes welling up with tears. "William, please," she said, her voice pleading. "I know I messed up, but I love Oliver. I want to make things right."
William stopped walking and turned to face her. "Violet, you had your chance with Oliver. You blew it. And now he's gone, and it's all because of your insecurities and cheating."
Violet's face crumpled, and she began to sob. "William, please," she begged. "Just talk to Oliver for me. Tell him I'm sorry."
William shook his head, his expression unyielding. "Violet, I'm not going to get involved in this. You need to leave Oliver alone and move on."
Violet's sobs grew louder, and William felt a surge of frustration. "Violet, come on. Don't make me feel guilty for something that's not my fault. You messed up, and now you need to deal with the consequences."
Violet looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. "But William, I love him," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
William sighed, feeling a pang of guilt. But he knew he couldn't give in to Violet's pleas. "Violet, I'm sorry. But you need to move on. Oliver's gone, and he's not coming back."
Violet's face crumpled again, and William turned and walked away, leaving her to her tears.
William met up with Minnie, and his face lit up with a warm smile. He quickly hugged her, feeling a sense of relief wash over him.
Minnie looked up at him, concern etched on her face. "Hey, what's wrong? You look like something's bothering you."
But William just shook his head, not wanting to get into his conversation with Violet. "Nothing's wrong, Minnie. I just missed you, that's all."
Minnie's face flushed with a sweet blush, and she smiled up at him. "I missed you too, William."
As they walked together, Minnie filled William in on the latest gossip. "You won't believe what happened between Snow and Violet," she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
William raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What happened?"
Minnie launched into a detailed account of the argument between Snow and Violet. William listened intently, his expression thoughtful.
When Minnie finished, William nodded. "I already knew about Oliver and Violet breaking up," he said. "But I had no idea things had gotten so bad between Snow and Violet."
Minnie sighed, looking worried. "I don't know what to do, William. I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of all this drama."
William put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're not stuck in the middle, Minnie. You're the only one who can fix this. You're the glue that holds everyone together."
Minnie smiled, looking hopeful. "You really think so?"
William nodded. "I trust your judgment, Minnie. If anyone can save your friendships, it's you."
Minnie's face lit up with determination. "I'll do it, William. I'll try to fix things between Snow and Violet."
William smiled, feeling proud of her. "I know you will, Minnie. And I'll be right here beside you, supporting you every step of the way."
Minnie grinned, looking happy. "I'm glad you're coming to class with me today, William."
William chuckled, feeling happy to be spending time with Minnie. "Well I'm mostly there to be your distraction and also be the boy face of your class to your girls."
°°°
Snow walked alongside Oliver until they arrived at a building with a sign that read "Surfer's Admin Block". Oliver asked her to wait for him outside, but Snow refused, following him into the building instead.
Inside, Oliver approached a woman who was sitting behind a desk. "Hi, I'm Oliver," he said, flashing a charming smile.
The woman smiled back, her eyes sparkling with warmth. "Hi Oliver, I'm Karen. We've been expecting you."
Snow's eyes narrowed, feeling a pang of jealousy. She didn't like the way Karen was smiling at Oliver.
Karen continued, "We have a competition coming up among the surfers so you could get started."
Oliver smiled, "Ohh, sweet!!"
Karen quickly cut him off, "But we have a problem? We need someone to help with the judging."
Oliver's eyes lit up, and he turned to Snow. "What do we do??" he asked.
But Snow didn't answer him directly. Instead, she turned to Karen and spoke in a confident, sassy tone. "I'd be happy to help with the judging. What's the criteria?"
Karen's eyes widened, impressed by Snow's confidence. "Well, we need someone to help us evaluate the surfers' techniques and overall performance."
Snow nodded, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "I'm on it. When do we start?"
"I had no idea you could do that. Shut this now.." Oliver raised an eyebrow, looking amused by Snow's boldness whispering to her. "I think we start tomorrow," Karen said, smiling.
Snow grinned, feeling a sense of excitement. "I'll be there. Thanks for the opportunity."
Karen smiled back, looking pleased. "We're looking forward to having you on board, Snow. I have to say, I'm impressed by your confidence."
Snow smiled, feeling a sense of pride. "Thanks. I'm always up for a challenge."
Oliver chuckled, shaking his head. "I should have known this would happen. I wouldn't had let you know??"
Karen nodded, making a note on her clipboard. "Great. We'll see you tomorrow, ..." She wasn't indirectly asking for her name.
"Snow... Snow." Snow smiled at her. "Snow...And Oliver, we'll need you to compete, of course."
Oliver grinned, looking excited. "I'm in. Thanks for having me."
Snow rolled her eyes, laughing. "You're such a surfer dude, Oliver."
Oliver chuckled, playfully nudging her. "Hey, someone's got to represent the surfers."
Karen smiled, looking pleased. "Well, I think we've got everything covered. Thanks again, Snow and Oliver."
Snow nodded, smiling. "No problem. We'll see you tomorrow."
As they left the building, Oliver turned to Snow and grinned. "You're really something, you know that?"
Snow smiled, feeling a sense of pride. "Hey, someone's got to keep you in line, surfer dude."