Lie Again! Chapter 51

<Chapter 51. Teal and Orange (1)>

 

 

It was the annual New Year’s party.

 

The location and the guests changed every year, but one unchanging fact was that Joey McCoy was always present at every fun party. 

 

“Hey, Joey.”

 

“Joey, hello!”

 

“Happy New Year!”

 

Joey, overwhelmed by the greetings pouring in from all directions, responded breathlessly as she climbed the landing bathed in orange light.

 

Tonight’s party was being held at Noah Thompson’s house. Noah had come out as gay back in middle school, and yet, he’d never once been bullied—he was popular, the kind of person always surrounded by a crowd. 

 

Perfect music selection, tasteful lighting arrangements, and—most importantly—no losers ruining the vibe or idiots swaggering around looking for a fight. The party’s guest list had been expertly curated.

 

‘As expected, parties thrown by gays are the best.’

 

Just as she stepped onto the second floor, thinking a somewhat prejudiced thought, Joey turned her head at the sound of a desperate voice calling her name. 

 

“Joey, Joey! Come here.”

 

“I have something I want to ask you—come here, quick!”

 

It was Hannah and Hazel. The two, who were always glued together like twins, were both on the cheer team as bases. They usually worked in sync with Gwen.

 

They maintained a fairly decent relationship with Joey, but if you had to pick sides, they leaned more toward Gwen. Usually, when the two of them sought out Joey first, it was because— 

 

‘It’s when there’s gossip they want to hear.’

 

She had just come up from the first floor after dancing her heart out and was dying to take a break, but she couldn’t possibly disappoint the ones who sought her out for gossip.

 

“Hello, HH. What’s up?”

 

No sooner had Joey squeezed herself between the two on the couch than Hannah began bombarding her with questions.

 

“Joey, about the transfer student…”

 

Oh, she didn’t see that topic coming.

 

Jin? What is there to talk about with her? She’s pretty, smart, and on top of that, she’s even kind!

 

But really, how long has it been since she transferred? And they’re still calling her “the new girl”? Those lazy Crawford kids never seemed interested in learning new names. Even though Jin Lee—her name only has two syllables! 

 

“Is she really dating Evan?” 

 

As Hannah started talking, Hazel got to the point.

 

Oh, so that’s it. She can talk about this confidently.

 

She had been shocked to see Evan Butterfield standing next to Jin on Ex-Boyfriend Cleanup Day just a few days ago. And when she heard the two were actually dating, she practically screamed.

 

On Christmas Eve! At the Cecilia Cliffs, where there’s a superstition that couples who visit will come back together next year!

 

But the surprise quickly faded, replaced by a swell of pride and a touch of smug satisfaction in Joey’s heart. Pride that that Butterfield was dating her friend—and a bit of smugness at the thought of Emily Gwen being neatly pushed aside. 

 

“You mean Jin? Mhm!”

 

Joey straightened her shoulders confidently as she answered, causing Hannah and Hazel to look at each other with their mouths open in surprise.

 

“Wow, that’s amazing—her.”

 

“Exactly. She totally beat Emily at her own game after just one semester here.”

 

“That’s right, that’s right.” Joy made a pleasant humming sound, recalling Gwen’s rigidly hardened face she had seen when she first entered the house.

 

But wait a minute.

 

“But where did you guys hear that?”

 

“I’ve been holding back from spilling too, but how do they even know about this?” Joey frowned as she asked, and HH shrugged their shoulders at the same time.

 

“Joey, the rumor’s everywhere. More than half the people at this party probably already know.”

 

“Rumors? If the rumors you know are spreading, then why don’t I know about them?” Joey blinked slowly.

 

“How did the rumor get out?”

 

“Someone said they went to the holiday market on Christmas Eve and saw the transfer student and Evan together.”

 

“And word is, Emily cried that day. Apparently, Evan left her while they were dating and went to the new girl instead. Olivia’s probably grinding her teeth right now.”

 

“Joey, is that new transfer student always like that? Pretending to be innocent but actually the type to flirt with guys behind their backs?”

 

Hazel, who was telling us all the gossip, asked in a quiet voice. It was full of the feeling of wanting to chew on Jin as a side dish.

 

Of course, if it had been the usual Joey, she would’ve pretended not to know anything and joined in, whispering this and that with HH.

 

However,

 

‘Not Jin.’

 

Joey’s expression hardened right away.

 

“What are you guys even talking about? I get that you’re annoyed because everyone’s paying attention to the new girl all of a sudden, but why the hell does Jin have to be the villain? The only thing she’s guilty of is being pretty!” 

 

“What are you talking about, we just…”

 

Hannah muttered an excuse, dumbfounded by the unexpected reaction. However, Joey didn’t give her time to finish her sentence and continued to spit out words.

 

“And another thing! Are we even sure Gwen was actually dating Butterfield? No one ever gave a clear answer—it’s all just assumptions. For all we know, it could’ve been just her fantasy or wishful thinking!”

 

Joey shot up from her seat and stepped away from the couch. She was determined to find Jin before Gwen and Clark could cause her any trouble.

 

As she walked away, she didn’t forget to leave the two with a final warning.

 

“Watch what you say! You know everything you say ends up in my ears, right?”

 

HH looked at each other with a bewildered expression.

 

Now, she’ll probably become their next target to gossip about and tear apart—but who cares. she’ll just spill a few things later and call it even. Like Hazel’s ex, Malcolm… or Malcolm’s new girlfriend, Vanessa. 

 

Leaving the two behind, Joey hurried to the second floor stairs.

 

“Joey, where are you going?”

 

After only a few steps, Joey was stopped again and let out an irritated sigh. But upon seeing who had spoken to her, she quickly brightened her expression.

 

“Oh, perfect timing. Ruthy! Have you seen Jin anywhere?”

 

It was Ruth. He was just coming out of the room at the end of the second-floor hallway, the one connected to the stairs.

 

Why is he coming out of there? Rooms at parties are usually reserved for couples. Unless you’re planning to sulk alone while everyone else is having fun, there’s no reason to go in there by yourself.

 

Joey stared curiously at the darkened room behind Ruth, but snapped back to reality at his next words.

 

“Jin? I saw her in the living room earlier—why?”

 

“That nasty witch Gwen is bullying Jin! Hurry up, come on!”

 

The assumption that Gwen and Clark might be picking a fight with Jin had already solidified into fact in Joy’s mind. At her words, Ruth’s expression hardened.

 

“What?”

 

Instead of explaining anything to Ruth, Joey grabbed his arm and pulled him along. Every second counted—there was no time to waste on talking.

 

Fortunately, finding Jin wasn’t all that difficult. The Crawford kids were obsessed with gossip—so a trio like Gwen, Clark, and Jin was bound to draw a crowd.

 

As Joey had expected, they were where people’s eyes followed.

 

“Oh, I shouldn’t be asking you that. It’s your trade secret, right?”

 

When Joey and Evan arrived, weaving through the dense crowd of people, Olivia was already taunting Jin.

 

The girls surrounding Jin burst into laughter at Olivia Clark’s bad words. 

 

Joey led her group over and immediately spotted Gwen standing in the middle like some kind of princess, and her eyes narrowed sharply. Gwen wasn’t lifting a finger herself—she was just standing back and watching Olivia do all the dirty work, harassing Jin on her behalf.

 

‘Bad girl.’

 

Anyway, she was a girl Joey disliked no matter what she did. It was just as Joey was trying to squeeze between them to take Jin, after momentarily glaring at Gwen.

 

“Stop…”

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Ruth, who had a scary expression, took a step forward and grabbed Jin’s wrist, hiding it behind him.

 

Olivia hesitated at the sudden intrusion of the audience.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

Joey, who had become dumbfounded along with Emily and Olivia, looked up at Ruth’s face.

 

‘Huh.’