𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒, 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰

eighteen

eighteen

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
illicit affairs
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

The fact that the album had already reached #3 on the charts was staggering to Stella.

She wished she could muster some excitement about the achievement, but truth be told, she had been feeling numb for the past four months.

During the last two months of the tour, she found herself constantly surrounded by love. The girls, Eliza, even Nick and Chris were always reaching out, texting and calling. But her interactions with Matt were sparse—only three times in those two months. The first was another argument, the second solidified their breakup, and the third was Stella confronting him about bringing Erin to their final show in LA.

His response, 'because she's my best friend,' shattered Stella's heart even more. Initially, she thought their split was just a bump in the road, but as he failed to fight for her and she found herself unable to fight for him, she began to shut down. She put on a facade, telling everyone she was fine—perhaps even happy—while privately channeling her emotions into her songwriting.

While she didn't write every song on the album, she penned most of them. The exceptions were "Hate to Be You," "All-American Bitch," and "Told You So."

"Told You So" held a special place in her heart. It was a song gifted to her by Riley, Ivy, and Piper, dedicated to her, and she cherished it more than words could express.

To make matters worse, Erin was plastering Matt's life all over her social media. To say Stella was pissed off would be an understatement.

To the outside world, she appeared to be in the acceptance stage. However, those closest to her knew the truth: she was seething with anger and on the path to revenge.

Stella had loved (and still loves) Matt wholeheartedly, but she refused to tolerate any further disrespect from him. Seeing him posting with Erin as if they were in a relationship, and not even acknowledging her album—though it was clearly inspired by their breakup—made Stella feel like he was being a complete jerk.

Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt. Matt.

His name echoed relentlessly in her mind. If he wanted to play the 'I don't give a fuck' game, then she was more than willing to play along—and she was determined to win. It had been four months since the end of the tour, and the idea that anyone could move on from such a significant relationship in just six months seemed utterly ludicrous. Yet, everyone seemed to believe that Matt had done exactly that.