Evaline:
"Are you serious right now?!"
Mallory's voice cracked through the room like a whip, sharp and loud enough to make both Rowan and me flinch at the same time.
I blinked while Rowan coughed awkwardly beside me. And just like that, the comfortable atmosphere of the lounge shattered completely.
Mallory stood in front of us with her hands planted on her hips, and her eyes blazing with a mix of disbelief and anger. Her gaze flicked between me and Rowan like she couldn't decide who she wanted to strangle first.
"You are telling us," she continued, her voice rising another notch, "that all of this was happening… and you thought, 'yeah, let's just not tell our friends anything until it's all over'?!"
The silence that followed was thick and heavy, even dangerous.
I slowly glanced around the room, taking in my other friends who hadn't even bothered to speak.
