The Bad Boy Next Room (Charlie and Taylor)

"This is my first time watching Atomic Heat's practice," Frank said as they settled in. "So much eye candy. I'm having a sugar rush!"

"I'm just here to support Charlie," Mia said.

"Same," Dawn added with a chuckle.

The practice began, and in the middle of it, Taylor looked up and spotted Charlie. At first, he seemed surprised, but then he smiled.

Charlie smiled back, slightly waving at him, and in response, Taylor gave her a wink.

Mia was about to tease Charlie when Macy's friends reacted first.

"Oh my god, Macy! Taylor just smiled at you!"

"And he winked at her too!"

Macy quickly chuckled. "Yeah, of course!"

Charlie, "..."

"Macy, you are so lucky to have Taylor as your boyfriend," a brunette gushed.

"The nerve of this woman, still spreading lies about Taylor being her boyfriend," Frank muttered, glancing back.

Charlie had already explained to her friends that Taylor was giving Carl basketball lessons. That was how Macy had gotten pictures of Taylor at her house.

"Excuse me?" a red-haired girl from Macy's group snapped. "Macy is Taylor's girlfriend. She has pictures of him in her house."

"That doesn't prove anything," Charlie countered. "Taylor is just giving Macy's brother basketball lessons."

"Macy, tell them!" the red-haired girl insisted.

"Yeah, Macy, tell them how long you and Taylor have been together," the brunette urged.

Macy pretended to be cool about it. She folded her arms and told her friends, "Look, guys, I don't have to argue with her. You all know the truth."

Her response was vague, clearly dodging the question.

"Didn't you see, Miss? Taylor just smiled and winked at Macy!" the red-haired girl pointed out.

"He was smiling at me," Charlie corrected.

One of Macy's friends burst into laughter. "Oh wow, another girl claiming to be Taylor's girlfriend! Haha! Get in line!"

"That's because Charlie is Taylor's girlfriend," Mia said firmly. "Not Macy."

"What?" the red-haired girl said in disbelief. "We don't even know you. We've never seen you with Taylor." Rolling her eyes, she added, “You're just another wannabe."

"That's not true," Dawn defended. "We have seen Charlie with Taylor. He even picks her up from class."

The brunette scoffed, standing up. "Who even are you?"

Macy smirked. She reminded her friends, "Oh, right. Charlie's Luke Sullivan's ex. Remember, guys? The assembly?"

Macy made air quotes, saying, "She was replaced."

"Wait, you were Luke's ex-girlfriend? So, why are you here? Were you one of Taylor's past flings? Did you cheat on Luke?" the brunette asked.

The red-haired girl's smirk widened. She laughed, "Oh, I get it. You're just another one of Taylor's throwaways, one of the girls he used. And let me guess, you thought you were special? That he actually cared?

Please. News flash: you were just a

warm-up. Macy's the realdeal."

She stepped closer, her voice turning sharp. "And you? You're nothing but a desperate little sidepiece who couldn't even keep one man. No wonder Luke dumped your sorry ass. He probably got sick of you drooling over Taylor while pretending to love him. God, that's pathetic."

Charlie's vision blurred with rage. 'Throwaway? Warm-up? Sidepiece?'

But what really sent her over the edge was how they talked about Taylor like he

was some kind of manwhore! How dare they?

Charlie could not let it slide.

She shot to her feet, pointing a finger at them. "In the first place, Taylor is not like that! He is a responsible, genuine, and thoughtful guy! He isn't some playboy like you all claim to have slept with

Both groups jumped up, their voices clashing in a full-blown shouting match. The entire gym was watching now.

The tension spiked. Charlie had never felt so provoked. She thought, 'These girls

make K-drama villains look like kids fighting over a juice box!'

Just as she was about to say another word, strong arms suddenly wrapped

around her waist, lifting her off the ground.

"Whoa, whoa! What the hell is going on here?"

It was Taylor, looking like a knight saving his damsel from the world's pettiest girl

fight.

Jaws were dropping.

Eyes were widening.noveldrama

Macy's friends stared in shock.