As they walked towards each other, the distance between them finally closed and they all gathered together.

"Hey, what brings you guys here?" Slater smiled as he dapped Zack up.

Looking back at Kelly, he grinned, "We were just hanging out, I didn't think we would run into you two though." He chuckled.

"Yeah, I was teaching this girl how to surf." Slater bumped Lisa and she lightly shoved him.

Zack and Kelly exchanged looks of surprise when they heard the news.

"Lisa, you went surfing?" Kelly asked with an amused expression on her face.

"M-hm, and I was pretty good at it too, right Slater?" She batted her lashes as a proud grin flashed at him.

"I wouldn't say all that now." He jokingly scratched the back of his head and let out a chuckle.

Lisa huffed and rolled her eyes in response to his lies.

"Quit playing, you said I was good." She crossed her arms.

"You were alright…but not good," he teased which made Lisa lash at him.

Slater ran to get away from her attack but she chased him around the beach.

"Slater, get back here!" Lisa yelled with a grin on her face.

Zack and Kelly were laughing hysterically as they watched their friends play like little kids.

"They're cute, aren't they?" Kelly giggled as she witnessed Lisa hopping on Slater's back and him spinning around to get her off him.

"They're crazy, but you gotta love them." Zack chuckled while shaking his head.

Slater finally fell down after a moment of spinning around and was satisfied when he brought Lisa down with him.

"Admit that I'm good." She pointed while trying to catch her breath.

"Ok, fine, you're good." He chuckled and patted her back.

As soon as they settled down, their friends visited them.

"I take it you two had a fun day today." Zack smiled as he picked Lisa up.

"It was amazing!" She laughed while wiping the sand off her body.

No longer able to resist her, Zack hugged Lisa tightly and planted tiny kisses all over her face.

"I've missed you." He pecked her a couple of times on the lips, and she smiled.

Lisa wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tippy toes to meet his eyes directly.

"I've missed you, too," she said before bringing her lips to his.

Kelly couldn't bring herself to look at the couple kissing.

She'd be lying if she said she was happy for them and that she hoped Zack never change his feelings for her.

After the time they spent together, she thought maybe he felt a little chemistry between them and a little something for her, but to her disappointment, Kelly figured out that wasn't the case at all.

He invited her over because she was supposed to be his friend and she ended up only as that.

The couple's moment was soon interrupted when Slater made a bunch of immature kissing noises.

"Aww, there's that Lovely Dovey couple," he taunted in a childish way which made them roll their eyes.

"You had her for the whole day, can I just have her for a minute?" Zack wiped his lip as a smirk developed.

"Nope," Slater teased.

"Technically the day isn't over for me and your girlfriend." A massive grin spread across his face as an attempt to mess with him.

"Well, I say it's over." Zack wrapped an arm around Lisa while she stuck out her tongue at Slater.

The three of them immediately burst into laughter and were eventually calmed when Slater spoke.

"Hey Preppie, wanna catch some waves? Lisa can join too since she knows how to surf now." Slater chuckled.

"Sure…Lisa?" Zack looked at her.

"I'll pass, but you two have fun." She grinned.

Zack kissed her on the cheek and then left with Slater to find his abandoned surfboard.

"Oh, how I love him." Lisa smiled childishly while unaware of Kelly's presence.

The blue-eyed brunette studied her before opening her mouth.

"Lisa, are you in love with Zack?" Kelly unexpectedly asked.

Blushing at the sudden question, she replied, "I am," and a wide smile spread across her red face.

Although it was hard for her to accept, Kelly slowly nodded her head; trying to digest what she heard.

She inwardly told herself to stop being nosey but her mouth had a mind of its own.

"But how do you know it's love?" she quickly asked as she looked away.

"Because it is, Kel. I don't know how to explain it but I do know it's something real," Lisa answered softly.

Kelly carefully pondered on her words, but none of it made any sense.

They've only dated for about two weeks and they are already in love with each other?

It took Kelly a few years to realize she loved Zack so how come it only took Lisa less than a month to confess such a thing?

Kelly didn't know the answer to that but she was curious to know more about Lisa's newfound relationship.

"You know what? Since the boys are spending time with each other, why don't we get out of here and have a girl's day," she suggested but with an intent behind it.

"Oh my gosh, Kel, of course!" Lisa gushed and grabbed Kelly's arm.

There, the two girls left the beach and drove away in Kelly's car.

Lisa's house

Upstairs in her bedroom, Lisa and Kelly were on the floor painting their nails, laughing, and sharing gossip with each other all while music was blasting in the background.

"That color looks really nice on you, Lisa," Kelly complimented.

Looking up from her foot, Lisa expressed a genuine smile, "Thanks," she said.

Suddenly, as the girls were painting their nails, a Janet Jackson song came on and they quickly made eye contact.

Getting up from their comfortable positions on the floor, Lisa and Kelly sang horribly to the top of their lungs and danced around the room, trying to mimic the moves on tv.

Once the song ended, a friendly hug was exchanged between them and they laughed their butts off.

"This is really fun, I'm glad we're doing this," Lisa admitted while holding her.

"Me too, it's just like old times." Kelly looked at her friend and smiled.

The girls calmed down and went back to the same positions they were in before the fun interruption.

"Remember the time when we pranked Jessie and gave her a surprise makeover while she was sleeping?" Lisa brought up an old memory while fanning her hand.

"Oh yes! We were horrible for that." Kelly laughed as she covered her face.

Lisa got up and went to pay her closet a visit.

"I still have the pictures we took," she said, searching through her stuff.

Kelly's mouth dropped a little but the amusement remained in her eyes.

"No way! I thought we threw them out?!"

"Now why would I throw away a masterpiece." She snickered as she pulled a purple box out.

Lisa opened and shuffled inside until she found the Polaroid photographs of a young Jessie looking crazy.

Kelly looked through the photographs and began crying her eyes out from laughter.

"Oh my gosh…this is horrendous! I'm surprised…we even got…away with it." She laughed in between words as she tried to catch her breath.

"Jessie would kill us if she ever found out." Lisa giggled.

Many minutes passed, and the two best friends were dying on the floor from laughing too much.

Finally gaining their composure, the girls sat up and laughed their final laughs.

"You know, I wish Jessie was here with us right now," Lisa sighed as she looked down at her somewhat dried nails.

"Yeah, but she does have a big speech to prepare for." Kelly playfully nudged her.

"I know. I'm really happy she won valedictorian though. The girl was stressing out like crazy." Lisa chuckled.

Kelly smiled at the comment but it eventually faded once she recalled the reason she planned the 'girl's day.'

She looked at Lisa who was blowing on her nails and decided to finish their conversation from earlier.

"I've been meaning to ask you, how's your relationship with Zack going?" she casually asked.

Lisa glanced up and an enormous smile illuminated her entire face.

"Oh, Kelly, it's wonderful. I've never felt so loved before!" she gushed and Kelly faked a smile.

"Zack is such an incredible guy and treats me so well. I know we've only been dating for a short time but these past two weeks have been the greatest two weeks in my life." Lisa's eyes glowed as her smile told it all.

A part of Kelly was delighted to hear how happy Lisa was but another part loathed the fact she was happy with Zack.

Why couldn't she be happy with another guy, why did it have to be with him?

Kelly sat in her thoughts until her stomach started to growl and she realized she haven't eaten anything for the day.

She was expecting to get something with Zack at the beach but plans changed.

"Do you have anything I can eat?" Kelly asked, holding her belly.

"Oh, yeah, my mom went grocery shopping yesterday. I can fix something for you right now." Lisa got up from the carpet floor and headed to the door.

"Thank you," Kelly called out.

When Lisa was gone, Kelly was by herself with nothing to do until she spotted Lisa's jewelry collection in the corner of her eye.

The thing with Lisa was that she loved her jewelry and accessories and had over a thousand dollars worth of those items.

Kelly whimsically tried on some of her rings, earrings, and necklaces, and modeled them in front of the vanity mirror.

Through the mirror though, she noticed one particular necklace shining brighter than the others, and she immediately became mesmerized by it.

It was as if it had some kind of magical energy that attracted anyone who came in contact with it.

Kelly held the necklace in her hands and admired its beauty.

She realized it was the expensive necklace Lisa's father brought her for the awards ceremony.

"You lucky girl." Kelly smiled at the thought…but suddenly…the smile dropped from her face.

An instant memory jolted through her mind, bringing her all the way back to the beach resort.

***Flashback***

Inside the clothing store, "And You."

"So...who brought you that necklace again, Lisa?" Kelly smiled.

"A friend."

"Who's the friend?" Jessie interrogated as she walked into their conversation.

"Brian," she quickly said.

"Your date?" Kelly beamed.

"Mhm."

"Oh my goodness! He spent $200 dollars on you!"

"What can I say, the boys love me." Lisa laughed.

"Wow, and you guys weren't even in a relationship. I'm surprised," Jessie said, but she soon frowned.

"Wait Lisa, how did Brian know that that was the necklace you wanted?"

Kelly turned to look at her.

"Oh, he called and asked what he should get me that night since he likes getting girls little gifts, and I told him about the necklace," she said.

"But when did he have time to give it to you?" Jessie questioned.

Lisa started to look a little annoyed.

"He gave it to me when we were all at the table. You guys didn't notice but he put it on me as he kissed my cheek. Wasn't I not wearing it at the table? You guys did see it on me when he was there and not before so I don't know what's the problem," she defensively stated and crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't sure that's all," Jessie apologized.

"Awww, how romantic. I wished Zack had done something like that for me." Kelly pouted in slight jealousy.

***End of Flashback***

Kelly was left speechless when she returned back to reality.

Lisa lied to her…but why?

There was no way she could've mixed her father and her date up; it wasn't likely.

Kelly examined the necklace in her hand but not one possible reason came to mind.

Eventually, she decided to leave it alone and just ask Lisa when she returned with her food.

Kelly put the necklace back and took off the other jewelry she was wearing.

When she tried to put the earrings away, she accidentally opened another jewelry box that contained pictures of Lisa, her family, and the gang.

Kelly rummaged through the photos and smiled at each and every one of them; all except one.

It was a picture of Zack and Lisa sleeping next to each other.

Kelly grabbed the photo and stared at it intently.

Many questions lingered as a jealous feeling erupted inside.

Something urged her to check the back for the date it was taken and when she did, her heartbeat stopped working.

Kelly's mouth dropped as shock paralyzed her body.

It was the day after the awards ceremony, the same day Zack stood her up.

She remembered waiting for hours and calling but no one picked up, and decided to just go out by herself.

Seeing the photo though, made her realize that Zack not only stood her up but stood her up for her best friend.

That night was supposed to be a special night for Kelly, especially after how he treated her at the banquet, but the worst part about the situation was that they lied the next day.

She couldn't believe it.

A nauseated, gut-wrenching feeling entered her already-hungered stomach as her eyes focused on the image.

She thought that was the worst thing she uncovered, but to her dismay, she ended up uncovering worse.

Something about the image was not right until Kelly held it to the light and examined it closer.

That's when she saw it.

The necklace.

It was dangling from Zack's pocket.

Slowly, things began to make sense as the pieces fell into place.

That was the moment Kelly's heart and whole reality shattered.

A faint, "No," escaped her lips as she looked in disbelief.

"It can't be…they couldn't have…" Kelly's blue eyes blinked with tears.

Many tumultuous emotions ran inside her core.

Hurt. Confusion. Frustration. But most of all…

Betrayal.

"Sorry, it took me so long." Lisa came back with a plate of food and a can of soda in her hands.

Kelly didn't say a word or look at her, she just continued to languish in devastation.

"Girl, you good?" Lisa asked confused but Kelly never responded.

"Kelly-" That's when her eyes trailed to the photograph in Kelly's hand and then back to the distraught look on her face.

An internal groan sounded in Lisa as she closed her eyes.

She kept many secrets and lied many times but never wanted it to turn out like this.

Karma had a way of exposing the wrong and guilty.

"Lisa…why?" A cold tear trickled down her blushing face as she searched for answers.

Lisa bit her bottom lip and settled the food down on the television stand.

"Ok, let me explain," she softly said.

"I know this looks really bad and I understand what you might be feeling right now-"

Kelly let out a huff, "I don't think you do," she interrupted.

"I don't think you understand the betrayal of your boyfriend cheating on you with your best friend." Anger burned her pale cheeks as her eyes darkened from their light blue color.

"What?! No, Kelly, let me explain what happened here-"

"Did Zack give you the necklace?" She crossed her arms as her heart pulsated with fire.

"Yes, he did, but-"

"And did you lie about who gave it to you, twice?"

Lisa looked away from her dangerous eyes.

"Yes, but Kel-"

"Then that's all I need to know." Kelly pushed past her and headed to the door.

Feeling frustrated, "Can you stop interrupting me and let me explain?!" Lisa shouted, desperately.

Kelly slowly turned around with an intolerant look on her face but she was willing to hear her out.

"Listen, Kelly, I'm so sorry that I lied to you about everything; about the necklace, about my feelings, everything!" she exclaimed and walked closer to her.

"Zack gave me the necklace the night of the awards ceremony. I was completely unaware of it until we were alone and he showed it to me. It was supposed to be a friendly gift to offer his gratitude and I took it as that." Lisa explained, but Kelly wasn't all too convinced.

"Then why did you lie to me?" She let out a bitter laugh.

"Because I was scared. It really was a friendly gift but I didn't know how you would react to him giving me such an expensive necklace. I didn't want any drama that night so I lied, and I wish I could take it all back right now. I should have never accepted it. I only did because I was in love with it, not him," Lisa honestly worded.

Kelly took her words in, but she wasn't done interrogating.

"So why were you both acting weird that night?" she questioned while narrowing her eyes.

"Did you guys sleep with each other or something?"

Lisa's face blushed, "No…it's just…"

"It's just what? Might as well spit it out since you've been caught." She rolled her eyes and shook her head impatiently.

Lisa exhaled a deep breath.

"Something did happen that night, but NOT what you think happened. I can't even explain it since I'm not even entirely sure myself." Lisa shook her head as she recalled the unexplainable, surreal moment that happened between her and Zack in the bedroom.

The fact that Lisa couldn't share this intimate moment with Zack made it worse for her.

It wasn't like she was trying to hold back or anything, but there were just some things she couldn't explain.

"So…you admit to having an affair with my then-boyfriend." Kelly's voice softened along with her face.

Lisa looked at her with heavy eyelids and sad brown eyes.

"No," she said, faintly and honestly.

"I don't believe you. After all this time of lying and sneaking around-what makes you think I believe a word that comes out of your mouth, huh?" Kelly tried to fight back the tears that were ready to come out.

"I'm sorry," was all Lisa could say.

There was a short gap of silence in the room until Kelly spoke up.

"It already hurts to be cheated on by Zack, but by you too?" Kelly looked straight into her eye; displaying a level of sadness and vulnerability she rarely expressed.

"Lisa you're supposed to be my best friend, how could you do this to me." The brunette's voice cracked and she broke down crying.

Lisa tried to hold back her tears as she watched Kelly cry in misery.

"I never meant to hurt you." Lisa stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her friend.

She loved Kelly, and wouldn't do anything to hurt her like that.

What happened with Zack was unplanned and unexpected.

She knew beforehand that her feelings for him would cause trouble. She wished they would have gone away when they had the chance to avoid problems like the one she was experiencing.

Why did she have to like Zack?

Why did she have to lie to Kelly?

Tears left her eyes as she realized the damage she had caused.

All Lisa wanted to do at that moment was fix everything between them because she didn't want to lose Kelly.

She never tried anything with Zack while Kelly was with him and even tried to avoid dating him after they broke up.

She did all of that despite her urging feelings for him because she loved Kelly so much that the thought of hurting her broke her heart.

After what felt like an hour, Kelly unleashed herself from Lisa's embrace and looked to the floor.

When it was finally calm in the room, Lisa opened her mouth.

"Kelly-"

"You should break up with him," Kelly forcefully demanded without thought to it.

"W-what?" Lisa stammered as her heart raced.

Kelly looked up from the floor and carried a hard expression on her face.

"If you want to make things right, break up with him and forget about everything that happened between you two," she clearly stated.

Lisa felt conflicted at the moment.

She didn't want to have to choose between the love of her life and her best friend who was like a sister to her.

If she chooses Zack, she loses Kelly, and if she chooses Kelly, she loses Zack.

Either way, it was a lose-lose situation.

"That's not fair, Kelly," Lisa whispered in distress.

Instead of diffusing the smoke, her answer only set fuel to Kelly's fire.

"Well, it wasn't fair for you to have Zack in the first place. He was mine before your little affair started. You're nothing but second to me, Lisa, never forget that," she spat.

Lisa gasped at the sudden attack and immediately, her brown eyes darkened to black and barked with rage.

"Excuse me? How dare you, Kelly! You were the one who approved of our relationship! Now you're telling me to break up with him, are you serious?!" she exploded as anger possessed her small frame.

"Just because I said it was ok, doesn't make it ok! You out of all people should know that! It's common sense, Lisa, something you clearly lack!" the blue-eyed brunette screamed.

Lisa glared at her before opening her mouth.

"Listen, I'm second to no one, Kelly! NO ONE! Zack chose me as his one and only, now YOU never forget that!" she growled, and then suddenly, Kelly pushed her into the wall.

Lisa was in shock when she banged into it and looked at her friend as if she was a different person.

Kelly was not the type of girl to get into a physical fight with anyone.

She was too good for that.

"I still love him, and it's hard for me to be with him when you are in the picture…slowly replacing me." Hot tears streamed down her face.

"You should have never accepted the necklace. All this time, I wondered what went wrong. How did this happen to me and Zack?... Now I know it was all because of YOU!" she shouted with anger that pervaded her body.

Lisa broke down in tears.

"Kelly, I'm sorry, but what happened between you and Zack was none of my fault!" she tried explaining.

"Believe me or not, I tried to keep you guys together even when it hurt me! I never kissed him, I never tried to sleep with him, I never tried to take him away from you, I NEVER TRIED ANY OF THOSE THINGS BECAUSE YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND!" Lisa shouted with tears gushing out of her eyes.

"And I wish you could believe me when I say this because I do love you and I am deeply, deeply sorry," she desperately confessed.

For a second, Kelly's face softened as she stared at Lisa's helpless state, but soon turned sour and grew bitter again.

"You don't get to play the victim here." She stepped closer to Lisa.

"Zack and I belong together, we share a connection. I was his first love and he was mine, something you'll never truly understand," Kelly hissed in a nasty, intimidating tone.

Even through her rigid layer, Lisa could see a devastated, hurt girl.

She could've said something back but instead, she decided to keep quiet and let Kelly vent.

After all, she owed it to her.

Lisa didn't blame Kelly for feeling the way she did.

She knew she could've handled things differently in the past.

She could've told Kelly everything, she could've stayed far away from Zack, she could've not accepted the necklace.

Lisa wanted to make things right between her and Kelly, and if it meant breaking up with Zack, she would do it.

Lisa thought about it until she realized that breaking up with him would not fix the mess she had caused because the problem was deeper than that.

It had more to do with their friendship than it did with Zack.

She was the one who broke the sisterhood, and now, she had to figure out a way to restore it.

Lisa silenced Kelly in her thoughts as she tried to think of how she could clear the air between them, but the quiet was soon gone when Kelly went up to her and pointed in her face.

"You're a horrible, conniving friend who's a liar and nothing but a messed up slut-" Kelly insulted.

Right then, a trigger went off in Lisa, making her do the unthinkable.

She smacked Kelly.

Tears dripped from Lisa's eyes as wrath heavily consumed her pupils.

Feeling paralyzed, Kelly stared at her in disbelief.

Her blue eyes screamed a mixture of fear and shock as she touched her reddened cheek.

Guilt and shock immediately stepped into action, causing Lisa to freak out.

"Oh my gosh…Kelly…" Lisa covered her mouth with both hands.

"I didn't mean to, I promise," she agonized and went to touch her face.

Removing her hands from her face, Kelly stepped back while presenting a distraught, heartbroken look.

She choked up and wailed, "AHHHHHH!," as she grabbed the roots of her hair and fell to the floor.

Lisa's heart sank as she heard her friend's cries and she ended up crying with her.

The two girls sobbed for about half an hour before Kelly got up and went to the door.

Turning around with a swollen face, Kelly had some final things to say.

"I don't want to be your friend anymore-" she said.

"Kelly, no," Lisa pleaded as more tears gushed out.

"I don't want to be your companion…I don't even want to be your sister." Trying to get the last sentence out was the hardest for Kelly.

She wasn't even sure if she completely believed what she was saying but she said it anyway.

"Please, let's just talk this out...I don't want to lose you," Lisa's voice cracked.

Shaking her head, "Our relationship is dead and all the good times we've shared with each other means NOTHING." She tried to hurt Lisa but was ultimately hurting herself.

"So I hope it was all worth it. You might've gotten Zack…but you've lost me," Kelly said with the most haunting and unforgettable face that scared Lisa.

Kelly eventually left, leaving Lisa alone in the bitter, sorrowful room with her face frozen in shock.

As if someone tipped her over, Lisa fell onto her bed and then sobbed miserably.

Kelly finally made it outside, shutting the front door behind her.

She was breathing heavily and quickly as she recalled what happened a few minutes ago.

'What did I become in there? Why was I so mean? I didn't mean the words I said, especially the one about our friendship. Lisa's my best friend...I don't want to lose her.' Kelly thought regretfully as her heart pounded in her chest.

She desperately wanted to go back in and apologize, but the door wouldn't open.

She forgot Lisa's parents installed a safety latch that would instantly lock the door when it closed.

Kelly fell back on it and slid down until her knees buried her face.

"Who am I kidding? After what happened in there, Lisa probably doesn't want to see me," she sulked.

"I didn't mean a word I said though! I was just angry and sad and confused-I don't want to lose her. She's my bestfriend.' Kelly bawled her eyes out.

She started gasping for air and her breathing became irregular.

Her heart pounded alongside her head as exhaustion overwhelmed her body.

Kelly lost sight of who she was in there and didn't like how she turned into that spiteful Kelly she was months ago.

The screaming, the possessiveness, the insults, ending her friendship and sisterhood with Lisa-that was not the type of person she was.

She pushed Lisa and called her a slut!

Kelly felt incredibly guilty for how she acted in there and wanted to make it up to her…but she didn't know how.

That was the worst fight they ever had and she felt hopeless in restoring their friendship.

Kelly continued to cry even as she returned home.

The day started off with optimistic bliss but it ended with broken hearts and unhappiness.

The two girls said and did things they didn't mean that afternoon.

Graduation was in a couple of days, and the girly best friends who were supposed to be spending their final moments making great memories were no longer friends.

Author's Note: There is a lot to unpack here but first I want you all to understand that there were different perspectives present here. There was Kelly's perspective, Lisa's perspective, and then the objective truth. Kelly believed Zack and Lisa were having a physical affair and that Lisa was his side chick while they were dating but that wasn't the case. Lisa didn't believe she was having an affair with Zack since at that time, she didn't know or believed Zack liked her back and she never tried to pursue anything, but the objective truth here was that she was in an emotional affair with him. It's all complicated since neither of them was aware and it didn't happen on purpose. They hung out like they did before they realized they had feelings for each other. They were always close, intimate friends-Kelly already knew this and was never bothered by it until it came to this point. She had every right feeling the way she did, but I want to make clear that there are no villains in the story (with the exception of someone who is not present), just flawed characters!