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response, Mel, not paying attention to where she was going, crashed right into me. The impact jolted us both, and she stumbled back, looking up at me disgustingly."Watch where you're going," she muttered under her breath, brushing past me without a second glance.I grabbed her hand, not hard, just enough to get her to stop. "Hey," I said, a little sharper than I intended. "You ran into me. The least you could do is say sorry."She whipped around, her eyes blazing. "Let go of me."I didn't. "Not until you apologize."Her answer came in the form of a sharp slap across my cheek. My head jerked to the side, the sting spreading like fire across my skin. "Don't you dare touch me," she hissed before yanking her hand free and walking away, leaving me standing there, stunned.I rubbed my cheek, watching her retreating figure. What the hell just happened? I was still processing the whole thing when I noticed Amy climbing out of the pool, water dripping off her as she made her way over to me."Sorry about Mel," she said, trying to sound casual, though her eyes betrayed her worry. "She's... going through some stuff."I shrugged it off, forcing a smile. "No big deal. I've had worse."Amy's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked me up and down. "So, who are you, exactly? I don't remember inviting you. And I haven't seen around here" "Jackson invited me."She raised an eyebrow. "Jackson? I didn't know he was bringing anyone else.""Is it a problem?" I asked, leaning in slightly, testing the waters."It might be," she shot back, not missing a beat. "Especially if you're here to flirt with or bully my best friend."I held up my hands in mock surrender. "Neither, I swear. I just got here. But it's obvious you two are close."Amy's expression softened slightly, curiosity replacing the suspicion. "What's that supposed to mean?"I shook my head, not really wanting to dive into the complexities of female friendships. "Nothing. Just an observation. Anyway, Jackson said it was cool if I came, so...."She cut me off, waving her hand dismissively. "Forget it. I don't care anymore." Her eyes narrowed again. "But what did you mean about me and Mel being close? What did you see? Have you been prying?"I smiled, trying to deflect. " First off, keep your voice down, then you can stop saying I was prying. Just tell me you really want to know""Yes," she said, crossing her arms, clearly not amused by my evasiveness.I leaned in a little closer, lowering my voice. "You're protective of her. She's hurting, and you want to fix it, but she's pushing you away. Typical best