I know it's been a while, but surpise! How about another chapter of Envy Problems. I'm sure you guys and girls have been waiting long enough. I really wanted to bring things together here as we move into what I like to think is the second part of the story. Not only that bit I wanted to give a little nod to the newest announcement for the Huniepop 2 cast, Candace.

Let's get started! My thanks for waiting so patiently while I got around to writing some more for this one. I've known what I wanted to write for this one for a while. It was just a case of how I wanted to put it down on paper.

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"So, does this make us official, holmes?"

Mike laid his head back against the leather of his seat, watching out of the corner of his eye as Nora sparked up a smoke and took a deep drag. Same as always, she looked so perfectly in control, drumming the fingers of her free hand against the steering wheel. Official? Now that was one the musician didn't think he'd ever hear. Nora wanted something serious out of this? Up until now she'd never seemed the type for it. Then again, they weren't in school anymore. People changed, didn't they?

Winters knew that better than anyone.

"Is that really what you want, Nora? I mean... I figured I had you all worked out on the dating front. I thought serious wasn't your style."

His statement, earned him a playful punch on the arm. Nora blew smoke into the air, dotting out her cigarette into the dashboard ashtray and laying her head back. There they were, a pair of twenty-somethings parked up in a beat up red sports-car beside the Hot Springs. Mike glanced over - Nora looked distracted, her eyes glassy and her expression strangely, worrying... distant.

"You've always been on my radar, baby," she admitted with a deep sigh, staring upward toward the starry night sky. For the longest time she didn't say anything else, a pointed, almost jarring quiet taking over, until finally, she pulled the driver's seat back from recline, looking Mike square in the eye. "How'd you think it felt for me when I heard you were datin' Kyanna? Girl's my 'lil chica... mom's favorite niece."

The trademark smirk returned, that slightly despondent look she held replaced by fire. Nora took hold of his shoulders, giving a knowing, dangerous wink, leaning in closer, so close the scent of nicotine flooded the senses. "Part of me always thought about coming back to Glenberry, giving you a shot, Mike. Hah... funny how shit works, ain't it? Kyanna beat me to the draw."

Now everything made sense. Nora stepped aside for the sake of her younger cousin, obviously wanting her to be happy instead. Fuck, if what was mentioned earlier held true, then she'd even gone so far as babysitting little Philly just so he and Kyanna could go on dates. A bitter pill to swallow much? Another thing for Mike to feel guilty about.

"You were waiting in the wings all this time, huh? I never saw you... not once... but you were here in Glenberry, helping out where I couldn't see you. Behind the scenes."

"Damn right I was," Nora closed the gap, giving a smug scoff, stealing his lips, their sudden closeness sending a strangely cold, weighty tingle across his back. This one was different to the norm, disheartening - a feeling that only went away when Nora finally drew back.

"What's wrong?" A question asked with flare, one Mike couldn't bring himself to answer. "Not puttin' your heart into it there, Sparky."

All of these revelations, and in a single night no less, had brought a nervous line of thought to life. Mike shook his head, trying to put Nora at ease with a glass smile. "It's all good. This is just... a lot to take in is all. You should've called if you were in town so much."

"Every time I tried," Nora chuckled, turning the keys in the ignition, the engine roaring to life like a tiger released from the bars of its cage. "You didn't answer. Turns out we've learned a lot about each-other these past few weeks, eh ese?"

No kidding there. Mike gave a nod, content to watch as the open road whizzed past, the many bars and clubs of the busy student town alight with LED's and neon. He'd learned more about his gorgeous chola schoolmate in the space of two weeks than he had in years. How much more didn't he know? How many more secrets were waiting? Between her shady choices of job as a teenager, to her connection to Kyanna, what else was she-

"No," Mike whispered. He needed to stop before his paranoia got out of control. This was Nora he was talking about - Nora. He gave her a passing glance as she focused on the driving, feeling the idiot for falling down the rabbit hole like this. She'd had his back for longer than anyone else. "I can believe in you... I know that."

Three in the morning. Mike stared at the red digits on the bedside clock, dressed down to his boxers and tangled up in a gently snoring Lillian. He grabbed for the timepiece with the one hand that hadn't been taken away by his gothic something, staring in deep reflection as the time flicked to a minute past. A mental checklist buzzed to life in his thoughts, its gravity making it impossible for the much-needed gift of sleep to come.

No word from Kyu. They still weren't any closer to figuring out who was behind his stitch up with Charlotte and the band. Worse still, Nora had made her desires known, Lillian was butt naked, pressed up against his back, still without taking the morning after pill he'd given her when he got home... and then there was Nikki.

"I'm caught in a fucking spider web here..."

If there was a reason to feel like shit, to feel like a deplorable piece of garbage, then this was it. Ann-Marie played back in photographic flashes across his mental landscape, sat there in front of her television, droopy-eyed and propped up on energy drinks due to whatever the hell she'd been playing all night.

She'd given everything to help him... gone out of her way to try and prove he was better than people made him out to be. In return? He'd made a royal mess of things, again. Mike gave a bitter smile, setting the clock back down, watching again as the numbers on the screen flicked to four minutes past. She was far better a young woman than he could hope to deserve.

Then there was Mark. When they'd spoken at the bar the other day he'd mentioned doing something to dig deeper. Just what exactly did he have in mind? The son of frighteningly wide-reaching business family, he probably had connections that spread far and wide across the west coast. The question was, would he use them just to help a friend in need?

"I have to admit, Winters. The way you go about your affairs... sometimes quite literally with women, doesn't impress me, but regardless, you've always been loyal to your friends and comrades. I attest to finding that an admirable quality in you."

Mike remembered that faithful old discussion word for word. That one came up right after he'd parted ways with Kyanna just before New Year. Hard to think that was almost twelve months ago, now. Two-thousand-sixteen was almost knocking. On the bittersweet flipside, the singer could be sure of one thing at the moment.

"I know too many women..."

Zero to Hero, and back to somewhere in-between again.

Mike sighed, closing his eyes, the sight of the ever growing list of women he'd been involved with or at least known in passing, further clamping down upon his desire to sleep.

Audrey
Tiffany
Nikki
Kyanna
Nora
Kyu
Suki
Lillian
Charlotte

What was the name of the last one? Dammit. Mike struggled to bring a name to her face. Freckled, pink hair, not the brightest girl but easily one of the nicest people he'd ever met... though she could've done to kick the bad habits. Why was it so hard to remember what she was called? Shit... they'd hung out together shortly after he parted ways with Kyanna, up until the point he first hooked up with Audrey.

If anything, this only proved Mike's point further. Too many women. For a month they'd gone places, dancing, parties, first meeting when his bandmates dragged him into the local strip club. Hell, she'd almost gotten fired for slipping him free drinks at the end of her shifts. How the fuck was it so hard to remember the name of a candyfloss-haired stripper?

"Heeeeey Mike? You should come over to my place sometime. Sounds fun hmmm? We could watch a movie. Hehe! I'll let you choose. Whateeeever you waaaant!"

Word somehow reached Audrey's ears of that little remark. A slap in the face from the redhead later, and they didn't spend time together anymore. Her shifts changed, her liking of the white gold picked up, and they hadn't seen eye to eye since.

But, if anything, it was her smile, sweet and warming, that brought that all important moniker crashing home.

"Candace," Mike gave a tiny breath of relief. "Candace."

The only girl he'd been friends with without crossing the l-

Bzzzzzz!

Vibration snapped Mike from this particular line of thought, his attention drawn toward the Huniebee sat behind the clock. Who was texting him at this hour? Curious to find out, he wriggled free of Lillian as best she could, careful not to wake the girl from her deep sleep, turning his body on an angle so he could reach just that little further. Fingers outstretched, he just about managed to grab the magical phone in a claw-like grasp and pull it close.

A swipe of the screen brought up the message box. Mike scrolled up to the newest one, his eyes widening the slightest fraction. Again his heart dipped, that dull, discomforting feeling from just a moment ago returning with a vengeance.

Nikki. Did she have something? More info on the situation, maybe?

Pushing aside his feelings, Winters went about looking over what she felt was important. It was quite the paragraph.

'Hey Mike. I know it's late but this couldn't wait. Audrey was acting a bitch again earlier. She dragged me to the club and started venting. I know right? Fun. That's not the important part, though. She had a friend with her, a girl I'd not seen before... and they started talking about you! Audrey mentioned something about 'nailing you to the wall', and the other girl shouted at her, saying it wasn't her idea to put the camera in your room. I took a video... sending it your way now.'

As if on cue, the Huniebee vibrated in Mike's hand again. He flicked to the new clip, a couple of minutes long, pressing his thumb against the 'play' icon, slipping out of bed and into the lounge to listen.

One of the two faces sat in the booth beside the dancefloor made his stomach turn, a dizzying sway stealing his vision. Nikki had been smart enough to catch the conversation between songs, because they could be heard perfectly.

"Don't go blamin' this on me, bitch. Wasn't my idea to go riggin' up a camera while he was fucked outta his mind and film it."

There was no mistaking that voice, that hair, those cool blue eyes and the snappy denim jeans and jacket combo. Mike's fingers squeezed tight around the edges of his phone, the gaping jaws of humiliation near enough swallowing him whole.

Nora.

"What?!" Audrey bit back, slapping her hands against the table with ferocity, so loud and obnoxious it stopped Mike from even being able to process what in the ever-loving fuck he was seeing. "You think I did this? Huh! Watch your step there, ese." She threw that last part out mockingly, earning a dangerous scowl from Miss Delrio. "I didn't do shit! All I wanted was take a few shots of his junk and post them in the comment section."

"Then if you didn't... and neither did I-"

Nora downed her rainbow colored shot and slammed her balled fist against the table.

Audrey's eyes widened - it was a sight to see, even on screen. "Oh fuck... You don't think when I called the other day she-"

At first Nora went quiet - stone silent. She plucked another drink from the melee of shot glasses in the middle of the table, her lips curving into a smile. She shook her head, breaking out into a cool, dry chuckle.

"Should've kept your little friend on a leash there, chica. Now look at the shit you're in."

"The shit we're in," Audrey corrected her, eyes of violent red narrowed, furious. "If he ever finds out then we're fucked."

"Not me." Nora downed her last drink, calm and collected, grabbing for her stylish cap and slipping it on. "Already got what I wanted. I'm good baby girl. You're the one that's screwed."

"OH FUCK OFF!" Audrey hissed, her back pressed up against her seat like a cat against a wall. She scowled at Nora as she began walking away, frantically reaching for her phone. "Where's geekazoid with my fucking drink?! I need to get to the bottom of this... call-"

The clip cut off - leaving Mike stood in the middle of the lounge with a bitter frown and a horrible quiver in his stomach. He dove toward the kitchen area, almost ripping the cap from the nearby liquor bottle and flooding a highball glass half full.

"She fucking played me twice." His snarl echoed off the walls, the fingers of his left hand squeezing tight around the edges of the glass. Down in one, uncaring of the eye-watering burn brought by a fifth of a bottle of single malt.

Audrey he understood. Audrey he could almost sympathize with. It was payback. He'd been an utter bastard toward her, but Nora? After all they'd been through, those days side by side in senior year, the beach, the watch, everything?!

"Like, fuck's wrong with you, cuz?" Lillian's voice acted as something of a sedative for the bitter pill of betrayal. Mike set the empty glass down against the counter, watching with the faintest hint of relief as the pasty brat, scruffy-haired, sleepy-eyed and devoid of any clothes save a pair of tight fitting black panties, wandered over and snatched up his arm. "Drinking this hour? S'like, totally bad, even for you..."

She snuggled closer, gazing up at him with those blue eyes of hers, a little clearer now from the haze of sleep.

"Sup? You 'kay right now? Totes looks like you're gonna cry. Ya know... whatevs bothering-"

Mike swept Lillian into his arms, a surprised squeak escaping as she found herself squeezed tight, hugged close as though she were the most precious thing in the world, and right now? She was. He buried his face against her shoulder, eyes dampened and his vision blurry.

"It's Nora." Mike inhaled stiffly, his lungs pulling tight and aching amidst the sudden flood of feelings. He locked eyes with Lillian again as she brought his head up with the help of a thumb against the chin. She held him there, quietly, her expression one of unusual care and consideration.

"Go on, Mike," she nodded, urging him to continue. "Know I can seriously hard to deal with sometimes... but I'm listening."

"Nora." It was painful just saying the name again, especially in light of all this. Mike found his hands shaking, squeezed tight around Lillian's skinny middle. Sighing, he closed his eyes, placing a tender kiss upon her forehead. At least he could trust her. "She's involved in the whole thing with the video somehow... along with Audrey. A friend just sent something my way. No denying that."

"What?" The coldness of his cousin's single response, brought a wave of terror within Mike's already turbulent stomach. He'd never heard her sound like that before, quietly hoped he'd never hear her sound like it again, either.

Lillian's nails dug into his skin, subconscious and stinging. "Belrose and Nora, together? For reals... you're not screwing with me, are you?"

"No," Mike freed up one of his hands and dried his eyes. "Here." He reached out and grabbed hor his Huniebee. Lillian took her arms from around his shoulders, just long enough to watch the clip for herself. By the time she was done, her expression fell, became twisted, filled with bile, sinister.

"Fan-fucking-tastic. Guess I made the wrong move asking for her help." Setting the phone down on the counter, she looked to Mike, who at this point wanted nothing more than to jump back into the whiskey again. She snatched the bottle from him, however, taking a hasty swig for herself before hiding it behind her back. "Looks like it's just you and me from here on out. If she calls again, drop it. I'll do the same."

Mike nodded, reaching for the firewater, but Lili gave his hand a warning, surprisingly sharp slap. "Ouch. Alright. Alright. No more booze."

With Nora tied up in all of this, it left their roads for help limited. Markus was still on the case, and Nikki, if he ever had the strength to look her in the eye again. Still, the most useful person of all was still nowhere to be found.

"Kyu."

"You say something?" Lillian's sobering question pulled the blond back from his headspace, giving the jolt he needed to realize he'd spoken the fairy's name aloud.

"Not a thing," Mike replied. Where in the world was his otherworldly guardian right now? Was she really seeing another client, or was she on the longest vacation known to man? Either way, she wasn't here, where her magic would've been quite useful, all things considered.

"Hey," Lillian took the Huniebee back into her hands again and set down the bottle, a look of deep thought across her pale features as she tapped her fingertips against the screen. "You know in the clip? There's like, something Nora said... made me think. Here! Lemme rewind!"

About halfway through, she hit the 'play' icon again, huddling next to Mike so they could both see what was happening.

"Should've kept your little friend on a leash there, chica. Now look at the shit you're in."

"Friend on a leash?" Lillian spoke in questioning, hitting pause again and handing the phone back. "You got a clue what the hell she's talking about there?"

"No idea." No amount of thinking it over brought any clear answers. There wasn't anybody else who came to mind with an issue big enough to screw somebody over like this. Even as Mike ran through all the girls he'd been involved with a second time. "A friend of Audrey's?"

Tiffany was out of the question. She simply didn't have it in her to hurt someone like this. Nikki too. So who-

"Tell you what?" Lillian sounded up again. "Since I'm like, you're fave person ever," she winked, "Annnnd I'm pretty much your GF now... I'll go ask around myself, 'kay? The college campus. Someone's gotta know something, riiight?"

The notion of girlfriend brought a small tug at the heart strings. If they ever went official there'd be plenty of questions from plenty of people, and some of them not pretty. Regardless, Mike couldn't bring himself to refuse. Deep down... in a way beyond the simple use of words... he loved her, alright. He couldn't take that away. Nothing could take that away, even if he hadn't quite figured everything out yet.

"It's as good a place as any to start. Thanks Lilli."

"Heh," she put her arms around him again, stealing his lips in a quick peck. "Welcome. Now, get your ass back to bed. Girl needs her beauty sleep... and a smoke, damn. It's waaaay too stressful dealing with you."

Mike kissed Lillian back, watching from the kitchen as she walked through to the bedroom, giving a teasing wiggle of her rounded behind as she went.

"You're not the first person to tell me that..."

To be continued...

How do you feel about the reveal? Where do you think things will go from here? Feel free to share your thoughts and let me know what you think. I wanted to go with the a very strong vibe of nobody can be trusted in this story. I hope I've done a good job of delivering that kinda atmosphere. Also,
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As always, keep on supporting Huniepop and Huniecam Studio and I'll see you in the next chapter!