best friends (with benefits) bangchan

maddi's madness

A/N : see, i was not in a good condition, to post, CUZ i suffered from typhoid after a trip of indore (a city in madhya pradesh india), i have motion sickness and since it was car ride i got extremely sick and stayed like that for literal 7 days, but now i am good and i will be posting every week on saturdays, yes, i know i said i will be posting every 5 days but it would not be possible for me to continue 2 stories at one time. peace!! and also it's not related to the story but i am really happy cuz, i placed in the top of my class for the 3rd time in a row.

3rd person pov

The bell screeched like an ugly bird (to be more specific a stork lol i said this cuz there was a chapter based on this bird in my textbook), signaling the end of the English lecture, and the start of the lunch and recess break. Aaru was bored so she started to find a good book to read from her bag, a relieved sigh escaping her lips as she found the perfect one which she issued from the school library. But as soon as she started to read her book, a familiar voice dripping with fake sweetness stopped her.

"Hey there, Chris' girlfriend."

Aaru suddenly realised it was that bitch. Maddi, the resident queen bee with beautiful blonde hair and a permanent sneer, stood by aaru's desk, maddi's sidekicks smiling her like hyenas. Aaru hated this. Hated how a simple twist of a ponytail and a friendly smile at Christopher could turn into dating rumors, But when on the first day day that bitch was acting like chris was hers, funny isn't it?

"Maddi," Aaru said, forcing a smile. "Chris is just my friend, you know that. don't you!!!!"

Maddi's smile turned sharp. "That's what they all say, Aaru. But that hand holding in the hallway yesterday? Not exactly friend behavior."

The hand-holding was innocente, a reflex to steady Chris after he tripped on a loose shoelace. But explaining that to Maddi, who was stupid as fuck was most definitely pointless.

"Look, Maddi," Aaru tried again, her voice tight. "There's nothing going on between me and Chrisr. We've been best friends since forever."

Maddi scoffed. "Uh-huh. Convenient how 'best friend' can suddenly mean 'secret girlfriend' of my crush, chris." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a low hiss. "Stay away from Chris, Aaru. Or things could get messy."

"we will get to that soon, but for now, a bitch like you doesn't have the right to call my best friend by a nickname. for you, his name is christopher and just that", aaru felt brave and somehow managed to say those words with a rough tone.

"What's going on here?"

Christopher stood by the doorway, his brow furrowed in concern. Aaru's knight in not-so-shining armor (well, the armor here is his uniform lol) had arrived.

Relief washed over Aaru like a wave. Christopher's presence felt like a shield against Maddi's venomous barbs.

"Nothing, Chris," Aaru mumbled, her voice small. "Just catching up with with a total bitch."

Maddi heard it, however, she wasn't about to back down. She straightened up, her red hair a fiery halo around her face. "Actually, Christopher," she said,forcing the name of him while giving me a glance, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness, "I was just reminding Aaru here about respecting boundaries." Her eyes flicked pointedly to Aaru.

Christopher's gaze flickered between them, his brow furrowing further. "Boundaries?"

"Yeah," Maddi continued, her voice gaining confidence. "Personal space, you know? Maybe some girls shouldn't be so...clingy."

Aaru's cheeks burned with humiliation. Maddi's words were a clear jab at the hand holding incident, twisting it into something possessive. She wanted to scream, to defend herself, but the words wouldn't come.

Christopher, however, seemed to sense her distress. He turned to Aaru, his voice gentle. "Is that true, Aaru?"

A thousand answers battled in Aaru's head. Should she explain the innocent hand-holding? Should she expose Maddi's lie? But before she could decide, Christopher spoke again.

"Because," he continued, his eyes locking with Maddi's, "if someone's bothering you, Aaru, you should tell me. That's what friends do, right?"

The air crackled with tension. Aaru's heart hammered in her chest. Had Christopher just indirectly defended her? Maddi's face, however, contorted into a mask of fury.

"Friends?" maddi spat, her voice laced with disbelief. "Aaru and you? Since when?"

Christopher's lips curved into a small, amused smile. "Since forever, actually. We've been best friends since kindergarten." His gaze flicked back to Aaru, a silent reassurance passing between them.

Maddi opened her mouth to retort, her sidekicks snickering behind her. But the dismissal bell chose that moment to complicate the things even more (as if everything was not already at the peak of what we call complicated), flooding the hallway with students. The crowd effectively cut off Maddi's comeback, leaving her sputtering with frustration.

With a glare aimed at both Aaru and Christopher, Maddi and her giggling entourage swept out of the classroom. The hallway, just moments ago tense with Maddi's threat, suddenly felt lighter.

Aaru let out a shaky breath of relief. Christopher's casual defense, his reminder of their long-standing friendship, had done wonders to ease her anxiety. "Thanks, Chris," she mumbled, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Anytime," Christopher replied, his smile mirroring hers. "Besides, everyone knows we're just best friends. Right?" He winked, and for the first time that day, Aaru felt a flicker of something warm bloom in her chest. Maybe, just maybe, there was more to their friendship than either of them realized.